{"id":95095,"date":"2024-08-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=95095"},"modified":"2024-08-21T13:10:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T18:10:21","slug":"getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-96203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4.png 1920w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-284x160.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-190x107.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-1400x787.png 1400w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-750x421.png 750w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-548x308.png 548w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-364x204.png 364w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-230x129.png 230w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-100x56.png 100w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-213x120@2x.png 426w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-284x160@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4-190x107@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>My <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=94994&amp;preview=true\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=94994&amp;preview=true\" target=\"_blank\">previous article<\/a> discussed the benefits of multi-drive enclosures vs single-drive solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a 4\/8 hard drive enclosure, many possibilities exist for using the drives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>All drives as single drives.<\/li><li>All drives as some form of RAID.<\/li><li>Some or all drives as primary storage.<\/li><li>Some or all drives as backup.<\/li><li>More drives than can be inserted eg 6 drives with a 4-drive enclosure eg drives rotated on a schedule to offsite location.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-96204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front.png 1920w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-284x160.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-190x107.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-1400x787.png 1400w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-750x421.png 750w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-548x308.png 548w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-364x204.png 364w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-230x129.png 230w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-100x56.png 100w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-213x120@2x.png 426w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-284x160@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Thunderbay-8-front-190x107@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption><strong>OWC ThunderBay 8: eight hard drive enclosure, Thunderbolt<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Any and all of these are good ideas, depending on the situation and goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"284\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-284x255.png\" alt=\"OWC ThunderBay 4 with Thunderbolt 3\" class=\"wp-image-71149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-284x255.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-133x120.png 133w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-190x171.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3.png 545w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-133x120@2x.png 266w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/owc-thunderbay-4-thunderbolt-3-190x171@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px\" \/><figcaption><strong>OWC ThunderBay 4:  four hard drive enclosure, Thunderbolt<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-all-individual-drives\">All Individual Drives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach treats all 4 or 8 drives separately. Each drive\/volume is its own thing with no special software needed, and minimal technical complexity. It\u2019s like connecting up all the drives to your computer but without the cable mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, 8 drives might be challenging to conceptualize\u20148 volume icons on a desktop is a bit much, even visually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Possible uses include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>One or more main\/primary drivers eg &#8220;Photos&#8221;, &#8220;Videos&#8221;, &#8220;Archive&#8221;, &#8220;Work&#8221;, etc. <\/li><li>One or more clone backups.<\/li><li>Time Machine backup drive.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach can involve more drives than drive bays eg 6 drives for a 4-drive enclosure. Drives are rotated-through for backups on some schedule, the extras being stored offsite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-individual-drives-data-safety-priority\">Individual drives: Data-safety priority<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From a minimizing risk perspective, <strong>multiple independent backups are the best way to keep data safe<\/strong>. With single drives each containing a full backup, you can have more backups for the same investment. No other approach is remotely as cost effective and robust\u2014additional software or hardware complexity can only reduce reliability and at greater expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Main drive\/volume eg &#8220;<strong>Work<\/strong>&#8221; or similar.<\/li><li>An always-attached backup, either Time Machine (&#8220;<strong>TM<\/strong>&#8220;) or a  clone backup (&#8220;<strong>Work_Clone<\/strong>&#8220;) for backups at least once per day. <em>This drive never leaves the unit or the premises<\/em>.<\/li><li>Dual clone backups eg <strong>Work_Clone1<\/strong> and <strong>Work_Clone2<\/strong>, ideally rotated to offsite storage on a regular basis.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach can be used in additional to single-drive backups. Always have an offsite backup of some kind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-one-big-raid-with-all-drives\">One big RAID with all drives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Always have an offsite backup of some kind! <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/Backup-misconceptions.html\" target=\"_blank\">RAID (any kind) is not a substitute for backup<\/a>s!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A common way many people take delivery of a ThunderBay is as one large RAID-5 volume, which offers <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/fault tolerance\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/fault tolerance\" target=\"_blank\">fault tolerance<\/a>. When that is the goal and other measures are also taken (eg RAID is not a backup), it can make sense for many scenarios.  