What hard drive should I buy to arrange a raid-0 configuration?

[HairlessHare]

Hello there.
So I already have 2TB WD green in my rig, It's been working for the past 2.5 years.
I want to add another drive to the system and since I don't have a storage issue I decided to go with RAID 0 to boost my everyday life,
PS: I have a 480GB sata SSD for my OS and software and stuff.

My question is does the drive that I buy have to be the same as the one I have now?
:/ or can I just buy any 2TB drive and go with it?

And if there are any advice or suggestions it would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

[mdd1963]

as 5400 rpm drives typically are limited to about 80 MB/sec sequential transfers, I'd simply get a faster storage drive, like a 4 TB HGST 7200 rpm drive, capable of 180 MB/sec transfers...(it'd still be faster than 2 slow WD green drives in RAID 0, and without the risk of RAID 0 and loss of all data)

(WD green drives are probably the least likely to handle successful RAID operations)

 

[HairlessHare]

as 5400 rpm drives typically are limited to about 80 MB/sec sequential transfers, I'd simply get a faster storage drive, like a 4 TB HGST 7200 rpm drive, capable of 180 MB/sec transfers...(it'd still be faster than 2 slow WD green drives in RAID 0, and without the risk of RAID 0 and loss of all data)

(WD green drives are probably the least likely to handle successful RAID operations)

I don't have the budget for a 4TB drive. I can only get a 2TB drive.
Can I just buy any 2TB drive or does it have to be the same?
I know my drive is slow. But will adding another drive and configuring RAID 0 increase the performance.
I usually move very large files around and it takes forever.

 

[USAFRet]

WD Green are not really recomended for a RAID 0.
Any other drive in a RAID 0 wit hthat WD Green will choke down to the performance of the WD.

Just get a 2TB WD Black 7200RPM, and be done with it. No RAID 0.

 

[HairlessHare]

So adding another drive and setin up a RAID 0 will have NO performance benefit?

 

[USAFRet]

So adding another drive and setin up a RAID 0 will have NO performance benefit?

Yes it will have a performance benefit.

However, probably not the uber RAID 0 that you're looking for.
The main limiting factor is your existing WD Green. Those drives spin down to zero, in an effort to reduce power consumption. Hence the "Green" label. Environmental...
A RAID 0 will choke when it tries to read both drives in the array, and one of them is unavailable for a couple of seconds.

In addition to the standard RAID 0 issues of data loss, etc.

Just add a good quality 7200RPM drive. It will be visibly faster than your existing WD Green.
I have a couple of Greens, and the difference is noticeable.

 

[HairlessHare]

ok my budget just increased through some borrowing. (I'm gonna regret this ¯\(ツ)/¯ )
anyway I now have enough money to buy two WD black 2TB
are those good enough for a RAID 0 config?

 

[mdd1963]

yes

 

[USAFRet]

ok my budget just increased through some borrowing. (I'm gonna regret this ¯\(ツ)/¯ )
anyway I now have enough money to buy two WD black 2TB
are those good enough for a RAID 0 config?

Would those work? Yes.
I still don't recommend a RAID 0 in a consumer PC.

But, if you go down that road...you NEED a comprehensive, automated, backup plan.
RAID 0 can make all of the data on both drives go away in an instant. Either drive, or the RAID controller dies...all data is gone.

 

[mdd1963]

but a single glitch on either drive, not uncommon with software/motherboard and/or WIndows raid, and your data is ...well, ....gone....

(keep your Green for a copy of things you need in case of a RAID 0 issue...)

 

[HairlessHare]

ok my budget just increased through some borrowing. (I'm gonna regret this ¯\(ツ)/¯ )
anyway I now have enough money to buy two WD black 2TB
are those good enough for a RAID 0 config?

Would those work? Yes.
I still don't recommend a RAID 0 in a consumer PC.

But, if you go down that road...you NEED a comprehensive, automated, backup plan.
RAID 0 can make all of the data on both drives go away in an instant. Either drive, or the RAID controller dies...all data is gone.

can I use the 2TB green I have now as a sort of backup?
is there any worthy task for it? considering both the raid config and the green have the same capacity of 2TB

 

[USAFRet]

ok my budget just increased through some borrowing. (I'm gonna regret this ¯\(ツ)/¯ )
anyway I now have enough money to buy two WD black 2TB
are those good enough for a RAID 0 config?

Would those work? Yes.
I still don't recommend a RAID 0 in a consumer PC.

But, if you go down that road...you NEED a comprehensive, automated, backup plan.
RAID 0 can make all of the data on both drives go away in an instant. Either drive, or the RAID controller dies...all data is gone.

can I use the 2TB green I have now as a sort of backup?
is there any worthy task for it? considering both the raid config and the green have the same capacity of 2TB

The RAID 0 will have a total capacity of 4TB.
Just like two individual 2TB drives have a total capacity of 4TB.

So if your data extends to 2.1TB...it won't fit in your existing 2TB WD Green.

 

[HairlessHare]

I just ordered the two Black 2TB.

BTW my motherboard is a Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5. I don't need a raid controller correct? I don't need a bridge or something right? No special hardware needed ?

 

[USAFRet]

I just ordered the two Black 2TB.

BTW my motherboard is a Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5. I don't need a raid controller correct? I don't need a bridge or something right? No special hardware needed ?

If you want to rely on the less-than-reliable motherboard RAID, sure...you don't need a dedicated RAID controller.

I suggest just plugging that drive in as a single, and just using it.
Try it...see what happens.

But if you're hellbent on this RAID 0, go for it.
Backup. Automated. On a schedule.

 

[HairlessHare]

thought I'd conclude this whole debate with what i experienced.
as mentioned I went with two WD black 2TB drives. I set them up for RAID-0...
The 4 TB birth-child is extremely fast when it gets going. you know they're HDD's still. when you click 'paste' it still takes them a while to wake up.
but most importantly I realized I didn't REALLY need a RAID-0 config in my setup. many of the people who answered tried to tell me this but I had heard/read/listened to so many youtube channels/pc websites/news..... etc that I just wanted to have what they were praising. i was obsessed
Moral of the story: don't get too hyped by media etc... think for yourself.

 

[Corwin65]

thought I'd conclude this whole debate with what i experienced.
as mentioned I went with two WD black 2TB drives. I set them up for RAID-0...
The 4 TB birth-child is extremely fast when it gets going. you know they're HDD's still. when you click 'paste' it still takes them a while to wake up.
but most importantly I realized I didn't REALLY need a RAID-0 config in my setup. many of the people who answered tried to tell me this but I had heard/read/listened to so many youtube channels/pc websites/news..... etc that I just wanted to have what they were praising. i was obsessed
Moral of the story: don't get too hyped by media etc... think for yourself.

You got great advice and now you understand why that advice was given. Win all around.

Enjoy your storage.