RAID Storage Calculator

RAID 0 (Striping)

How it works: Data is split (striped) across multiple disks. No redundancy.

• Pros: Maximum capacity, fastest read/write speeds
• Cons: No fault tolerance - if one disk fails, all data is lost
• Use case: Non-critical data where speed is priority (video editing, gaming)
• Minimum disks: 2

RAID 1 (Mirroring)

How it works: Data is duplicated (mirrored) across two or more disks.

• Pros: Excellent fault tolerance, fast reads, simple implementation
• Cons: 50% capacity efficiency, slower writes
• Use case: Critical data, operating systems, databases
• Minimum disks: 2

RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)

How it works: Data and parity are striped across all disks. Parity allows reconstruction if one disk fails.

• Pros: Good balance of capacity, performance, and redundancy
• Cons: Slower writes due to parity calculation, vulnerable during rebuild
• Use case: File servers, general-purpose storage
• Minimum disks: 3

RAID 6 (Striping with Dual Parity)

How it works: Like RAID 5, but with two parity blocks, allowing two disk failures.

• Pros: Excellent fault tolerance, can survive two disk failures
• Cons: Lower capacity efficiency, slower writes
• Use case: Large arrays, critical data, large capacity drives
• Minimum disks: 4

RAID 10 (Mirror + Stripe)

How it works: Combines RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping). Data is mirrored, then striped.

• Pros: Excellent performance and fault tolerance
• Cons: 50% capacity efficiency, requires even number of disks
• Use case: High-performance databases, virtualization, critical applications
• Minimum disks: 4 (even number)