Note – this is the 2024 update of the rolling ‘best HDD for your NAS’ article (Cheers Clayton!)

When choosing a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the right hard drive is essential. Just like every tool in a toolbox has its role, NAS-specific drives are engineered to meet the particular needs of network storage environments. Using the wrong type of drive in a NAS can lead to decreased performance and potential issues with reliability. In recent years, manufacturers have developed specialized NAS hard drives (including SSDs) that are designed for 24/7 use, high durability, and optimized read/write cycles to suit NAS workloads. As we enter 2025, the storage landscape has evolved significantly, with hard drives now reaching capacities of 24TB and 26TB, and innovations in platter technology leading to 11-platter designs. This breakthrough could soon push capacities beyond 30TB, addressing the growing need for massive data storage in both personal and professional settings. With such a wide range of drive sizes and types available, from 2TB to 26TB and beyond, it can be difficult to navigate the choices. To help, I’ve compiled a guide that highlights eight different NAS/Server setups and the most compatible hard drive options for each, taking into account the latest developments in technology and market trends for 2024/2025

Note – Use our Best Price Per TB Calculator tool HERE in order to get the best value storage for your needs. It includes filters for NAS size, redundancy, budget and capacity needs too!

Recommended NAS Hard Drives Best All Round = Seagate Ironwolf HDDs  $50-229  – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology 2023/2024 Series = Synology HAT3300 HDDs $109-189  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for QNAP Business = Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs $79-399  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Enterprise Rackmount = WD UltraStar HDDs $70-550 Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology Enterprise NAS = Synology HAT5300 HDDs $199-599  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Budget NAS Builds = Toshiba H300 HDDs $250-450   Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

Important – What You Need to Consider in a NAS HDD?

When selecting a NAS hard drive, understanding key terms can help you make the right choice. Here’s a quick guide to essential terms for 2024:

RAID – Redundant Array of Independent Disks enhances storage, speed, and data safety by using multiple drives. RAID 0 offers no protection but maximizes space. RAID 1, 5, and 6 provide varying levels of redundancy for safer storage.

SATA – Still the main connection type for NAS mechanical drives in 2024, SATA offers 6Gbps speeds, but mechanical drives generally top out at 280MB/s. Newer connections like NVMe and SAS are more prominent in enterprise SSDs.

Saturation – Refers to data flow through a connection. Although SATA allows up to 600MB/s, most mechanical NAS drives perform in the 180-280MB/s range.

Platters – Disks inside the drive that store data. Drives in 2024 now feature up to 11 platters, supporting capacities of up to 30TB.

Rotation Speed – Faster spinning platters improve read/write speeds, critical for performance.

Cache – A temporary memory buffer on the drive. Larger NAS drives often include bigger caches for smoother data handling, especially in SMR drives.

Terabytes Written (TBW) – Also known as “Workload Rating,” TBW measures how much data a NAS hard drive can handle in a year while maintaining performance. This metric accounts for regular use, such as filling and emptying the drive repeatedly, which is common in data centers. Standard NAS drives usually support around 180TBW, Pro models around 300TBW, and Enterprise-class drives 550TBW or more.

Magnetic Recording – This refers to the technology used to store data on the drive’s platters. In 2024, the main types are SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording), PMR/CMR (Perpendicular/Conventional Magnetic Recording), EAMR (Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), and HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording). PMR/CMR remains the most widely used for NAS hard drives due to its balance of reliability and performance.

Warranty Length – This is the manufacturer’s commitment to repair or replace a hard drive if it fails due to manufacturing defects. NAS drive warranties typically last between 3 and 5 years.

These terms are key to understanding how to select the best NAS hard drive in 2024. Next, we’ll explore different NAS environments and recommend the best drives for each.

Best Hard Drives for an Affordable RAID 6 Desktop 6/8-Bay NAS – Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro)

1-12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-229 

For those who are looking at a NAS server for business, or are home users who have made the enterprising move into the Prosumer bracket, then a 6-Bay or 8-Bay desktop NAS solution will become incredibly attractive. At this storage tier, we find a number of very cool and incredibly useful features become more widely available. For a start, we find the utility of RAID 6 (the 2 disk safety net configuration) much more palatable, as it makes less of a dent on our total available storage. Additionally, at this storage size, we start to see much more powerful processors, such as the Intel Core (i3, i5, etc) series arrive, AMD Ryzen and even Xeons. This combined with huge expandability of both memory internally and storage externally and generally with 10Gbe included as standard or available as an upgrade. So, at this scale of NAS storage, the hard drive choice becomes more important, as you do not want to create an internal bottleneck. For this tier of storage, I recommend the Seagate Ironwolf range of NAS drives. They arrive with a large number of 7200RM drives (with 5400RPM in the smaller capacities), a 180 terabytes per year guaranteed workload and the Seagate Rescue service. For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3 year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services.

What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. Additionally, Seagate Ironwolf hard drives sill manage to be the most affordable NAS drives on the market compared with their competitors, even when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 12TB (Pro Series go up to 22TB)

– Noisier General Operation than WD Red Drives

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small NAS Drive – WD Red & WD Red Plus

1-14TB, 5400/7200RPM (higher Caps = 7200RPM), 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red 1-6TB (SMR), WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $69-379

If you are looking to populate a compact, modestly powered, desktop NAS system (so a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS drive), then you have quite a large range of Hard Drives on offer. It is worth highlighting though that larger and more enterprise drives (i.e faster and longer warranty) will be noticeably noisier. Additionally, you will need to factor in that your maximum storage is going to be capped at either a single drive OR (in a 2-Bay NAS with RAID 1)  your storage halved to maintain redundancy. Finally, you will need to factor in that most 2-Bay NAS devices will either have a smaller external network connection (1/2.5Gbe) or are not really capable of saturating a full connection externally. So, baring these factors in mind, I would recommend the WD Red series of NAS hard drives for small NAS systems. They do not typically have more aggressive hardware internally, so the ambient noise when these drives are running will be remarkably low.

The performance, due to the lower rotations per minute (RPM) and cache might not seem spectacularly high, but in a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS, you likely could not push much performance externally anyway, so why spend much more on something that in most cases you will not be able to take advantage of. Be warned though, as you reach the much higher capacities above 8TB, the general background noise of the drives will increase incrementally.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Some Drive feature Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? WD Red Plus Internal NAS HDD 3.5\" - 12TB WesternDigital USA 2 HDD for $399 [LINK] WD 8TB WD RED PLUS HDD B&H USA £159.99 ($49 off) [LINK] WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 29% OFF, Now $84.99 (was $119.99) [LINK] Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus HDD (BF) Amazon USA $99.99 (33% OFF) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Affordable Hard Drives for a RAID 5 Desktop 4-Bay NAS – Toshiba N300

4-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 180 TBW, 3yr Warranty, 1-1.2M MTBF Rating $250-450  

A 4-Bay NAS drive is generally when home and small/medium business users start to take their storage seriously. There are such a wide variety of hardware options that arrive at this storage tier, ranging from powerful Intel/AMD processors and DDR4 memory, to 10Gbe and PCIe upgrades. This arrives with the utility if RAID 5, that allows users to have a much larger potential capacity and performance, but still have a single drive of redundancy to fall back on in the event of drive failure. At this degree of NAS storage, you have a much greater potential to not only largely saturate a 10Gbe connection, but alternatively, you can also look into installing 2.5Gbe and 5Gbe upgrades and fill multiple plus gigabit connections directly or via a switch.  In order to maximize this connection, but to also not max out your budget, I recommend the Toshiba N300 range of Hard Drives. Although they are a brand that is generally held commercially in the 3rd place when it comes to NAS media drives, their N300 range arrives at a similar/lower price point than Seagate Ironwolf and WD Red, but also arrives with 7200RPM on all capacities, with the lowest capacity arriving with 128MB caching and scaling up to 256MB quickly in the series. The increase in RPM will increase the background clicks, hums and whirs of the drive, but at 4-Bays, this is something that the NAS enclosure itself will begin to generate too. A high performing and often overlooked drive that, at the top capacity, can hit performance of up to 274MB/s.

+ Well Priced for a 7200RPM and 128/256/512 Cache Drive

+ Available in up to 18TB, even in non-Pro N300 Series

+ Error Recovery Control

– Will Generate More Noise at 7200RPM

– Not As Widely Available

– Not as well regarded as Seagate or WD

The 3.5-inch N300 NAS Hard Drive offers unprecedented reliability for NAS and other high-performance storage systems. It is optimized to meet the reliability, endurance, performance and scalability requirements of 24-hour x 7-day high-capacity storage for personal, home office and small business use. The N300 is available in capacities of up to 18 TB.

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small Rackmount NAS – WD Red Pro

2-22TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $85-429 

Now we move onto the Rackmount NAS compatible hard drives, we have to start looking squarely at two main factors – Performance and Durability. If you are a business or established Prosumer user, then chances are that your NAS system is going to be used for a much larger % per day than most average users. Whether it is for surveillance, virtual machines, business file-sharing or just a combination of all of them every day, you want drives that are going to give you a good level of performance internally AND externally. Likewise, as the hard drives in even a modest rackmount NAS will be on for extended periods, you need to know that the drive can maintain the promising performance indefinitely AND without braking. This is where we start to look at specifications such as TBW (Terabytes Written), Mean time between failure, workload cycles and the warranty in more detail. For those looking at 10Gbe equipped or at least ’10Gbe Ready’ modest rackmount systems, I would recommend the WD Red Pro series of compatible NAS hard drives. Generally, one of the first Pro series NAS hard drives to arrive on the market, the WD Red Pro series is designed for NAS systems up to 24Bays and is available up to 18TB currently.

What did we say about the WD Red Pro 22TB highest tier model? We reviewed it back on September ’22 and whichever way you look at it, the WD Red Pro 22TB Hard drive is a stone-cold WINNER of a drive – both in terms of what it brings to the end user AND what this new 10-platter/OptiNAND drive design means for the future of the WD drive line up. WD does not over promise with this drive (with performance exceeding the brands reported benchmarks in almost every one of my tests, even using mid-range equipment) and they even nailed the price point in line with previous drives in the portfolio (though there is simply no avoiding that you are going to need deep pockets to fully populate any system with these 22TB drives). That said, much like any other WD Red Pro drive, the more industrial architecture still leads to a slightly higher running temp, noisier operation and slight increased power use. This is to be expected, but with no non-Pro alternative available at this capacity, the feasibility of fully populating a smaller scale system with the WD Red Pro 22TB is going to be both expensive AND noisy. I definitely recommend this drive to larger-scale NAS and SAN environments that need sustained RAID performance, high capacity and storage reliability – just maybe buy some earplugs if you plan on working in the same room as them.

Certainly one of the most expensive NAS HDDs out there, but provides a very good level of storage, performance, durability and overall is a very dependable drive for SMB users (Small/Medium Business) that want a drive they can rely on.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an SMB Rackmount NAS 12-Bay – Seagate Ironwolf Pro

4-24TB, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache, 300 TBW (Newer NT version rates at 550TBW), 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $79-399 

When it comes to the move into Rackmount storage for businesses (novices stop here) then not only do you have to only consider Pro/Enterprise-class drives only, but you can also start to look at drives that include certain business level advantages in terms of coverage and service. Much like the non-PRO series of hard drives mentioned earlier, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro series of HDDs include the Rescue+ data recovery services but also includes an impressive 5 years of the manufacturers warranty. However, it is in terms of performance, capacity and durability that the difference between these two ranges become apparent. For a start, the Ironwolf Pro HDD range arrives in capacities of up to 18TB (26-30TB promised for later in 2024/2025 thanks to Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording – with 50TB slated by end of the decade), with ALL drives in the PRO range arriving with 7200RPM and 256/512MB of cache. The result is that these drives will hit up to an impressive 260MB/s, which even in smaller RAID 5 groups will easily saturate a 10Gb connection with just 4-5 drives.I performed te sts on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

What did we think of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro larger capacities? We reviewed the new NT series (higher durability at 550TBW over 300TBW in the previous revisions) 20TB version and Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

In recent years we have seen Seagate reshuffle their range of available capacities to align the capacities from 1-12TB to arrive in the standard Ironwolf range and Capacities of up to 18TB and 22TB to arrive on the PRO series (likely due to those larger capacity options requiring the more enterprise hardware as standard and making a non-PRO version impossible without purposely nerf’ing the lesser drives intentionally. There is crossover in 4-12TB models in between, however, the distinction in RPM, cache, build design and TBW rating is wide enough to justify this. The noise level of the Ironwolf HDD series in PRO is noticeable higher, but given these are designed for larger arrays, this noise increase will be less noticeable over the ambient noise of the whole system generally.

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ New NT Version Available with 550 TB Annual Workload

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticeable Boot Up Noise

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate 24TB Ironwolf Pro $439 B&H USA $439.99 ($210 off) [LINK] Seagate 24TB Ironwolf PRO HDD (BF) Amazon USA 38% OFF - Now $399 [LINK] Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an Enterprise Rackmount NAS Server – Seagate EXOS

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $99-519   

Now we finally move into the class of hard drive that is more classically defined at ‘Data Center’ and/or Hyperscale environments. Often choosing between a PRO class and Enterprise-class drive can be ticky at a glance. However, Pro class drives generally arrive with a much longer terabytes written rating per year (ie the amount of data that can be written to the drive throughout its lifespan per annum), arrive in numerous interfaces (so both SAS and SATA generally) and typically arrive with numerous format and encryption standard versions available. These are available because some industries and organizations insist on drive media that features in-built protection and secure erase on the drive itself. Of all the enterprise and data centre-class media in the market, I generally recommend the Seagate EXOS series for any hyper scale system environment. They are very, VERY closely followed by the Western Digital UltraStar class of drives, but the Seagate EXOS series is a little clearer to understand, has larger capacity options available earlier, with several variations of their Mach.2 available (dual actuator/arm SATA drives at 400MB/s+ and even triactuator drives in development) and generally arrive a pinch lower in price too in like-for-like comparisons against the Ultrastar.

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

Changes by Synology in their 2021/2022 series of rackmounts systems onwards to ONLY support their own range of HDD media has led to their own drives featuring on their own respective hardware, so make sure to check that your intended NAS rackmount system supports Seagate EXOS drives before you head to checkout, as this is a trend that has continued right up to the most recent releases this year, as well as reduced HDD compatibility listings for home/SMB solutions such as the DS224+ and DS423+.

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

+ New 24TB Model (X24) Version Available

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Availability Can Be Difficult + Some Models Are ‘Bulk Purchase’ Only

– Noisy!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate EXOS Enterprise Server 24TB Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 20% off – $479.99 (was $599.99) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business Synology NAS – Synology HAT5300

8-20TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $199-599 

Arriving on the scene in Jan 2021 originally, the Synology branded range of Hard drives for enterprise server use took ALOT of people by surprise! Synology has always had a long-standing reputation with the production of network-attached storage, so in efforts to produce a complete first-party storage system that includes the software, the network hardware AND the media inside is very what their brand has been all about. In their defence too, these are not just cash-grab drives and are in-fact enterprise-class drives that are being priced at PRO series drives (so an Ultrastar/EXOS drive that is at the price tag of a WD Red or Ironwolf Pro). The drives themselves arrive (at launch anyway) with just three capacities available (8TB, 12TB and 16TB) and the architecture of them is quite eye-catching. A 550TBW per year rating, a 2.5Million MTTF, 256/512MB cache and performance ranging across the capacities from 230MB/s to a reported 270MB/s+. The drives are originally Toshiba M06/07/08 Enterprise drives that have a tweaked Synology NAS firmware onboard, so they are geared specifically towards utilization inside the Synology ecosystem. You can even check and upgrade the individual drive firmware directly from with the Synology DSM graphical user interface too, which is quite a unique and convenient feature for those larger arrays with differing drive versions being installed throughout your server’s lifespan.

You cannot really question the quality of the hardware architecture featured on the Synology HAT5300 range of hard drives. We clearly find here a range of drives that have been designed by Toshiba (an HDD vendor with decades of experience and Synology are not being coy about highlighting the partnership on this media), combined with one of the biggest providers of modern NAS in Synology, with media that is tweaked for use within their NAS systems and despite arriving at a Pro series price tag, arrive with hardware far more comparable to that of Seagate EXOS and Western digital Ultrastar hard drives. With a terrifically impressive annual workload, an approach to drive firmware and upgrades relatively unseen from any other drive for NAS’ and remarkable transparency from Synology in the marketing of these drives on day one certainly needs to be acknowledged. Moreover, Synology is not the first brand to champion the use of locked hard drive media in their service systems and they certainly won’t be the last. Overall, I am happy with the new Synology hard drives and despite possible reservations about where the logic of locked drives and exclusivity on this product and range will be extended to in the future (standard class versions?), I still happily recommend the Synology HAT5300 media series alongside other champions of NAS hard drive in 2024/2025

The move towards hard drive locking by Synology is something that has impressed some and disappointed others – but if you were going to be installing drive media inside a NAS system for business anyway, then ultimately these are still a very solid and well-performing product for you.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– More Expensive than other Enterprise Class HDDs from Seagate & WD

– Noisy Operation

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS1821+/128TB HAT5300 8 Bay Amazon UK 15.47 OFF (WAS 6657) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business QNAP NAS – WD Ultrastar

1-26TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-550  

Finally, we move onto possibly the most well known of the enterprise-class of Hard Drives on the market. When it comes to data center and hyper-scale storage environments, Western Digital’s UltraStar range has the same reputation and long-running recognition as IBM has in the computer industry. They have been the go-to drive media of choice in the huge storage environment’s for years, thanks in large part to the fact they have been designed, developed and improved at the same time as the systems they were going into. In recent years, competitors have taken chunks of the market from them (as they are a larger and slightly slower behemoth to suddenly change tactic) and feature larger product runs that have to last extensive lengths of time to facilitate data center replacement media as needed. Nevertheless, in recent years the Ultrastar brand under WD has diversified hugely and alongside the popular WD Gold label has branched into a vast array of interface types, form factors, media variants and scales. Typically the first drive series to crack into a new capacity tier (the first to crack 20TB too – as well as rolling out the 24TB and 26TB HDD media to data centers before everyone else).

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

The Ultrastar series of hard drives will often be compared against the WD Red Pro range of NAS hard drives when considering populating a server. It is worth remembering that the Ultrastar series is designed for both a higher performance AND a much more enduring performance – i.e it can maintain that level, as well as switch between processes, for much longer. Indeed in testing, the Ultrastar even features a much higher Read and Write performance than pretty much any other drive that peaks as high as 280MB/s in our ATTO DiskBenchmark testing below with just a single HDD. Even the IOs (IOPS_ went as high as 19,000, which although low when compared with modern high-end SSDs, for a single HDD is really impressive).

