Synology RAID Calculator
When setting up a Synology NAS, choosing the right RAID configuration is crucial for balancing storage capacity, performance, and data redundancy. Each RAID level offers different trade-offs.
RAID 0: Max capacity, no redundancy (stripe)
RAID 1: Mirror — 50% capacity, 1 drive fault tolerance
RAID 5: 1 drive parity — (n-1) drives usable
RAID 6: 2 drive parity — (n-2) drives usable
RAID 10: Mirror + Stripe — 50% capacity
SHR: Synology Hybrid RAID — optimized for mixed drives
What Is SHR?
Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is Synology's proprietary RAID system that optimizes storage when using drives of different sizes. SHR-1 provides 1-drive redundancy, SHR-2 provides 2-drive redundancy.
How to Choose
- RAID 1: Best for 2-bay NAS, simple mirroring
- RAID 5/SHR: Best for 3+ bay NAS, good balance
- RAID 6/SHR-2: Best for 4+ bay, maximum protection
- RAID 0: Only for non-critical data, maximum space
How to Use
Enter the number of drives and drive size, then select a RAID type. The calculator shows usable capacity and redundancy level.
Important Considerations
Actual usable capacity is slightly less due to filesystem overhead (typically 5-10%). Always have a backup strategy — RAID is not a backup solution.
Performance Notes
RAID 0 and RAID 10 offer the best read/write performance. RAID 5 has slower writes due to parity calculations. RAID 6 has even slower writes but better redundancy.