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How to Pay for a Pro External Drive Array

How to · Tech

How to Pay for a Pro External Drive Array

Buy a multi-bay storage system that grows with your work without paying for it all on day one.

VoAtlas editorial Updated · 3 min read
Typical cost $600 before anything else
Across the 0% window $33.33/mo 18 months, no interest

How we got that: $600 spread evenly across the 18-month introductory window on the Citi Simplicity® Credit Card. Checked · at the bank Carry a balance past the window and the standard APR applies to what is left.

A RAID array or a multi-bay enclosure is about buying peace of mind for the next five years. You want something with at least four bays so you can swap drives as they fail or get bigger. Cheap single drives are fine for backups of backups, but for active work, you need the speed and redundancy of a proper array.

Wait for the mid-year refresh cycle to grab last year's enclosure. The metal boxes don't change much year to year, but the price drops when the new interface version comes out. You can use the Citi Simplicity® Credit Card (Citi) to spread that cost out while you fill the bays.

The 0% rate is a hard deadline, not free money. If you still have a balance after 18 months, the standard interest rate kicks in on whatever is left, making your storage much more expensive.

The steps

  1. 01

    Pick the enclosure

    Look for a four-bay unit that supports RAID 5. This means if one drive dies, your data stays safe. Skip the brand-new models if the previous version still has the ports you need.

  2. 02

    Buy the drives in pairs

    Don't buy all your drives from the same batch. If there is a manufacturing flaw, they might all fail at once. Buy two now and two in a month from a different seller.

  3. 03

    Use the intro window

    The Citi Simplicity® Credit Card (Citi) offers 0% for 18 months on purchases and balance transfers from date of account opening. This lets you get the hardware now and pay about $33.33 a month to cover a $600 setup.

  4. 04

    Set up your RAID

    Choose RAID 5 or RAID 6. You lose some storage space to parity—which is just a way the system stores extra info to rebuild your data if a drive breaks—but it is worth the trade-off.

  5. 05

    Plan the replacement

    Hard drives usually last three to five years. Label each drive with its install date. When you hit the four-year mark, start swapping them out one by one for larger capacities.

  6. 06

    Check the card terms before you commit

    Every figure we publish for the Citi Simplicity® Credit Card carries the date a person verified it against Citi and a link to where they checked. Intro windows and APRs change without notice, so confirm the current terms before applying.

    See Citi Simplicity® Credit Card terms →

Common questions

Can I just use a cloud backup instead?

Cloud is great for off-site safety, but it is too slow for editing big files. You need local hardware for speed and the cloud for the just-in-case scenario.

Is a $600 array overkill for a hobbyist?

It depends on how much you value your data. If losing your work would be a disaster, a redundant array is the cheapest insurance you can buy.

Should I get SSDs or HDDs for the array?

For $600, you are looking at high-capacity spinning hard drives. SSDs are faster but would cost thousands for the same amount of storage space.

What happens if the enclosure breaks but the drives are fine?

Most arrays allow you to move the drives to a new enclosure of the same brand. Stick with a major manufacturer so you can find a replacement part later.