RAID options

[deh-cheesekake]

Can't help but notice that in the PCS configurators you have the ability to add a RAID card but cannot choose which drives you want to be RAIDed. For example. I want (one day) to buy a PC with a primary SSD (not raided) and have my 2ndary disk where I store all my files to be in RAID 1 (for data preservation reasons). How would I go about doing that?

 

[keynes]

Can't help but notice that in the PCS configurators you have the ability to add a RAID card but cannot choose which drives you want to be RAIDed. For example. I want (one day) to buy a PC with a primary SSD (not raided) and have my 2ndary disk where I store all my files to be in RAID 1 (for data preservation reasons). How would I go about doing that?

From looking at the information on the website they will only offer it for same size HDD/SSD, so if your main drive is an SSD and you have 2x 1TB caviar black then the RAID 1 will be applied just to the 2nd and 3rd drive. You could also email them to confirm your selection once you place your order.

 

[ubuysa]

As keynes says, RAID 1 requires two drives to be in the RAID configuration (RAID 1 simply mirrors two drives). So you'll need a PC with an SSD (not RAIDed as you want) and two HDDs, both the same size, which will be in a RAID 1 config.

 

[mishra]

FYI: You do not need 2 drives of the same capacity for RAID setup. Any size will be fine. It will just create a partition as big as the smallest drive - so effectively you will loose some space. However, different size drives can be mixed as much as you like - it's just not ideal.

When it comes to setting up RAID on PC's if you are really after some efficient way of making sure you's data is safe then forget about fake onboard RAID setups! Instead, invest in a dedicated RAID controller card. I know these are not cheap - but it's all about how much you value your data in the end.

Regardless of RAID solution make sure you BACKUP all your data somewhere else - always - RAID is a false perception of safety! It will help if your drive develop a fault but will be useless if you corrupt or delete your data. Hope this helps, somehow.