I need some advice on replacing my existing 16 TB array (10x2TB RAIDZ2). I don’t think I need a ton of storage so I’m looking at about 3x the storage (~50-60TB) and here is what I’m considering (serverpartdeals.com):
| Size | Model | Type | Price | Price/tb | No. Drives | Total Price | Usuable storage (RAIDZ2) | Total price/tb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16TB | HC530 | recertified | $157 | $9.8/tb | 5 | $785 | 48 TB | $16.3/tb |
| 18TB | X18 | refurbished | $161 | $8.9/tb | 5 | $805 | 54 TB | $14.9/tb |
| 18TB | X20 | recertified | $179 | $9.9/tb | 5 | $895 | 54 TB | $16.5/tb |
| 14TB | HC530 | recertified | $144 | $10.2/tb | 6 | $864 | 56 TB | $15.4/tb |
| 16TB | HC550 | recertified | $157 | $9.8/tb | 6 | $942 | 64 TB | $14.7/tb |
* 14TB HC530 only has only available in-stock.
I’d like to continue using ZFS (RAIDZ2) and if I understand correctly, expandable RAIDZ(2) is coming soon so I’m assuming I can expand in the future if needed.
Can anybody give me any advice?
I’ve never used enterprise drives before and I’ve also never purchased refurbished or recertified but it’s a lot cheaper than buying new and/or WD RED, etc.
I’m also unsure the differences between Exos and Ultrastar but I think X18 is older and so is HC530. All the drives listed have a 2-year warranty which I guess is sufficient.
All your options are within ±$150 of each other: so I’d grab the largest-usable config. If it also happens to be the lowest $/TB… that’s gravy. Pay those few extra dollars now and it may let the new setup run a couple extra years before it doesn’t meet your needs anymore.
I don’t stress over brand/model: parity configs take care of availability, and automated 321 backups take care of recoverability. Disks are consumables: any one of them could fail tomorrow: but you data should be immortal :)
If I’m buying new I’ll look at $/TB/years-of-warranty, but for refurbs you’re lucky to get a couple months so that doesn’t really sway my decision.
Enjoy all your new space!