RAID 50 vs RAID 60
Both stripe data across two or more parity groups. RAID 50 groups use single parity (RAID 5); RAID 60 groups use double parity (RAID 6).
The difference in one line
- With the same drives and groups, RAID 60 gives up one more drive per group and in return survives two failures per group instead of one.
Identical drives; decimal TB as drives are sold, binary TiB as most operating systems show it; before filesystem overhead. Hot spares are extra drives and add no capacity.
RAID 50 vs RAID 60 with 16TB drives
| Array | RAID 50 usable | RAID 60 usable | RAID 50 survives | RAID 60 survives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 16TB, 2 groups | 160TB | 128TB | 1–2 | 2–4 |
| 16 × 16TB, 2 groups | 224TB | 192TB | 1–2 | 2–4 |
| 24 × 16TB, 2 groups | 352TB | 320TB | 1–2 | 2–4 |
Write cost
RAID 50 costs 4 disk I/Os per small random write; RAID 60 costs 6. For write-heavy work on the same drives, RAID 50 is faster.
When RAID 60 is worth it
With large drives, rebuilds take longer, and RAID 50 has no protection left in the affected group until the rebuild finishes. RAID 60 still has one drive of protection in that group.
16TB drives for this array
In-stock 16TB drives from our catalogue, with the price for the 18 drives in the example above. Hot spares are extra.
- SHD7B06079 - Lenovo 16TB SATA 3.5-Inch Hot-Swap Hard Drive (512e, SED) $247.50 each · 18 drives $4,455.00
- Seagate ST16000NM010G Exos X16 16TB 7200RPM 12Gb/s SAS 256MB Cache 512e Enterprise $429.47 each · 18 drives $7,730.46
- ST16000NM003G - Seagate Exos X16 16TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 512e Sed 3.5-inch $447.37 each · 18 drives $8,052.66
- ST16000NM002G - Seagate Exos X16 16TB 7200RPM SAS 12Gb/s 256MB Cache 512e 3.5-inch Hard $450.53 each · 18 drives $8,109.54
- ST16000VN001 - Seagate IronWolf Nas 16TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-inch Hard $468.42 each · 18 drives $8,431.56
- Seagate ST16000NM007H Exos X24 16TB 7200RPM 12Gb/s SAS 512MB Cache 512e 3.5-Inch Hard $478.95 each · 18 drives $8,621.10
- Toshiba MG08ACA16TE 16TB 7200RPM 6Gb/s SATA 512MB Cache 512e 3.5-Inch Hard Drive $468.42 each · 18 drives $8,431.56
- Seagate ST16000NM004G Exos X16 16TB 7200RPM 12Gb/s SAS 256MB Cache Self-Encrypting Drives $500.00 each · 18 drives $9,000.00
Frequently asked questions
Is RAID 60 better than RAID 50?
RAID 60 survives two failures per group against one for RAID 50, at the cost of one more drive per group and slower random writes.
What is the minimum number of drives for RAID 50 and RAID 60?
Six for RAID 50 (two groups of three) and eight for RAID 60 (two groups of four).
RAID calculators by level
- RAID calculator (all levels)
- RAID 0 calculator
- RAID 1 calculator
- RAID 5 calculator
- RAID 6 calculator
- RAID 10 calculator
- RAID 50 calculator
- RAID 60 calculator
RAID planning guides
- How Many Drives Can Fail in Each RAID Level?
- RAID Hot Spare: What It Does and How It Affects Capacity
- TB vs TiB: Why a 24TB Drive Shows 21.8 TiB
- RAID Write Penalty by Level
- Best RAID Level for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 Drives
- RAID 6 vs RAID 60
Related
Updated 2026-10-22.