Raptor increases FPS?

[krille]

Hey!

I'm currently on a single Samsung SpinPoint P120 250GB, since I can't stand my 4xHitachi Sata2 250GB RAID-0 array (due to noise). The P120 is said to be quiet and it is quite quiet but it's probably also the worst performing 7.2KRPM SATA HDD out there.

Anyway, I'm thinking of purchasing a WD150 Raptor. And I wonder how it would increase FPS and decrease loading times? Am I nuts you may think, but it actually should increase FPS since there will be less stuttering. ;) So question is really...

1a) Would a WD150 reduce stuttering a lot in games (and increase or rather help maintain a solid FPS)?
1b) What about load times?

2) How would 2x WD150 RAID-0 vs 1x WD150 (single) compare? Is there an extreme (50%+) real-world difference? Worth it? Etc?

This would be on an ordinary nF4 SATA RAID controller. So no RAID-1 gives better seeks applies here... :rolleyes:

[nn_step]

Honestly without heavy multi-tasking you will see absolutely ZERO benefit.

[J-Mag]

wait, you are irritated by your current RAID setup's noise, but are considering higher rpm disks????

[amdtommy]

i have 2 x 74 GB raptors.. and in raid they load FASTER then single and sigle disk loads pretty fast ( in raid i dont see the windows bootscreen) and i am always nr1 in the servah :) ***brag***.
if u play games raptors is worth it.. disks and RAM gives u better load speeds :)

[[XC] Lead Head]

if you want quiet with good performence go for the seagate 7200.8 drives

[amdtommy]

if you want quiet with good performence go for the seagate 7200.8 drives
i have 2 of them and they dont perform g00d enough.. raptor destroys them.. and raptors don make much sounds.. but virus search in raid 0 is insane :stick:

[nn_step]

i have 2 of them and they dont perform g00d enough.. raptor destroys them.. and raptors don make much sounds.. but virus search in raid 0 is insane :stick:
how much do you want to bet?:rolleyes:

[Delirious]

i have 2 x 74 GB raptors.. and in raid they load FASTER then single and sigle disk loads pretty fast ( in raid i dont see the windows bootscreen) and i am always nr1 in the servah :) ***brag***.
if u play games raptors is worth it.. disks and RAM gives u better load speeds :)

Same here, only with 2x36gb raptors, its fun getting into a server 10 seconds ahead of other people when playing bf2, garauntees me whatever vehicle/plane i want :D

[krille]

wait, you are irritated by your current RAID setup's noise, but are considering higher rpm disks????WD74 is actually said to be more silent (in idle) than most 7.2kRPM SATA disks. And WD150 is said to be even quieter. Also, one or even two drives can be enclosed is special HDD enclosures if needed, with four disks it is annoying.

From Storage Review ::
http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200601/WD1500ADFD_noise_SATA.png
http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200601/WD1500ADFD_7.html

And I have four of these Hitachi Deskstars (although 7K250s) that are louder than. However, I've gotten too used to the performance. I don't know about going dual WD1500 in RAID-0 or single WD1500, but in either case it should (hopefully) be quieter and perform better than the RAID-0 setup. The single P120 2405C I'm using right now is, although quite silent, really, really slow.

SPCR writes ::

Western Digital's 10,000 RPM performance-oriented drive is surprisingly quiet at idle, about the level of the Samsung P80.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article29-page2.html

And I don't really care too much for noise during seeks and when they spin-up, since most time it's idle and when it's seeking, I'd rather listen to the noise than idle myself waiting for a slow, albeit quiet, drive.. ;)

Note: Samsung P80 is quieter than my Samsung P120.

nn_step Why do you think real-world gain would be ZERO? You honestly think today's 7.2KRPM HDD aren't a bottleneck?


Good to hear from the rest of you. But do you notice a big difference going from single to RAID-0? I'm unsure on whether to go single or RAID-0.

[amdtommy]

how much do you want to bet?:rolleyes:
bet on what? :woot:
edit: i had single a couple of months and was happy, but when i set up raid 0 it got faster.. i wouldnt go back :cool:
and i dont think it will increase fps.. it will make ur game run smoother since it loads the files into the ram faster

[[XC] Lead Head]

i have 2 of them and they dont perform g00d enough.. raptor destroys them.. and raptors don make much sounds.. but virus search in raid 0 is insane :stick:


The seagate 7200.x drives are the quietest HDs I have ever heard, the perform decently and come with a 5 year warrenty. Do raptors come with 5 year warrenty?:stick:

BTW, raid0 is relatively un safe, if one of those raptors die there goes all your data

[thegoatman]

you may get like, 1-2 FPS ingame, but the real boost would be in level load times. Average access times on Raptors are about 1/2 what they are on average 7200RPM disks, meaning where it would take you one minute to load a level on say, HL2, it should THEORETICALLY take you 30 seconds to load the same level on a Raptor. I say theoretically, because there are many other factors involved, and you may see around 45 sec loadtimes where on other drives you'd see 1 min. Benchmarks on Raptors in RAID suggest you get no real benefits, maybe a few extra I/Os per second here and there, but nowhere near enough to warrant buying a second $300 150GB drive. That's my 2 cents.

