can I mix exsisting drives with data on them some 4T ,2T&amp; 1T as a mass storage for exsisting files , Or do I have to have all matching drives 8x4T th
378107
Since this box isn't a raid box yes does not matter what drive you put in it. It will just mount it to the desktop
1731447
Yes, you can use with a single drive or multiple drives. They do not have to be in a RAID configuration. That is optional.
984389
That really is about all there is to it. Of course, during the process your new drive will be appropriately partitioned, formatted, etc...but it is all handled by your RAID software. Just be aware that when you buy a replacement drive, if you buy one that is larger or has a faster rotational speed than your remaining drive, the performance of the replacement drive will be limited to matching the size and speed specifications of the remaining drive. (Don't buy a 4 TB drive if the remaining drive is 1 TB...it will work, but you will lose 3 TB of usable space.)
378106
Yes you can. I have couple of 1tb from Seagate, couple of 2 tb from both Seagate and western digital and a 5 tb from segate. All worked fine with existing data no issues except the 5tb as I had to change the file allocation type to be recognized.
1341220
I use a 4TB drive in mine with Windows 7. It works great. Solid case. I love it.
66178
Yes it will work. I'm using it in this configuration with 2 Seagate 6TB drive. Seems like you will have full speed up to 4 drives then half of it up to 8 drives.
2240670
Yes. I have Four 4TB drives in mine and hey all work fine. Drives must be partitioned as GPT (which is nothing unusual) in order to see all the available space.
117366
No, I am using it in a non-raid setup. I did try to use it with a 2 TB drive as a 4th drive. It didn't work. I then put a 500 MB drive on it and it worked. I put the 2 TB directly on a standard sata port.
2075768
The 4TB version has 2-2TB drives hence 4TB. That is in RAID 0 format. If you setup RAID 1 you only have 2TB usable.Good luck
1892156
the largest drive i'm using with this is 2TB, but I see no reason why 4TB shouldn't work, as long as you have 64 bit windows.
59623
Yes. That's what I use them for. I have 3 of these with 4 TB Backup Plus drives.
1048776
careful -- 2x 4TB in Raid 0 would mean total data loss in the event of 1 disk failure. You are essentially doubling your chances of complete data loss. You are far better to use RAID1 (even though it gets you just 4TB of disk storage), or get a different NAS to add multiple drives (3x 4TB in RAID5 = 8TB, or 4x 3TB = 9TB) so that you can have redundancy. MTBF shrinks when you get into bigger disks... and then doubling that risk by using them in RAID0 is asking for danger. Now, if you were just going to set up two separate 4TB drives, then that wouldn't be as big of a deal. Still no redundancy, but at least failure on one disk doesn't mean data loss on both. careful -- 2x 4TB in Raid 0 would mean total data loss in the event of 1 disk failure. You are essentially doubling your chances of complete data loss. You are far better to use RAID1 (even though it gets you just 4TB of disk storage), or get a different NAS to add multiple drives (3x 4TB in RAID5 = 8TB, or 4x 3TB = 9TB) so that you can have redundancy. MTBF shrinks when you get into bigger disks... and then doubling that risk by using them in RAID0 is asking for danger. Now, if you were just going to set up two separate 4TB drives, then that wouldn't be as big of a deal. Still no... » Read More careful -- 2x 4TB in Raid 0 would mean total data loss in the event of 1 disk failure. You are essentially doubling your chances of complete data loss. You are far better to use RAID1 (even though it gets you just 4TB of disk storage), or get a different NAS to add multiple drives (3x 4TB in RAID5 = 8TB, or 4x 3TB = 9TB) so that you can have redundancy. MTBF shrinks when you get into bigger disks... and then doubling that risk by using them in RAID0 is asking for danger. Now, if you were just going to set up two separate 4TB drives, then that wouldn't be as big of a deal. Still no redundancy, but at least failure on one disk doesn't mean data loss on both. « Show Less
1716656
I have not tried 5TB, I am using 4TB at the moment. I don't see why it wouldn't take 5TB drives. If you are using Windows, you should partition them in GPT format. Mac wouldn't have a problem either. Hope this answer your questions
1235416
I put 5 each 3tb WD Red drives in my Thecus and set up a RAID 6. I think you can use any number of drives of any size. Just keep in mind that if you use RAID it will only be a percentage of the smallest drive in the array.
1302604
William, Yes you can, the diskless EX4 through the 16 TB EX 4 cases/software are all the same and will accept the WD 4TB drives
327896
Nope, add what you want. Don't know about inserting already used (data on board) drives. I've always placed 'new' / clean drives in. There isn't a requirement to fill all slots. I have (3) 1TB drives in my 5N.
140744
you would have 18 bays, * 4TB drives for a potential of 72TB of space.... HOWEVER - actual space will depend on the RAID mode you choose and the security and peformance you desire. Also a formatted 4TB doesnt really give you 4TB so you will probably have 3.2-3.6 TB from each drive. The real issue IMHO is the quality of 4TB drives and the performance. Unless you dont care about your data I wouldnt create a single volume that big.