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That mb's hardware RAID is really just software RAID in firmware. Hardware RAID implies a coprocessor to take care of the parity computation and possibly cache management. Even mirrored or striped nForce sets which should fly are stuck at about the same performance as a single drive. You can buy a RAID card w/coprocessor for a few $hundred but it's unusual for a gaming rig. The money is usually better spent elsewhere.
What's the RAID 5 for? You may be disappointed in the performance. It's great for availability but parity computation chews up processing and IO performance. Writes suffer terribly. I love it as reliable version of JBOD, but more for use in a home or small business server. A coprocessor card will help but you'll still be playing catchup to a single fast drive. Now, if you get a good card and mirror or stripe drives you'll saturate your system. That starts getting expensive though.
Sort of like Sty's pick I would use a seriously fast drive for system, another for apps, then a lesser large drive for smart image backups and incremental changes. (Ghost/Acronis/Retrospect, etc.) If you need tons of space maybe bump to larger if slower 2nd and 3rd drives.
Just late thoughts. Catch me tomorrow and I may suggest filing cabinets.
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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195
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