Will 2 RAID-0 hard drives run a laptops CD game faster than 1 non RAID drive?

[Rickie Lee]

will 2 each 160GB 7,200RPM - RAID 0 hard drives run a PC CD game faster than 1 each 320GB hard drive at 7,200RPM ?

 

[treefrog07]

Yes, but the average human wouldn't be able to see it, given that you are comparing SATA to SATA or IDE to IDE. When loading the game(s), use a complete install (all the game files on the HDDs).

 

[firephoenix]

if I understand you correctly, and you run the CD game off your hdd, then YES, it will LOAD approximately double the speed. But it may not RUN faster because it depends on CPU, RAM and graphics card.

So, RAID 0 --> faster load time
RAID 0 --x will not increase fps and stuff like that

hope that helps

 

[randomizer]

This next topics has been merged by Randomizer
■ Pls help!

 

[photonboy]

He means a CD game installed to the hard drive..

I agree with the above. Faster hard drives mainly affect only loading times for a game. The better a game is coded, the less often it needs to load. Ideally a game would buffer the next level in System RAM before you get to it (then delete the level you left).

There are a few games (mainly older ones) that have frequent level loads during a game but these are getting rare. Note, it's also possible that level loads will be more frequent if you are low on System RAM (less than 2GB depending on the game).

ADVICE:
Ignore RAID0 and get the best single hard drive in your need/budget.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

storagereview.com and anandtech.com have extensive articles on the subject. Gaming benchmark performance increases range from 2-7% improvement though in some cases, decreases have been observed.

 

[Rickie Lee]

if I understand you correctly, and you run the CD game off your hdd, then YES, it will LOAD approximately double the speed. But it may not RUN faster because it depends on CPU, RAM and graphics card.

So, RAID 0 --> faster load time
RAID 0 --x will not increase fps and stuff like that

hope that helps

Thank-you a million for answering, am just getting into gaming and am finding out how much I DON'T know. I asked the question cause I just ordered from Dell : Alienware M17x, Intel® Core™2 Duo T9800 2.93GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) Processor, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M, 1GB Graphics Card, 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz Ram, 320GB 7,200RPM Hard Drive. What I am still unclear on is if I should change the order to the two 160 GB drives in RAID-0 config or just leave it at the single 320. The games I enjoy are all mostly flying games.

 

[Rickie Lee]

Yes, but the average human wouldn't be able to see it, given that you are comparing SATA to SATA or IDE to IDE. When loading the game(s), use a complete install (all the game files on the HDDs).

Thanks: but being new, am unsure how (I really want to) load my Cd games onto HDD instead of running off the CD??

 

[Rickie Lee]

storagereview.com and anandtech.com have extensive articles on the subject. Gaming benchmark performance increases range from 2-7% improvement though in some cases, decreases have been observed.

Thanks, I know now I have SOOO much to learn.

 

[matt7777]

Thank-you a million for answering, am just getting into gaming and am finding out how much I DON'T know. I asked the question cause I just ordered from Dell : Alienware M17x, Intel® Core™2 Duo T9800 2.93GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) Processor, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M, 1GB Graphics Card, 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz Ram, 320GB 7,200RPM Hard Drive. What I am still unclear on is if I should change the order to the two 160 GB drives in RAID-0 config or just leave it at the single 320. The games I enjoy are all mostly flying games.

For weeks, I have been trying to decide to if I should use RAID0 or a single HD for my flight simulator games (MS FSX/Acceleration, MS Combat Flight Simulator 1,2,3) I think I will not use RAID0. I decided to get a 300GB VelociRaptor (the fastest hard drive) to hold my operating systems (Windows 7-64 and Windows XP-32 in a dual boot) and applications, and use my Western Digital Caviar Blue 640MB for storing Excel, Word, Music, Movies and all the other junk.

 

[Rickie Lee]

For weeks, I have been trying to decide to if I should use RAID0 or a single HD for my flight simulator games (MS FSX/Acceleration, MS Combat Flight Simulator 1,2,3) I think I will not use RAID0. I decided to get a 300GB VelociRaptor (the fastest hard drive) to hold my operating systems (Windows 7-64 and Windows XP-32 in a dual boot) and applications, and use my Western Digital Caviar Blue 640MB for storing Excel, Word, Music, Movies and all the other junk.

Hey Matt7777:

This is really a confusing topic, I have tried multiple forums, many reviews and continuosly seem to hear that RAID will somehow magically speed things up but am having a GREAT deal od difficulty in getting practical and real-life examples or advice. Hope u end up less confused than I still am.
Thanks for answering.
See ya,