RAID storage capacity calculator

How to use the calculator

1. Select the RAID level from the dropdown menu.
2. Enter the number of drives you plan to use in your RAID array.
3. Specify the capacity of each drive in gigabytes (GB).
4. Click the "Calculate" button to see the total and usable capacities.

Understanding RAID Levels

RAID 0: Provides striping across multiple drives for performance improvement. There is no redundancy, so if one drive fails, all data is lost. Usable capacity equals the total capacity of all drives.

RAID 1: Provides mirroring across multiple drives for redundancy. Data is duplicated on each drive. Usable capacity is half the total capacity of all drives.

RAID 5: Provides striping with parity for both performance and redundancy. Data and parity are distributed across all drives. Usable capacity is approximately (Number of Drives - 1) / Number of Drives of the total capacity.

RAID 6: Similar to RAID 5 but with double parity for additional redundancy. Usable capacity is approximately (Number of Drives - 2) / Number of Drives of the total capacity.

RAID 10: Combines RAID 1 and RAID 0 for high performance and redundancy. Data is mirrored and then striped. Usable capacity is half the total capacity of all drives.

Important Considerations

• The usable capacity is less than the total capacity due to parity overhead or mirroring.
• Choose a RAID level that balances performance, capacity, and redundancy based on your needs.
• Consider using drives of the same capacity for optimal performance and reliability.