Why not build it with container lab running Arista vEOS or cEOS switches? You will need about 2GB of ram per container.

Try Arista EOS. You can download docker (cEOS) and virtual machine images (vEOS) for free once you create a free account.

You can also spin those up pretty easily with containerlab. And automate/manage them with ansible.

Backups are more important than raid levels.

Have automated backups that comply with the 3-2-1 rule first, you can migrate raid levels later.