question about 9800 gts vs 8800 gts and raid 0.

Hi there, I have 2 questions :

- Is there some noticeable difference between 9800 gts and 8800 gts ? Or is it just a question of 2-3 fps ?
(I am been searching for a while on the net but found no clear opinions)

- I am wondering if a raid 0 of two "200gb 7200 rpm hdd" give any significant performance in games and windows ? Because if one drive is dead, I loose all data.
(again I found mixed opinions, some people say it's not worth the risk : no real time gain for normal applications)

thank you

 

1.) nVidia did some things a$s backwards with the 9800 seris of GPUS. The GTS is now on the bottom with the GT in the middle. So yes, there is a difference between the two. However, that being said, while its more than 2-3fps, its not going to be an earth shattering difference. I've been very happy with my 8800gts.

2.) Ok. Heres where the debate starts and me being an avid RAID 0 supporter kinda keeps things stirred up, so this time I'm just gonna keep it simple. RAID 0 does not help the game experience at all, except for a reduction in inital and level load times. You do not receive and FPS advantage.

Now. When using it for other purposes such as audio/video editing, photography work, compression and most other tasks, it does make a nice difference when properly configured. My Windows load times probably halved when I went RAID. With the 7200RPM drives you are considering, it only gets better.

The negative side is, yes, there is the possibility of failure, but this is a possibility with ANY machine with a hard drive(and not just one with a RAID array). Its just a risk you have to take, thus the reason proper backups are so important. In the end, its up to you. The performance gain is noticeable in most activities and believe it or not, the risk isn't as much as some would have you believe. Also, this is just one mans opinion, be sure to read the other replys as well to help aid in your decision.

 

ok thank you Dook for your opinion.
Yes i think i will do a raid 0, and some backup sometimes.

 

so is the 9800gts better than the 8800gts?

 

Both Anandtech and StorageReview have stated that RAID0 on the desktop doesn't make much sense. The Anandtech review is probably more pertinent to laptop users since they did their test using the RAID controller integrated into intel's chipset.

Here is the link to Anandtech's review: http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2101
One thing to note is that Anandtech's test was done back when the ICH6 controller was the most recent. It's possible that there may have been some improvements in the most recent chipset RAID implimentations as there are supposedly a significant number of people who disagree with the test results.

I'd say if you don't need the extra storage and don't already have a spare comparable HDD, then RAID0 will be a waste of money for your intended usage. If you still want to run RAID0, then definately invest in an external back-up solution. In fact, I'm toying with the idea of converting to RAID0 and running an eSATA RAID0 back-up solution myself, since I already have most of hardware required.

 

Slightly yes.

The 9800gts is a die shrunk 8800gts with higher clocks. The 8800gts can match the clock of the 9800gts in most cases though. But due to the 9800's new architecture and lower temps it can be clocked even higher than the 8800 so can achieve better results.

I would say 4-8% if its a good card and can overclock pretty high. So basically 2-4 FPS more in most games (or about equal if playing at native resolution for the 7811 = 1920x1200)

 

all what they say is right on.
just that nvidia seemed to have pulled the 9700gts into the 9800 family by calling it 9800gs (speculation of course).

 

i also agree with dook. the performance gained outweighs the possible negatives.

 

GPU-Z tells me my 9800 is 65nm.....i thought it was supposed to be 55

 

5400 HD = cheap
RAID-0 = fast
5400 HD @ RAID-0 = good

 

This might be the first time I ever slightly disagreed with Dook, someone write it down! I do agree that RAID 0 doesn't help MOST games, the games that I disagree on are MMO type games or games where characters and objects can come onto your screen with all kinds of different appearances and random intervals.

These are games where your computer is doing a lot of loading from drives with all the different kinds of information as it can change so fluidly. While I agree RAID 0 won't improve FPS, it will greatly improve stuttering and the random bog downs you get from very LARGE player versus player conflict in these types of games. The principle I would think would apply to online FPS's too except for the fact that most of them only use about 4 skins per side so everyone looks the same anyway. But that's just my 2 cents.

 

no it wont... the players in these games arent loaded into your hard drive so you could have RAID 0 slc solid state drives and it wouldnt matter.

The stuttering you get in those situation is a couple of things combining to screw up the fluidity of the game
Server Capability - GPU Capability - Internet Speed - and in some cases CPU capability. When any/all of these points become overloaded you get stuttering

Except for loading the game and the levels/areas of these games your hard drive has very little to do with it. Heck even your toon isnt really loaded into your computer so much as onto the games server.

 

Nothing to do with previous comments but I find it interesting how the same people who denounce raid-0 will salivate profusely over a 7200 RPM drive as opposed to 5400 RPM.

 

It's all good my friend. No one person here is all knowing and if someone has information(HELPFUL information, that is) about something someone else has posted, by all means let it out. Presented in the manner in which you have done, I can't see anyone other than whiny trolls getting upset. We are all here to help one another.

Ha! Great call! I find that a bit interesting myself!