Possible to RAID installed M.2 drive with later regular SSD?

[aminor]

[Sorry if this is dupe -- first try didn't seem to go.]

On an Asus Z97 Mobo: Possible to install an M.2 SSD (Samsung SM951, 128 or 256gb) and later RAID it with a larger regular SSD (say, Samsung EVO-800 series) added in? Would there be a performance loss from the mixture? Complicated to do? Board claims to be RAID 0/1/5/10 ready; I'd need whatever flavor makes the cpu see the two drives as one.

(For a build, I'm trying to get quick boots but save ~$250 needed for an initial 512gig M.2, bulk up storage later. Besides, all the Z97 chipset boards seem to have M.2 slots, might as well use it.)

On the other hand, if the whole M.2 thing isn't really worth the trouble . . .? There seem to be people who think that.

 

[USAFRet]

Oh good grief don't do this.

"see the two drives as one"...presumably you're talking about a RAID 0?
2 x the size of the smallest, the speed of the slowest.
This is at best, when talking about HDD's.

SSD + RAID 0? Don't. You will see zero performance benefit...you may even see an overall hit, even with identical SSD's
An m.2 and a SATA drive? Even worse.

Get the m.2 drive, and just add another drive later.

 

[aminor]

Oh good grief don't do this.

"see the two drives as one"...presumably you're talking about a RAID 0?
2 x the size of the smallest, the speed of the slowest.
This is at best, when talking about HDD's.

SSD + RAID 0? Don't. You will see zero performance benefit...you may even see an overall hit, even with identical SSD's
An m.2 and a SATA drive? Even worse.

Get the m.2 drive, and just add another drive later.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was afraid of, including the "smallest . . . slowest." But "just add another drive later"? You mean swap out the initial M.2 for a larger one? That the only way?

 

[USAFRet]

Oh good grief don't do this.

"see the two drives as one"...presumably you're talking about a RAID 0?
2 x the size of the smallest, the speed of the slowest.
This is at best, when talking about HDD's.

SSD + RAID 0? Don't. You will see zero performance benefit...you may even see an overall hit, even with identical SSD's
An m.2 and a SATA drive? Even worse.

Get the m.2 drive, and just add another drive later.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was afraid of, including the "smallest . . . slowest." But "just add another drive later"? You mean swap out the initial M.2 for a larger one? That the only way?

Assuming this is a desktop, literally just plug another drive in. It just becomes another drive letter. You can use it for whatever.

 

[aminor]

Oh good grief don't do this.

"see the two drives as one"...presumably you're talking about a RAID 0?
2 x the size of the smallest, the speed of the slowest.
This is at best, when talking about HDD's.

SSD + RAID 0? Don't. You will see zero performance benefit...you may even see an overall hit, even with identical SSD's
An m.2 and a SATA drive? Even worse.

Get the m.2 drive, and just add another drive later.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was afraid of, including the "smallest . . . slowest." But "just add another drive later"? You mean swap out the initial M.2 for a larger one? That the only way?

Assuming this is a desktop, literally just plug another drive in. It just becomes another drive letter. You can use it for whatever.

Man, I'm glad I asked! That's what I'll do. Thanks again for another quick reply.