PSU questions

Coke Robot

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Merry Autumn everyone to everyone that is in the autumn equinox! :D

I'm right now about a third or so of the way complete with rebuilding and modding my computer case right now, and now I'm at the point of modding half the case for the PSU and other items.

So I have questions about the power supply in general. I'm looking at a roughly 700 watt max as I will be using AMD's new APU graphics chip (Radeon 7650) in CrossFire with the Radeon 7870. I will also have a total of 13 or 14 SATA connectors: 8 hard drives (5,200-5,900 RPM) in a RAID 5 array, two internal 2.5" hard drive SATA connections as well as two external 2.5" connections, and maybe one or two mSATA external connectors. I was wondering if I can use a couple of spare SATA power cable from my previous PSU (the old and new PSU's are modular) and use those with the new SATA power cables. I will be splicing and cutting and soldering and modding the cables so they are pretty much built into the case in the front as well as the external ones. I don't know for sure if I'm tampering with the gods of electricity and power in doing so, because I don't really want to have a power problem when I'm gaming only to find out I needed either more power or less SATA connectors; which would be problematic as I will need a LOT of SATA power connectors to future proof my build for at least five or eight years.

Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Can I ask why you are doing a RAID 5 array with all of those disks?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Can I ask why you are doing a RAID 5 array with all of those disks?
The eight hard drives I'll be using will be in a RAID 5, but I'll be starting out initially with two hard drives and expand out as time and money and hard drive space dictate. My need for a RAID 5 is mainly for digital copies of DVDs I have (this is legal, I've checked :)) as well as user data storage for other peoples' systems that I do Windows installs on since I don't do upgrade installs. I wipe down the hard drives--in this case it's been primarily laptops for me--and do a through reformat of the disk. I'm also planning on using WAIK or the newer version to install Windows onto that disk, then copy back the user data onto the disk, pop it back into the system and boot it up. And, this is partly performance based as well since I'll be using a virtualized environment of my native install of Windows 8 I'll have on a SSD, and use that as a tester for programs and such since I've lived and learned what happens when you do that. Office 2010 screwed up on me back with Windows 7 when I was attempting to make it a portable app.

Shoot, I just remembered I will also have an external 3.5" SATA connector as well for the odd chance of needing it for my DVD drive or a hard drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Can I ask why you are doing a RAID 5 array with all of those disks?
The eight hard drives I'll be using will be in a RAID 5, but I'll be starting out initially with two hard drives and expand out as time and money and hard drive space dictate.
Perhaps you are unaware that RAID 5 requires at least 3 hard drives.

Are you just going to use the storage spaces feature of Windows 8?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Can I ask why you are doing a RAID 5 array with all of those disks?
The eight hard drives I'll be using will be in a RAID 5, but I'll be starting out initially with two hard drives and expand out as time and money and hard drive space dictate.
Perhaps you are unaware that RAID 5 requires at least 3 hard drives.

Are you just going to use the storage spaces feature of Windows 8?

Balls, I take that back, it's RAID 10 I'm going after, not 5.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
A RAID 0 (stripe) can do 2 drives, but offers 0 redundancy. I drive fails and you lose it all
a RAID 1 (mirror) can do 2 drives, but only makes 50% of drive space available
A RAID 5 array (striping with parity) needs a minimum of 3 drives.


For you, I would just use storage spaces. Grow them as you need them. You might find with 2-3-4TB hard drives, you won't actually need 8 of them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
The eight hard drives I'll be using will be in a RAID 5, but I'll be starting out initially with two hard drives and expand out as time and money and hard drive space dictate.
Perhaps you are unaware that RAID 5 requires at least 3 hard drives.

Are you just going to use the storage spaces feature of Windows 8?

Balls, I take that back, it's RAID 10 I'm going after, not 5.

RAID 10 requires a minimum of 4 drives. (The number must be even.) I doubt that you can convert a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array to RAID 10 at a later date without losing the data on the drives.

I had a 4 drive RAID 10 array a couple of years ago. I gave up on it after finding that the array was re-verified after most PC crashes. Even though they were 500GB drives, it still took hours. The PC remained usable while that was going on, but the HD performance was poor. Not worth the trouble, in my opinion.

