Rebuilding old PC - Raid or not?

[MSharpeWriter]

I'm Currently using my old parts to rebuild a PC (My old AMD Phenom II X4 965, with GTX 650), to be used partly as a Movie watching rig for my brother. I'm using whatever I'm not going to use for my own rig, so all parts are used and where working fine when last used.

 

I've got a single 1TB drive and 3 x ~300GB drives that can can fit in the case. Each of the ~300GB are relativity slow (compared to the 1TB) and where used on other PCs before getting installed in the AMD in 2012.

 

So here's my options:

1. 1TB drive as boot and have 3x 300Gb Drive separately, so C: 1TB, D: 300GB E: 300gb F: 300GB
2. 1TB drive as boot and Raid0 the 3x300 drives for ~900GB size and better performance.
3. 1TB Drive as boot and do something like weird Raid mode which puts improves the performance and some what increases size but in improves reliability.

 

Option 1 is easy to do mainly that's what I've had in the past. I'm not keen on doing Option 2, as I know he's a smoker and I've got a few "paper weights"/former Disk drives from him, especially when these drives are over 5 years old, and may end up going due to age.

 

By the way, I'm not going to spend money on this rig If I can help it, we really can't afford it.

 

So what would you suggest?

[QuantumBit]

5 minutes ago, MSharpeWriter said:

I'm Currently using my old parts to rebuild a PC (My old AMD Phenom II X4 965, with GTX 650), to be used partly as a Movie watching rig for my brother. I'm using whatever I'm not going to use for my own rig, so all parts are used and where working fine when last used.

 

I've got a single 1TB drive and 3 x ~300GB drives that can can fit in the case. Each of the ~300GB are relativity slow (compared to the 1TB) and where used on other PCs before getting installed in the AMD in 2012.

 

So here's my options:

1. 1TB drive as boot and have 3x 300Gb Drive separately, so C: 1TB, D: 300GB E: 300gb F: 300GB
2. 1TB drive as boot and Raid0 the 3x300 drives for ~900GB size and better performance.
3. 1TB Drive as boot and do something like weird Raid mode which puts improves the performance and some what increases size but in improves reliability.

 

Option 1 is easy to do mainly that's what I've had in the past. I'm not keen on doing Option 2, as I know he's a smoker and I've got a few "paper weights"/former Disk drives from him, especially when these drives are over 5 years old, and may end up going due to age.

 

By the way, I'm not going to spend money on this rig If I can help it, we really can't afford it.

 

So what would you suggest?

Hmmm, I'm no storage expert so don't take my word, but I think option 1.

[LukaH]

id go with option 1 since the 300gb hdds are old raid 0 is not an option if one starts failing he will lose all of the data rather do raid 1 as a (network) backup drive or something if you really want to use them