@FooBarTwit I assumed what I meant by "backup" would be pretty obvious from the context.

@Apps 5575 RAID mirroring (RAID 1). who mentioned an SSD array?

@Mircea and @Poromenos Honestly, I've used neither (SSDs or a RAID setup). I'm not denying SSDs are fast, nor am I trying to bash them. I've also pointed out that this setup wasn't feasible for a laptop. The point I'm trying to make is, I think Jeff is looking at this from a very strange angle. When I look at the data, I say "SSDs are blazing fast but they fail like crazy." Jeff says "they fail like crazy, but I still love them, so let's buy more SSDs." I've been keeping an eye on SSD prices (which are much higher here than the US) for a long time now, but I think I'll wait a bit longer after reading this post. I just can't afford to replace a $1k drive every 8 months.

A bit more math (wish I could edit the previous comment): 4 TB RAID 01 or 10 setup using WD Caviar Blacks = $640 1.2 TB RAID 01 or 10 setup using WD VelociRaptors = $1,000 Obviously this is only feasible for a desktop, but for $115+ more you get: 5 to 16 times the capacity Years, not months, of life Instant and automatic backups Comparable speed for most practical purposes

Let's do the math: Average life of SSD = 227.375 days (based on Wills' data) Price of recommended SSD = $524.99 -- SSD tax = $2.31/day, ~$70/month, ~$843/year.