ASK NC

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

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.