The drives themselves are fantastically dull in appearance of course, as one might expect from the enterprise tier and also feature quite an aggressive spin up noise. However, in much larger scale environments, you will almost certainly not hear the drive media over the ambient system fan noise. Overall still an oldie but a goodie!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well-established HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Home or Small Business x23/x24 Gen Synology NAS – Synology HAT3300 Plus Series

4/6/8/12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Synology NAS Designed, Firmware Update in DSM $109-189 

There is most certainly a clear design choice here to mirror that of the existing regular-class server drives on the market right now. The Synology HAT 3300+ series has been reported several times, not just here on the blog, to be built using Seagate Iron Wolf drive media with specific Synology firmware on board. Arriving with 180-terabyte annual workloads, 5400rpm, 256-megabyte cache, arriving in a CMR architecture and air-sealed – the specifications we see here are all quite standard. The 12TB benefits from an increased RPM and helium sealing, as per most 12 TB drives in the market, but apart from that the Synology Plus hard drive series are going to run quieter than most pro or enterprise-class drives, as well as have a slightly lower power consumption, but are also going to have a slight performance decrease than that of the HAT5300 and HAT3300. But that is only going to be of significance in larger RAID configurations realistically.

The differences between the Synology HAT3300, HAT5300/HAS5300 are pretty much exactly as you would find if you compared WD Red and Seagate IronWolf versus that of Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar. Indeed, I am a little surprised that Synology has not introduced a middle ground in the form of a pro series drive, but perhaps this is something that will roll out later down the line. Nevertheless, this results in quite a void of performance, durability, and scale between these two ranges when compared to long-term established server hard drive ranges from these other companies filling the gaps of capacity and pro middle ground choices. It should be immediately highlighted that regardless of which Synology hard drive you opt for, you still benefit from firmware updates being actionable from within the Synology DSM software, easier and more streamlined warranty support, and firmware optimization that is specifically tailored towards Synology hardware deployment. We have discussed this at length previously when discussing the Synology enterprise hard drives and SSDs, and although you pay a premium for Synology’s own branded drives when compared to third-party alternatives that people have been using for decades, there are nonetheless merits in using drives specifically geared towards your NAS system rather than requiring a slightly broader design that suits more diverse servers. Here is how the Synology enterprise SATA, enterprise SAS, and mid-range plus hard drives differ in their specifications:

Classification	Enterprise SATA	Enterprise SAS	Domestic SATA
Series Name	Enterprise/XS	Enterprise/XS	PLUS
Model	HAT5300	HAS5300	HAT3300
Interface	SATA 6Gb	SAS 12Gb	SATA 6Gb
Recording	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR
Capacity (5/23)	4/8/12/16/18TB	8/12/16/18TB	4/6/8/12TB
RPM	7200RPM	7200RPM	5400RPM (7200 on 12TB)
Cache	256/512MB	256/512MB	256MB
Sector Size	512e	512e	512e
Max Transfer Speed (Capacity Dependant)	254/260/253/274/281MB/s	241/253/274MB/s	202/240MB/s
Drive Sealing	AIR/AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/AIR/AIR/Helium
Power Use (Idle)	4.07/5.61/4.25/4.00/4.16W	6.62/4.36/4.46W	3.96/3.4/3.4/5.07W
Power Use (Active)	7.76/9.29/7.83/7.63/8.35W	9.87/7.80/8.12W	4.85/5.3/5.3/8.33W
Load/Unload Cycles	600K	600K	600K
Workload Rating	550TB (Annual)	550TB (Annual)	180TB (Annual)
MTBF (Hrs)	2.0/2.5Million	2.5Million	1Million
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years	3 Years

+ Much more affordable than the HAT5300 Series

+ Better range off smaller capacities than HAT5300

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Not Supported on Bigger Synology NAS Systems (eg XS or SA Series)

– Lacks Data Recovery Service of Seagate Ironwolf HDDs

– 12TB Maximum Capacity (at time of writing)

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS224+ 8TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 4TB HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 113.7 OFF (WAS 747) [LINK] Synology DS224+ 32TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 16 HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 318.35 OFF (WAS 1224) [LINK] Synology DS1621+ 24TB 6 Bay Desktop NAS Solution installed with 6 x 4TB HAT3300 Amazon UK 63.02 OFF (WAS 1662) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

IMPORTANT! Compatibility of Hard Drives with Synology NAS Systems

An increasingly important factor when selecting NAS hard drives is their compatibility with specific NAS systems. Over the last 18-24 months, there has been a noticeable trend, especially with Synology, towards reducing the range of compatible, supported, or verified HDDs. Synology has shown a preference for their own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives, somewhat limiting the choice for users of their systems. This shift marks a departure from the traditionally open approach where most NAS brands, including Synology, supported a wide range of third-party drives.

This change in policy is significant for users needing specific storage solutions or those accustomed to a broader choice of drives. It contrasts with other NAS brands, which continue to support a variety of third-party drives, including the latest high-capacity models. When choosing a NAS hard drive in 2024/2025, it’s crucial to consider not just the drive’s specifications but also its compatibility with your NAS system. This ensures that you can take full advantage of the NAS’s features and avoid potential compatibility issues.

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Note – this is the 2024 update of the rolling ‘best HDD for your NAS’ article (Cheers Clayton!)

When choosing a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the right hard drive is essential. Just like every tool in a toolbox has its role, NAS-specific drives are engineered to meet the particular needs of network storage environments. Using the wrong type of drive in a NAS can lead to decreased performance and potential issues with reliability. In recent years, manufacturers have developed specialized NAS hard drives (including SSDs) that are designed for 24/7 use, high durability, and optimized read/write cycles to suit NAS workloads. As we enter 2025, the storage landscape has evolved significantly, with hard drives now reaching capacities of 24TB and 26TB, and innovations in platter technology leading to 11-platter designs. This breakthrough could soon push capacities beyond 30TB, addressing the growing need for massive data storage in both personal and professional settings. With such a wide range of drive sizes and types available, from 2TB to 26TB and beyond, it can be difficult to navigate the choices. To help, I’ve compiled a guide that highlights eight different NAS/Server setups and the most compatible hard drive options for each, taking into account the latest developments in technology and market trends for 2024/2025

Note – Use our Best Price Per TB Calculator tool HERE in order to get the best value storage for your needs. It includes filters for NAS size, redundancy, budget and capacity needs too!

Recommended NAS Hard Drives Best All Round = Seagate Ironwolf HDDs  $50-229  – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology 2023/2024 Series = Synology HAT3300 HDDs $109-189  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for QNAP Business = Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs $79-399  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Enterprise Rackmount = WD UltraStar HDDs $70-550 Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology Enterprise NAS = Synology HAT5300 HDDs $199-599  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Budget NAS Builds = Toshiba H300 HDDs $250-450   Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

Important – What You Need to Consider in a NAS HDD?

When selecting a NAS hard drive, understanding key terms can help you make the right choice. Here’s a quick guide to essential terms for 2024:

RAID – Redundant Array of Independent Disks enhances storage, speed, and data safety by using multiple drives. RAID 0 offers no protection but maximizes space. RAID 1, 5, and 6 provide varying levels of redundancy for safer storage.

SATA – Still the main connection type for NAS mechanical drives in 2024, SATA offers 6Gbps speeds, but mechanical drives generally top out at 280MB/s. Newer connections like NVMe and SAS are more prominent in enterprise SSDs.

Saturation – Refers to data flow through a connection. Although SATA allows up to 600MB/s, most mechanical NAS drives perform in the 180-280MB/s range.

Platters – Disks inside the drive that store data. Drives in 2024 now feature up to 11 platters, supporting capacities of up to 30TB.

Rotation Speed – Faster spinning platters improve read/write speeds, critical for performance.

Cache – A temporary memory buffer on the drive. Larger NAS drives often include bigger caches for smoother data handling, especially in SMR drives.

Terabytes Written (TBW) – Also known as “Workload Rating,” TBW measures how much data a NAS hard drive can handle in a year while maintaining performance. This metric accounts for regular use, such as filling and emptying the drive repeatedly, which is common in data centers. Standard NAS drives usually support around 180TBW, Pro models around 300TBW, and Enterprise-class drives 550TBW or more.

Magnetic Recording – This refers to the technology used to store data on the drive’s platters. In 2024, the main types are SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording), PMR/CMR (Perpendicular/Conventional Magnetic Recording), EAMR (Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), and HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording). PMR/CMR remains the most widely used for NAS hard drives due to its balance of reliability and performance.

Warranty Length – This is the manufacturer’s commitment to repair or replace a hard drive if it fails due to manufacturing defects. NAS drive warranties typically last between 3 and 5 years.

These terms are key to understanding how to select the best NAS hard drive in 2024. Next, we’ll explore different NAS environments and recommend the best drives for each.

Best Hard Drives for an Affordable RAID 6 Desktop 6/8-Bay NAS – Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro)

1-12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-229 

For those who are looking at a NAS server for business, or are home users who have made the enterprising move into the Prosumer bracket, then a 6-Bay or 8-Bay desktop NAS solution will become incredibly attractive. At this storage tier, we find a number of very cool and incredibly useful features become more widely available. For a start, we find the utility of RAID 6 (the 2 disk safety net configuration) much more palatable, as it makes less of a dent on our total available storage. Additionally, at this storage size, we start to see much more powerful processors, such as the Intel Core (i3, i5, etc) series arrive, AMD Ryzen and even Xeons. This combined with huge expandability of both memory internally and storage externally and generally with 10Gbe included as standard or available as an upgrade. So, at this scale of NAS storage, the hard drive choice becomes more important, as you do not want to create an internal bottleneck. For this tier of storage, I recommend the Seagate Ironwolf range of NAS drives. They arrive with a large number of 7200RM drives (with 5400RPM in the smaller capacities), a 180 terabytes per year guaranteed workload and the Seagate Rescue service. For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3 year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services.

What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. Additionally, Seagate Ironwolf hard drives sill manage to be the most affordable NAS drives on the market compared with their competitors, even when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 12TB (Pro Series go up to 22TB)

– Noisier General Operation than WD Red Drives

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small NAS Drive – WD Red & WD Red Plus

1-14TB, 5400/7200RPM (higher Caps = 7200RPM), 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red 1-6TB (SMR), WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $69-379

If you are looking to populate a compact, modestly powered, desktop NAS system (so a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS drive), then you have quite a large range of Hard Drives on offer. It is worth highlighting though that larger and more enterprise drives (i.e faster and longer warranty) will be noticeably noisier. Additionally, you will need to factor in that your maximum storage is going to be capped at either a single drive OR (in a 2-Bay NAS with RAID 1)  your storage halved to maintain redundancy. Finally, you will need to factor in that most 2-Bay NAS devices will either have a smaller external network connection (1/2.5Gbe) or are not really capable of saturating a full connection externally. So, baring these factors in mind, I would recommend the WD Red series of NAS hard drives for small NAS systems. They do not typically have more aggressive hardware internally, so the ambient noise when these drives are running will be remarkably low.

The performance, due to the lower rotations per minute (RPM) and cache might not seem spectacularly high, but in a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS, you likely could not push much performance externally anyway, so why spend much more on something that in most cases you will not be able to take advantage of. Be warned though, as you reach the much higher capacities above 8TB, the general background noise of the drives will increase incrementally.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Some Drive feature Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? WD Red Plus Internal NAS HDD 3.5\" - 12TB WesternDigital USA 2 HDD for $399 [LINK] WD 8TB WD RED PLUS HDD B&H USA £159.99 ($49 off) [LINK] WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 29% OFF, Now $84.99 (was $119.99) [LINK] Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus HDD (BF) Amazon USA $99.99 (33% OFF) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Affordable Hard Drives for a RAID 5 Desktop 4-Bay NAS – Toshiba N300

4-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 180 TBW, 3yr Warranty, 1-1.2M MTBF Rating $250-450  

A 4-Bay NAS drive is generally when home and small/medium business users start to take their storage seriously. There are such a wide variety of hardware options that arrive at this storage tier, ranging from powerful Intel/AMD processors and DDR4 memory, to 10Gbe and PCIe upgrades. This arrives with the utility if RAID 5, that allows users to have a much larger potential capacity and performance, but still have a single drive of redundancy to fall back on in the event of drive failure. At this degree of NAS storage, you have a much greater potential to not only largely saturate a 10Gbe connection, but alternatively, you can also look into installing 2.5Gbe and 5Gbe upgrades and fill multiple plus gigabit connections directly or via a switch.  In order to maximize this connection, but to also not max out your budget, I recommend the Toshiba N300 range of Hard Drives. Although they are a brand that is generally held commercially in the 3rd place when it comes to NAS media drives, their N300 range arrives at a similar/lower price point than Seagate Ironwolf and WD Red, but also arrives with 7200RPM on all capacities, with the lowest capacity arriving with 128MB caching and scaling up to 256MB quickly in the series. The increase in RPM will increase the background clicks, hums and whirs of the drive, but at 4-Bays, this is something that the NAS enclosure itself will begin to generate too. A high performing and often overlooked drive that, at the top capacity, can hit performance of up to 274MB/s.

+ Well Priced for a 7200RPM and 128/256/512 Cache Drive

+ Available in up to 18TB, even in non-Pro N300 Series

+ Error Recovery Control

– Will Generate More Noise at 7200RPM

– Not As Widely Available

– Not as well regarded as Seagate or WD

The 3.5-inch N300 NAS Hard Drive offers unprecedented reliability for NAS and other high-performance storage systems. It is optimized to meet the reliability, endurance, performance and scalability requirements of 24-hour x 7-day high-capacity storage for personal, home office and small business use. The N300 is available in capacities of up to 18 TB.

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small Rackmount NAS – WD Red Pro

2-22TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $85-429 

Now we move onto the Rackmount NAS compatible hard drives, we have to start looking squarely at two main factors – Performance and Durability. If you are a business or established Prosumer user, then chances are that your NAS system is going to be used for a much larger % per day than most average users. Whether it is for surveillance, virtual machines, business file-sharing or just a combination of all of them every day, you want drives that are going to give you a good level of performance internally AND externally. Likewise, as the hard drives in even a modest rackmount NAS will be on for extended periods, you need to know that the drive can maintain the promising performance indefinitely AND without braking. This is where we start to look at specifications such as TBW (Terabytes Written), Mean time between failure, workload cycles and the warranty in more detail. For those looking at 10Gbe equipped or at least ’10Gbe Ready’ modest rackmount systems, I would recommend the WD Red Pro series of compatible NAS hard drives. Generally, one of the first Pro series NAS hard drives to arrive on the market, the WD Red Pro series is designed for NAS systems up to 24Bays and is available up to 18TB currently.

What did we say about the WD Red Pro 22TB highest tier model? We reviewed it back on September ’22 and whichever way you look at it, the WD Red Pro 22TB Hard drive is a stone-cold WINNER of a drive – both in terms of what it brings to the end user AND what this new 10-platter/OptiNAND drive design means for the future of the WD drive line up. WD does not over promise with this drive (with performance exceeding the brands reported benchmarks in almost every one of my tests, even using mid-range equipment) and they even nailed the price point in line with previous drives in the portfolio (though there is simply no avoiding that you are going to need deep pockets to fully populate any system with these 22TB drives). That said, much like any other WD Red Pro drive, the more industrial architecture still leads to a slightly higher running temp, noisier operation and slight increased power use. This is to be expected, but with no non-Pro alternative available at this capacity, the feasibility of fully populating a smaller scale system with the WD Red Pro 22TB is going to be both expensive AND noisy. I definitely recommend this drive to larger-scale NAS and SAN environments that need sustained RAID performance, high capacity and storage reliability – just maybe buy some earplugs if you plan on working in the same room as them.

Certainly one of the most expensive NAS HDDs out there, but provides a very good level of storage, performance, durability and overall is a very dependable drive for SMB users (Small/Medium Business) that want a drive they can rely on.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an SMB Rackmount NAS 12-Bay – Seagate Ironwolf Pro

4-24TB, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache, 300 TBW (Newer NT version rates at 550TBW), 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $79-399 

When it comes to the move into Rackmount storage for businesses (novices stop here) then not only do you have to only consider Pro/Enterprise-class drives only, but you can also start to look at drives that include certain business level advantages in terms of coverage and service. Much like the non-PRO series of hard drives mentioned earlier, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro series of HDDs include the Rescue+ data recovery services but also includes an impressive 5 years of the manufacturers warranty. However, it is in terms of performance, capacity and durability that the difference between these two ranges become apparent. For a start, the Ironwolf Pro HDD range arrives in capacities of up to 18TB (26-30TB promised for later in 2024/2025 thanks to Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording – with 50TB slated by end of the decade), with ALL drives in the PRO range arriving with 7200RPM and 256/512MB of cache. The result is that these drives will hit up to an impressive 260MB/s, which even in smaller RAID 5 groups will easily saturate a 10Gb connection with just 4-5 drives.I performed te sts on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

What did we think of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro larger capacities? We reviewed the new NT series (higher durability at 550TBW over 300TBW in the previous revisions) 20TB version and Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

In recent years we have seen Seagate reshuffle their range of available capacities to align the capacities from 1-12TB to arrive in the standard Ironwolf range and Capacities of up to 18TB and 22TB to arrive on the PRO series (likely due to those larger capacity options requiring the more enterprise hardware as standard and making a non-PRO version impossible without purposely nerf’ing the lesser drives intentionally. There is crossover in 4-12TB models in between, however, the distinction in RPM, cache, build design and TBW rating is wide enough to justify this. The noise level of the Ironwolf HDD series in PRO is noticeable higher, but given these are designed for larger arrays, this noise increase will be less noticeable over the ambient noise of the whole system generally.

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ New NT Version Available with 550 TB Annual Workload

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticeable Boot Up Noise

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate 24TB Ironwolf Pro $439 B&H USA $439.99 ($210 off) [LINK] Seagate 24TB Ironwolf PRO HDD (BF) Amazon USA 38% OFF - Now $399 [LINK] Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an Enterprise Rackmount NAS Server – Seagate EXOS

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $99-519   

Now we finally move into the class of hard drive that is more classically defined at ‘Data Center’ and/or Hyperscale environments. Often choosing between a PRO class and Enterprise-class drive can be ticky at a glance. However, Pro class drives generally arrive with a much longer terabytes written rating per year (ie the amount of data that can be written to the drive throughout its lifespan per annum), arrive in numerous interfaces (so both SAS and SATA generally) and typically arrive with numerous format and encryption standard versions available. These are available because some industries and organizations insist on drive media that features in-built protection and secure erase on the drive itself. Of all the enterprise and data centre-class media in the market, I generally recommend the Seagate EXOS series for any hyper scale system environment. They are very, VERY closely followed by the Western Digital UltraStar class of drives, but the Seagate EXOS series is a little clearer to understand, has larger capacity options available earlier, with several variations of their Mach.2 available (dual actuator/arm SATA drives at 400MB/s+ and even triactuator drives in development) and generally arrive a pinch lower in price too in like-for-like comparisons against the Ultrastar.

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

Changes by Synology in their 2021/2022 series of rackmounts systems onwards to ONLY support their own range of HDD media has led to their own drives featuring on their own respective hardware, so make sure to check that your intended NAS rackmount system supports Seagate EXOS drives before you head to checkout, as this is a trend that has continued right up to the most recent releases this year, as well as reduced HDD compatibility listings for home/SMB solutions such as the DS224+ and DS423+.

