Home Software RAID 6 Array in my PC

[Enquiries]

Hi.
I have quite powerful PC with 8 onboard SATA ports. I have planned to use it as a "NAS" since I built this PC, now I have the money to do so. The “NAS” in quotas as this is my working desktop used to stream some media when working in home environment like Video streaming to a TV (not PLEX, rather KODI + win SAMBA directory share)
I wanted a RAID config to replace my JBOD 16 different old HDDs plugged directly into an adapter one by one when needed:/
Problematic Setting:
- 6SATA ports from a Chipset, 2 SATA ports from separate on-board controller
- Windows 11 PC used daily but not 24/7
Questions:
- is Software RAID 6 an OK solution (But I don’t know the software to do so yet)
- Which drives to use in non 24/7 env, 20TB drives would be perfect.
Desired Outcome:
- Work under Windows 11
- No so Loud
- Daily On/Off wont demage Drives
- Extendable (with PCI-Express card or M2-> Sata converter) I would like to add drives to the same array in the future, if possible)

[ed]

It sounds like you have a solid setup planned out! For your use case, a Software RAID 6 on your Windows 11 system can be a good option, as it offers redundancy while still allowing you to use the full capacity of your drives. Windows 11 doesn't natively support RAID 6, but you can use Storage Spaces in Windows 11 to create a similar setup. Alternatively, you can use third-party software like StableBit DrivePool or FlexRAID, though these might not be as integrated as a hardware RAID solution.

For the drives, considering you want 20TB options, I'd recommend using NAS-specific hard drives, like the Seagate IronWolf or WD Red Pro drives. These drives are designed for continuous use and have features like vibration protection, but they're still a good fit for a "semi-24/7" environment like yours, where the PC won't be on all the time. Just make sure to have a good cooling setup in place to keep noise levels low, as larger drives can get hot. As far as durability goes, drives from these series are designed to handle regular start/stop cycles, so your daily on/off won't cause too much wear.

In terms of expanding the storage in the future, a PCIe SATA expansion card is a good way to add more drives. You can also use M.2 to SATA adapters if you run out of available PCIe slots, but be mindful of performance bottlenecks, especially if you're handling large video files for editing.

Finally, if you're planning on a RAID 6 array for 120TB, keep in mind that while it's a great choice for redundancy and capacity, it does require a large number of drives (typically 6 or more) to ensure the redundancy level. Be prepared to manage the drives' health and backups carefully.