Numerous people have reported problems with their RAID setup on the Tom’s Hardware forums (in the Storage section), sharing difficulties in set up or management. It’s a pity that, for most people, a RAID is an unnecessary exercise.

RAID—a Redundant Array of Independent Disks—is basically bunching a group of disks together, telling your computer to consider the group as one drive. There are numerous kinds of RAID setups, but the most popular ones either provide an instantaneous back-up for your data, storing the same information on two or more disks, or boost your computer’s ability to read and write data, by getting and saving information distributed among at least to disks at the same time. So, the primary benefits of RAID are having a back-up you can quickly switch to in case one of your disks fail (RAID 1), or the ability to quickly process information on your computer (RAID 0).

The problem is, with contemporary hard disks being as reliable as they are, the first setup is mostly unnecessary, especially since conscientious computer users should back-up their data regularly anyway. RAID 1 is typically crucial only for servers that need to continually provide the data on their disks, since it allows the replacement of failed disks without powering the computer down.

RAID 0, on the other hand, is maximized for applications where the fast reading and writing information actually contributes significantly to getting the job done. High-end video editing workstations usually feature RAID 0, since it allows the editor to quickly manage the gigabytes or even terrabytes of video and audio they usually work with. For everyday purposes however, the speed of hard disks operating independently is more than enough.

Even though it’s really cool to have RAID in your desktop (or even laptop), it’s not really a necessity—except in the situations cited above. The point is that RAID by it’s very nature adds a layer of complexity to your computer setup, a complication that may create distractions and keep you from meeting your deadlines. Enthusiasts will point out that there’s nothing wrong with trying to maximize your computer, pushing for faster performance in every aspect. I agree with that, but using RAID only to load games faster isn’t really pushing the limits of operating a computer.

What do you think? In any case, a great RAID FAQ is available on Tom’s.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

It seems like each year there is some new advancement made and the technology keeps improving day by day. Currently the biggest evolution is the Blue ray technology. But before talking about that, it is better to learn more about the Blue ray disk and Blue ray drives. The Blue ray disk is an optical disk that consists of a ferromagnetic material that is sealed with a plastic coating. There are various types of optical disk drives and some of the famously known one’s are the Blue ray drives.

blue ray dvd drives

The Blue ray drives enable the reading and writing of data on to a Blue ray disk with storage capacities of 25GB to 50GB. Unlike other disks, the Blue ray disks are readable and writable on both sides.

The way the Blue ray drives work is quite fascinating. The Blue ray drives have a laser inside it. The computer can actually read and write data on to a Blue ray disk because of this laser. During the whole disk reading process, a laser beam is projected on the disk. This reflects a light. The light changes according to the different effects of the magneto-optical Kerr.

The BDA, also known as the Blue ray Disk Association consist of some of the well known consumer electronic giants. According to them almost all Blue ray drives should be capable of reading the traditional type of DVD’s and CD’s. This is known as backward compatibility.

blue ray drives for

Although many consumers still use the standard DVD’s and CD’s to watch movies and listen to songs, the Blue ray disk format has gained more popularity over time. This is mainly because of its high storage capacity and outstanding performance. Who would want to purchase a traditional DVD that can store only up to 10GB instead of buying a Blue ray disk which can store between 25GB to 50GB?

During the early days there were a few manufacturers who released products that had Blue ray DVD players and Blue ray drives which could play only DVD’s and not CD’s. But today, many companies have rectified this problem by improving the quality of their products. These days you will be able to purchase Blue ray drives and players that can read DVD’s as well as CD’s.

Large data amounts can be archived with the help of Blue ray technology. If you check with the latest models, you will notice that Blue ray drives are being incorporated in almost every laptop and desktop computer. Many computer systems are now being shipped with the Blue ray drives installed in them. The Sony Playstation-3 was one of the first to use the Blue ray technology.

blue ray drives

For manufacturers of traditional DVD’s and CD’s, the Blue ray disk has come up as a major competitor, enveloping most of its customers. After all who would want a DVD with low storage space when a Blue ray disk can be purchased with higher storage space and more features?