Default Asus P5WDH Mobo - Can i install a 5th HDD ?

Hi guys, i currently have :

Raptor 74GB on SATA1 port (WinXP)
320GB SATA3 port
500GB SATA4 port

Also i have a 500GB SATA drive connected to the orange EZ_RAID1 port. I read a while ago that i can use this port as a 4th drive.

They are all working fine, but i have now bought 2x 750GB SATA drives. I originally wanted to replace them with 2 of the other drives, but i am wondering if i can install at least a 5TH SATA drive with this Motherboard.

I have read that there is a JMIC Sata port near the cpu, which can be used, but will be slow, and requires drivers.

What could i do ?

i beleve you have to inable jmic and sata rom for jmic

My 2 cents.

I wouldn't bother with the JMicron stuff.

I would sell the Raptor (never liked them really...too noisy for me and not really fast enough to make up for it).

I would attach the 320GB to the SATA 1 port and partition it to use 20-40GB for OS and apps and the rest for storage.

I would attach the 2x 500GB to SATA 3 & 4 ports and Matrix RAID 0 them.

I would attach the 2x 750GB to the orange EZ RAID ports and RAID 0 them.

Or swap the 500GB to the orange EZ RAID ports and the 750's to the Matrix RAID ports.
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My setup on the P5W DH Deluxe is as follows.

120GB WD on SATA 1 partitioned to use 40GB for O.S and apps...the rest just storage.

320GB Maxtor on SATA 3 just plain storage

2x 250GB WD on orange EZ RAID in RAID 0 plain storage.

This works OK for me, but all our needs are different.

This seems like a good setup, but i really do not want to get rid of the Raptor.
Storage space is not an issue now as 2x750GB + 2x500GB will be more than enough for me. So i have to choose between a Raptor or a 320GB SATA which will have the OS on it. Will i lose a lot of performance if i ditch the Raptor ?

Also, this will be my first RAID configuration. So since all the drives have data on them, would i have to format them to start a RAID setup, or can i just continue with the data already on them ?

Yea I think 2x 750 and 2x 500 GB drives should be enough storage for a while. Keep the Raptor as the boot drive if you like.

Yes , of course if you set up a RAID with any two or more discs you will lose whatever data is on them. Do a backup...setup the RAID, and then you can copy the files back to the RAID setup.

I dont have 5 hdd drives but I have 3 hdd's and 2 optical drives hooked up. I have one sata drive on the J Micron sata port with no problems.

Are there any performance related issues with the drive on the Jmic sata port ?

I'll probably go for the 780i when it gets released, but ill probably buy a 3.5" Sata to Esata Caddy for my 5th Hard drive. This would just connect to my Esata port on the back panel of my P5W DH motherboard. I found one for around £10.

I have a WD 320 GB AAKS used for data on the Intel SB and it has a burst speed of 206.8 , Random Access of 12.2, Average Read of 64.5 MB.

I have another WD 320 AAKS used for data on the J Micron and it has a burst speed of 170MB, Random Access of 13.1, Average Read of 70.1 MB.