FlexRAID (or any other RAID for that matter) and using drives in the same batch.....

[smitbret]

I currently have:
2TB Toshiba
2TB WD Green

I just picked up 3 2TB Seagate HDDs for expanding my FlexRAID system so I'll have a total of 5 2TB HDDs. One of these is gonna get thrown into an external enclosure for backups and another will be used as the parity drive. The other three will be used as the data drives along with a 500GB Samsung and I'm wondering how to distribute them.

My general impression:

Parity Drive - 2TB Seagate #1
Data Drive 1 - 2TB Seagate #2
Data Drive 2 - 2TB WD Green
Data Drive 3 - 2TB Toshiba
Data Drive 4 - 500GB Samsung
Backup - 2TB Seagate #3


Is this the best option for the best possible reliability or should I just move the odd men out (Toshiba & WD) to Backup and Parity and leave the Seagates as the Data Drives? How much truth is there to the theory that you should buy HDDs from different batches and/or different vendors for use in a RAID system? Or would I be better off keeping the Data Drives the same?

 

[Mfusick]

I think it's pure luck. It's as reasonable to assume you got a "good" batch that would have high reliability as anything else so I'd work on that assumption and plan for the worst for safety.

 

[smitbret]

I think it's pure luck. It's as reasonable to assume you got a "good" batch that would have high reliability as anything else so I'd work on that assumption and plan for the worst for safety.

Never thought of it that way. I think I'll toss the 3 Seagates in as Data Drives, use the WD as the parity drive and the Toshiba as the backup drive. Most of the data will be ripped DVDs and BRs that can be replaced with a failure and everything else will get backed up to the 2TB Toshiba at a different spot in the house.

 

[Mfusick]

I have 15 Seagates (3TB) and never had issue (yet)

It's the best selling HDD in market now so if it had major reliability issues you'd already know about it.