a question about raid 0

[matt samoohi]

lets say i put two sata300 250gb western digital drives would it run near or close to sata600 just something. Another thing i want to ask how is radioshack with their rebates ? i have my heart set on this case http://www.radioshack.com/sm-ultra-products-ult31826-aluminus-silver-computer-case--pi-2210223.html
for 60 dollers after rebate how hard is it to resist? Wins lots of awards and is totaly neat and is perfect for the ultra x2 550 which also won alot of awards for neatness and bang for the buck considering i would be paying 100 dollars more for a powerstream 600 for 50 more watts when the ultra is proven to back its statements up.

[Diverge]

in short, no you won't be at sata600. raid 0 doesn't actually double the drives rated throughput, and drives never really reach their theoretical max throughputs either. if you search you'll find lots of information on HD speeds/raid performance. i wouldn't go by awards either - user results > awards.

[Kobalt]

The Ultra is a terrible PSU, but despite the communitie's constant suggestions that you make a better choice, you still seem set on getting the Ultra. But hey, it's ok, we all made mistakes when first getting into overclocking, just don't come back complaining when that PSU kills your hardware.

You can also get a much better case for $60...

The second problem is definitely a serious issue. The connectors on the X-Connect cables, although nice, are bigger than standard connectors and can interfere with nearby components.

Taking a peak inside the X-Connect reveals two very small heat sinks. Typically, power supplies need to stay cool in order to keep power rails from sagging.

Another space restriction problem occurs because of the larger cable connectors and the stiff cable due to the UV plastic covering...

Note: The only way I got an honest RMA effort from Ultra was to plaster my RMA issue across all the PC Enthusiast forums and then they decided I was an issue they had to deal with. If I had been joe teenager without resources or some dude who buys and Compusa and doesn't frequent forums, I would have been given the shaft.

My Nightmare;

I bought the 500 Watt Ultra Xconnect from Zipzoomfly.com on 02-19-05.

It ran fine for 60 days. It died yesterday 04-18-05, out of the blue, while I played CS:S.

I tried a few things and the PC would not power on regardless. I had another PSU I had bought for another system and I put it in and was up and running in a few minutes.

Zipzoomfly has a 30 day return policy. So returning it there was not an option. I can read thier website policies and accepted that.

I looked at Ultras website and emailed Customer Service, who have no weekend hours, and I emailed to ask for an RMA.

I got an email this morning from thier Customer Service department telling me to call an 888 number. I call and speak to a customer service representative. He explains that since I did not buy my PSU directly from Ultra Products website ( http://www.ultraproducts.com/) then I will have to first pay for a powersupply to be shipped to me from Tiger Direct using my credit card, then they will email me an RMA # within 3 days (?), the new PSU will be shipped out within the week and I will then be refunded by Tiger Direct for the new PSU after they have received the dead PSU unit I will return. This is thier stated RMA policy! They then asked for the last four digits of my social security number!

I then asked if like all big industry manufacturers they would allow me to send the dead PSU back, at my expense, and they would be able to inspect it and then provide a replacement to me. He said NO that is not our policy, he did not make the policy and I had to do it the Tiger Direct way or no way at all. Very rigid and car salesman like.

This has got to be the shadiest, most ridiculous and disturbing form of RMA I have ever heard of. At that point I would give this company a 0 for thier effort at customer service and a 0 for caring about the customer. I would give the customer service agent I spoke to a 0 for flexibility and sincerity. His computer crashed while we spoke, he could not type fast, he sputtered when I objected to this policy. I am utterly and deeply disgusted by this experience and shall do my best to spread the word about this horrid customer service and policy. I have had to obtain many RMA's from many comanies, Antec, Soyo, DFI, Gainward, on and on. I HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF ANY COMPANY THAT TREATS ITS CUSTOMERS IN SUCH A SHABBY WAY!

I posted this on many forums and on one forums I was offered from someone very close to the Ultra company and a nuker on their forums to buy my dead PSU for $40.00. He didn't even offer me the URL for the Ultra Forums but he offered to buy my PSU for $60.00 less than I just paid for it. What a scumbag. Then he acted as if that was okay when confronted.

Update: 24 hours later after posting to 25 forums.. I finally found my way to the Ultra Forums - http://ultraproducts.com/forum/ where I was helped by "Mr. Clean" ie: George in an efficient manner.

He said that the policy I have stated above is the rule but the customer is right and should the need arise a rule can be broken. He offered to ship the new PSU out, cancel the charge to my credit card, which had occured ~Neutral and then sent the tracking info for the PSU that was in transit. While this is all very nice there are issues with the process I think that will continue to come up in the future.

Why did I not receive this tracking info when the package was shipped yesterday? Why was I still waiting on an RMA number? Though George was very helpful and I have some good news I am still weary of the process and feel it could be a lot better.

So if you have RMA issues contact the forums or call direct - George - 888-333-8900
At that the link to the forums was not in the top bar of the Ultra site it was at the bottom of the side nav as of this date. No wonder I couldn't find it as I was not scrolling the side bar shopping for products I was looking for customer service.[B]

I know "Some people you can never please". I am very unhappy by the experience and still uneasy about the process I personally experienced. Maybe others will have better luck and this experience may even help the process.

As far as I have been told based on my willingness to exibit tenacity and aggressiveness in pursuing the goal of slamming them on many forums and letting the PC community know of their tactics they have changed their RMA process. I even posted it on legit so they would know at this link

The discussion and flaming that insued on the ultra site is at this link.

I would not buy another Ultra product based on my experience and the many experiences that are listed on the ultra forums.. Rolling Eyes
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I never had a problem with my previous computer before i got that X-Connect thing... 3 months in (using the x-connect instead of the generic) i had a pile of crap for a computer. Mobo completely fried and the kicker? I have my system on an UPS (power should be fairly regulated).

I am not saying that that is the specific cause... but i had a no name brand on the machine for about a year and a half and never had a problem. 3 months into the x-connect i get a fried mobo.

Interestingly my UPS while having the X-Connect in it reported 20 minutes of back up time. My new Antec NeoPower 480 (powering an fx-55, 2gigs of ram, and an sli configuration of 2 6800 256ers) gets almost 34 minutes on the backup power report.

The X-connect got a rating of 4/10 in maximum pc magazine and achieved the second lowest score in their power supply roundup.

[Marvin_The_Martian]

lets say i put two sata300 250gb western digital drives would it run near or close to sata600 just something. Another thing i want to ask how is radioshack with their rebates ? i have my heart set on this case http://www.radioshack.com/sm-ultra-products-ult31826-aluminus-silver-computer-case--pi-2210223.html
for 60 dollers after rebate how hard is it to resist? Wins lots of awards and is totaly neat and is perfect for the ultra x2 550 which also won alot of awards for neatness and bang for the buck considering i would be paying 100 dollars more for a powerstream 600 for 50 more watts when the ultra is proven to back its statements up.

Double post :mad:

[matt samoohi]

the doublepost was an accident i had an error so i posted again NOT knowing that it had already been posted:rolleyes: . OK now i think there psu's suck balls. Then what would a better simmerly priced one be that can power up

2x250gb 16mb in raid 0
2gb ocz pc4000 gold
Opteron 170 running maybe 2.8ghz
x1900xt faslhed to xtx and oced more
ati hdtv tuner
how is the 600w enermanx noisetaker or the seasonic s12 600w power supply?