Hello, i am currently using my system as this:

Cat G5 Dual 2.0
with 2 Drives Inside ( I hate we can only use 2 drives Inside a G5)
One for System and One for Image (Gobos, Stills) Content.
basicly the original library from High End minus Videos.

and a Extrenal Set of 2 Firewire La Cie d2 Disks connected on the Firewire 800 BUS. Those 2 Disks are set as a RAID using SoftRaid.

Testing the speed on those, i got arround 85 thru 90 MBytes/S
since Firewire 800 is 800 Mbits (100 Mb.) tops, i am pretty happy.

I tried to use the Regular 400 Firewire, but i got tops speed (same drivers and set) arround 40 Mbytes. what is not good for Video.

I belive the Video Playbacks, gets slower or so, using a lot of layers just because the HD's (like all guys say in this forum).

So one Idea was to have more one Set of 2 Drives external Firewire 800 and thru the SoftRAID make a 4 Drives RAID.
To do that, I need a extra firewire 800 input (right ?) to use another BUS etc... to do that i have a problem, since the G5 only has 4 sockets.
One has the Video Board - what covers 2 soquets because of the Cooler.
One has a BlackMagic Decklink
and one has a USB board, that way my dongle leaves inside the computer, what is SAFER.

So any comments on that, May be if i set up 4 Drives in the one Firewire is enouth... or any other Ideas ?

of course a XRAID with Fiberchannel is other thing, but is $$$ other thing.

On those external disks i use all my content.

I did some tests... USB 2.0 in real life for RAID drives is worst than Firewire 400. I got on a 2 Disk Softraid

Firewire 800 - 85 Mb.
Firewire 400 - 42 Mb.
USB 2.0 - 20 Mb.

On a Single Disk

Firewire 800 - 55 Mb.
Firewire 400 - 35 Mb.
USB 2.0 - 15 Mb.

So my real complains are the G5 does not have enouth space for PRO lifes like MORE HDs or MORE Card Boards (2 Bays and 4 Slots)

also i did a test, if i use 3 HDs on the Firewire 800 and 1 more one in each Firewire 400 Inputs - All HDs in NON RAID, all as singles HD. Also More 2 HDs Inseide the G5. and play one Video from each HD, all the PLAY nice and easy and i got 6 layers and 6 videos rolling fine.
But of course that does not apply to our REAL Life.

Thanks, wait some comments

Gian

I know all sound very funny, special for Richard, what has so much more experience than all of us and help evrebody with his Knowlage, but that is how we learn up to where we can go.

Also sorry my English, i am doing my best

Cheers to all and Thanks again