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Optimal stripe size of RAID 0 to install Windows OS on?

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by achen2002

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I've done research on this for two days, and all of my questions are cleared except those ones listed in this discussion. A couple simple conclusions about optimal RAID 0:

1. smaller stripe size for random access (OS, applications), larger stripe size for data (large files, storage).

2. you would get better performance if stripe size = cluster size, or (# of drive * stripe size) = cluster size

The default cluster size for Windows OS is 4k and I believe it stays like that since Win 2000 to now for a reason, the MS engineers must have determined this is the best way. OK then let me assume I don't change that, although a lot of ppl suggest changing it to 16k.

My question is, why had I never seen anyone suggesting 4k as stripe size? From all resources I've read, they are saying either 16k or 32k.

If the concept of "stripe size = cluster size" is correct, wouldn't it be optimal to set 4k strip on a disk which is formatted by Windows installation CD, with 4k cluster?

If 4k option is available from the RAID controller (I have ICH9R), is there any reason I don't want to do 4k? Is there any downside on performance to do 4K? Is it considered TOO SMALL and will increase the burden of RAID controller and thus reduce the overall performance?

6 replies

by achen2002

That is a VERY, VERY helpful article, better than all I have read in two days. It also gave me the answer of why I don't want to do 4k stripe.

However, it did not discuss too much about cluster size, except a reply by someone else. Athough I said I like to leave it as default, I still wish to know the answer.

-- Will changing the cluster size to match stripe size really increase performance, comparison to leaving it at 4K which was done by Windows OS CD?

by k2c

Hi Aachen,
Have 2 Baraccuda 500s I want to run in RAID0 with ICH7R on Asus P5WHD.

ALL set but not sure about how big to make the partition for the OS - all 986MB or break it up and just use part and have other partitions for other than SYS [like normal - c-sys, D-Data E-Entertainment - F-FoolinAround etc]?

Can/Should I use all of the ~ 1 GB from the two drives - or do I have to limit this to <500 for the partitions if I am running RAID0 [no redundancy I know] Thanks for any help..

by achen2002

Disregarding the risk of no redundancy, the best setting will be two different arrays-- 1st one with 16~32K strip for the OS, optimal for random access. 2nd one with largest possible strip for data, optimal for linear access (picture, video, music..) Then you can partition the 2nd array into more drives if you want.

by k2c

Hi - Appreciate the feedback about the Stipe size .

My main niggling question I have is did I make an error in having the RAID set up windows on the full 1GB when in fact I have only 2x the 500 gb HDs. Easy to reinstall - especially to set up 2 arrays - as I did on another 975X Rig with two 250 GB HDs - and it is fast!

[Normally I would have used a 100gb partition for the WINXP OS and 2x200 for the other two. But I may have screwed up installing the OS as when it asked me for the size - I just hit return instead of creating three particions as I normally would have [it saw the full 2x500 as a 931 GB single space and it went there as I was asleep at the switch] .... darn!]

Thanks for any insight about this single vs multiple partitions. Keith

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