But by itself it is not a complete solution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With all drives in a RAID:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/Backup-misconceptions.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/Backup-misconceptions.html\" target=\"_blank\">Fault tolerance in  no way shape or form is a substitute for backups<\/a>. It is an \u201cuptime\u201d advantage should one drive fail\u2014nothing more.<\/li><li>RAID volume is  <em>either<\/em> a main storage *or* a backup. It cannot be both.    Additional units or drives required for backup.<\/li><li>Often overkill on capacity, although this capacity can be used to guarantee higher performance as discussed in previous articles.,<\/li><li>Configured as one RAID, the only realistic way to backup the volume is to use additional RAID units (when data size exceeds capacity of a single hard drive).  But using another RAID for a backup is a costly sub-optimal soution with lower reliability than if more single-drive backups are used.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Does this mean that a multi-drive RAID is a bad idea?  Yes if done for the wrong reasons, and no if done for the right reasons.  <em><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/consulting.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/consulting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get expert advice<\/a> if you are not clear on this<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the above reasons and more, it is my recommendation for most users to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">restrict RAID volume size to the maximum that can be accommodated on single hard drives<\/span> for backups eg 22TB or 24TB. That way, the volume can be cloned to any singl hard drive volume of sufficient capacity.    This approach implies creating a RAID volume less than the full capacity, eg one 22TB RAID volume on a larger unit in order to match the capacity eg  a 22TB single hard drive backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mixed-raid-single-drives\">Mixed RAID + Single Drives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With 4-drive units, this approach could include the following configurations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>2-drive RAID-0 stripe for performance plus 2 backup drives<\/li><li>2-drive RAID-1 mirror for fault tolerance plus 2 backup drives<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I am not a fan of a RAID-1 mirror for a backup (though it might make sense as primary). For backups it  is better to have two independent backups rather than two drives in RAID-1 mirror, since these backups can be separated and\/or updated independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With 8-drive units, many more possibilities arise. First of all, drive capacities could be mixed eg four 12TB drives to form a RAID-5, along with four 24TB drives as single-drive backups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One or more RAID volumes utilizing some but not all of the drives. Along with some of the drives used as single-volume backups. Size the RAID volume to match the size of single drives, for easy clone backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another possibility is  multiple RAID volumes using different drives eg two 4-drive RAID-0 or RAID-5 volumes, each using its own 4 drives. While in theory one volume can be the backup of the other (since distinct drives are used), having RAID backups also in the same enclosure seems dubious at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A mixed approach can also  contemplate more drives than drive bays eg 6 drives for a 4-drive enclosure. Drives are rotated through for backups on some schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My main advice for mixed use is to keep it simple\u2014design something that clearly separates primary from backups, and utilizes single hard drives for backups, if feasible in capacity terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusions\">Conclusions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Multi-drive enclosures provide the ultimate in flexibility for fault tolerance and\/or performance and\/or backups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/_wishlist-owc-owc_storage.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/_wishlist-owc-owc_storage.html\" target=\"_blank\">View my external storage wishlist<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>See also:<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/94994-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-3-multi-drive-enclosures-provide-convenience-and-performance\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"94994\">Hard Drives Part 3<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/94694-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-2-how-to-optimize-file-placement-for-top-speed\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"94694\">Hard Drives Part 2<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/94457-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-1-how-to-guarantee-the-best-speeds\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"94457\">Hard Drives Part 1<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/blog\/2024\/20240120_1300-OWCBlog-SeparateDataVolumeForImportantData.html\"><em>Storing Important Data on the Boot Drive is Asking For Trouble \u2014 Always Make a Separate Volume<\/em><\/a><br \/> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/blog\/2023\/20231120_1200-ProPhotographersGuideToBackupInTheField.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/blog\/2023\/20231120_1200-ProPhotographersGuideToBackupInTheField.html\" target=\"_blank\"><em>A Pro Photographer\u2019s Guide to Fast Data Backup in the Field<\/em><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/blog-2024-05.html#20240522_1436-OWCBlog-BestDrivesForBackup\"><em>The Best Drives and Smart Strategy for Safe, Secure and Consistent Mac Backups<\/em><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/blog\/2024\/20240215_0900-OWCBlog-FastCloneBackups.html\"><em>Backup Best Practices: How to Make Fast Clone Backups on a Mac<\/em><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/blog\/2024\/20240110_1049-OWCBlog-TimeMachine-WhatToDoWhenYourTimeMachineIsFull.html\"><em>What to Do Your When Mac\u2019s Time Machine Says Its Backup Drive Is Full<\/em><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/blog\/2023\/20231219_1200-OWCBlog-BackupBestPractices-HowToUseTimeMachineOptimallyWithOtherMacOSBackups.html\"><em>Backup Best Practices: How to Use Time Machine Optimally With Other macOS Backups<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Need help working through your computing or photography system design?  <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/consulting.html\" target=\"_blank\">Consult with Lloyd<\/a> before you potentially buy too much or too little, and see <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/_wishlist-bh-bh_mac.html\" target=\"_blank\">my Mac wishlist of current models<\/a>, first pondering <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/90191-the-ultimate-mac-buyers-guide-part-2-the-huge-value-of-refurbished-and-used-macs\/?utm_source=diglloyd&amp;utm_content=_a_%7Ediglloyd%40index\" target=\"_blank\">whether refurbished or used Macs might do the job for you<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/gfx\/flag.diglloyd.png?dglyOWCB=PureViewingPleasure6K\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"70\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/OWC articles by Lloyd\" target=\"_blank\">View all posts by Lloyd Chambers\u2026<\/a> Lloyd\u2019s photo web site is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\" target=\"_blank\">diglloyd.com<\/a>, computers is <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\" target=\"_blank\">MacPerformanceGuide.<\/a>com, cycling and health are found at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/windinmyface.com\" target=\"_blank\">WindInMyFace.com<\/a>, software tools including disk testing and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/macperformanceguide.com\/autoTopic.html?dglyTP=data+integrity\" target=\"_blank\">data integrity validation<\/a> at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diglloydtools.com\" target=\"_blank\">diglloydTools.com<\/a>. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/diglloyd\/collections\" target=\"_blank\">Patreon page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/blog\/2024\/20240712_0902-HasselbladX2D-HasselbladXCD45f3-5-PatriarchGroveDusk.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\/blog\/2024\/images\/2024-0712-PatriarchGroveDusk-f5_6,2592x1944.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1296\" height=\"972\"\/><\/a><figcaption><em>Patriarch Grove, Dusk<\/em><br \/>f5.6 @ 1.0 sec lens shutter, ISO 64; 2024-07-02 20:28:50<br \/>Hasselblad X2D 100C + Hasselblad XCD 45mm f\/3.5 @ 37mm equiv (45mm))<br \/><br \/><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":96203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7190,7597,5853,4],"class_list":["post-95095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","category-mac-tips","category-procorner","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v20.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rocket Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"diglloyd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@diglloyd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"diglloyd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"diglloyd\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858d98ed8e2b5e234b205140097b33cd\"},\"headline\":\"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\"},\"wordCount\":1148,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"How to\",\"Mac Tips\",\"Pro Corner\",\"Tech Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\",\"name\":\"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Rocket Yard\",\"description\":\"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"OWC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"OWC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858d98ed8e2b5e234b205140097b33cd\",\"name\":\"diglloyd\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58e86a1188eb99c36dd6e1337d88892dfc7d75f057b5dc9308b2b38586c218b2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58e86a1188eb99c36dd6e1337d88892dfc7d75f057b5dc9308b2b38586c218b2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"diglloyd\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/diglloyd.com\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/diglloyd\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/diglloyd\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/lloydchambers\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures","description":"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures","og_description":"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.","og_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/","og_site_name":"Rocket Yard","article_published_time":"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"diglloyd","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@diglloyd","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"diglloyd","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/"},"author":{"name":"diglloyd","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858d98ed8e2b5e234b205140097b33cd"},"headline":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures","datePublished":"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/"},"wordCount":1148,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["How to","Mac Tips","Pro Corner","Tech Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/","name":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-08-21T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-21T18:10:21+00:00","description":"If you have a 4- or 8-drive enclosure at your disposal, you have a wealth of possibilities as to how these drives can be configured for use.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/95095-getting-the-most-performance-out-of-spinning-hard-drives-part-4-the-many-ways-to-configure-4-8-hard-drive-enclosures\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Getting the Most Performance out of Spinning Hard Drives, Part 4: the Many Ways to Configure 4\/8 Hard Drive Enclosures"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","name":"Rocket Yard","description":"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"OWC","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"OWC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/858d98ed8e2b5e234b205140097b33cd","name":"diglloyd","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58e86a1188eb99c36dd6e1337d88892dfc7d75f057b5dc9308b2b38586c218b2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58e86a1188eb99c36dd6e1337d88892dfc7d75f057b5dc9308b2b38586c218b2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"diglloyd"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/diglloyd.com","https:\/\/twitter.com\/diglloyd","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/diglloyd"],"url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/lloydchambers\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/honing-hard-drive-performance-4.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pmPaT-oJN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95095"}],"version-history":[{"count":196,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96205,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95095\/revisions\/96205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}