Hard Drive Upgrades~~~~~

[FreakTrap]

OK, So... My current hard drives are nearing the end of their lives [60gb Maxtor ATA-100; 120GB Maxtor ATA-100] and I'm looking to replace them. I have been studying the Hard Disk Charts, and even with their support, I am undecided upon what hard drives I need.

Here is what I am considering getting at this time:
1x Hitachi GTS DeskStar 7K500
->Primary Hard Drive [500gb]
->Chosen due to awesome results on Windows XP Startup

2x WD2500KS SE16 in RAID 0
->Storage array with two main purposes:
#When recording video with FRAPS, store video to this drive.
#Store and read commonly used CD/DVD Images. [Large, 4gb+ files]

What I am looking for from these drives is two major factors: Fast load speeds in such games as Company of Heroes, Battlefield 2, World of Warcraft, Half Life 2 + Mods; and a secondary drive for storing large files while I am recording in-game footage or mounting a virtual image file via Daemon Tools.

So, Why I chose this layout:
1)I figure that the Windows XP Startup Performance benchmark is as close to an actual real-time, real-application benchmark available; thus, if a drive dominates the windows XP startup performance, then I would imagine it would have similar performance when loading a game such as Company of Heroes or Battlefield 2. Because of this, I chose the drive that clearly dominates the Windows XP startup performance benchmark.

2) The WD2500KS drives look pretty-good in every benchmark I have seen them in, plus only cost about $75/drive. With them I can make a cheap RAID-0 array that seems perfect for this application.

So my ultimate question: Am I doin' it rite?

Seriously though, should I ignore the Hatichi's domination on the XP Performance? What is the best drive for loading games directly off of? Should I replace the 500 with two non-raid 250s, 1 for windows, the other for installing games onto; and use the 2x250 RAID for storing DVD Images? Should I replace the 2x250 RAID with a second 500? Should I use any drives other than the 250s and 500s I have mentioned?

If anyone can answer any of these questions or cares share some helpful information with me, it would really be appreciated...

Thanks!

 

[fredgiblet]

Looks fine to me, just remember to partition the primary drive so that Windows is in it's own little world that can be squashed when needed. Also, I'm too lazy to check but if they are not SATA then ditch them, only buy SATA drives.

 

[Sagekilla]

Indeed, stick Windows on about a 30-40 GB partition. It comes in handy when you need to reformat for whatever reason: back everything up on the windows partition to the other partition and destroy the windows one.

 

[GeorgeH]

Just get 2 500GB hard drives.

It makes life easier.

I like the WD KS series. I have 2 500s and 3 250s in my PVR and 7 250s in other machines around the office.

A Raid will only make more heat and wear.

 

[FreakTrap]

Just get 2 500GB hard drives.

It makes life easier.

I like the WD KS series. I have 2 500s and 3 250s in my PVR and 7 250s in other machines around the office.

A Raid will only make more heat and wear.

I have no problem setting up a RAID array, and the reason I am choosing it is for the performance boost. For what I'm using it for, most benchmarks show an estimated 60% speed increase when dealing with large files...

Am I wrong on this?

Seeing as how the videos I record will be going at something like 80-120 mb/sec, I'd like to have the array dedicated only to them.