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    Dual HDD

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007.

  1. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    There's so much talk about them... what's so great about having two hard drives as opposed to having one big one. Doesn't that mean that there's twice the chance of a HDD failure?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  2. bbasra

    bbasra Notebook Evangelist

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    Would also be good if you can run both as Mirrored Raid :)
     
    bbasra, Jul 14, 2007
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  3. thegsrguy

    thegsrguy Notebook Deity

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    If they're in RAID, it can be faster and/or more reliable.

    The average person will probably not need or even understand RAID, so I'd say just go with one drive. Two drives also decreases battery life by a lot.
     
    thegsrguy, Jul 14, 2007
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  4. blahdude84

    blahdude84 Notebook Deity

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    Raid 0 and Raid 1 aren't reliable (Raid 1 is actually less reliable than a normal HD)... Raid 1 is faster though....
     
    blahdude84, Jul 14, 2007
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  5. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    what techology is RAID, and for is it ideal?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  6. blahdude84

    blahdude84 Notebook Deity

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    Its usually used for businesses ... for data reliability. Some RAID configs can get expensive.
     
    blahdude84, Jul 14, 2007
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  7. dc74

    dc74 Notebook Consultant

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    RAID = Redundant Array of Independant Disks, sometimes Inexpensive is used in place of Independant.

    It's basically using multiple HDDs acting as one to provide better speed and/or fault tollerance.

    RAID 0 = striping
    RAID 1 = mirrorring

    RAID 1 is very reliable, as 2 disks are used where one is the primary disk and the other is used to back up. However, RAID 1 does not provide parity, so no automatic error detection/correction.

    RAID 0 is very fast, but not reliable and should not be used for fault sensitive applications (ie storing critical data).

    There's also RAID 3, 4, 5, 6, 1+0, 0+1, 5+0 & 5+1. Usually, the best solution is RAID 5 in terms of speed, fault tollerance & cost.
     
    dc74, Jul 14, 2007
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  8. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    why is it a configurable option in most gaming desktops if it's intended for business?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  9. dc74

    dc74 Notebook Consultant

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    It was originally intended to be used for business due to the expense & the need for a separate controller (and that they were usually only for SCSI drives). Now, they are integrated into most MB above the economy level and they work with PATA & SATA drives instead of SCSI.
     
    dc74, Jul 14, 2007
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  10. Mark

    Mark Desktop Debugger

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    Well, I have 3 HDs in my computer. 2 are in RAID 1 and another is by itself for games and stuff. I like RAID 1 because it gives me data integrity which is something I can't get with one drive. It is nice having the piece of mind that I always have a backup of all my important data.

    How do you figure it is less reliable? I have never heard that before? :confused:
     
    Mark, Jul 14, 2007
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  11. CingKrab

    CingKrab Notebook Enthusiast

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    As dc74 said, RAID 0 (striping) provides supposed performance benefits (but with two disks, about doubles the risk of failure).
     
    CingKrab, Jul 14, 2007
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  12. blahdude84

    blahdude84 Notebook Deity

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    Oops! Raid 0 is less reliable...
     
    blahdude84, Jul 14, 2007
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  13. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    is it possible to get one RAID drive?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  14. bmwrob

    bmwrob Notebook Virtuoso

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    He's got the two options confused.


    Edit: Oops #2. I should have read the entire thread before posting.
     
    bmwrob, Jul 14, 2007
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  15. dc74

    dc74 Notebook Consultant

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    It's not the drives that are RAID, it's the way they are configured. The drives used in a RAID array are normal drives. But, no, it's not possible to run RAID with 1 drive.

    RAID 0 & 1 has a minimum of 2 drives required.
    RAID 5 has a minimum of 3 drives required.

    Also, the drives should be identical to be optimal.
     
    dc74, Jul 14, 2007
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  16. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    can you configure one drive at a certain rpm and the other at a different one, assuming you have dual hdd's?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  17. lordofericstan

    lordofericstan Notebook Evangelist

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    yes i believe you can.
     
    lordofericstan, Jul 14, 2007
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  18. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    with new solid-state flash drives beginning to evolve, what's the point of all these improvements to the old magnetic disk?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  19. lordofericstan

    lordofericstan Notebook Evangelist

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    because you cant have a 1.5 terabyte flash drive?
     
    lordofericstan, Jul 14, 2007
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  20. blahdude84

    blahdude84 Notebook Deity

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    Not completely true. I have a RAID 0 drive with 1 HD with my EVGA 680i Motherboard. This is the SAME exact thing as a normal HD... but I have the option of "morphing" that drive to a RAID 0 - 2 HD option... then morphing that to either RAID 1 or RAID 5.

    I love morphing....
     
    blahdude84, Jul 14, 2007
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  21. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    good point lord-whatever
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  22. J-Bytes

    J-Bytes I am CanadiEEEn NBR Reviewer

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    why don't they make dual or quad flash drives to compensate for the minimal amount of memory flash drives can store?
     
    J-Bytes, Jul 14, 2007
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  23. Mark

    Mark Desktop Debugger

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    Ah, OK. I though I was missing something! :)
     
    Mark, Jul 15, 2007
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  24. Wolfpup

    Wolfpup Notebook Prophet

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    I wish you could run RAID 1 on the 1720. Now THAT would be cool in a notebook. I personally would never run RAID 0, and would be even less inclined to in a notebook, where the likelihood of damage to a drive is even higher.
     
    Wolfpup, Jul 16, 2007
    #24