New Rig Storage Set up?

[zandergray1]

I am Setting up a new Rig to be used mostly for editing photographs and images and need some help on how to best set this up.

I do a lot of editing with photoshop on Images and need to share these images with other devices connected to the network. I'm trying to figure out the best way to set up the SSD's for maximum performance and need some advice.

I'm currently planning to connect 1 SSD to the Sata Express port and the other 2 to Sata III ports

thinking that a Raid 0 configuration would give the best performance, but not sure how to configure that.


should I :
1) have a Raid made up of all 3 disks (across Sata Express and Sata III)? How does that effect performance

2) have 1 disk for the OS (SATA express) and a 2 disk Raid (sata III) for storage & file sharing

3) something else?



Appreciate any advice on how to best set this up.



Here are the HW components

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (Black) ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)


Zander

 

[zandergray1]

anyone know?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, Zander!

Pretty decent rig you got there! I don't get why you need all 3 SSDs though. The maximum performance of the SSDs would be to set 2 of them in RAID 0 but this is not something you will be able to notice, unless you are using very demanding video editing software apps. However, if one SSD fails, you lose the data on both of them. Most of the PC builders prefer SSDs as boot/OS drives and they put fast HDDs for storage.
I guess since you don't mind the costly configuration of 3 SSDs, I'd suggest to use 1 for OS and set up the other 2 as RAID 0.
Make sure you have all your data from this rig backed up somewhere else, RAID 0 is one of the most dangerous configurations (in terms of data loss).
On the question how exactly to set them up, I'd suggest to take a look at this article: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_set_lightning-fast_raid_simple_way?page=0,1

Hope I was helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Zaydox]

SuperSoph pretty much hit the nail on the head. 2 SSDs in RAID 0 would be the way to go, if you INSIST on buying 3 SSDs. However, I don't think that you would notice much of a difference between a RAID setup unless you are planning on using very high-end 3D modeling/video editing software.

I personally think that one 240GB SSD and one high capacity HDD would do the trick for you. It's more cost effective and you'll end up with more storage space. But of course, the choice is yours.

+1 SuperSoph

 

[zandergray1]

Hey there, Zander!

Pretty decent rig you got there! I don't get why you need all 3 SSDs though. The maximum performance of the SSDs would be to set 2 of them in RAID 0 but this is not something you will be able to notice, unless you are using very demanding video editing software apps. However, if one SSD fails, you lose the data on both of them. Most of the PC builders prefer SSDs as boot/OS drives and they put fast HDDs for storage.
I guess since you don't mind the costly configuration of 3 SSDs, I'd suggest to use 1 for OS and set up the other 2 as RAID 0.
Make sure you have all your data from this rig backed up somewhere else, RAID 0 is one of the most dangerous configurations (in terms of data loss).
On the question how exactly to set them up, I'd suggest to take a look at this article: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_set_lightning-fast_raid_simple_way?page=0,1

Hope I was helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

thanks!! my thought was I could combine all 3 SSDs in a single RAID 0 configuration but wasnt sure if that could be done with one SSD on SATA express (or if that was a bad idea)???

sounds like you suggest I use the SATA express SSD for the OS and configure the other 2 in a RAID volume (data disk). I also have a 3tb hd for backups.

Is there a way to configure the OS to default installations of added sw (non OS) to install on the data disks? seems they always install by default on the C drive.

thanks for your help and advice!!

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hi again, zandergray1!

I'd say it's a bad idea because if one of the SSDs fails all your data including the OS will be lost (if all 3 are put in RAID 0).
I'd rather suggest to plug just one of the SSDs first and install the OS there. Make sure it's the only storage device besides the CD/DVD-ROM plugged in the SATA ports. (If there is another SSD or HDD while you install the OS, a system confusion might occur which will result in BSOD at some point of time).
After the installation is completed, put the other SSDs in.
Then take a look at these threads/tutorials that might shed some light on how to install and set them up in RAID:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1227670/how-to-set-up-raid
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_set_lightning-fast_raid_simple_way?page=0,1
http://www.thessdreview.com/our-reviews/raid0-the-ssd-simple-to-build-and-lightning-fast/

Keep us posted! Hope this helps you!
SuperSoph_WD

P.S. Thank you, @Zaydox +1 for your suggestion as well!