IDE Drives Config Questions

Chubby_C · Feb 7, 2005, 03:35 PM

Hey guys, just need a little advise here on what the best setup would be for be with my IDE drives.

Currently what I have in my system is as follows:

Primary IDE:
Master: 74gig HD
Slave: Not installed

Secondary IDE:
Master: 16x DVD +/-RW DL
Slave: 4x DVD +/-RW

Now I'm thinking of installing a second harddrive and am wondering if this would be the best config:

Primary IDE:
Master: 74 gig HD - OS/Progs
Slave: 16x DVD +/-RW DL

Secondary IDE:
Master: New HD probably 160/200gig storage for downloads/movie rips ....
Secondary: 4x DVD +/-RW

My reasoning for thinking of this setup is that as I understand it, its not really efficient to copy files from one drive to another on the same channel as only 1 can be accessed at a time. This setup would let me burn to the 16x from my storage drive as well as from the 4x burner.

Does this make sense? or is it just easier to keep HDs all on one channel and opticals on the other?

Thanks

Judas · Feb 7, 2005, 09:45 PM

OK, your thinking things through quite well.... but let me add a few questions that you could answer:

How will you paritition the drives? will your primary contain windows and program files along with the swap file? or would you like to plausably get a bit of a speed boost if you moved only the swap file to the beginning of the secondary drive?

Were are your games going to reside? Perferably on the Primary... so if you install applications and games, which drive are you most likely to copy to?

Another: What do you need 2 DVD RWs? are you really burning multiple discs at once and if you are, it's somewhat self defeating in either case no matter what configuration as your moving data from one channel to the other, and on the same , or 1 to one channel, but tagging both master and secondary...

IMO I would configure it like this IF you use the DVD-rw Drive frequently, which i asume you do.
And if your going to majority of the time only burn from your storage drive.... well try this config...

Primary IDE Channel:
Master: 74Gig
Secondary: 16x DVD-RW DL

Partitioning:
10gb C: for windows and Programs
64gb D: for GAMES

Secondary IDE Channel:
Master: 74gb
Secondary: NONE

Paritioning of Secondary:
5gb E: stickly for Swap File/Page File/Virtual Memory (configure for 1024 initial and 4096 max)
the rest of the 69gb partition yourself

try to devide your video/music/downloads up into seperate parititions, will provide the best speed AND much less fragmentation.

IMO, 5gb swap
20gb Video
20gb Music
20gb Downloads

(or thier abouts, just make sure video is before music or downloads AS video uses alot more bandwidth, having it closer to the outer edges of the drive will help preformance a bit better, and if you making videos, you'll lose less frames)

Geminiwave · Feb 8, 2005, 12:57 AM

I'd definately agree with Judas here. That sounds like a good plan of attack.

On the other hand, I've found that copying from optical drive to optical drive is alot easier when they are on the same IDE channel. It uses up less CPU power. Now if you have a ton of processor power, then psh it doesnt matter...but if you're multitasking while burning DVDs, its a good plan.

just my two cents of course.

Judas' configuration there'll be fast though.

Judas · Feb 8, 2005, 02:07 AM

i've played with dualing drives.... i learnt that is just doesn't run very well with 2 drives on the same cable..... let alone 2 HARDRIVES on the same ribbon, if you have 2 hardrives, may as well take as much advantage of them as you can...

I currently run a triple HD system... however i've a motherboard with 4 IDE channels... up to 8 ide drives...

so i've set mine up like so and i am utterly amazed at how quickly and flawlessly various parts work...

Primary Via Channel
Master 30gb
Secondary NONE

Secondary Via Channel
Master 16x DVD Rom
Secondary NONE

RAID

Highpoint Tech 374

Primary
Master 40 gb
Secondary NONE

Secondary
Master 40gb
Secondary NONE

so i've setup the 30gb with 2 partitions, windows and programs. 2nd being Games

Then with the 2x40 giving me 80GB in raid 0.... first partition if 5gb for page file (IT IS FAST as hell! )
next a 20gb for video
then a 30gb for music and another 20 for downloads....

File transfers and downloads and video ecoding couldn't be faster other then getting another 2 40gb

pr0digal jenius · Feb 8, 2005, 02:14 AM

Indeed...."Copy On The Fly" will inevitably fail on 2 optical drives within the same channel, if it will even let you attempt it at all.

MiDKnYtE · Feb 8, 2005, 02:17 AM

EIDE can only read/write to one drive at a time. if both drives are on the same line, they have to take turns. putting the source and destination drives on separate channels is ideal. nero even recommends that when it loads.