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

+ New 24TB Model (X24) Version Available

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Availability Can Be Difficult + Some Models Are ‘Bulk Purchase’ Only

– Noisy!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate EXOS Enterprise Server 24TB Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 20% off – $479.99 (was $599.99) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business Synology NAS – Synology HAT5300

8-20TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $199-599 

Arriving on the scene in Jan 2021 originally, the Synology branded range of Hard drives for enterprise server use took ALOT of people by surprise! Synology has always had a long-standing reputation with the production of network-attached storage, so in efforts to produce a complete first-party storage system that includes the software, the network hardware AND the media inside is very what their brand has been all about. In their defence too, these are not just cash-grab drives and are in-fact enterprise-class drives that are being priced at PRO series drives (so an Ultrastar/EXOS drive that is at the price tag of a WD Red or Ironwolf Pro). The drives themselves arrive (at launch anyway) with just three capacities available (8TB, 12TB and 16TB) and the architecture of them is quite eye-catching. A 550TBW per year rating, a 2.5Million MTTF, 256/512MB cache and performance ranging across the capacities from 230MB/s to a reported 270MB/s+. The drives are originally Toshiba M06/07/08 Enterprise drives that have a tweaked Synology NAS firmware onboard, so they are geared specifically towards utilization inside the Synology ecosystem. You can even check and upgrade the individual drive firmware directly from with the Synology DSM graphical user interface too, which is quite a unique and convenient feature for those larger arrays with differing drive versions being installed throughout your server’s lifespan.

You cannot really question the quality of the hardware architecture featured on the Synology HAT5300 range of hard drives. We clearly find here a range of drives that have been designed by Toshiba (an HDD vendor with decades of experience and Synology are not being coy about highlighting the partnership on this media), combined with one of the biggest providers of modern NAS in Synology, with media that is tweaked for use within their NAS systems and despite arriving at a Pro series price tag, arrive with hardware far more comparable to that of Seagate EXOS and Western digital Ultrastar hard drives. With a terrifically impressive annual workload, an approach to drive firmware and upgrades relatively unseen from any other drive for NAS’ and remarkable transparency from Synology in the marketing of these drives on day one certainly needs to be acknowledged. Moreover, Synology is not the first brand to champion the use of locked hard drive media in their service systems and they certainly won’t be the last. Overall, I am happy with the new Synology hard drives and despite possible reservations about where the logic of locked drives and exclusivity on this product and range will be extended to in the future (standard class versions?), I still happily recommend the Synology HAT5300 media series alongside other champions of NAS hard drive in 2024/2025

The move towards hard drive locking by Synology is something that has impressed some and disappointed others – but if you were going to be installing drive media inside a NAS system for business anyway, then ultimately these are still a very solid and well-performing product for you.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– More Expensive than other Enterprise Class HDDs from Seagate & WD

– Noisy Operation

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS1821+/128TB HAT5300 8 Bay Amazon UK 15.47 OFF (WAS 6657) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business QNAP NAS – WD Ultrastar

1-26TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-550  

Finally, we move onto possibly the most well known of the enterprise-class of Hard Drives on the market. When it comes to data center and hyper-scale storage environments, Western Digital’s UltraStar range has the same reputation and long-running recognition as IBM has in the computer industry. They have been the go-to drive media of choice in the huge storage environment’s for years, thanks in large part to the fact they have been designed, developed and improved at the same time as the systems they were going into. In recent years, competitors have taken chunks of the market from them (as they are a larger and slightly slower behemoth to suddenly change tactic) and feature larger product runs that have to last extensive lengths of time to facilitate data center replacement media as needed. Nevertheless, in recent years the Ultrastar brand under WD has diversified hugely and alongside the popular WD Gold label has branched into a vast array of interface types, form factors, media variants and scales. Typically the first drive series to crack into a new capacity tier (the first to crack 20TB too – as well as rolling out the 24TB and 26TB HDD media to data centers before everyone else).

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

The Ultrastar series of hard drives will often be compared against the WD Red Pro range of NAS hard drives when considering populating a server. It is worth remembering that the Ultrastar series is designed for both a higher performance AND a much more enduring performance – i.e it can maintain that level, as well as switch between processes, for much longer. Indeed in testing, the Ultrastar even features a much higher Read and Write performance than pretty much any other drive that peaks as high as 280MB/s in our ATTO DiskBenchmark testing below with just a single HDD. Even the IOs (IOPS_ went as high as 19,000, which although low when compared with modern high-end SSDs, for a single HDD is really impressive).

The drives themselves are fantastically dull in appearance of course, as one might expect from the enterprise tier and also feature quite an aggressive spin up noise. However, in much larger scale environments, you will almost certainly not hear the drive media over the ambient system fan noise. Overall still an oldie but a goodie!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well-established HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Home or Small Business x23/x24 Gen Synology NAS – Synology HAT3300 Plus Series

4/6/8/12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Synology NAS Designed, Firmware Update in DSM $109-189 

There is most certainly a clear design choice here to mirror that of the existing regular-class server drives on the market right now. The Synology HAT 3300+ series has been reported several times, not just here on the blog, to be built using Seagate Iron Wolf drive media with specific Synology firmware on board. Arriving with 180-terabyte annual workloads, 5400rpm, 256-megabyte cache, arriving in a CMR architecture and air-sealed – the specifications we see here are all quite standard. The 12TB benefits from an increased RPM and helium sealing, as per most 12 TB drives in the market, but apart from that the Synology Plus hard drive series are going to run quieter than most pro or enterprise-class drives, as well as have a slightly lower power consumption, but are also going to have a slight performance decrease than that of the HAT5300 and HAT3300. But that is only going to be of significance in larger RAID configurations realistically.

The differences between the Synology HAT3300, HAT5300/HAS5300 are pretty much exactly as you would find if you compared WD Red and Seagate IronWolf versus that of Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar. Indeed, I am a little surprised that Synology has not introduced a middle ground in the form of a pro series drive, but perhaps this is something that will roll out later down the line. Nevertheless, this results in quite a void of performance, durability, and scale between these two ranges when compared to long-term established server hard drive ranges from these other companies filling the gaps of capacity and pro middle ground choices. It should be immediately highlighted that regardless of which Synology hard drive you opt for, you still benefit from firmware updates being actionable from within the Synology DSM software, easier and more streamlined warranty support, and firmware optimization that is specifically tailored towards Synology hardware deployment. We have discussed this at length previously when discussing the Synology enterprise hard drives and SSDs, and although you pay a premium for Synology’s own branded drives when compared to third-party alternatives that people have been using for decades, there are nonetheless merits in using drives specifically geared towards your NAS system rather than requiring a slightly broader design that suits more diverse servers. Here is how the Synology enterprise SATA, enterprise SAS, and mid-range plus hard drives differ in their specifications:

Classification	Enterprise SATA	Enterprise SAS	Domestic SATA
Series Name	Enterprise/XS	Enterprise/XS	PLUS
Model	HAT5300	HAS5300	HAT3300
Interface	SATA 6Gb	SAS 12Gb	SATA 6Gb
Recording	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR
Capacity (5/23)	4/8/12/16/18TB	8/12/16/18TB	4/6/8/12TB
RPM	7200RPM	7200RPM	5400RPM (7200 on 12TB)
Cache	256/512MB	256/512MB	256MB
Sector Size	512e	512e	512e
Max Transfer Speed (Capacity Dependant)	254/260/253/274/281MB/s	241/253/274MB/s	202/240MB/s
Drive Sealing	AIR/AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/AIR/AIR/Helium
Power Use (Idle)	4.07/5.61/4.25/4.00/4.16W	6.62/4.36/4.46W	3.96/3.4/3.4/5.07W
Power Use (Active)	7.76/9.29/7.83/7.63/8.35W	9.87/7.80/8.12W	4.85/5.3/5.3/8.33W
Load/Unload Cycles	600K	600K	600K
Workload Rating	550TB (Annual)	550TB (Annual)	180TB (Annual)
MTBF (Hrs)	2.0/2.5Million	2.5Million	1Million
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years	3 Years

+ Much more affordable than the HAT5300 Series

+ Better range off smaller capacities than HAT5300

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Not Supported on Bigger Synology NAS Systems (eg XS or SA Series)

– Lacks Data Recovery Service of Seagate Ironwolf HDDs

– 12TB Maximum Capacity (at time of writing)

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS224+ 8TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 4TB HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 113.7 OFF (WAS 747) [LINK] Synology DS224+ 32TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 16 HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 318.35 OFF (WAS 1224) [LINK] Synology DS1621+ 24TB 6 Bay Desktop NAS Solution installed with 6 x 4TB HAT3300 Amazon UK 63.02 OFF (WAS 1662) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

IMPORTANT! Compatibility of Hard Drives with Synology NAS Systems

An increasingly important factor when selecting NAS hard drives is their compatibility with specific NAS systems. Over the last 18-24 months, there has been a noticeable trend, especially with Synology, towards reducing the range of compatible, supported, or verified HDDs. Synology has shown a preference for their own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives, somewhat limiting the choice for users of their systems. This shift marks a departure from the traditionally open approach where most NAS brands, including Synology, supported a wide range of third-party drives.

This change in policy is significant for users needing specific storage solutions or those accustomed to a broader choice of drives. It contrasts with other NAS brands, which continue to support a variety of third-party drives, including the latest high-capacity models. When choosing a NAS hard drive in 2024/2025, it’s crucial to consider not just the drive’s specifications but also its compatibility with your NAS system. This ensures that you can take full advantage of the NAS’s features and avoid potential compatibility issues.

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If you have ever been in close proximity to any modern large-capacity hard drive, you will be well aware that despite their attractive high capacity, that they generate a fair amount of ambient noise. Hard drives have changed substantially over the last decade or more and in order for them to facilitate the high speeds and consistent high performance that end-users demand, a great deal of work has gone into the internal mechanics of the modern hard drive. Whenever I recommend a NAS solution to Prosumer and Business users, I always make a point to highlight that the more industrial the data storage setup, the more noise the drives will make. It isn’t just the capacity either, with some brands having dedicated in-house hardware techniques on their product lines resulting in the same capacity on different HDD brands sounding noticeably different. Over the last year, I have conducted numerous sound tests on the most popular hard drives used in NAS and below I have detailed all of them. So if you are on the verge of buying a network-attached storage device and are slightly worried about how much noise these systems will generate because of those mechanical hard drives, this is definitely the article for you.

Hard Drive Noise – Why Should You Care?

It is a valid question, as most hardware in the world seemingly makes some kind of noise, from the light electric hum of a light bulb to the internal combustion of a car. Why is noise on a hard drive any more/less important? Here are the most common concerns of a noisy hard drive:

My Hard Drive Sounds Broken, But Is It?

This is the most common reason for many to query the noise of a hard drive. Particularly in a larger capacity and therefore more expensive drives, when installed, many users hear unusually high-pitched whurs of the disc or remarkably abrupt clicks. In fact, a lot of the most recent 16TB and 18TB hard drives on the market sound not unlike a broken hard drive sometimes, as the industrial internal hardware flicks between actions internally on the fly. Many users worry that the new expensive hard drive or larger RAID array is broken on day one because of noises like these. Here is an example of a Healthy 3.5″ Seagate Hard Drive at 8TB:

and HERE is an UNHEALTHY WD 3.5″ Hard Drive:

As you can tell, if you know what to listen for, they suddenly become very distinct.

Video & Photo Editors Care About Hard Drive Noise

If you are editing photos and video on a NAS over the likes of thunderbolt or sometimes in a direct 10Gbe environment, then you will be all too familiar with the irritation of noisy hard drives. This extends to more than just NAS drives and RAID, as it also applies to those of you that use particularly large external DAS hard drives from the likes of LaCie (who uses Seagate HDDs) and GTech (who use WD and UltraStar). If you want to edit photo or video in this way, then you are going to be in close proximity to the data storage enclosure. Unless you are using pretty good noise-cancelling headphones to edit your work, the spins, hums, whurs and clunk noises will be a constant irritation that only amplifies as your storage enclosure grows too. 

A Noisy NAS and/or Hard Drives Ruining Your Media Enjoyment

Finally, there is the effect of noisy HDD populated storage enclosures like NAS or DAS whilst watching your own personal multimedia at home. Most help users have a NAS directly connected to the router at home (being far too small a network hardware environment to justify a network switch purchase). However, those same people when having the internet service provider hardware installed in their home likely have the router in the same room as their sofas and a big TV (as it will be connected to their TiVo box, media streamer, Smart TV, etc). Those same users who want to access media from their NAS and watch it on the big screen will suddenly be disturbed during the heavier plot moments of their favourite show by what sounds like a hard drive having a fit in the corner of the room. This can be especially galling as most users who buy a NAS for home media will want to ‘futureproof’ their storage capacity up and then buy even larger hard drives to make sure the system lasts as long as possible as their collection grows, therefore the noise generated will be suitably increased as well.

So, as you can see there are plenty of reasons why the noise generated from as little as a single hard drive to an entire RAID enabled configuration is worth getting worried about. So let’s talk about each of the brands, their hard drives and how much noise each one makes. Each Drive mentioned below includes a video demonstrating which includes the noise of each HDD spinning up, performing a consistent right action and performing a consistent read action. I have also included a decibel metre and include typical megabytes per second performance for each action. Tests were performed using an external Sabrent USB 3.2 Gen 1 silent dock, with a microphone at no less than 30cm. For sensitivity reasons and in order to better distinguish the drive noise from any potential ambient noise, the db(A) Meter includes a -10 dbA difference. Let’s take a look/listen at how each drive sounds and performs below:

WD Red NAS Hard Drives – Quiet but SMR & Low Capacity

1-6TB, 5400RPM, 64-128MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty $50-180 

Almost certainly the drive that most people have used over the last few years in their NAS, the WD Red hard drive series is one of the quietest drives on the market for NAS. Aside from the concerns of SMR and CMR disparities on this more affordable series, this is advised for quieter but consistent/steady home use. However, if you are looking for a dedicated PMR/CMR drive in a larger capacity, you may wish to skip this.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

Seagate Ironwolf NAS Hard Drives – Little Noise, Good Capacity, Data Recovery

1-18TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-436 

The quietest hard drive for NAS in the Seagate portfolio, only fractionally noisier than WD Red (though 10-14TB are noticeably louder), these arrive in larger capacities and are all CMR/PMR. They are also the best price per terabyte of any drive in this list.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 18TB, when the PRO is now 24TB

WD Red Plus NAS Hard Drives – Quiet in Smaller Capacities, All CMR/PMR

1-12TB, 5400/7200RPM, 64-512MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $50-319 

The WD Red plus series is is the CMR/PMR alternative to standard WD Red DM-SMR drives. Still a very quiet drive, it also arrives in larger capacities. Although it is is a fraction more expensive than the standard Seagate Ironwolf.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ All WD Red Plus are CMR/PMR

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Noise is Higher in Larger Capacities

– More Expensive than the Seagate Ironwolf Series (non-PRO)

Seagate Ironwolf Pro NAS Hard Drives – Fast But VERY Clicky When in Operation

4-24TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 300/550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $80-620

Seagate Ironwolf Pro hard drives are designed for larger storage arrays, are available all the way up to 18TB (and soon HAMR 20TB drives) and unfortunately, it is at this point where hard drives start to get noticeably noisier. They arrive with free Data Recovery Services much like the standard version, but due to their more industrial design and larger storage capacities, this is a noticeably noisier hard drive. This is especially noticeable at spin-up

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ MASSIVE 24TB HDD

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticable Boot Up Noise

WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drives – Noisiest WD Red Drive but also the Fastest and Largest

2-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $99-600 

Much like the Seagate NAS Pro drive, WD Red Pro is there industrial hard drive that is available in a larger storage capacity than any other WD Red drive, is a few degrees quieter in general operation than the Ironwolf Pro (still loud though), but is also noticeably more expensive as you look at greater HDD capacities in the range. Still, it’s a very good, reliable and rugged drive.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

Synology HAT5300 NAS Hard Drives – Loud, but a Data Center Drive at a Pro Price

8-18TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $99-605  

Synology has its own range of first-party hard drives in the HAT5300 series, which although equally as noisy as most other industrial hard drives, benefits from numerous Synology brand extras like easy firmware updates and 550TBW, well as arriving with a price tag that is comparable to WD Red Pro and Seagate Ironwolf Pro drives, despite its data centre class build. A good drive but definitely at the noisier end of the spectrum.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– Performance is a pinch lower than WD Red Pro (5-15MB/s)

Western Digital Ultrastar Data Centre Hard Drives – Highest Performance, but Cover Your Ears!

1-24TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-489

The Western Digital Ultrastar data centre class hard drive is easily the noisiest of all the drives that are mentioned today. They have the biggest capacity, the largest range of interfaces and encryption methods supported, but definitely are the noisiest drive on this list and are not advised for use in close proximity. This is truly a data center class drive and designed specifically for use in a rack cabinet, far away!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well Establish HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

Seagate EXOS Data Center Hard Drives – Big, Loud but Surprisingly Affordable

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $151-559

The EXOS series is the Seagate data centre class drive and is certainly a noisy one at that. Not really designed for close proximity, much like the Ultrastar class, it arrives with numerous interface options in SATA and SAS, as well as numerous encryption methods supported. Though not quite as noisy as the ultra star series, they are still quite high on decimals when in use but are a degree lower in price than Ultrastar and Ironwolf Pro.

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Noisy!

And there you have it, a breakdown of the current popular hard drives on the market, the noise they make and whether they provide a good noisy vs price vs capacity balance. If you need still need help choosing the right storage media, feel free to take advantage of the COMPLETELY FREE and NO REGISTRATION NEEDED advice section below. Sorry to put that last bit in capital letters and in bold, but I really do offer this service at no charge and people just like these things clear! This is a free service manned by myself (with a little help along the way) and if you can just let me know the storage requires below, your budget (no necessary, but allows me to scale it a bit to your needs and not destroy your budget) and I will get in touch as soon as you can.

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For those who have been following the world of network Attached Storage (NAS) and more precisely, the developments of Synology, it might not come as a huge surprise that the brand is now in the process of rolling out a new series of HAT3300 Hard Drives for 2023. Now, you might well be thinking “hold on, they have had their own range of HDDs for a few years now!” and that is correct. However, the existing HAT5300 and HAT5310 series of drives are very much targeted at Pro and Enterprise users (5yr warranty, 5400rpm, 550TB workload, etc) and Synology users who were looking to keep things ‘single ecosystem’ in their more modest scale systems (e.g DS920+, DS1522+, etc) were not won over by these bigger, noisier and more expensive drives in their systems. Therefore, it was somewhat inevitable that the brand would eventually get around to launching a more home/SMB-friendly range Of storage media that is better suited to smaller NAS systems of around 5-8 Bays at most. Enter the Synology HAT3300 Plus hard drive series, eventually rolling out in 4 (possibly a 5th in 16TB) different capacities and built on Seagate Ironwolf HDDs (whereas the Synology HAT5300 and HAT5310s are built on Toshiba Enterprise MG drives). Given Synology already has their other HDDs in the market, 2 types of SSD media, numerous types of memory media, upgrade cards, routers and even their own Surveillance IP cameras now – this really is one of the final steps for them to complete their own 1-brand hardware ecosystem of networking equipment (though, when will they EVER release a switch… come on… the SG1000 was a prototype!). So, let’s discuss the new Synology HAT3300 range, the hardware specs, how it compares with the existing HAT5300 series and ultimately whether they deserve your data?

