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+--- Thread: more smaller or less bigger disks in still raid5/ even maybe 6 (/showthread.php?tid=11914)
more smaller or less bigger disks in still raid5/ even maybe 6 - Enquiries - 04-18-2025
I was searching for topics on this but I see 'm not finding them, or overlooking.
HD prices are high (for my perception), when a disk fails a bigger disk hurts financially more than a small one outside of warranty. I'm not a company with a big budget. In this use case I'm aiming for just one (future maybe max 2 volumes)
How are more smaller or less bigger disks or (still raid5/ SDR-1 even maybe 6 SDR2 ) in the balance if i need to invest in more expensive NAS with way more bays. I'm looking for my replacement Syn412+ which has the 4 disks occupied in Syn SDR1.
Basic question is : Is it from your perspective better to invest in a way more expensive NAS with more bays, or accept the restrictions with less bays and bigger drives with higher replacements costs if they fail. (backup regime etc in place)
RE: more smaller or less bigger disks in still raid5/ even maybe 6 - ed - 04-24-2025
Yeah I get where you're coming from — been in a similar boat myself. Prices are no joke lately, and when a big drive goes outside warranty, it definitely stings harder than losing a smaller one.
You're spot on weighing more bays with smaller disks vs fewer bays with big ones. Personally, I lean toward more bays with smaller drives if the NAS cost doesn't completely blow the budget. Reason being — flexibility. If one disk fails, it's cheaper to replace, and you’ve got room to shuffle things around in the future. Also, RAID5 or SHR-1 with smaller drives tends to rebuild faster and with less stress on the array, compared to something like 18TB+ drives.
That said, I totally get the appeal of sticking with a 4-bay and just putting in bigger drives — especially if your data footprint isn’t massive and backups are already sorted. It’s cleaner and keeps noise/power/space down. Just gotta accept the drive replacement hit if something fails after warranty.
You mentioned SDR-1 and SDR-2 — if you're leaning toward SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), that’s a good middle ground. If you're going QNAP or TrueNAS or whatever, then yeah RAID5 or 6 decisions depend a lot on how paranoid you are about double disk failures. ?
TL;DR:
Bigger NAS with smaller drives = more flexibility, easier on the wallet when disks fail
Smaller NAS with big drives = less upfront NAS cost, but pricier per disk and longer rebuilds
Maybe think of it this way: would the extra NAS bays now save you stress later if a big drive fails, or is your setup light enough that it just makes more sense to roll with 4 big ones and solid backups.
Good luck choosing — sounds like you're already thinking ahead more than most!