Raid Size limit

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately, that didn't answer my question. Specifically, I am asking if Windows 10 Pro is able to create a Raid 1 or a Raid 5 that is 10 TB in size (2 10TB drives mirrored) I see all sorts of info on 2TB Raids but nothing about larger than 2TB. My current 10TB Raid needs to be replaced and I would like to add this to my desktop PC. It is currently Windows Home so before I switch to Pro I want to be sure that it will work on 10 Pro.

Thanks

Gil

It's dependant on how your BUS is set up.

If you're talking hardware RAID, it depends on the limits set by your RAID controller card or RAID compatible motherboard. For instance, it may limit the block size to 4096 bytes, which would in turn limit the maximum partition size based on maximum blocks allocatable by your file system. I've commonly seem hardware RAIDs limits of 2TB. Most systems allow GPT partitions, but old fashioned ones will require MBR, which is 2TB maximum partition anyway. This will be OS independant, as the RAID is seamless and convinces the OS that it is a single normal hard drive. Check with your manual or manufacturer to see what they set as the maximum block size.

If you're talking about software RAID because your motherboard is not RAID compatible and you have no RAID controller, then there shouldn't be any limit. It won't even matter, because software RAID may give you little to no performance boost. The reason is that if all your hard drives are using the same SATA 6.0Gbit/sec BUS, then all drives are limited to that speed divided among however many hard drives you have - instead of three separate BUSes increasing the total throughput. If you throw a different system disk into the mix or BD drive (of course you'll be watching DVDs waiting for this thing to finish), that can reduce performance even more. Three or more HDDs, or a RAID 5 is not recommended as a software RAID configuration. RAID 1 with two drives only might work ok, but there is a good chance that it will run at less than double read speed and single HDD write speed. If we're talking SSDs - they are already 6.0Gbit/sec fast, so you will see no performance boost at all with a software RAID.

RAID works fine in windows 10 home edition. I just set up a RAID 5 myself. I didn't notice a size limit, but I'm using 3X1TB. Just know that RAID 1 is called mirroring and RAID 5 is called parity when setting up unallocated storage spaces (if you only have 2 HDDs, you won't have the parity option). Good luck! It will just appear as a simple partition once set up, but it isn't.

As long as you're using windows 10 with GPT partitions, you shouldn't have the 2TB size limit.

Hi Gil,

I am so sorry, because my knowledge base about Raid is probably not very comprehensive, so there is no idea to directly answer your question. Please forgive me. But I suggest that you refer this question to the Pro Tech Forum: IT Pro docs.microsoft.com to see if anyone can help you.

Best Regards,

Norman

Hi Gil,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and hope you are doing well.

I'm sorry that building Raid may not be my specialty, but I'll try my best to help you. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

RAID, or a Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is usually a configuration for enterprise systems. It brings together multiple hard drives using striping, mirroring, or parity to create a reliable data store within a network or computer. It takes a bit of work, but for a hobbyist or someone who needs reliable storage, it can deliver great results.

RAID 1 is a mirror which basically means the data is copied into both disks. RAID 5 is striped, meaning the data is spread across the drives with parity bits on each to allow the RAID to rebuild data from a lost disk. Combined with your description, I think Raid 1 is more applicable to you.

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You can refer to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nga6Nydy3M

Of course, if you have questions about how to set up Raid and more details, it is recommended that you go to our Pro Tech Forum to post and discuss: IT Pro docs.microsoft.com, and they will give you further help, thank you!

Thank you again for your kindly understanding and wish you all the best!  

Happy Holidays ^.^