Just out of curiosity, how are you acquiring that many SATA ports? Add in card?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    I7-3930k
    Motherboard
    Asus P9X79 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Zx
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA246Q
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force GT 120GB
    WD Cavair Black 1.5TB
    PSU
    PC Power & cooling Silencer 750
    Case
    Silverstone FT02B-W
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14 w/ PWM fans
    Keyboard
    cheap Logitech USB wired
    Mouse
    old 5 button Microsoft USB optical
    Internet Speed
    6Mb cable
Perhaps you are unaware that RAID 5 requires at least 3 hard drives.

Are you just going to use the storage spaces feature of Windows 8?

Balls, I take that back, it's RAID 10 I'm going after, not 5.

RAID 10 requires a minimum of 4 drives. (The number must be even.) I doubt that you can convert a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array to RAID 10 at a later date without losing the data on the drives.

I had a 4 drive RAID 10 array a couple of years ago. I gave up on it after finding that the array was re-verified after most PC crashes. Even though they were 500GB drives, it still took hours. The PC remained usable while that was going on, but the HD performance was poor. Not worth the trouble, in my opinion.

Just out of curiosity, how are you acquiring that many SATA ports? Add in card?
RAID 1 a possibility? I haven't polished up on my RAID terminology since a couple years ago, but I remember a RAID that had performance and redundancy with a 50 percent failure rate. So ideally, if I have my 8 hard drives, 4 of which can die, more than that I am sodomized.

My plan is to use the onboard SATA connectors for the external connectors, maybe use one for a SSD. The RAID array will be used with a hardware RAID card, if I believe I can find one that has eight connectors.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
A RAID 0 (stripe) can do 2 drives, but offers 0 redundancy. I drive fails and you lose it all
a RAID 1 (mirror) can do 2 drives, but only makes 50% of drive space available
A RAID 5 array (striping with parity) needs a minimum of 3 drives.


For you, I would just use storage spaces. Grow them as you need them. You might find with 2-3-4TB hard drives, you won't actually need 8 of them.

I do believe RAID 1 was the way to go for me as I haven't looked up on RAID for a while.

I was thinking of doing Storage Spaces as it sounded interesting when I read about it. I'll need to consider all options, but preferably, the solution that offers redundancy AND increased performance from the hard drives will be what win out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
But back to the original question :D, I feel like I already know the answer to this, but can I use more SATA cables over the PATA cables with the PSU? If the PSU has say, three SATA power cables with three connectors with each cable, and then use two more SATA cables with three connectors, will I be able to use those cables safely altogether and all those drives?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
RAID 1 is a mirror. It's best for an OS drive, so you can suffer a drive failure and keep the machine booting. For data drives, I don't really recommend RAID 1. You suffer a slight write penalty, as it writes each file twice, and from a safety standpoint, if you do something dumb like delete a file, or get a virus, it will wipe out files on both drives super fast. You might, and I say that lightly, get a slight read gain since you have more than 1 spindle that that you can read from...but for all intents and purposes, I don't think you will see it.

I'm unsure how to answer your original question. I would not personally splice cables and such together. But then again, I've never had a need to attempt to run so many cables. Perhaps you should get an external cabinet that runs over eSata or USB 3.0 and run all of this storage there. You would then possibly pick up hot swappable drives and such making recovery times from failures that much faster.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Don't know much about RAID.
From what I've observed for home storage better use RAID 1+0 (not 0+1) might be your best choice. It can lose up to 1/2 of it’s drives and still function, as long as there is at least one drive from each mirrored group.
On some of my office work I found the best way is using RAID hardware, we are using Adaptec (not software) unavoidably we have to use SAS drive which cost a lot more.
We also still have some with Barracuda ES that have been given us less fault.
I read that now RAID 6 started to becoming a choice you can read more here and also here

Kevin
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built system
    CPU
    Core i5
    Motherboard
    Intel DH55PJ
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI 4650
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Flatron L1742S; LG Flatron 19"; Samsung TV 48"
    Screen Resolution
    1280:1024; 1366:768;1920:1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 256 GB
    Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
    WDC 1 TB
    PSU
    Power
    Case
    Simbadda
    Cooling
    Conventional
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.4 MBPS
    Other Info
    External HDD WDC 2 TB
    Dial Up Modem Huawei
    Home-made Home Theater
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