RAID questions about my new build....?

[Jsunn]

Hello All,

I have a few quesations about a new build I am going to start here at the beginning of January.

My systems is going to consist of:
1. GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 (not going i7 for the time being)
2. E8500
3. G.Skill 8800 (2X2GB) 1100MHz RAM
4. Corsair 750W PSU
5. 3X500GB WD hard Drives in RAID 5
6. GTX285 (when they are released)
7. G92 8800GTS running PhysX
8. Vista 64bit


So , I am looking to go RAID 5 with my system, for increased speed and data protection. My questions are concerning being able to back up my system and being able to restore an image from a known good state.

I guess the way I would like to use the system is to:
a. Get windows installed on my system with all necessary software, games, and files.
b. Begin my overclocking efforts.
-I know that there will be multiple restarts of the system and many system crashes while I am trying to optimize my system.
c. After the system is running how I like it, restore the system image to correct any system files that were corrupted during the O/C process.

My questions are:

1. Can I create a image of a RAID array either with "System Restore" in windows or with Norton Ghost or other utility?

2. If I have 3 HD at 500GB in a RAID 5, how big does my backup volume need to be in order to hold the image of my Array?

3. Do I need to worry about this at all?

Thanks for your help!

-Jason

[Nasgul]

1- You can use Ghost but I'm not sure if you can do it with RAID-5, but I'm guessing you sure could, since that all you're doing is creating an image from one drive to another. I use Ghost but for Vista I use something else, because Ghost for Vista is expensive and I needed a freebie which I found on the net and it's legal, when I find the name I'll let you know.

2- I use RAID 0, that's what Ghost is for, that 3rd drive is where the image should remain. if you do RAID 5 is like having two back up, which is not necessary if you're gonna use Ghost.

3- Not really, I've been using RAID 0 since 2006 and have never had any data lost of any kind and I'm still using the two exact same drives that I installed back then.

BTW, just make sure your GIGABYTE board supports RAID, some of their boards don't have the ICH-R south-bridge, so just make sure your has the R after the ICH.

[Jsunn]

1- You can use Ghost but I'm not sure if you can do it with RAID-5, but I'm guessing you sure could, since that all you're doing is creating an image from one drive to another. I use Ghost but for Vista I use something else, because Ghost for Vista is expensive and I needed a freebie which I found on the net and it's legal, when I find the name I'll let you know.

Thanks for the info, and when you get a chance, please let me know what software you are using for creating the image.:up:

2- I use RAID 0, that's what Ghost is for, that 3rd drive is where the image should remain. if you do RAID 5 is like having two back up, which is not necessary if you're gonna use Ghost.

I see what you are saying, the reason that I was looking at RAID 5 is because my single HD that I had in my system just died. I had to pull another HD from my wife's unfinished computer and restore the image using the utility within MS Vista Ultimate. With RAID 5, I was hoping that I could bypass the need to reinstall and re-image if I have a hard disk die on me. I would also like the ability to fall back to a "known good" state in case I mess something up in the O/S, hence the question about a good disk image program. What do you think?

3- Not really, I've been using RAID 0 since 2006 and have never had any data lost of any kind and I'm still using the two exact same drives that I installed back then. Yeah, maybe I am being a little over cautious... :confused:

BTW, just make sure your GIGABYTE board supports RAID, some of their boards don't have the ICH-R south-bridge, so just make sure your has the R after the ICH.

Thanks for the heads up, I checked and my Mobo is capable of RAID 0,1,5,10 :up:

Thanks for all of your help!

-Jason

[Jsunn]

I have decided to go RAID 0 with 2 500GB HDs. I have an external 500GB USB HD that I am going to use to back up all of my files. I know that there are some risks if I lose one drive, but what I have realized is that it is only slightly more risky than just having one drive for your system.

[Nasgul]

This here is the programs: http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

The theory that "ONE" drive may go bad? Well, that will happen no matter if you're doing RAID or not. Nobody can predict if your main drive will bite the dust. Nobody.

I have to say though, I've had more failures using 1 drive than two, now I feel more comfortable going and suggesting RAID 0 for anyone, since that I have never run into an issue with my data.

Backing up your files is also good, I do too. I have a 640GB USB2.0 drive that I do nothing but store everything that needs to, pictures, movies, music from iTunes and files I convert into anything I need.

Good luck with DI-XML.

[Jsunn]

Thanks for the info...and the luck! :D

-Jason