<p><em>The RAID 0 defenders in this thread are defending a straw man</em>. </p>
<p>Nobody has questioned the increased speed that RAID 0 offers--a few of us are just trying to inform the uninitiated to not treat it as two copies just because it utilizes two disks. </p>
<p>Also earlier in this thread, I read some <strong>mind-numbingly unsound advice</strong> on purchasing computer components. If this is your business, it is imperative that you have a stable workstation and this precludes overclocking. </p>
<p>I've overclocked my home computers in the past and while it's fun squeezing extra performance out of your chip, I still would never trust a 'stable' overclock on a business workstation. <em>Run your CPUs at stock speed and gain peace of mind.</em> If you still decide to overclock, at least do so with a good power supply unit. Since overclocking may require you to bump up the voltage you're feeding your computer chip and RAM, doing so with a shitty PSU is a recipe for disaster. </p>
<p><strong>IF YOU ONLY TAKE ONE THING AWAY FROM THIS POST, LET IT BE THIS:</strong> All power supplies are not created equal. Do not skimp in this area. As arguably the most important component of your system, any reasonably sized power supply will <em>not </em>do. Many computer instabilities (ie random reboots, BSOD) can be attributed to defective PSUs.</p>
<p>Wattage ratings to power supplies are as megapixel ratings are to cameras. <em>The most wattage/megapixels does not always win</em>. Unless you're running a Xfire setup, in my experience you don't really need more than a 500 watt unit. If you're unsure how much power your computer is drawing, use a Kill-A-Watt device and measure. </p>
<p>Look for the PSU's amp rating on the 12v rail and compare this to your video card manufacturer's requirements for your video card. Something like an ATI 5850 is going to need at least 30a on the 12v rail. <em>Buy a PSU that exceeds these amounts</em> to give yourself a little bit of headroom. Some quality PSU manufacturers are Seasonic, Corsair, FSP/Fortran/Sparkle. Sure, they cost more but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself whether a small up front investment is worth the amount of down time you'll have trying to diagnose your unstable PC. </p>
<p>If all this watts and amps talk is confusing, you should read about Ohm's Law when you get a free moment.</p>
lightning fast Lightroom machine
in The Digital Darkroom: Process, Technique & Printing
Posted
<p>To the uninitiated, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID#RAID_0">RAID 0 </a>should be treated as a single hard drive, as it offers no redundancy. <em> </em></p>
<p><em>The RAID 0 defenders in this thread are defending a straw man</em>. </p>
<p>Nobody has questioned the increased speed that RAID 0 offers--a few of us are just trying to inform the uninitiated to not treat it as two copies just because it utilizes two disks. </p>
<p>Also earlier in this thread, I read some <strong>mind-numbingly unsound advice</strong> on purchasing computer components. If this is your business, it is imperative that you have a stable workstation and this precludes overclocking. </p>
<p>I've overclocked my home computers in the past and while it's fun squeezing extra performance out of your chip, I still would never trust a 'stable' overclock on a business workstation. <em>Run your CPUs at stock speed and gain peace of mind.</em> If you still decide to overclock, at least do so with a good power supply unit. Since overclocking may require you to bump up the voltage you're feeding your computer chip and RAM, doing so with a shitty PSU is a recipe for disaster. </p>
<p><strong>IF YOU ONLY TAKE ONE THING AWAY FROM THIS POST, LET IT BE THIS:</strong> All power supplies are not created equal. Do not skimp in this area. As arguably the most important component of your system, any reasonably sized power supply will <em>not </em>do. Many computer instabilities (ie random reboots, BSOD) can be attributed to defective PSUs.</p>
<p>Wattage ratings to power supplies are as megapixel ratings are to cameras. <em>The most wattage/megapixels does not always win</em>. Unless you're running a Xfire setup, in my experience you don't really need more than a 500 watt unit. If you're unsure how much power your computer is drawing, use a Kill-A-Watt device and measure. </p>
<p>Look for the PSU's amp rating on the 12v rail and compare this to your video card manufacturer's requirements for your video card. Something like an ATI 5850 is going to need at least 30a on the 12v rail. <em>Buy a PSU that exceeds these amounts</em> to give yourself a little bit of headroom. Some quality PSU manufacturers are Seasonic, Corsair, FSP/Fortran/Sparkle. Sure, they cost more but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself whether a small up front investment is worth the amount of down time you'll have trying to diagnose your unstable PC. </p>
<p>If all this watts and amps talk is confusing, you should read about Ohm's Law when you get a free moment.</p>
<p> </p>