[J-Mag]

krille: idle noise is one thing my man, but usually it is the head seeking which is irritating...

[krille]

amdtommy I think I'll try only one WD1500 then and see if I'm happy with performance. 370 USD extra for raid is a lot of money and I'm a bit concerned about noise tbh. As why it'll increase FPS, was only (like you said) in that a better HDD may decrease stuttering (which I hate... it bothers me A LOT currently). Ie, when I do a quick 180 degree turn into a new area, it often stutters.

Lead Head Actually the WD1500 DOES sport a 5-year warranty (source (http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=189&Language=en)). My father has a Seagate Barracuda, but I can assure you my P120 is quieter. Raptors are some of the most reliable SATA drives out there. Of course, data redundancy on a RAID-0 array is effectively halved, but then again I'm coming from a 4 drive RAID-0 array. My reasons to stay away from WD1500 RAID-0 initially are 1) noise concerns 2) cost (in that order). Sorry if it came out a little harsh... not meant that way.

thegoatmanYeap, but the lows are most annoying so getting rid of those is probably worth the avg fps gain * 20. ;) And you're probably right, I think I'll save another 370 USD and try just one for starters. Although sandra would appreciate the extra bandwidth, I'm not sure it helps IRL (as seeks are probably the limiting factor anyway).

J-Mag Of course bro. Sorry, I missunderstood. :) And yes, seek is much more annoying, but it's even more annoying waiting 50% longer or so. Like I said I can endure noise for some seconds / minutes (like hard drive or optical drive spinning up), what I hate is constant whine (ie it just won't go away - ever!).


Thanks a lot all! You've been most helpful! :toast:

[nn_step]

nn_step Why do you think real-world gain would be ZERO? You honestly think today's 7.2KRPM HDD aren't a bottleneck?
I honestly don't think you are going to put sufficient load on it for it to become a bottle neck. Yes it is a bottle Neck IF and only IF you create a server load on the hard drive.. Which doesn't happen lot these days but if you are one of the few that do.. By all means get more Hard drive power...

[[XC] leviathan18]

krille

i have a 74gb raptor and a sata II hitachi 250gb and i can tell you this the raptor is 10 times louder than the hitachi i cant even heard the hitachi not even when norton scans the pc.... the raptor sounds like its going mad when norton scans so if you concern is about noise forget about the raptor

[craig588]

BTW, raid0 is relatively un safe, if one of those raptors die there goes all your data

'cause that happens all the time.

[nn_step]

'cause that happens all the time.
it just increases Geometrically every time you add another drive in the Raid

[Butcher_]

Just get a 15krpm disk and be done with it.

[thegoatman]

those are really expensive lol. As are the RAID controllers you use with them. What I do about the noise, is my case has a harddrive cage big enough for 3 drives, with an intake fan in front of them. Just have a fan sucking air in near the drives so the soundwaves can't escape the case as well. I can barely hear my 150GB raptor. Oh, and $370? Save about $70, don't get the version with the window. Speed and noise-wise they're the same, and with most cases, unless you do some serious modding, the window is mostly useless.

[amdtommy]

The seagate 7200.x drives are the quietest HDs I have ever heard, the perform decently and come with a 5 year warrenty. Do raptors come with 5 year warrenty?:stick:

BTW, raid0 is relatively un safe, if one of those raptors die there goes all your data
yes raptors have 5 years warranty.. and if u go buy raptors u probably use them for OS! not for important files... omg :slapass:
edit: i have OS(games and installed stuff ) on the raptors , and my other s h i t e on the other disks

[krille]

leviathan18 Lev, don't make me sh1t my pants like that! :eek:

Seriously, is it 10 times louder than your already loud Hitachi? According to SPCR the WD74 is as silent as a P80 when idle. And WD150 is supposed to be even quieter?! Did you try using soft elastic to suspend your Raptor? Perhaps it's only vibration noise? Or did you mean under load only? Because under load I don't really care... what I care about is idle (ie when browsing the web, writing a document, programming etc).

thegoatman 370 USD is for the version without the window. The windowed "Raptor X" version is 420 USD. And this is dirt cheap too.

CandymanCan You suggesting I upgrade to 4 gigs of RAM? I seriously doubt it's the quantity of RAM... Rather quality. It's 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix currently running @ DDR-500 1t-3-3-3-8.


~ Kris

[xerogenesis]

definately faster access times when gaming ull see the i/o count on a raptor go alot higher than on a 7200rpm drive(s). im currently using a 150gb raptor and have been very pleased witht he results, and yeh i only catch a glimpse of the windows bootup screen, but thats only if u dont have many things loading at the same time, the more u have loading the longer ull start to see that boot screen again