RAID level summary
Compare RAID levels according to their capabilities.
The following information provides data redundancy, usable disk capacity, read performance, and write performance for each RAID level.
| RAID level | Data redundancy | Usable disk capacity | Read performance | Write performance | Devices per array on PCIe3 adapters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 5 | Very good | 67% - 94% | Very good | Good |
Minimum: 3 Maximum: 32 |
| RAID 6 | Excellent | 50% - 89% | Very good | Fair to good |
Minimum: 4 Maximum: 32 |
| RAID 10 | Excellent | 50% | Excellent | Very good |
Minimum: 2 Maximum: 32 |
| System mirroring | Excellent | 50% | Excellent | Very good | Not applicable |
- RAID 5
- Creates array parity information so that the data can be reconstructed if a disk in the array fails. This level provides better capacity than System Mirroring but possibly lower performance.
- RAID 6
- Creates array "P" and "Q" parity information so that the data can be reconstructed if one or two disks in the array fail. This level provides better data redundancy than RAID 5 but with slightly lower capacity and possibly lower performance. It also provides better capacity than System Mirroring but possibly lower performance.
- RAID 10
- Stores data redundantly on mirrored pairs to provide maximum protection
against disk failures. Provides generally better performance than
RAID 5 or 6, but has lower capacity.Note: A two-drive RAID level 10 array is equivalent to RAID level 1.
- System mirroring
- Stores data redundantly on mirrored pairs to provide maximum protection against disk failures. This level provides better performance than RAID 5 or RAID 6, but has lower capacity.