1. What is RAID 5 Write Speed Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the write speed performance of a RAID 5 array based on the number of drives and single drive write speed.

Purpose: Helps IT professionals and system administrators estimate storage performance for capacity planning and configuration.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• WriteSpeed — RAID 5 array write speed (MB/s)
• N — Number of drives in the array (minimum 3)
• SingleWriteSpeed — Write speed of an individual drive (MB/s)

Explanation: RAID 5 write performance is reduced due to parity calculation overhead. The formula accounts for this by using (N-1)/2 of the total potential write speed.

3. Importance of RAID 5 Write Speed Calculation

Details: Understanding write performance helps in:

• Proper storage system sizing
• Performance expectations for applications
• Comparing different RAID levels
• Troubleshooting performance issues

4. Using the Calculator

Tips:

• Enter number of drives (minimum 3)
• Enter single drive write speed (check manufacturer specs)
• Result shows estimated RAID 5 array write speed

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why is RAID 5 write speed slower than read speed?
A: RAID 5 requires parity calculations for every write operation, which adds overhead.

Q2: What's the minimum number of drives for RAID 5?
A: RAID 5 requires at least 3 drives to implement striping with parity.

Q3: How accurate is this calculation?
A: This provides a theoretical maximum. Actual performance depends on controller, cache, workload, and other factors.

Q4: Can I improve RAID 5 write performance?
A: Yes, by using faster drives, RAID controllers with cache, or considering RAID 10 for write-intensive workloads.

Q5: Does this account for SSD vs HDD differences?
A: No, use the actual tested write speed of your specific drives for most accurate results.