You can estimate the RAID characteristics using this RAID calculator. Usage instructions are simple: select the desired array layout, then enter RAID member disk capacities into the corresponding form fields. The rest is done automatically. For more information about RAID and RAID levels, please refer to RAID 101.

Enter your data below Array layout Select array layout here Spanned volume (JBOD) Stripe set (RAID 0) Mirror (RAID 1) Stripe set with parity (RAID5) Mirror of stripe sets (RAID10) Physical disk size (leave some fields blank if you plan for less than five drives) Disk 1 GB Disk 2 GB Disk 3 GB Disk 4 GB Disk 5 GB   The results are available below Total array capacity Fault tolerance - Maximum anticipated number of simultaneous disk failures. Space required to maintain fault tolerance information. Slack - space loss due to drive size inequality; unusable in hardware implementations; may be combined into the separate array in software implementations. Estimated transfer speed (theoretical estimation only applicable for sustained linear operations; very optimistic in most cases; take it with a grain of salt). Speeds are relative to the single member disk speed. Read speed Write speed

Data Recovery Tip #3: Never place your external hard drive or computer on an unstable surface.