Hardware Specifications of the Synology HAT3300 PLUS Hard Drive Range

As mentioned, the Synology HAT3300 Plus HDDs are built on Seagate Ironwolf drives. This does mean that they will likely mirror a number of the hardware specifications of that popular range, but with some additional Synology firmware improvements (such as the ability to update firmware from within Synology DSM and the storage Manager). Synology has supported compatibility of the Seagate Ironwolf HDD series for many, many years (though there has been a few bumps in the road in 2021/2022 when Synology rolled out their HAT5300 series and compatibility on some of their systems featured some rather unpopular omissions!) so the HAT3300 drives being Synology adapted/badged Seagates makes sense. Plus the Seagate Ironwolf Health Management tool has featured in the DSM storage manager for a number of years. Early information indicates that the Synology HAT3300 will arrive in 4TB, 6TB, 8TB and 12TB capacities, which are pretty much the ‘go to’ capacities for most users in 2023. Here is how the specifications for each drive break down:

*TBC  – Will know more when they are launched officially

Why would you use Synology HAT3300 Hard Drives and not 3rd Party HDDs in your NAS?

It’s a very valid question! Much like the Synology HAT5300 drives being Toshiba MG drives with Synology treatment and firmware changes, why should a user opt for the HAT3300 drives if they are the same price or (likely) a pinch more expensive than the drives from Seagate on their own? Well, technically, users shouldn’t really have to ‘choose’. Unlike the Synology XS series and higher which seemingly had quite strict compatibility lists and support in DSM when 3rd party drives are used, the HAT3300 drives are designed for NAS devices much lower in the food chain (Plus and even Value series devices) which still had a wide range of HDD compatibility (including WD Red and Seagate Ironwolf). This means that the HAT3300 (at least, as far as the range of currently available NAS devices in the market now go) are not a hard/locked choice being foist on the end user. That said, there are several reasons why they might make a better choice over 3rd party drives for some users:

• Synology firmware – When NAS drives are released by popular brands like WD and Seagate, they are designed with firmware that adapts the drive’s internal mechanisms to perform in 24×7 server environments and multi-access RAID configurations. However, as these drives will likely be used in a variety of different NAS systems and brands, they need to be a little broader in their behaviours (different NAS brands run their systems and access patterns/algorithms differently). The Synology HAT3300 will (much like the HAT5300 drives) have firmware that is specifically tweaked towards Synology NAS and it’s own access behaviour. They zeros in on the behaviour ranges of the drives within this particular hardware client system in a way that is much broader in compatible HDDs for NAS will need to be. It’s only a small handful of differences really, but in a larger RAID array and over 24×7, these small things can add up
• Easier Firmware Updates – Surprisingly overlooked by many, but the ease and convenience of being able to update the drive firmware of an HDD from WITHIN the NAS software (in this case DSM) for one or more drives in an existing RAID is incredibly useful! HDD firmware updates for most drives in the market are not particularly frequent (often 1-2 a year at the very most) and these address any improvements that have been developed/observed by the manufacturer since launch or repair any issues/errors that have only been discovered through massive end-user unique use. However, the process of upgrading firmware on a NAS is NOT straightforward. With regular HDDs, you will need to power the NAS down, remove drives individually, connect them to a computer (sometimes directly via SATA, depending on the client system), then run a branded firmware update tool in the OS or in BIOS. Mounting this drive outside of a NAS environment can also open the door to possible formatting/reinitialization or altering existing partitions that will result in the reintroduction into the NAS being (at best) slow as a resync/rebuild is needed or (at worst) the RAID failing if multiple drives are being updated in batches. All this and we have not even discussed the downtime and handling time that will go into repeating this for EVERY DRIVE, as well as the dangers of harming a drive by dropping it or simple static electricity. So, therefore it is HUGELY BENEFICIAL that firmware updates for the Synology HDDs can be done from within DSM without removing the drives!
• Warranty and Support – This is something that will be more appealing to those who purchased a Synology NAS specifically for it being a single eco-system platform (for ease of use and brand support). In the same way that a turn-key/pre-built NAS simplifies a potential process for warranty handling vs a custom-built device that will have individual warranty/support lines for each component (CPU+MEMORY+MOBO+NETWORK CARD, etc), opting for HDDs that are the same brand as the NAS you purchased at the same time massively simplifies the warranty/support process and also allows any issues to be much speedier in their identification (outside of just a simple drive failure of course). Support can even be started from within the Synology NAS system in DSM and progressed from there. Again, this advantage in the HAT3300 drives is a much smaller one, but certainly going to be appealing to small/medium businesses and those who value their time personally, as well as the downtime of their system.

So, as you can see, there are a few reasons why some users might opt for Synology’s HAT3300 drives over that of 3rd party drives in their Diskstation or Rackstation systems. So, what about those much beefier and higher price HAT5300 Hard drives that have been around for a few years now? How do they compare with the newer and lower-tier HAT3300s?

How do the Synology HAT3300 Regular Class and HAT5300 Enterprise Class HDDs Compare?

In terms of the support, compatibility and accessibility to Synology NAS hardware, the HAT3300 and HAT5300 HDDs are pretty much identical (though how/if you can use the HAT3300 in XS/SA/UC/HD servers is still a little less clear) and it is only when you dig into the specification that you can see the main differences between the drives. Here is how they compare:

When will the Synology HAT3300 Plus HDD series be released and How much will they be?

As details on the Synology HAT3300 have only just emerged, details regarding pricing at each capacity and their availability are still being outlined by the brand. Expect each capacity of drive to sit somewhere between the comparative price per TB of Seagate Ironwolf regular and Pro series drives. Release of the HAT3300 series looks to be very soon (practically ‘now ish’ in fact) and although I anticipate the bulk of the capacities to be available, expect the actual quantities of each tier to be a little low at least till the 2nd half of 2023. Expect a full review and testing of these drives later this year, here on NASCompares.

Original News Article Below (Out dated):

Synology PLUS NAS Hard Drives – The HAT3300 Series

Get ready for some exciting news for all the Synology and Network Attached Storage (NAS) fans out there! Synology is rolling out a brand new series of HAT3300 hard drives in 2023, and this time it’s geared towards home and SMB users. While Synology already has its own range of HDDs, the HAT5300 and HAT5310 series were mainly designed for Pro and Enterprise users, and many users with smaller scale systems weren’t fully satisfied with their bigger, noisier and more expensive drives.

But now, Synology has finally addressed this issue with the launch of the HAT3300 Plus hard drive series, which will come in four different capacities (and possibly a fifth in 16TB) and will be built on Seagate Ironwolf HDDs. This marks one of the final steps for Synology to complete its one-brand hardware ecosystem of networking equipment, which already includes 2 types of SSD media, numerous types of memory media, upgrade cards, routers and even their own Surveillance IP cameras.

So, let’s talk about the specs of the new Synology HAT3300 range, how it compares to the existing HAT5300 series, and most importantly, whether these drives are worth your precious data. With Synology’s reputation for high-quality products and excellent customer service, we’re confident that these new hard drives will be a game-changer for home and SMB users alike. Don’t miss out on this exciting new release!

Hardware Specifications of the Synology HAT3300 PLUS Hard Drive Range

Here are their Enterprise series HDDs

Here are their Plus series HDDs

Spec	12TB	8TB	6TB	4TB
Model ID	HAT3300-12T	HAT3300-8T	HAT3300-6T	HAT3300-4T
Bay Support	1-8 Bay	1-8 Bay	1-8 Bay	1-8 Bay
Recording	CMR	CMR	CMR	CMR
Drive Seal	Helium	Air	Air	Air
Workload	180TB	180TB	180TB	180TB
Spin Speed	7200RPM	5400RPM	5400RPM	5900RPM
Cache	256MB	256MB	256MB	64MB
Load Cycles	600K	600K	600K	600K
MTBF	1M Hours	1M Hours	1M Hours	1M Hours
Warranty	3yrs*	3yrs*	3yrs*	3yrs*

*TBC  – Will know more when they are launched officially

What drives do Synology use?

It seems like those are Seagate drives. But we will be able to tell more when official pdf is released.
In meantime you can try an make a guess in the comments based on these similar performance drives.

Toshiba 12 TB to 18 TB N300 NAS Hard Drives use a helium-sealed design,

Why would you use Synology HAT3300 Hard Drives and not 3rd Party HDDs in your NAS?

It’s a valid question to ask why users should choose the Synology HAT3300 drives over Seagate drives, which are similarly priced or slightly more expensive. However, users shouldn’t feel forced to choose since the HAT3300 drives are designed to be compatible with a wide range of HDDs for NAS, including WD Red and Seagate Ironwolf, unlike the XS series and higher models which have stricter compatibility lists. There are several reasons why the HAT3300 drives might be a better choice for some users, such as the Synology firmware, which is specifically optimized for Synology NAS and its access behavior, making it more suitable for 24×7 server environments and multi-access RAID configurations. Additionally, firmware updates for the HAT3300 drives can be done within DSM, the NAS software, without removing the drives, which is much more convenient than updating firmware for regular HDDs. Finally, choosing Synology HDDs simplifies the warranty and support process, especially for those who value their time and the downtime of their system. While the HAT5300 drives are higher-priced and more powerful, it’s worth comparing them to the newer HAT3300 drives.

How do the Synology HAT3300 Regular Class and HAT5300 Enterprise Class HDDs Compare?

In terms of the support, compatibility and accessibility to Synology NAS hardware, the HAT3300 and HAT5300 HDDs are pretty much identical (though how/if you can use the HAT3300 in XS/SA/UC/HD servers is still a little less clear) and it is only when you dig into the specification that you can see the main differences between the drives. Here is how they compare:

Which NAS devices are compatible with the HAT3300 drives?

• 23 Series: DS923+, DS723+, DS423+, DS423, DS223, DS223j, DS123
• 22 Series: RS822+, RS822RP+, RS422+, DS2422+, DS1522+, DVA1622
• 21 Series: RS1221+, RS1221RP+, DS1821+, DS1621+, DVA3221
• 20 Series: RS820+, RS820RP+, DS720+, DS420+, DS220+, DS420j, DS120j, DS220j
• 19 Series: DS119j, DVA3219 18 Series: DS1618+, DS418, DS418j, DS218, DS218play, DS118
• Expansion Unit: RX418, DX1222 , DX517

Conclusion

The Synology HAT3300 is designed to work seamlessly with a variety of NAS devices, including the Plus and Value series devices. This means that users will have more options to choose from when it comes to upgrading their existing NAS devices. With Synology’s firmware specifically tweaked towards Synology NAS and its own access behavior, the HAT3300 will be able to provide improved performance, stability, and compatibility over third-party drives.

One of the key advantages of the Synology HAT3300 is its ability to receive firmware updates directly from within DSM (DiskStation Manager). This is a major advantage for users as firmware updates for most drives in the market are not particularly frequent, and the process of upgrading firmware on a NAS is not straightforward. With the HAT3300, users can update the firmware of one or more drives in an existing RAID without having to power down the NAS or remove the drives individually. This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of data loss or drive failure during the update process.

Furthermore, for those who purchased a Synology NAS specifically for its single ecosystem platform, the HAT3300 drives will simplify the warranty and support process. By opting for HDDs that are the same brand as the NAS, users can benefit from a streamlined warranty and support process, as well as faster identification of any issues that may arise.

In conclusion, the Synology HAT3300 is a highly anticipated release that promises to deliver improved performance, stability, and compatibility for NAS users. With its availability in the UAE market slated for May 2023, users can look forward to upgrading their existing NAS devices and enjoying the benefits of Synology’s latest offering.

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If you’re considering a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the appropriate hard drive is crucial. Just as each utensil in a cutlery set serves a unique purpose, NAS drives are designed for specific scenarios. Using unsuitable drive media in your NAS can significantly affect its performance and efficiency. In the past years, hard drive manufacturers have developed server-tailored hard drives (including SSDs) that cater to the unique demands of NAS systems. These drives are designed for sporadic access patterns, continuous operation (24×7), quick read/write cycles, and enhanced durability required in NAS environments.

As of late 2023, the market has seen an evolution in storage capacity, with commercial hard drives reaching up to 22TB and data centers testing drives between 24-30TB. This increase in capacity reflects the growing data storage demands in both personal and professional settings. However, the abundance of options, with more than fifteen top-tier NAS and Data Center class drives available, can make the selection process overwhelming. In this guide, I aim to simplify this process. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of eight different NAS/Server architectures along with the most suitable hard drive options for each, updated to reflect the latest advancements in technology and market trends as of 2023/2024.

Note – Use our Best Price Per TB Calculator tool HERE in order to get the best value storage for your needs. It includes filters for NAS size, redundancy, budget and capacity needs too!

Recommended NAS Hard Drives Best All Round = Seagate Ironwolf HDDs  $50-229  – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology 2023/2024 Series = Synology HAT3300 HDDs $109-189  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for QNAP Business = Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs $79-399  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Enterprise Rackmount = WD UltraStar HDDs $70-550 Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology Enterprise NAS = Synology HAT5300 HDDs $199-599  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Budget NAS Builds = Toshiba H300 HDDs $250-450   Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

Key Considerations in Buying Hard Drives for Your NAS

Before selecting the right NAS hard drive, it’s essential to grasp some key terms in the data storage industry. This knowledge ensures that the drive you choose meets your requirements to the highest standard. Here are some crucial terms you need to know, updated for 2023/2024, to decode the marketing jargon and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each drive:

RAID – Standing for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, RAID is a method of using multiple NAS HDDs simultaneously to enhance capacity, speed, and, most importantly, data safety. Unlike backups, RAID 0 combines total storage for high performance but lacks a safety net if a drive fails. RAID 1 cuts your total storage in half but provides a one-drive safety net. RAID 5 and RAID 6 offer one or two disk safety nets, respectively, and support much larger storage arrays. Other RAID levels exist, but these are the most widely used.

SATA – Despite it’s age, SATA still remains the most popular connection of HDDs in 2023/2024 (despite the rise of M.2 NVMe SSD use in NAS). SATA allows up to 6 Gigabits per second throughput. However, mechanical HDDs rarely exceeded 280MB/s. By 2023/2024, while SATA remains prevalent, advancements in connections like SAS, NVMe, and U.2, particularly in SSDs, have become more significant in enterprise settings.

Saturation – This term refers to the amount of data flowing through an interface/bandwidth. For instance, a SATA HDD might allow up to 600MB/s, but most NAS HDDs achieve around 180-280MB/s due to their mechanical design. Therefore, the saturation for a single drive is lower, at 180/280MB/s.

Platters – These are the disks inside the HDD that store data. Higher capacity drives feature more platters. Although compression techniques can increase space, there’s a limit to their effectiveness.

Rotation Speed – This indicates how fast the platters spin, enabling the arm/actuator to locate and write data magnetically.

Cache – This memory area on the NAS hard drive compiles and distributes data being processed by the disk. Larger capacity NAS hard drives typically have a larger cache, as do drives using Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR), which requires more handling space due to its unique writing style.

Terabytes Written (TBW), AKA ‘Workload Rating’– A metric often given annually, TBW indicates the amount of data a NAS Hard Drive can handle in a year while maintaining performance. This figure considers the potential for repeatedly filling and emptying the drive, common in data centers or tiered backups. Standard NAS hard drives usually have a TBW of around 180TBW, Pro series around 300TBW, and Enterprise-class HDDs 550TBW or more. This is often referred to as the workload rating.

Magnetic Recording – This refers to how data is stored on the platters. As of 2023/2024, there are several prevalent types: SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording), PMR/CMR (Perpendicular/Conventional Magnetic Recording), EAMR (Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), and HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording). Each type has its pros and cons, but PMR/CMR remains the most popular for NAS hard drives.

Warranty Length – This is the period during which the manufacturer will repair or replace a NAS hard drive if it fails due to manufacturing issues. Warranties typically range from 3 to 5 years.

These terms are essential for choosing the best NAS hard drive for your system in the context of 2023/2024. Next, we’ll examine different NAS hardware environments and recommend the best NAS hard drive for each.

Best Hard Drives for an Affordable RAID 6 Desktop 6/8-Bay NAS – Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro)

1-12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-229 

For those who are looking at a NAS server for business, or are home users who have made the enterprising move into the Prosumer bracket, then a 6-Bay or 8-Bay desktop NAS solution will become incredibly attractive. At this storage tier, we find a number of very cool and incredibly useful features become more widely available. For a start, we find the utility of RAID 6 (the 2 disk safety net configuration) much more palatable, as it makes less of a dent on our total available storage. Additionally, at this storage size, we start to see much more powerful processors, such as the Intel Core (i3, i5, etc) series arrive, AMD Ryzen and even Xeons. This combined with huge expandability of both memory internally and storage externally and generally with 10Gbe included as standard or available as an upgrade. So, at this scale of NAS storage, the hard drive choice becomes more important, as you do not want to create an internal bottleneck. For this tier of storage, I recommend the Seagate Ironwolf range of NAS drives. They arrive with a large number of 7200RM drives (with 5400RPM in the smaller capacities), a 180 terabytes per year guaranteed workload and the Seagate Rescue service. For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3 year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services.

What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. Additionally, Seagate Ironwolf hard drives sill manage to be the most affordable NAS drives on the market compared with their competitors, even when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 12TB (Pro Series go up to 22TB)

– Noisier General Operation than WD Red Drives

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small NAS Drive – WD Red & WD Red Plus

1-14TB, 5400/7200RPM (higher Caps = 7200RPM), 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red 1-6TB (SMR), WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $69-379

If you are looking to populate a compact, modestly powered, desktop NAS system (so a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS drive), then you have quite a large range of Hard Drives on offer. It is worth highlighting though that larger and more enterprise drives (i.e faster and longer warranty) will be noticeably noisier. Additionally, you will need to factor in that your maximum storage is going to be capped at either a single drive OR (in a 2-Bay NAS with RAID 1)  your storage halved to maintain redundancy. Finally, you will need to factor in that most 2-Bay NAS devices will either have a smaller external network connection (1/2.5Gbe) or are not really capable of saturating a full connection externally. So, baring these factors in mind, I would recommend the WD Red series of NAS hard drives for small NAS systems. They do not typically have more aggressive hardware internally, so the ambient noise when these drives are running will be remarkably low.