Geminiwave · Feb 8, 2005, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

Indeed...."Copy On The Fly" will inevitably fail on 2 optical drives within the same channel, if it will even let you attempt it at all.

I beg to differ.

Judas · Feb 8, 2005, 07:16 AM

I've set 3 machines up direct copy on the fly from one DVD or CD to another DVD or CD setup as slave and master on the same IDE channel... took nearly 3 times longer.... twas ugly....

Chubby_C · Feb 8, 2005, 02:25 PM

Firstly, thanks guys, I think I'll end up gonig with the setup I had planned since that seems to be the concensus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

Another: What do you need 2 DVD RWs? are you really burning multiple discs at once and if you are, it's somewhat self defeating in either case no matter what configuration as your moving data from one channel to the other, and on the same , or 1 to one channel, but tagging both master and secondary...

I don't burn 2 at once, I first bought the 4x and had a cd rw with it, the problem with that was I that I couldn't do any copy on the fly as my cdrw didn't read dvd's, so I was out one day and bought the 16x.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

How will you paritition the drives? will your primary contain windows and program files along with the swap file? or would you like to plausably get a bit of a speed boost if you moved only the swap file to the beginning of the secondary drive?

Were are your games going to reside? Perferably on the Primary... so if you install applications and games, which drive are you most likely to copy to?

OS/apps/games will all be on the 74gig Anything I install will go on there. The bigger harddrive will be for storage for anything I download; movies, music, progs...

Now you suggest partitioning it, I've never been a fan of partitioning drives, I just like to keep a single drive for dumping all my files on so I don't have to worry about how full 3 different drives are.

Is there that big of a benefit to partitioning?

Quote:

Originally Posted by pr0digal jenius

Indeed...."Copy On The Fly" will inevitably fail on 2 optical drives within the same channel, if it will even let you attempt it at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

I've set 3 machines up direct copy on the fly from one DVD or CD to another DVD or CD setup as slave and master on the same IDE channel... took nearly 3 times longer.... twas ugly....

Thats the main reason I'm looking to split them up is not so much that it fails when on the same channel but I know its not going as fast as it should as I can watch the read buffer meter go up and down to almost 0 remaining.

Judas · Feb 9, 2005, 05:09 AM

thier are major benifits of partitioning, many have argued it, but i have very results vs each that obviously point toward partition as a good idea. You should see steady preformance throughout your entire computer use with partitioning, without it, the speed will degrade quickly and you won't be able to crank it up due to file minglying....

Feb 7, 2005, 03:35 PM	#1
Chubby_C Working away at ATI Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 251 Rep Power: 0	IDE Drives Config Questions Hey guys, just need a little advise here on what the best setup would be for be with my IDE drives. Currently what I have in my system is as follows: Primary IDE: Master: 74gig HD Slave: Not installed Secondary IDE: Master: 16x DVD +/-RW DL Slave: 4x DVD +/-RW Now I'm thinking of installing a second harddrive and am wondering if this would be the best config: Primary IDE: Master: 74 gig HD - OS/Progs Slave: 16x DVD +/-RW DL Secondary IDE: Master: New HD probably 160/200gig storage for downloads/movie rips .... Secondary: 4x DVD +/-RW My reasoning for thinking of this setup is that as I understand it, its not really efficient to copy files from one drive to another on the same channel as only 1 can be accessed at a time. This setup would let me burn to the 16x from my storage drive as well as from the 4x burner. Does this make sense? or is it just easier to keep HDs all on one channel and opticals on the other? Thanks

Feb 8, 2005, 12:57 AM	#3
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 64	I'd definately agree with Judas here. That sounds like a good plan of attack. On the other hand, I've found that copying from optical drive to optical drive is alot easier when they are on the same IDE channel. It uses up less CPU power. Now if you have a ton of processor power, then psh it doesnt matter...but if you're multitasking while burning DVDs, its a good plan. just my two cents of course. Judas' configuration there'll be fast though. __________________

Feb 8, 2005, 02:14 AM	#5
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	Indeed...."Copy On The Fly" will inevitably fail on 2 optical drives within the same channel, if it will even let you attempt it at all.

Feb 8, 2005, 02:17 AM	#6
MiDKnYtE Caffeine Machine Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hell is empty. All the devils are here. Posts: 670 Rep Power: 0	EIDE can only read/write to one drive at a time. if both drives are on the same line, they have to take turns. putting the source and destination drives on separate channels is ideal. nero even recommends that when it loads.