Power usage RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 5 + Hot Spare

[Enquiries]

I’m just setting up a pair of QNAP 464’s and having read your article I’m wondering which is the way to go for the main 18 hours a day home NAS. I’m considering the following configs:
2 x WD 16TB Pro in RAID 1
3 x WD 8TB in RAID 5
3 x WD 8TB in RAID 5 + 1 x hot standby
4 x WD 8TB in RAID 5

Obviously the 2 x 16TB should be the most economical, and maybe the fastest due to their higher spindle speed but moving on to RAID 5 does having a hot standby mean the drive is spinning at the same time as the rest or does it stop until needed to cover a drive failure?
Finally is 4 disks in RAID 5 the fastest over all if I keep a regular backup for safety?
I’ve watched many of your excellent and informative videos, but can’t find the answers to this lot.
Thanks

[ed]

The best configuration for you will depend on your specific needs and priorities. If data protection is your top priority, the 3 x WD 8TB in RAID 5 + 1 x hot standby configuration is likely your best option. If you need more storage capacity, the 4 x WD 8TB in RAID 5 configuration may be the way to go, but be sure to have a regular backup plan in place.
Try and predict how much data you will have in 10 years, this might answer your questions.