The performance, due to the lower rotations per minute (RPM) and cache might not seem spectacularly high, but in a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS, you likely could not push much performance externally anyway, so why spend much more on something that in most cases you will not be able to take advantage of. Be warned though, as you reach the much higher capacities above 8TB, the general background noise of the drives will increase incrementally.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Some Drive feature Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? WD Red Plus Internal NAS HDD 3.5\" - 12TB WesternDigital USA 2 HDD for $399 [LINK] WD 8TB WD RED PLUS HDD B&H USA £159.99 ($49 off) [LINK] WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 29% OFF, Now $84.99 (was $119.99) [LINK] Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus HDD (BF) Amazon USA $99.99 (33% OFF) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Affordable Hard Drives for a RAID 5 Desktop 4-Bay NAS – Toshiba N300

4-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 180 TBW, 3yr Warranty, 1-1.2M MTBF Rating $250-450  

A 4-Bay NAS drive is generally when home and small/medium business users start to take their storage seriously. There are such a wide variety of hardware options that arrive at this storage tier, ranging from powerful Intel/AMD processors and DDR4 memory, to 10Gbe and PCIe upgrades. This arrives with the utility if RAID 5, that allows users to have a much larger potential capacity and performance, but still have a single drive of redundancy to fall back on in the event of drive failure. At this degree of NAS storage, you have a much greater potential to not only largely saturate a 10Gbe connection, but alternatively, you can also look into installing 2.5Gbe and 5Gbe upgrades and fill multiple plus gigabit connections directly or via a switch.  In order to maximize this connection, but to also not max out your budget, I recommend the Toshiba N300 range of Hard Drives. Although they are a brand that is generally held commercially in the 3rd place when it comes to NAS media drives, their N300 range arrives at a similar/lower price point than Seagate Ironwolf and WD Red, but also arrives with 7200RPM on all capacities, with the lowest capacity arriving with 128MB caching and scaling up to 256MB quickly in the series. The increase in RPM will increase the background clicks, hums and whirs of the drive, but at 4-Bays, this is something that the NAS enclosure itself will begin to generate too. A high performing and often overlooked drive that, at the top capacity, can hit performance of up to 274MB/s.

+ Well Priced for a 7200RPM and 128/256/512 Cache Drive

+ Available in up to 18TB, even in non-Pro N300 Series

+ Error Recovery Control

– Will Generate More Noise at 7200RPM

– Not As Widely Available

– Not as well regarded as Seagate or WD

The 3.5-inch N300 NAS Hard Drive offers unprecedented reliability for NAS and other high-performance storage systems. It is optimized to meet the reliability, endurance, performance and scalability requirements of 24-hour x 7-day high-capacity storage for personal, home office and small business use. The N300 is available in capacities of up to 18 TB.

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small Rackmount NAS – WD Red Pro

2-22TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $85-429 

Now we move onto the Rackmount NAS compatible hard drives, we have to start looking squarely at two main factors – Performance and Durability. If you are a business or established Prosumer user, then chances are that your NAS system is going to be used for a much larger % per day than most average users. Whether it is for surveillance, virtual machines, business file-sharing or just a combination of all of them every day, you want drives that are going to give you a good level of performance internally AND externally. Likewise, as the hard drives in even a modest rackmount NAS will be on for extended periods, you need to know that the drive can maintain the promising performance indefinitely AND without braking. This is where we start to look at specifications such as TBW (Terabytes Written), Mean time between failure, workload cycles and the warranty in more detail. For those looking at 10Gbe equipped or at least ’10Gbe Ready’ modest rackmount systems, I would recommend the WD Red Pro series of compatible NAS hard drives. Generally, one of the first Pro series NAS hard drives to arrive on the market, the WD Red Pro series is designed for NAS systems up to 24Bays and is available up to 18TB currently.

What did we say about the WD Red Pro 22TB highest tier model? We reviewed it back on September ’22 and whichever way you look at it, the WD Red Pro 22TB Hard drive is a stone-cold WINNER of a drive – both in terms of what it brings to the end user AND what this new 10-platter/OptiNAND drive design means for the future of the WD drive line up. WD does not over promise with this drive (with performance exceeding the brands reported benchmarks in almost every one of my tests, even using mid-range equipment) and they even nailed the price point in line with previous drives in the portfolio (though there is simply no avoiding that you are going to need deep pockets to fully populate any system with these 22TB drives). That said, much like any other WD Red Pro drive, the more industrial architecture still leads to a slightly higher running temp, noisier operation and slight increased power use. This is to be expected, but with no non-Pro alternative available at this capacity, the feasibility of fully populating a smaller scale system with the WD Red Pro 22TB is going to be both expensive AND noisy. I definitely recommend this drive to larger-scale NAS and SAN environments that need sustained RAID performance, high capacity and storage reliability – just maybe buy some earplugs if you plan on working in the same room as them.

Certainly one of the most expensive NAS HDDs out there, but provides a very good level of storage, performance, durability and overall is a very dependable drive for SMB users (Small/Medium Business) that want a drive they can rely on.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an SMB Rackmount NAS 12-Bay – Seagate Ironwolf Pro

4-22TB, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache, 300 TBW (Newer NT version rates at 550TBW), 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $79-399 

When it comes to the move into Rackmount storage for businesses (novices stop here) then not only do you have to only consider Pro/Enterprise-class drives only, but you can also start to look at drives that include certain business level advantages in terms of coverage and service. Much like the non-PRO series of hard drives mentioned earlier, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro series of HDDs include the Rescue+ data recovery services but also includes an impressive 5 years of the manufacturers warranty. However, it is in terms of performance, capacity and durability that the difference between these two ranges become apparent. For a start, the Ironwolf Pro HDD range arrives in capacities of up to 18TB (20TB promised for later in 2021 thanks to Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), with ALL drives in the PRO range arriving with 7200RPM and 256/512MB of cache. The result is that these drives will hit up to an impressive 260MB/s, which even in smaller RAID 5 groups will easily saturate a 10Gb connection with just 4-5 drives.I performed te sts on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

What did we think of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro larger capacities? We reviewed the new NT series (higher durability at 550TBW over 300TBW in the previous revisions) 20TB version and Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

In recent years we have seen Seagate reshuffle their range of available capacities to align the capacities from 1-12TB to arrive in the standard Ironwolf range and Capacities of up to 18TB and 22TB to arrive on the PRO series (likely due to those larger capacity options requiring the more enterprise hardware as standard and making a non-PRO version impossible without purposely nerf’ing the lesser drives intentionally. There is crossover in 4-12TB models in between, however, the distinction in RPM, cache, build design and TBW rating is wide enough to justify this. The noise level of the Ironwolf HDD series in PRO is noticeable higher, but given these are designed for larger arrays, this noise increase will be less noticeable over the ambient noise of the whole system generally.

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ New NT Version Available with 550 TB Annual Workload

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticeable Boot Up Noise

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate 24TB Ironwolf Pro $439 B&H USA $439.99 ($210 off) [LINK] Seagate 24TB Ironwolf PRO HDD (BF) Amazon USA 38% OFF - Now $399 [LINK] Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an Enterprise Rackmount NAS Server – Seagate EXOS

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $99-519   

Now we finally move into the class of hard drive that is more classically defined at ‘Data Center’ and/or Hyperscale environments. Often choosing between a PRO class and Enterprise-class drive can be ticky at a glance. However, Pro class drives generally arrive with a much longer terabytes written rating per year (ie the amount of data that can be written to the drive throughout its lifespan per annum), arrive in numerous interfaces (so both SAS and SATA generally) and typically arrive with numerous format and encryption standard versions available. These are available because some industries and organizations insist on drive media that features in-built protection and secure erase on the drive itself. Of all the enterprise and data centre-class media in the market, I generally recommend the Seagate EXOS series for any hyper scale system environment. They are very, VERY closely followed by the Western Digital UltraStar class of drives, but the Seagate EXOS series is a little clearer to understand, has larger capacity options available earlier, will hopefully release Mach2 version drives in 2021 (dual actuator/arm SATA drives at 400MB/s+) and generally arrive a pinch lower in price too in like-for-like comparisons against the Ultrastar.

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

Recent changes by Synology in their newest 2021 series of rackmounts systems to ONLY support their own range of HDD media has led to their own drives featuring on their own respective hardware, so make sure to check that your intended NAS rackmount system supports Seagate EXOS drives before you head to checkout!

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

+ New 24TB Model (X24) Version Available in 2024

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Availability Can Be Difficult + Some Models Are ‘Bulk Purchase’ Only

– Noisy!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate EXOS Enterprise Server 24TB Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 20% off – $479.99 (was $599.99) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business Synology NAS – Synology HAT5300

8-18TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $199-599 

Arriving on the scene in Jan 2021, the Synology branded range of Hard drives for enterprise server use took ALOT of people by surprise! Synology has always had a long-standing reputation with the production of network-attached storage, so in efforts to produce a complete first-party storage system that includes the software, the network hardware AND the media inside is very what their brand has been all about. In their defence too, these are not just cash-grab drives and are in-fact enterprise-class drives that are being priced at PRO series drives (so an Ultrastar/EXOS drive that is at the price tag of a WD Red or Ironwolf Pro). The drives themselves arrive (at launch anyway) with just three capacities available (8TB, 12TB and 16TB) and the architecture of them is quite eye-catching. A 550TBW per year rating, a 2.5Million MTTF, 256/512MB cache and performance ranging across the capacities from 230MB/s to a reported 270MB/s+. The drives are originally Toshiba M06/07/08 Enterprise drives that have a tweaked Synology NAS firmware onboard, so they are geared specifically towards utilization inside the Synology ecosystem. You can even check and upgrade the individual drive firmware directly from with the Synology DSM graphical user interface too, which is quite a unique and convenient feature for those larger arrays with differing drive versions being installed throughout your server’s lifespan.

You cannot really question the quality of the hardware architecture featured on the Synology HAT5300 range of hard drives. We clearly find here a range of drives that have been designed by Toshiba (an HDD vendor with decades of experience and Synology are not being coy about highlighting the partnership on this media), combined with one of the biggest providers of modern NAS in Synology, with media that is tweaked for use within their NAS systems and despite arriving at a Pro series price tag, arrive with hardware far more comparable to that of Seagate EXOS and Western digital Ultrastar hard drives. With a terrifically impressive annual workload, an approach to drive firmware and upgrades relatively unseen from any other drive for NAS’ and remarkable transparency from Synology in the marketing of these drives on day one certainly needs to be acknowledged. Moreover, Synology is not the first brand to champion the use of locked hard drive media in their service systems and they certainly won’t be the last. Overall, I am happy with the new Synology hard drives and despite possible reservations about where the logic of locked drives and exclusivity on this product and range will be extended to in the future (standard class versions?), I still happily recommend the Synology HAT5300 media series alongside other champions of NAS hard drive in 2021.

The move towards hard drive locking by Synology is something that has impressed some and disappointed others – but if you were going to be installing drive media inside a NAS system for business anyway, then ultimately these are still a very solid and well-performing product for you.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– More Expensive than other Enterprise Class HDDs from Seagate & WD

– Noisy Operation

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS1821+/128TB HAT5300 8 Bay Amazon UK 15.47 OFF (WAS 6657) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business QNAP NAS – WD Ultrastar

1-18TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-550  

Finally, we move onto possibly the most well known of the enterprise-class of Hard Drives on the market. When it comes to data center and hyper-scale storage environments, Western Digital’s UltraStar range has the same reputation and long-running recognition as IBM has in the computer industry. They have been the go-to drive media of choice in the huge storage environment’s for years, thanks in large part to the fact they have been designed, developed and improved at the same time as the systems they were going into. In recent years, competitors have taken chunks of the market from them (as they are a larger and slightly slower behemoth to suddenly change tactic) and feature larger product runs that have to last extensive lengths of time to facilitate data center replacement media as needed. Nevertheless, in recent years the Ultrastar brand under WD has diversified hugely and alongside the popular WD Gold label has branched into a vast array of interface types, form factors, media variants and scales. Typically the first drive series to crack into a new capacity tier (the first to crack 20TB too).

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

The Ultrastar series of hard drives will often be compared against the WD Red Pro range of NAS hard drives when considering populating a server. It is worth remembering that the Ultrastar series is designed for both a higher performance AND a much more enduring performance – i.e it can maintain that level, as well as switch between processes, for much longer. Indeed in testing, the Ultrastar even features a much higher Read and Write performance than pretty much any other drive that peaks as high as 280MB/s in our ATTO DiskBenchmark testing below with just a single HDD. Even the IOs (IOPS_ went as high as 19,000, which although low when compared with modern high-end SSDs, for a single HDD is really impressive).

The drives themselves are fantastically dull in appearance of course, as one might expect from the enterprise tier and also feature quite an aggressive spin up noise. However, in much larger scale environments, you will almost certainly not hear the drive media over the ambient system fan noise. Overall still an oldie but a goodie!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well-established HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

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Best Hard Drives for a Home or Small Business 2023/2024 Gen Synology NAS – Synology HAT3300 Plus Series

4/6/8/12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Synology NAS Designed, Firmware Update in DSM $109-189 

There is most certainly a clear design choice here to mirror that of the existing regular-class server drives on the market right now. The Synology HAT 3300+ series has been reported several times, not just here on the blog, to be built using Seagate Iron Wolf drive media with specific Synology firmware on board. Arriving with 180-terabyte annual workloads, 5400rpm, 256-megabyte cache, arriving in a CMR architecture and air-sealed – the specifications we see here are all quite standard. The 12TB benefits from an increased RPM and helium sealing, as per most 12 TB drives in the market, but apart from that the Synology Plus hard drive series are going to run quieter than most pro or enterprise-class drives, as well as have a slightly lower power consumption, but are also going to have a slight performance decrease than that of the HAT5300 and HAT3300. But that is only going to be of significance in larger RAID configurations realistically.

The differences between the Synology HAT3300, HAT5300/HAS5300 are pretty much exactly as you would find if you compared WD Red and Seagate IronWolf versus that of Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar. Indeed, I am a little surprised that Synology has not introduced a middle ground in the form of a pro series drive, but perhaps this is something that will roll out later down the line. Nevertheless, this results in quite a void of performance, durability, and scale between these two ranges when compared to long-term established server hard drive ranges from these other companies filling the gaps of capacity and pro middle ground choices. It should be immediately highlighted that regardless of which Synology hard drive you opt for, you still benefit from firmware updates being actionable from within the Synology DSM software, easier and more streamlined warranty support, and firmware optimization that is specifically tailored towards Synology hardware deployment. We have discussed this at length previously when discussing the Synology enterprise hard drives and SSDs, and although you pay a premium for Synology’s own branded drives when compared to third-party alternatives that people have been using for decades, there are nonetheless merits in using drives specifically geared towards your NAS system rather than requiring a slightly broader design that suits more diverse servers. Here is how the Synology enterprise SATA, enterprise SAS, and mid-range plus hard drives differ in their specifications:

Classification	Enterprise SATA	Enterprise SAS	Domestic SATA
Series Name	Enterprise/XS	Enterprise/XS	PLUS
Model	HAT5300	HAS5300	HAT3300
Interface	SATA 6Gb	SAS 12Gb	SATA 6Gb
Recording	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR
Capacity (5/23)	4/8/12/16/18TB	8/12/16/18TB	4/6/8/12TB
RPM	7200RPM	7200RPM	5400RPM (7200 on 12TB)
Cache	256/512MB	256/512MB	256MB
Sector Size	512e	512e	512e
Max Transfer Speed (Capacity Dependant)	254/260/253/274/281MB/s	241/253/274MB/s	202/240MB/s
Drive Sealing	AIR/AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/AIR/AIR/Helium
Power Use (Idle)	4.07/5.61/4.25/4.00/4.16W	6.62/4.36/4.46W	3.96/3.4/3.4/5.07W
Power Use (Active)	7.76/9.29/7.83/7.63/8.35W	9.87/7.80/8.12W	4.85/5.3/5.3/8.33W
Load/Unload Cycles	600K	600K	600K
Workload Rating	550TB (Annual)	550TB (Annual)	180TB (Annual)
MTBF (Hrs)	2.0/2.5Million	2.5Million	1Million
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years	3 Years

+ Much more affordable than the HAT5300 Series

+ Better range off smaller capacities than HAT5300

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Not Supported on Bigger Synology NAS Systems (eg XS or SA Series)

– Lacks Data Recovery Service of Seagate Ironwolf HDDs

– 12TB Maximum Capacity (at time of writing)

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS224+ 8TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 4TB HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 113.7 OFF (WAS 747) [LINK] Synology DS224+ 32TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 16 HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 318.35 OFF (WAS 1224) [LINK] Synology DS1621+ 24TB 6 Bay Desktop NAS Solution installed with 6 x 4TB HAT3300 Amazon UK 63.02 OFF (WAS 1662) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

IMPORTANT! Compatibility of Hard Drives with Synology NAS Systems

An increasingly important factor when selecting NAS hard drives is their compatibility with specific NAS systems. Over the last 18-24 months, there has been a noticeable trend, especially with Synology, towards reducing the range of compatible, supported, or verified HDDs. Synology has shown a preference for their own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives, somewhat limiting the choice for users of their systems. This shift marks a departure from the traditionally open approach where most NAS brands, including Synology, supported a wide range of third-party drives.

This change in policy is significant for users needing specific storage solutions or those accustomed to a broader choice of drives. It contrasts with other NAS brands, which continue to support a variety of third-party drives, including the latest high-capacity models. When choosing a NAS hard drive in 2023/2024, it’s crucial to consider not just the drive’s specifications but also its compatibility with your NAS system. This ensures that you can take full advantage of the NAS’s features and avoid potential compatibility issues.

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Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX), a leader in mass-data storage solutions, has recently unveiled the SkyHawk AI 24TB hard disk drive (HDD). This launch comes on the heels of their Exos X24 24TB HDD and is targeted at the video and imaging applications (VIA) market, particularly for edge security industries.

The Need for High-Capacity, AI-Optimized Storage

With AI applications increasingly prevalent, organizations require storage solutions that not only accommodate large data sets but also offer efficient performance and cost-effectiveness. The SkyHawk AI 24TB HDD meets these needs, providing an optimized solution for network video recorders (NVRs) enabled with AI.

To turn this information into a post for NASCompares.com, we need to format it to match the style and format typically seen on such a tech news and review website. Here’s how it can be structured:

Features and Specifications

• • Capacity: 24TB, available in other sizes including 20TB, 16TB, and 12TB.
  • Design: Helium-based drive design for enhanced performance.
  • Dimensions: 26.1 mm × 101.85 mm × 147.0mm; Weight: 685 g.
  • Technology: Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR).
  • AI Optimization: Supports up to 64 HD video streams and 32 AI streams.
  • Reliability: 2.5 million hours MTBF and a 550TB/year workload rate.
  • Health Management: SkyHawk Health Management tool for maintenance and RAID RapidRebuild technology.
  • Warranty: 5-year limited product warranty and 3 years of Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Service.
    • Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s
    • Recording Technology: CMR
    • Drive Design: Helium
    • AI Channels: 32
    • HD Cameras Supported: Up to 64
    • Max Data Transfer Rate: 285/272 MB/s
    • Cache: 512MB
    • Model : ST24000VE002

    • 

Key Features:

• Scalability and Versatility: SkyHawk AI intelligently scales to support up to 64 HD video camera streams and 32 additional AI streams, adapting to the diverse surveillance environments of today.

• ImagePerfect AI Firmware: Ensures zero dropped frames, providing consistent performance for AI-enabled 24/7 surveillance systems.

• High Reliability: With up to 2.5 million hours mean time between failures (MTBF) and a 550TB/year workload rate, SkyHawk AI offers three times the workload capacity of standard surveillance hard drives and up to ten times more than desktop hard drives.

• SkyHawk Health Management: Monitors environmental and usage conditions, actively recommending preventative actions. Features RAID RapidRebuild for up to three times faster volume rebuilding.

• Enterprise-Class Solution: Designed for NVR environments, SkyHawk AI includes a five-year limited product warranty and three years of Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Service.

• Available Now: Shipping this month, the Seagate SkyHawk AI 24TB is priced at £499.00.

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If you’re considering a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the appropriate hard drive is crucial. Just as each utensil in a cutlery set serves a unique purpose, NAS drives are designed for specific scenarios. Using unsuitable drive media in your NAS can significantly affect its performance and efficiency. In the past years, hard drive manufacturers have developed server-tailored hard drives (including SSDs) that cater to the unique demands of NAS systems. These drives are designed for sporadic access patterns, continuous operation (24×7), quick read/write cycles, and enhanced durability required in NAS environments.

As of late 2023, the market has seen an evolution in storage capacity, with commercial hard drives reaching up to 22TB and data centers testing drives between 24-30TB. This increase in capacity reflects the growing data storage demands in both personal and professional settings. However, the abundance of options, with more than fifteen top-tier NAS and Data Center class drives available, can make the selection process overwhelming. In this guide, I aim to simplify this process. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of eight different NAS/Server architectures along with the most suitable hard drive options for each, updated to reflect the latest advancements in technology and market trends as of 2023/2024.

Note – Use our Best Price Per TB Calculator tool HERE in order to get the best value storage for your needs. It includes filters for NAS size, redundancy, budget and capacity needs too!

Recommended NAS Hard Drives Best All Round = Seagate Ironwolf HDDs  $50-229  – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology 2023/2024 Series = Synology HAT3300 HDDs $109-189  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for QNAP Business = Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs $79-399  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Enterprise Rackmount = WD UltraStar HDDs $70-550 Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology Enterprise NAS = Synology HAT5300 HDDs $199-599  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Budget NAS Builds = Toshiba H300 HDDs $250-450   Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

Key Considerations in Buying Hard Drives for Your NAS

Before selecting the right NAS hard drive, it’s essential to grasp some key terms in the data storage industry. This knowledge ensures that the drive you choose meets your requirements to the highest standard. Here are some crucial terms you need to know, updated for 2023/2024, to decode the marketing jargon and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each drive:

RAID – Standing for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, RAID is a method of using multiple NAS HDDs simultaneously to enhance capacity, speed, and, most importantly, data safety. Unlike backups, RAID 0 combines total storage for high performance but lacks a safety net if a drive fails. RAID 1 cuts your total storage in half but provides a one-drive safety net. RAID 5 and RAID 6 offer one or two disk safety nets, respectively, and support much larger storage arrays. Other RAID levels exist, but these are the most widely used.

SATA – Despite it’s age, SATA still remains the most popular connection of HDDs in 2023/2024 (despite the rise of M.2 NVMe SSD use in NAS). SATA allows up to 6 Gigabits per second throughput. However, mechanical HDDs rarely exceeded 280MB/s. By 2023/2024, while SATA remains prevalent, advancements in connections like SAS, NVMe, and U.2, particularly in SSDs, have become more significant in enterprise settings.

Saturation – This term refers to the amount of data flowing through an interface/bandwidth. For instance, a SATA HDD might allow up to 600MB/s, but most NAS HDDs achieve around 180-280MB/s due to their mechanical design. Therefore, the saturation for a single drive is lower, at 180/280MB/s.

Platters – These are the disks inside the HDD that store data. Higher capacity drives feature more platters. Although compression techniques can increase space, there’s a limit to their effectiveness.

Rotation Speed – This indicates how fast the platters spin, enabling the arm/actuator to locate and write data magnetically.

Cache – This memory area on the NAS hard drive compiles and distributes data being processed by the disk. Larger capacity NAS hard drives typically have a larger cache, as do drives using Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR), which requires more handling space due to its unique writing style.

Terabytes Written (TBW), AKA ‘Workload Rating’– A metric often given annually, TBW indicates the amount of data a NAS Hard Drive can handle in a year while maintaining performance. This figure considers the potential for repeatedly filling and emptying the drive, common in data centers or tiered backups. Standard NAS hard drives usually have a TBW of around 180TBW, Pro series around 300TBW, and Enterprise-class HDDs 550TBW or more. This is often referred to as the workload rating.

Magnetic Recording – This refers to how data is stored on the platters. As of 2023/2024, there are several prevalent types: SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording), PMR/CMR (Perpendicular/Conventional Magnetic Recording), EAMR (Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), and HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording). Each type has its pros and cons, but PMR/CMR remains the most popular for NAS hard drives.

Warranty Length – This is the period during which the manufacturer will repair or replace a NAS hard drive if it fails due to manufacturing issues. Warranties typically range from 3 to 5 years.

These terms are essential for choosing the best NAS hard drive for your system in the context of 2023/2024. Next, we’ll examine different NAS hardware environments and recommend the best NAS hard drive for each.

Best Hard Drives for an Affordable RAID 6 Desktop 6/8-Bay NAS – Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro)

1-12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-229 

For those who are looking at a NAS server for business, or are home users who have made the enterprising move into the Prosumer bracket, then a 6-Bay or 8-Bay desktop NAS solution will become incredibly attractive. At this storage tier, we find a number of very cool and incredibly useful features become more widely available. For a start, we find the utility of RAID 6 (the 2 disk safety net configuration) much more palatable, as it makes less of a dent on our total available storage. Additionally, at this storage size, we start to see much more powerful processors, such as the Intel Core (i3, i5, etc) series arrive, AMD Ryzen and even Xeons. This combined with huge expandability of both memory internally and storage externally and generally with 10Gbe included as standard or available as an upgrade. So, at this scale of NAS storage, the hard drive choice becomes more important, as you do not want to create an internal bottleneck. For this tier of storage, I recommend the Seagate Ironwolf range of NAS drives. They arrive with a large number of 7200RM drives (with 5400RPM in the smaller capacities), a 180 terabytes per year guaranteed workload and the Seagate Rescue service. For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3 year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services.

What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. Additionally, Seagate Ironwolf hard drives sill manage to be the most affordable NAS drives on the market compared with their competitors, even when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 12TB (Pro Series go up to 22TB)

– Noisier General Operation than WD Red Drives

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small NAS Drive – WD Red & WD Red Plus

1-14TB, 5400/7200RPM (higher Caps = 7200RPM), 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red 1-6TB (SMR), WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $69-379

If you are looking to populate a compact, modestly powered, desktop NAS system (so a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS drive), then you have quite a large range of Hard Drives on offer. It is worth highlighting though that larger and more enterprise drives (i.e faster and longer warranty) will be noticeably noisier. Additionally, you will need to factor in that your maximum storage is going to be capped at either a single drive OR (in a 2-Bay NAS with RAID 1)  your storage halved to maintain redundancy. Finally, you will need to factor in that most 2-Bay NAS devices will either have a smaller external network connection (1/2.5Gbe) or are not really capable of saturating a full connection externally. So, baring these factors in mind, I would recommend the WD Red series of NAS hard drives for small NAS systems. They do not typically have more aggressive hardware internally, so the ambient noise when these drives are running will be remarkably low.

The performance, due to the lower rotations per minute (RPM) and cache might not seem spectacularly high, but in a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS, you likely could not push much performance externally anyway, so why spend much more on something that in most cases you will not be able to take advantage of. Be warned though, as you reach the much higher capacities above 8TB, the general background noise of the drives will increase incrementally.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Some Drive feature Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? WD Red Plus Internal NAS HDD 3.5\" - 12TB WesternDigital USA 2 HDD for $399 [LINK] WD 8TB WD RED PLUS HDD B&H USA £159.99 ($49 off) [LINK] WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 29% OFF, Now $84.99 (was $119.99) [LINK] Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus HDD (BF) Amazon USA $99.99 (33% OFF) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Affordable Hard Drives for a RAID 5 Desktop 4-Bay NAS – Toshiba N300

4-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 180 TBW, 3yr Warranty, 1-1.2M MTBF Rating $250-450  

A 4-Bay NAS drive is generally when home and small/medium business users start to take their storage seriously. There are such a wide variety of hardware options that arrive at this storage tier, ranging from powerful Intel/AMD processors and DDR4 memory, to 10Gbe and PCIe upgrades. This arrives with the utility if RAID 5, that allows users to have a much larger potential capacity and performance, but still have a single drive of redundancy to fall back on in the event of drive failure. At this degree of NAS storage, you have a much greater potential to not only largely saturate a 10Gbe connection, but alternatively, you can also look into installing 2.5Gbe and 5Gbe upgrades and fill multiple plus gigabit connections directly or via a switch.  In order to maximize this connection, but to also not max out your budget, I recommend the Toshiba N300 range of Hard Drives. Although they are a brand that is generally held commercially in the 3rd place when it comes to NAS media drives, their N300 range arrives at a similar/lower price point than Seagate Ironwolf and WD Red, but also arrives with 7200RPM on all capacities, with the lowest capacity arriving with 128MB caching and scaling up to 256MB quickly in the series. The increase in RPM will increase the background clicks, hums and whirs of the drive, but at 4-Bays, this is something that the NAS enclosure itself will begin to generate too. A high performing and often overlooked drive that, at the top capacity, can hit performance of up to 274MB/s.

+ Well Priced for a 7200RPM and 128/256/512 Cache Drive

+ Available in up to 18TB, even in non-Pro N300 Series

+ Error Recovery Control

– Will Generate More Noise at 7200RPM

– Not As Widely Available

– Not as well regarded as Seagate or WD

The 3.5-inch N300 NAS Hard Drive offers unprecedented reliability for NAS and other high-performance storage systems. It is optimized to meet the reliability, endurance, performance and scalability requirements of 24-hour x 7-day high-capacity storage for personal, home office and small business use. The N300 is available in capacities of up to 18 TB.

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Best Hard Drives for a Small Rackmount NAS – WD Red Pro

2-22TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $85-429 

Now we move onto the Rackmount NAS compatible hard drives, we have to start looking squarely at two main factors – Performance and Durability. If you are a business or established Prosumer user, then chances are that your NAS system is going to be used for a much larger % per day than most average users. Whether it is for surveillance, virtual machines, business file-sharing or just a combination of all of them every day, you want drives that are going to give you a good level of performance internally AND externally. Likewise, as the hard drives in even a modest rackmount NAS will be on for extended periods, you need to know that the drive can maintain the promising performance indefinitely AND without braking. This is where we start to look at specifications such as TBW (Terabytes Written), Mean time between failure, workload cycles and the warranty in more detail. For those looking at 10Gbe equipped or at least ’10Gbe Ready’ modest rackmount systems, I would recommend the WD Red Pro series of compatible NAS hard drives. Generally, one of the first Pro series NAS hard drives to arrive on the market, the WD Red Pro series is designed for NAS systems up to 24Bays and is available up to 18TB currently.

What did we say about the WD Red Pro 22TB highest tier model? We reviewed it back on September ’22 and whichever way you look at it, the WD Red Pro 22TB Hard drive is a stone-cold WINNER of a drive – both in terms of what it brings to the end user AND what this new 10-platter/OptiNAND drive design means for the future of the WD drive line up. WD does not over promise with this drive (with performance exceeding the brands reported benchmarks in almost every one of my tests, even using mid-range equipment) and they even nailed the price point in line with previous drives in the portfolio (though there is simply no avoiding that you are going to need deep pockets to fully populate any system with these 22TB drives). That said, much like any other WD Red Pro drive, the more industrial architecture still leads to a slightly higher running temp, noisier operation and slight increased power use. This is to be expected, but with no non-Pro alternative available at this capacity, the feasibility of fully populating a smaller scale system with the WD Red Pro 22TB is going to be both expensive AND noisy. I definitely recommend this drive to larger-scale NAS and SAN environments that need sustained RAID performance, high capacity and storage reliability – just maybe buy some earplugs if you plan on working in the same room as them.

Certainly one of the most expensive NAS HDDs out there, but provides a very good level of storage, performance, durability and overall is a very dependable drive for SMB users (Small/Medium Business) that want a drive they can rely on.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an SMB Rackmount NAS 12-Bay – Seagate Ironwolf Pro

4-22TB, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache, 300 TBW (Newer NT version rates at 550TBW), 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $79-399 

When it comes to the move into Rackmount storage for businesses (novices stop here) then not only do you have to only consider Pro/Enterprise-class drives only, but you can also start to look at drives that include certain business level advantages in terms of coverage and service. Much like the non-PRO series of hard drives mentioned earlier, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro series of HDDs include the Rescue+ data recovery services but also includes an impressive 5 years of the manufacturers warranty. However, it is in terms of performance, capacity and durability that the difference between these two ranges become apparent. For a start, the Ironwolf Pro HDD range arrives in capacities of up to 18TB (20TB promised for later in 2021 thanks to Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), with ALL drives in the PRO range arriving with 7200RPM and 256/512MB of cache. The result is that these drives will hit up to an impressive 260MB/s, which even in smaller RAID 5 groups will easily saturate a 10Gb connection with just 4-5 drives.I performed te sts on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

What did we think of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro larger capacities? We reviewed the new NT series (higher durability at 550TBW over 300TBW in the previous revisions) 20TB version and Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

In recent years we have seen Seagate reshuffle their range of available capacities to align the capacities from 1-12TB to arrive in the standard Ironwolf range and Capacities of up to 18TB and 22TB to arrive on the PRO series (likely due to those larger capacity options requiring the more enterprise hardware as standard and making a non-PRO version impossible without purposely nerf’ing the lesser drives intentionally. There is crossover in 4-12TB models in between, however, the distinction in RPM, cache, build design and TBW rating is wide enough to justify this. The noise level of the Ironwolf HDD series in PRO is noticeable higher, but given these are designed for larger arrays, this noise increase will be less noticeable over the ambient noise of the whole system generally.

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ New NT Version Available with 550 TB Annual Workload

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticeable Boot Up Noise

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate 24TB Ironwolf Pro $439 B&H USA $439.99 ($210 off) [LINK] Seagate 24TB Ironwolf PRO HDD (BF) Amazon USA 38% OFF - Now $399 [LINK] Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an Enterprise Rackmount NAS Server – Seagate EXOS

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $99-519   

Now we finally move into the class of hard drive that is more classically defined at ‘Data Center’ and/or Hyperscale environments. Often choosing between a PRO class and Enterprise-class drive can be ticky at a glance. However, Pro class drives generally arrive with a much longer terabytes written rating per year (ie the amount of data that can be written to the drive throughout its lifespan per annum), arrive in numerous interfaces (so both SAS and SATA generally) and typically arrive with numerous format and encryption standard versions available. These are available because some industries and organizations insist on drive media that features in-built protection and secure erase on the drive itself. Of all the enterprise and data centre-class media in the market, I generally recommend the Seagate EXOS series for any hyper scale system environment. They are very, VERY closely followed by the Western Digital UltraStar class of drives, but the Seagate EXOS series is a little clearer to understand, has larger capacity options available earlier, will hopefully release Mach2 version drives in 2021 (dual actuator/arm SATA drives at 400MB/s+) and generally arrive a pinch lower in price too in like-for-like comparisons against the Ultrastar.

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

Recent changes by Synology in their newest 2021 series of rackmounts systems to ONLY support their own range of HDD media has led to their own drives featuring on their own respective hardware, so make sure to check that your intended NAS rackmount system supports Seagate EXOS drives before you head to checkout!

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

+ New 24TB Model (X24) Version Available in 2024

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Availability Can Be Difficult + Some Models Are ‘Bulk Purchase’ Only

– Noisy!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate EXOS Enterprise Server 24TB Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 20% off – $479.99 (was $599.99) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business Synology NAS – Synology HAT5300

8-18TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $199-599 

Arriving on the scene in Jan 2021, the Synology branded range of Hard drives for enterprise server use took ALOT of people by surprise! Synology has always had a long-standing reputation with the production of network-attached storage, so in efforts to produce a complete first-party storage system that includes the software, the network hardware AND the media inside is very what their brand has been all about. In their defence too, these are not just cash-grab drives and are in-fact enterprise-class drives that are being priced at PRO series drives (so an Ultrastar/EXOS drive that is at the price tag of a WD Red or Ironwolf Pro). The drives themselves arrive (at launch anyway) with just three capacities available (8TB, 12TB and 16TB) and the architecture of them is quite eye-catching. A 550TBW per year rating, a 2.5Million MTTF, 256/512MB cache and performance ranging across the capacities from 230MB/s to a reported 270MB/s+. The drives are originally Toshiba M06/07/08 Enterprise drives that have a tweaked Synology NAS firmware onboard, so they are geared specifically towards utilization inside the Synology ecosystem. You can even check and upgrade the individual drive firmware directly from with the Synology DSM graphical user interface too, which is quite a unique and convenient feature for those larger arrays with differing drive versions being installed throughout your server’s lifespan.

You cannot really question the quality of the hardware architecture featured on the Synology HAT5300 range of hard drives. We clearly find here a range of drives that have been designed by Toshiba (an HDD vendor with decades of experience and Synology are not being coy about highlighting the partnership on this media), combined with one of the biggest providers of modern NAS in Synology, with media that is tweaked for use within their NAS systems and despite arriving at a Pro series price tag, arrive with hardware far more comparable to that of Seagate EXOS and Western digital Ultrastar hard drives. With a terrifically impressive annual workload, an approach to drive firmware and upgrades relatively unseen from any other drive for NAS’ and remarkable transparency from Synology in the marketing of these drives on day one certainly needs to be acknowledged. Moreover, Synology is not the first brand to champion the use of locked hard drive media in their service systems and they certainly won’t be the last. Overall, I am happy with the new Synology hard drives and despite possible reservations about where the logic of locked drives and exclusivity on this product and range will be extended to in the future (standard class versions?), I still happily recommend the Synology HAT5300 media series alongside other champions of NAS hard drive in 2021.

The move towards hard drive locking by Synology is something that has impressed some and disappointed others – but if you were going to be installing drive media inside a NAS system for business anyway, then ultimately these are still a very solid and well-performing product for you.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– More Expensive than other Enterprise Class HDDs from Seagate & WD

– Noisy Operation

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS1821+/128TB HAT5300 8 Bay Amazon UK 15.47 OFF (WAS 6657) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business QNAP NAS – WD Ultrastar

1-18TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-550  

Finally, we move onto possibly the most well known of the enterprise-class of Hard Drives on the market. When it comes to data center and hyper-scale storage environments, Western Digital’s UltraStar range has the same reputation and long-running recognition as IBM has in the computer industry. They have been the go-to drive media of choice in the huge storage environment’s for years, thanks in large part to the fact they have been designed, developed and improved at the same time as the systems they were going into. In recent years, competitors have taken chunks of the market from them (as they are a larger and slightly slower behemoth to suddenly change tactic) and feature larger product runs that have to last extensive lengths of time to facilitate data center replacement media as needed. Nevertheless, in recent years the Ultrastar brand under WD has diversified hugely and alongside the popular WD Gold label has branched into a vast array of interface types, form factors, media variants and scales. Typically the first drive series to crack into a new capacity tier (the first to crack 20TB too).

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

The Ultrastar series of hard drives will often be compared against the WD Red Pro range of NAS hard drives when considering populating a server. It is worth remembering that the Ultrastar series is designed for both a higher performance AND a much more enduring performance – i.e it can maintain that level, as well as switch between processes, for much longer. Indeed in testing, the Ultrastar even features a much higher Read and Write performance than pretty much any other drive that peaks as high as 280MB/s in our ATTO DiskBenchmark testing below with just a single HDD. Even the IOs (IOPS_ went as high as 19,000, which although low when compared with modern high-end SSDs, for a single HDD is really impressive).

The drives themselves are fantastically dull in appearance of course, as one might expect from the enterprise tier and also feature quite an aggressive spin up noise. However, in much larger scale environments, you will almost certainly not hear the drive media over the ambient system fan noise. Overall still an oldie but a goodie!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well-established HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Home or Small Business 2023/2024 Gen Synology NAS – Synology HAT3300 Plus Series

4/6/8/12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Synology NAS Designed, Firmware Update in DSM $109-189 

There is most certainly a clear design choice here to mirror that of the existing regular-class server drives on the market right now. The Synology HAT 3300+ series has been reported several times, not just here on the blog, to be built using Seagate Iron Wolf drive media with specific Synology firmware on board. Arriving with 180-terabyte annual workloads, 5400rpm, 256-megabyte cache, arriving in a CMR architecture and air-sealed – the specifications we see here are all quite standard. The 12TB benefits from an increased RPM and helium sealing, as per most 12 TB drives in the market, but apart from that the Synology Plus hard drive series are going to run quieter than most pro or enterprise-class drives, as well as have a slightly lower power consumption, but are also going to have a slight performance decrease than that of the HAT5300 and HAT3300. But that is only going to be of significance in larger RAID configurations realistically.

The differences between the Synology HAT3300, HAT5300/HAS5300 are pretty much exactly as you would find if you compared WD Red and Seagate IronWolf versus that of Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar. Indeed, I am a little surprised that Synology has not introduced a middle ground in the form of a pro series drive, but perhaps this is something that will roll out later down the line. Nevertheless, this results in quite a void of performance, durability, and scale between these two ranges when compared to long-term established server hard drive ranges from these other companies filling the gaps of capacity and pro middle ground choices. It should be immediately highlighted that regardless of which Synology hard drive you opt for, you still benefit from firmware updates being actionable from within the Synology DSM software, easier and more streamlined warranty support, and firmware optimization that is specifically tailored towards Synology hardware deployment. We have discussed this at length previously when discussing the Synology enterprise hard drives and SSDs, and although you pay a premium for Synology’s own branded drives when compared to third-party alternatives that people have been using for decades, there are nonetheless merits in using drives specifically geared towards your NAS system rather than requiring a slightly broader design that suits more diverse servers. Here is how the Synology enterprise SATA, enterprise SAS, and mid-range plus hard drives differ in their specifications:

Classification	Enterprise SATA	Enterprise SAS	Domestic SATA
Series Name	Enterprise/XS	Enterprise/XS	PLUS
Model	HAT5300	HAS5300	HAT3300
Interface	SATA 6Gb	SAS 12Gb	SATA 6Gb
Recording	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR
Capacity (5/23)	4/8/12/16/18TB	8/12/16/18TB	4/6/8/12TB
RPM	7200RPM	7200RPM	5400RPM (7200 on 12TB)
Cache	256/512MB	256/512MB	256MB
Sector Size	512e	512e	512e
Max Transfer Speed (Capacity Dependant)	254/260/253/274/281MB/s	241/253/274MB/s	202/240MB/s
Drive Sealing	AIR/AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/AIR/AIR/Helium
Power Use (Idle)	4.07/5.61/4.25/4.00/4.16W	6.62/4.36/4.46W	3.96/3.4/3.4/5.07W
Power Use (Active)	7.76/9.29/7.83/7.63/8.35W	9.87/7.80/8.12W	4.85/5.3/5.3/8.33W
Load/Unload Cycles	600K	600K	600K
Workload Rating	550TB (Annual)	550TB (Annual)	180TB (Annual)
MTBF (Hrs)	2.0/2.5Million	2.5Million	1Million
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years	3 Years

+ Much more affordable than the HAT5300 Series

+ Better range off smaller capacities than HAT5300

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Not Supported on Bigger Synology NAS Systems (eg XS or SA Series)

– Lacks Data Recovery Service of Seagate Ironwolf HDDs

– 12TB Maximum Capacity (at time of writing)

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS224+ 8TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 4TB HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 113.7 OFF (WAS 747) [LINK] Synology DS224+ 32TB 2 Bay NAS Solution installed with 2 x 16 HAT3300 Drives Amazon UK 318.35 OFF (WAS 1224) [LINK] Synology DS1621+ 24TB 6 Bay Desktop NAS Solution installed with 6 x 4TB HAT3300 Amazon UK 63.02 OFF (WAS 1662) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

IMPORTANT! Compatibility of Hard Drives with Synology NAS Systems

An increasingly important factor when selecting NAS hard drives is their compatibility with specific NAS systems. Over the last 18-24 months, there has been a noticeable trend, especially with Synology, towards reducing the range of compatible, supported, or verified HDDs. Synology has shown a preference for their own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives, somewhat limiting the choice for users of their systems. This shift marks a departure from the traditionally open approach where most NAS brands, including Synology, supported a wide range of third-party drives.

This change in policy is significant for users needing specific storage solutions or those accustomed to a broader choice of drives. It contrasts with other NAS brands, which continue to support a variety of third-party drives, including the latest high-capacity models. When choosing a NAS hard drive in 2023/2024, it’s crucial to consider not just the drive’s specifications but also its compatibility with your NAS system. This ensures that you can take full advantage of the NAS’s features and avoid potential compatibility issues.

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If you’re considering a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the appropriate hard drive is crucial. Just as each utensil in a cutlery set serves a unique purpose, NAS drives are designed for specific scenarios. Using unsuitable drive media in your NAS can significantly affect its performance and efficiency. In the past years, hard drive manufacturers have developed server-tailored hard drives (including SSDs) that cater to the unique demands of NAS systems. These drives are designed for sporadic access patterns, continuous operation (24×7), quick read/write cycles, and enhanced durability required in NAS environments.

As of late 2023, the market has seen an evolution in storage capacity, with commercial hard drives reaching up to 22TB and data centers testing drives between 24-30TB. This increase in capacity reflects the growing data storage demands in both personal and professional settings. However, the abundance of options, with more than fifteen top-tier NAS and Data Center class drives available, can make the selection process overwhelming. In this guide, I aim to simplify this process. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of eight different NAS/Server architectures along with the most suitable hard drive options for each, updated to reflect the latest advancements in technology and market trends as of 2023/2024.

Note – Use our Best Price Per TB Calculator tool HERE in order to get the best value storage for your needs. It includes filters for NAS size, redundancy, budget and capacity needs too!

Recommended NAS Hard Drives Best All Round = Seagate Ironwolf HDDs  $50-229  – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology 2023/2024 Series = Synology HAT3300 HDDs $109-189  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for QNAP Business = Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs $79-399  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Enterprise Rackmount = WD UltraStar HDDs $70-550 Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Synology Enterprise NAS = Synology HAT5300 HDDs $199-599  Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Best for Budget NAS Builds = Toshiba H300 HDDs $250-450   Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

Key Considerations in Buying Hard Drives for Your NAS

Before selecting the right NAS hard drive, it’s essential to grasp some key terms in the data storage industry. This knowledge ensures that the drive you choose meets your requirements to the highest standard. Here are some crucial terms you need to know, updated for 2023/2024, to decode the marketing jargon and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each drive:

RAID – Standing for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, RAID is a method of using multiple NAS HDDs simultaneously to enhance capacity, speed, and, most importantly, data safety. Unlike backups, RAID 0 combines total storage for high performance but lacks a safety net if a drive fails. RAID 1 cuts your total storage in half but provides a one-drive safety net. RAID 5 and RAID 6 offer one or two disk safety nets, respectively, and support much larger storage arrays. Other RAID levels exist, but these are the most widely used.

SATA – Despite it’s age, SATA still remains the most popular connection of HDDs in 2023/2024 (despite the rise of M.2 NVMe SSD use in NAS). SATA allows up to 6 Gigabits per second throughput. However, mechanical HDDs rarely exceeded 280MB/s. By 2023/2024, while SATA remains prevalent, advancements in connections like SAS, NVMe, and U.2, particularly in SSDs, have become more significant in enterprise settings.

Saturation – This term refers to the amount of data flowing through an interface/bandwidth. For instance, a SATA HDD might allow up to 600MB/s, but most NAS HDDs achieve around 180-280MB/s due to their mechanical design. Therefore, the saturation for a single drive is lower, at 180/280MB/s.

Platters – These are the disks inside the HDD that store data. Higher capacity drives feature more platters. Although compression techniques can increase space, there’s a limit to their effectiveness.

Rotation Speed – This indicates how fast the platters spin, enabling the arm/actuator to locate and write data magnetically.

Cache – This memory area on the NAS hard drive compiles and distributes data being processed by the disk. Larger capacity NAS hard drives typically have a larger cache, as do drives using Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR), which requires more handling space due to its unique writing style.

Terabytes Written (TBW), AKA ‘Workload Rating’– A metric often given annually, TBW indicates the amount of data a NAS Hard Drive can handle in a year while maintaining performance. This figure considers the potential for repeatedly filling and emptying the drive, common in data centers or tiered backups. Standard NAS hard drives usually have a TBW of around 180TBW, Pro series around 300TBW, and Enterprise-class HDDs 550TBW or more. This is often referred to as the workload rating.

Magnetic Recording – This refers to how data is stored on the platters. As of 2023/2024, there are several prevalent types: SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording), PMR/CMR (Perpendicular/Conventional Magnetic Recording), EAMR (Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), and HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording). Each type has its pros and cons, but PMR/CMR remains the most popular for NAS hard drives.

Warranty Length – This is the period during which the manufacturer will repair or replace a NAS hard drive if it fails due to manufacturing issues. Warranties typically range from 3 to 5 years.

These terms are essential for choosing the best NAS hard drive for your system in the context of 2023/2024. Next, we’ll examine different NAS hardware environments and recommend the best NAS hard drive for each.

Best Hard Drives for an Affordable RAID 6 Desktop 6/8-Bay NAS – Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro)

1-12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $50-229 

For those who are looking at a NAS server for business, or are home users who have made the enterprising move into the Prosumer bracket, then a 6-Bay or 8-Bay desktop NAS solution will become incredibly attractive. At this storage tier, we find a number of very cool and incredibly useful features become more widely available. For a start, we find the utility of RAID 6 (the 2 disk safety net configuration) much more palatable, as it makes less of a dent on our total available storage. Additionally, at this storage size, we start to see much more powerful processors, such as the Intel Core (i3, i5, etc) series arrive, AMD Ryzen and even Xeons. This combined with huge expandability of both memory internally and storage externally and generally with 10Gbe included as standard or available as an upgrade. So, at this scale of NAS storage, the hard drive choice becomes more important, as you do not want to create an internal bottleneck. For this tier of storage, I recommend the Seagate Ironwolf range of NAS drives. They arrive with a large number of 7200RM drives (with 5400RPM in the smaller capacities), a 180 terabytes per year guaranteed workload and the Seagate Rescue service. For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3 year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services.

What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. Additionally, Seagate Ironwolf hard drives sill manage to be the most affordable NAS drives on the market compared with their competitors, even when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management.

+ Excellent Price Point

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Max Drive Capacity is 12TB (Pro Series go up to 22TB)

– Noisier General Operation than WD Red Drives

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Small NAS Drive – WD Red & WD Red Plus

1-14TB, 5400/7200RPM (higher Caps = 7200RPM), 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, WD Red 1-6TB (SMR), WD Red Plus 1-14TB (CMR) $69-379

If you are looking to populate a compact, modestly powered, desktop NAS system (so a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS drive), then you have quite a large range of Hard Drives on offer. It is worth highlighting though that larger and more enterprise drives (i.e faster and longer warranty) will be noticeably noisier. Additionally, you will need to factor in that your maximum storage is going to be capped at either a single drive OR (in a 2-Bay NAS with RAID 1)  your storage halved to maintain redundancy. Finally, you will need to factor in that most 2-Bay NAS devices will either have a smaller external network connection (1/2.5Gbe) or are not really capable of saturating a full connection externally. So, baring these factors in mind, I would recommend the WD Red series of NAS hard drives for small NAS systems. They do not typically have more aggressive hardware internally, so the ambient noise when these drives are running will be remarkably low.

The performance, due to the lower rotations per minute (RPM) and cache might not seem spectacularly high, but in a 1-Bay or 2-Bay NAS, you likely could not push much performance externally anyway, so why spend much more on something that in most cases you will not be able to take advantage of. Be warned though, as you reach the much higher capacities above 8TB, the general background noise of the drives will increase incrementally.

+ Affordable Price Tag

+ Low Noise and Power Consumption in 24×7 Use

+ Good base level of Capacities Available

– Some Drive feature Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)

– Performance is fairly average in the smaller capacities

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? WD Red Plus Internal NAS HDD 3.5\" - 12TB WesternDigital USA 2 HDD for $399 [LINK] WD 8TB WD RED PLUS HDD B&H USA £159.99 ($49 off) [LINK] WD Red Plus 4TB NAS Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 29% OFF, Now $84.99 (was $119.99) [LINK] Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus HDD (BF) Amazon USA $99.99 (33% OFF) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Affordable Hard Drives for a RAID 5 Desktop 4-Bay NAS – Toshiba N300

4-18TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 180 TBW, 3yr Warranty, 1-1.2M MTBF Rating $250-450  

A 4-Bay NAS drive is generally when home and small/medium business users start to take their storage seriously. There are such a wide variety of hardware options that arrive at this storage tier, ranging from powerful Intel/AMD processors and DDR4 memory, to 10Gbe and PCIe upgrades. This arrives with the utility if RAID 5, that allows users to have a much larger potential capacity and performance, but still have a single drive of redundancy to fall back on in the event of drive failure. At this degree of NAS storage, you have a much greater potential to not only largely saturate a 10Gbe connection, but alternatively, you can also look into installing 2.5Gbe and 5Gbe upgrades and fill multiple plus gigabit connections directly or via a switch.  In order to maximize this connection, but to also not max out your budget, I recommend the Toshiba N300 range of Hard Drives. Although they are a brand that is generally held commercially in the 3rd place when it comes to NAS media drives, their N300 range arrives at a similar/lower price point than Seagate Ironwolf and WD Red, but also arrives with 7200RPM on all capacities, with the lowest capacity arriving with 128MB caching and scaling up to 256MB quickly in the series. The increase in RPM will increase the background clicks, hums and whirs of the drive, but at 4-Bays, this is something that the NAS enclosure itself will begin to generate too. A high performing and often overlooked drive that, at the top capacity, can hit performance of up to 274MB/s.

+ Well Priced for a 7200RPM and 128/256/512 Cache Drive

+ Available in up to 18TB, even in non-Pro N300 Series

+ Error Recovery Control

– Will Generate More Noise at 7200RPM

– Not As Widely Available

– Not as well regarded as Seagate or WD

The 3.5-inch N300 NAS Hard Drive offers unprecedented reliability for NAS and other high-performance storage systems. It is optimized to meet the reliability, endurance, performance and scalability requirements of 24-hour x 7-day high-capacity storage for personal, home office and small business use. The N300 is available in capacities of up to 18 TB.

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Best Hard Drives for a Small Rackmount NAS – WD Red Pro

2-22TB, 7200RPM, 128-512MB Cache, 300TBW, 5yr Warranty $85-429 

Now we move onto the Rackmount NAS compatible hard drives, we have to start looking squarely at two main factors – Performance and Durability. If you are a business or established Prosumer user, then chances are that your NAS system is going to be used for a much larger % per day than most average users. Whether it is for surveillance, virtual machines, business file-sharing or just a combination of all of them every day, you want drives that are going to give you a good level of performance internally AND externally. Likewise, as the hard drives in even a modest rackmount NAS will be on for extended periods, you need to know that the drive can maintain the promising performance indefinitely AND without braking. This is where we start to look at specifications such as TBW (Terabytes Written), Mean time between failure, workload cycles and the warranty in more detail. For those looking at 10Gbe equipped or at least ’10Gbe Ready’ modest rackmount systems, I would recommend the WD Red Pro series of compatible NAS hard drives. Generally, one of the first Pro series NAS hard drives to arrive on the market, the WD Red Pro series is designed for NAS systems up to 24Bays and is available up to 18TB currently.

What did we say about the WD Red Pro 22TB highest tier model? We reviewed it back on September ’22 and whichever way you look at it, the WD Red Pro 22TB Hard drive is a stone-cold WINNER of a drive – both in terms of what it brings to the end user AND what this new 10-platter/OptiNAND drive design means for the future of the WD drive line up. WD does not over promise with this drive (with performance exceeding the brands reported benchmarks in almost every one of my tests, even using mid-range equipment) and they even nailed the price point in line with previous drives in the portfolio (though there is simply no avoiding that you are going to need deep pockets to fully populate any system with these 22TB drives). That said, much like any other WD Red Pro drive, the more industrial architecture still leads to a slightly higher running temp, noisier operation and slight increased power use. This is to be expected, but with no non-Pro alternative available at this capacity, the feasibility of fully populating a smaller scale system with the WD Red Pro 22TB is going to be both expensive AND noisy. I definitely recommend this drive to larger-scale NAS and SAN environments that need sustained RAID performance, high capacity and storage reliability – just maybe buy some earplugs if you plan on working in the same room as them.

Certainly one of the most expensive NAS HDDs out there, but provides a very good level of storage, performance, durability and overall is a very dependable drive for SMB users (Small/Medium Business) that want a drive they can rely on.

+ Top Tier NAS Drive Performance

+ 300TB/Y Workload

+ Build for up to 24-Bay Servers

– Certainly Noiser than non-Pro equivalents

– More Expensive than the Seagate Pro Option

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an SMB Rackmount NAS 12-Bay – Seagate Ironwolf Pro

4-22TB, 7200RPM, 256MB Cache, 300 TBW (Newer NT version rates at 550TBW), 5yr Warranty, Rescue Data Recovery Services Included $79-399 

When it comes to the move into Rackmount storage for businesses (novices stop here) then not only do you have to only consider Pro/Enterprise-class drives only, but you can also start to look at drives that include certain business level advantages in terms of coverage and service. Much like the non-PRO series of hard drives mentioned earlier, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro series of HDDs include the Rescue+ data recovery services but also includes an impressive 5 years of the manufacturers warranty. However, it is in terms of performance, capacity and durability that the difference between these two ranges become apparent. For a start, the Ironwolf Pro HDD range arrives in capacities of up to 18TB (20TB promised for later in 2021 thanks to Energy Assisted Magnetic Recording), with ALL drives in the PRO range arriving with 7200RPM and 256/512MB of cache. The result is that these drives will hit up to an impressive 260MB/s, which even in smaller RAID 5 groups will easily saturate a 10Gb connection with just 4-5 drives.I performed te sts on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

What did we think of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro larger capacities? We reviewed the new NT series (higher durability at 550TBW over 300TBW in the previous revisions) 20TB version and Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

In recent years we have seen Seagate reshuffle their range of available capacities to align the capacities from 1-12TB to arrive in the standard Ironwolf range and Capacities of up to 18TB and 22TB to arrive on the PRO series (likely due to those larger capacity options requiring the more enterprise hardware as standard and making a non-PRO version impossible without purposely nerf’ing the lesser drives intentionally. There is crossover in 4-12TB models in between, however, the distinction in RPM, cache, build design and TBW rating is wide enough to justify this. The noise level of the Ironwolf HDD series in PRO is noticeable higher, but given these are designed for larger arrays, this noise increase will be less noticeable over the ambient noise of the whole system generally.

+ Excellent Price Point vs Ironwolf NON-Pro in the Portfolio

+ Rescue Data Recovery Services

+ New NT Version Available with 550 TB Annual Workload

+ Seagate Ironwolf Health Management

+ ONLY CMR/PMR Drives in their NAS Range

– Smallest Drive Capacity is 4TB

– Noticeable Boot Up Noise

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate 24TB Ironwolf Pro $439 B&H USA $439.99 ($210 off) [LINK] Seagate 24TB Ironwolf PRO HDD (BF) Amazon USA 38% OFF - Now $399 [LINK] Seagate Ironwolf (non-Pro) 8TB NAS HDD (BF) Amazon USA $149.99 (17% OFF, was $179.99) [LINK] QNAP 1 Bay Home NAS with 4TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured Seagate IronWolf Dr Amazon USA 13.19 OFF (WAS 155) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for an Enterprise Rackmount NAS Server – Seagate EXOS

1-24TB, 72000RPM, 256-512MB Cache, SAS & SATA Options, 550 TBW, 5yr Warranty, $99-519   

Now we finally move into the class of hard drive that is more classically defined at ‘Data Center’ and/or Hyperscale environments. Often choosing between a PRO class and Enterprise-class drive can be ticky at a glance. However, Pro class drives generally arrive with a much longer terabytes written rating per year (ie the amount of data that can be written to the drive throughout its lifespan per annum), arrive in numerous interfaces (so both SAS and SATA generally) and typically arrive with numerous format and encryption standard versions available. These are available because some industries and organizations insist on drive media that features in-built protection and secure erase on the drive itself. Of all the enterprise and data centre-class media in the market, I generally recommend the Seagate EXOS series for any hyper scale system environment. They are very, VERY closely followed by the Western Digital UltraStar class of drives, but the Seagate EXOS series is a little clearer to understand, has larger capacity options available earlier, will hopefully release Mach2 version drives in 2021 (dual actuator/arm SATA drives at 400MB/s+) and generally arrive a pinch lower in price too in like-for-like comparisons against the Ultrastar.

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

Recent changes by Synology in their newest 2021 series of rackmounts systems to ONLY support their own range of HDD media has led to their own drives featuring on their own respective hardware, so make sure to check that your intended NAS rackmount system supports Seagate EXOS drives before you head to checkout!

+ Huge Range of Architecture Options (FIPS, Military Encryp, 4KN, SED, SAS and more)

+ Constantly Evolving (Mach 2 versions, x14, x16 & x18 etc)

+ Comparatively Lower in Price vs Ultrastar

+ New 24TB Model (X24) Version Available in 2024

– Range Can Be Confusing

– Availability Can Be Difficult + Some Models Are ‘Bulk Purchase’ Only

– Noisy!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Seagate EXOS Enterprise Server 24TB Hard Drive (BF) Amazon USA 20% off – $479.99 (was $599.99) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business Synology NAS – Synology HAT5300

8-18TB, 7200RPM, 256/512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, Synology System ONLY, Firmware Control on Synology DSM $199-599 

Arriving on the scene in Jan 2021, the Synology branded range of Hard drives for enterprise server use took ALOT of people by surprise! Synology has always had a long-standing reputation with the production of network-attached storage, so in efforts to produce a complete first-party storage system that includes the software, the network hardware AND the media inside is very what their brand has been all about. In their defence too, these are not just cash-grab drives and are in-fact enterprise-class drives that are being priced at PRO series drives (so an Ultrastar/EXOS drive that is at the price tag of a WD Red or Ironwolf Pro). The drives themselves arrive (at launch anyway) with just three capacities available (8TB, 12TB and 16TB) and the architecture of them is quite eye-catching. A 550TBW per year rating, a 2.5Million MTTF, 256/512MB cache and performance ranging across the capacities from 230MB/s to a reported 270MB/s+. The drives are originally Toshiba M06/07/08 Enterprise drives that have a tweaked Synology NAS firmware onboard, so they are geared specifically towards utilization inside the Synology ecosystem. You can even check and upgrade the individual drive firmware directly from with the Synology DSM graphical user interface too, which is quite a unique and convenient feature for those larger arrays with differing drive versions being installed throughout your server’s lifespan.

You cannot really question the quality of the hardware architecture featured on the Synology HAT5300 range of hard drives. We clearly find here a range of drives that have been designed by Toshiba (an HDD vendor with decades of experience and Synology are not being coy about highlighting the partnership on this media), combined with one of the biggest providers of modern NAS in Synology, with media that is tweaked for use within their NAS systems and despite arriving at a Pro series price tag, arrive with hardware far more comparable to that of Seagate EXOS and Western digital Ultrastar hard drives. With a terrifically impressive annual workload, an approach to drive firmware and upgrades relatively unseen from any other drive for NAS’ and remarkable transparency from Synology in the marketing of these drives on day one certainly needs to be acknowledged. Moreover, Synology is not the first brand to champion the use of locked hard drive media in their service systems and they certainly won’t be the last. Overall, I am happy with the new Synology hard drives and despite possible reservations about where the logic of locked drives and exclusivity on this product and range will be extended to in the future (standard class versions?), I still happily recommend the Synology HAT5300 media series alongside other champions of NAS hard drive in 2021.

The move towards hard drive locking by Synology is something that has impressed some and disappointed others – but if you were going to be installing drive media inside a NAS system for business anyway, then ultimately these are still a very solid and well-performing product for you.

+ Enterprise Drives at a PRO class Price

+ 550TBW on ALL Capacities

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Using them in not Synology NAS Hardware is not Supported

– More Expensive than other Enterprise Class HDDs from Seagate & WD

– Noisy Operation

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS1821+/128TB HAT5300 8 Bay Amazon UK 15.47 OFF (WAS 6657) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Hard Drives for a Business QNAP NAS – WD Ultrastar

1-18TB, 7200RPM, 256-512MB Cache, 550TBW, 5yr Warranty, FIPS and SED Options, SATA, SAS and U.2 NVMe SSD Options $70-550  

Finally, we move onto possibly the most well known of the enterprise-class of Hard Drives on the market. When it comes to data center and hyper-scale storage environments, Western Digital’s UltraStar range has the same reputation and long-running recognition as IBM has in the computer industry. They have been the go-to drive media of choice in the huge storage environment’s for years, thanks in large part to the fact they have been designed, developed and improved at the same time as the systems they were going into. In recent years, competitors have taken chunks of the market from them (as they are a larger and slightly slower behemoth to suddenly change tactic) and feature larger product runs that have to last extensive lengths of time to facilitate data center replacement media as needed. Nevertheless, in recent years the Ultrastar brand under WD has diversified hugely and alongside the popular WD Gold label has branched into a vast array of interface types, form factors, media variants and scales. Typically the first drive series to crack into a new capacity tier (the first to crack 20TB too).

Sound Test Video Live Soon (Below)

The Ultrastar series of hard drives will often be compared against the WD Red Pro range of NAS hard drives when considering populating a server. It is worth remembering that the Ultrastar series is designed for both a higher performance AND a much more enduring performance – i.e it can maintain that level, as well as switch between processes, for much longer. Indeed in testing, the Ultrastar even features a much higher Read and Write performance than pretty much any other drive that peaks as high as 280MB/s in our ATTO DiskBenchmark testing below with just a single HDD. Even the IOs (IOPS_ went as high as 19,000, which although low when compared with modern high-end SSDs, for a single HDD is really impressive).

The drives themselves are fantastically dull in appearance of course, as one might expect from the enterprise tier and also feature quite an aggressive spin up noise. However, in much larger scale environments, you will almost certainly not hear the drive media over the ambient system fan noise. Overall still an oldie but a goodie!

+ Consistently High Performance

+ Well-established HDD Drive and Brand

+ Numerous Interfaces, in-Drive Encryption Systems and Choices

– DEFINITELY one of the most confusing product ranges

– Noticeably Noisy at boot

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Best Hard Drives for a Home or Small Business 2023/2024 Gen Synology NAS – Synology HAT3300 Plus Series

4/6/8/12TB, 5900-7200RPM, 64-256MB Cache, 180TBW, 3yr Warranty, Synology NAS Designed, Firmware Update in DSM $109-189 

There is most certainly a clear design choice here to mirror that of the existing regular-class server drives on the market right now. The Synology HAT 3300+ series has been reported several times, not just here on the blog, to be built using Seagate Iron Wolf drive media with specific Synology firmware on board. Arriving with 180-terabyte annual workloads, 5400rpm, 256-megabyte cache, arriving in a CMR architecture and air-sealed – the specifications we see here are all quite standard. The 12TB benefits from an increased RPM and helium sealing, as per most 12 TB drives in the market, but apart from that the Synology Plus hard drive series are going to run quieter than most pro or enterprise-class drives, as well as have a slightly lower power consumption, but are also going to have a slight performance decrease than that of the HAT5300 and HAT3300. But that is only going to be of significance in larger RAID configurations realistically.

The differences between the Synology HAT3300, HAT5300/HAS5300 are pretty much exactly as you would find if you compared WD Red and Seagate IronWolf versus that of Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar. Indeed, I am a little surprised that Synology has not introduced a middle ground in the form of a pro series drive, but perhaps this is something that will roll out later down the line. Nevertheless, this results in quite a void of performance, durability, and scale between these two ranges when compared to long-term established server hard drive ranges from these other companies filling the gaps of capacity and pro middle ground choices. It should be immediately highlighted that regardless of which Synology hard drive you opt for, you still benefit from firmware updates being actionable from within the Synology DSM software, easier and more streamlined warranty support, and firmware optimization that is specifically tailored towards Synology hardware deployment. We have discussed this at length previously when discussing the Synology enterprise hard drives and SSDs, and although you pay a premium for Synology’s own branded drives when compared to third-party alternatives that people have been using for decades, there are nonetheless merits in using drives specifically geared towards your NAS system rather than requiring a slightly broader design that suits more diverse servers. Here is how the Synology enterprise SATA, enterprise SAS, and mid-range plus hard drives differ in their specifications:

Classification	Enterprise SATA	Enterprise SAS	Domestic SATA
Series Name	Enterprise/XS	Enterprise/XS	PLUS
Model	HAT5300	HAS5300	HAT3300
Interface	SATA 6Gb	SAS 12Gb	SATA 6Gb
Recording	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR	CMR/PMR
Capacity (5/23)	4/8/12/16/18TB	8/12/16/18TB	4/6/8/12TB
RPM	7200RPM	7200RPM	5400RPM (7200 on 12TB)
Cache	256/512MB	256/512MB	256MB
Sector Size	512e	512e	512e
Max Transfer Speed (Capacity Dependant)	254/260/253/274/281MB/s	241/253/274MB/s	202/240MB/s
Drive Sealing	AIR/AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/Helium/Helium/Helium	AIR/AIR/AIR/Helium
Power Use (Idle)	4.07/5.61/4.25/4.00/4.16W	6.62/4.36/4.46W	3.96/3.4/3.4/5.07W
Power Use (Active)	7.76/9.29/7.83/7.63/8.35W	9.87/7.80/8.12W	4.85/5.3/5.3/8.33W
Load/Unload Cycles	600K	600K	600K
Workload Rating	550TB (Annual)	550TB (Annual)	180TB (Annual)
MTBF (Hrs)	2.0/2.5Million	2.5Million	1Million
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years	3 Years

+ Much more affordable than the HAT5300 Series

+ Better range off smaller capacities than HAT5300

+ Drive Firmware can be Updated from within the Synology DSM GUI

– Not Supported on Bigger Synology NAS Systems (eg XS or SA Series)

– Lacks Data Recovery Service of Seagate Ironwolf HDDs

– 12TB Maximum Capacity (at time of writing)

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IMPORTANT! Compatibility of Hard Drives with Synology NAS Systems

An increasingly important factor when selecting NAS hard drives is their compatibility with specific NAS systems. Over the last 18-24 months, there has been a noticeable trend, especially with Synology, towards reducing the range of compatible, supported, or verified HDDs. Synology has shown a preference for their own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives, somewhat limiting the choice for users of their systems. This shift marks a departure from the traditionally open approach where most NAS brands, including Synology, supported a wide range of third-party drives.

This change in policy is significant for users needing specific storage solutions or those accustomed to a broader choice of drives. It contrasts with other NAS brands, which continue to support a variety of third-party drives, including the latest high-capacity models. When choosing a NAS hard drive in 2023/2024, it’s crucial to consider not just the drive’s specifications but also its compatibility with your NAS system. This ensures that you can take full advantage of the NAS’s features and avoid potential compatibility issues.

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NAS, or Network-Attached Storage, is a term that many tech enthusiasts swear by, yet for many, it remains an enigma. If you’ve ever wished for a more streamlined way to store, access, and manage your data, then a NAS might be the solution you’ve been looking for. This guide will specifically delve into Terramaster’s offerings in the NAS sector, helping you understand and make informed decisions.

What is a NAS?

In simple terms, a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) is a storage device connected to a network. Think of it as a personal cloud right in your home or office. Unlike a regular hard drive that connects directly to a computer, a NAS connects to your home or business network, allowing multiple users and devices to access and store data.

Here’s why it’s handy:

1. Centralized Storage: Store all your media, documents, and other data in one place.
2. Accessibility: Access your files from anywhere as long as you’re connected to the network.
3. Backup: Automatic backups of your precious data, and even your entire PC or Mac.
4. Media Streaming: Stream your stored media directly to various devices.
5. Expandability: Easily add more storage as your needs grow.

Terramaster is one of the brands that has excelled in delivering efficient and cost-effective NAS solutions. With an intuitive operating system and robust hardware options, Terramaster’s NAS offerings cater to both beginners and advanced users.

Why Not Use Cloud Services like Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox instead of a NAS?

Do not think that 3rd party cloud services are bad, they really aren’t! In fact, you should always consider adding a 2nd or 3rd tier into your backup strategy at home/work, and synchronization of files/folders on your NAS with the cloud is a good means to ensure you have another backup in place. Additionally, most NAS feature a variety of 256bit encryption options, password protection, 2 step verification and more to allow secure access is ensured to the NAS and the content, even via the cloud. Additionally, big NAS brands have been supporting Hybrid Cloud services that not only allow cloud storage to be bolted onto your NAS storage for shared usage and access, but also both brand support backup and synchronization with cloud collaborate services, such as Google’s G Suite and Microsoft’s Office 365. So there is DEFINITELY still a valid and useful place for 3rd party cloud services in 2023, however, I rarely advocate the use of these cloud services as a PRIMARY storage location. They ARE convenient and you can get a limited amount of space included for free, but I generally have three core reasons that I do not recommend cloud as a first-tier storage.

Storage Considerations with Terramaster

When contemplating storage for your NAS, especially with a brand like Terramaster, here are some considerations:

1. Hard Drive vs. SSD: Traditionally, NAS devices have used Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) because of their larger storage capacities and lower costs. However, Solid State Drives (SSDs) are gaining popularity due to faster read/write speeds and reliability. Terramaster supports both, but the choice depends on your needs. If speed is crucial, SSDs are the way to go, but if you need more storage at a lower price, HDDs are still very relevant.
2. Redundancy (RAID): Redundancy ensures data is not lost if one drive fails. Terramaster supports various RAID configurations. For beginners, the most common are RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 5 (striping with parity). RAID 1 requires two drives, duplicating data on both. If one fails, the other takes over. RAID 5 requires at least three drives and combines their storage into one ‘pool’, while still ensuring data safety.

1. Drive Capacity: Depending on the amount of data you plan to store, you’ll need to choose the right drive capacities. Terramaster’s NAS models support varying numbers of bays (places to put a drive). Think about your future needs as well; it’s often wiser to invest in a model with more bays than you currently need.
2. Drive Health Monitoring: Terramaster’s OS includes utilities to monitor drive health, helping predict potential drive failures. Regularly checking this can help prevent unexpected data loss.

1GbE, 2.5GbE, and 10GbE: What’s the difference?

One of the important considerations when setting up a NAS is the network speed. Here, the terms 1GbE, 2.5GbE, and 10GbE often come up. But what do they mean?

Simply put, these terms refer to network speeds:

• 1GbE (1 Gigabit Ethernet): Offers speeds up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).
• 2.5GbE (2.5 Gigabit Ethernet): Offers speeds up to 2.5 gigabits per second.
• 10GbE (10 Gigabit Ethernet): Offers speeds up to 10 gigabits per second.

Now, why should you care? The speed determines how fast you can read or write data to your NAS. If you’re a videographer working with 4K videos, for instance, you’d benefit from faster speeds like 10GbE. For regular home use, 1GbE might suffice.

However, remember that just having a 10GbE NAS isn’t enough. Your entire network, including routers and switches, must also support the desired speeds.

Terramaster provides NAS models with varying Ethernet capabilities. So, depending on your need for speed and budget, there’s a model for you.

Choosing Between Terramaster Desktop and Rackmount NAS

When delving deeper into the world of Network-Attached Storage (NAS), you’ll quickly discover that the physical form factor of the device can vary greatly. Two of the most common types of NAS are the desktop-based and the rackmount configurations. While Terramaster predominantly focuses on desktop NAS solutions, understanding the distinction between these two forms can help you make an informed choice tailored to your specific needs.

Understanding the Basics of Rackmount and Desktop NAS

Before we dive into the pros and cons of each type, it’s vital to understand the fundamental differences:

1. Desktop NAS: As the name implies, these are designed to sit on a desk or a shelf. They are typically more compact, stand-alone, and look like larger external hard drives.
2. Rackmount NAS: These are designed to be mounted in standardized rack cabinets commonly found in data centers and server rooms. They come in a form factor to fit the horizontal racks, usually expressed in ‘rack units’ or U (e.g., 1U, 2U, 4U).

Desktop NAS: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Compactness: They are perfect for small offices or homes with limited space. Their design is generally aesthetically pleasing, allowing them to blend seamlessly with other office devices or even home décor.
2. Portability: Easier to move around if needed, making them suitable for dynamic environments or places with changing setups.
3. Ease of Use: Most desktop NAS devices are plug-and-play. They often require minimal setup, perfect for those who may not have advanced IT skills.
4. Cost: Generally, desktop NAS devices are more affordable, making them an excellent choice for small businesses or personal use.

Cons:

1. Limited Scalability: Given their size and design, there’s a limit to how many drives or additional components you can add.
2. Cooling and Noise: Some desktop NAS models, especially those with multiple drives, may generate more noise and heat, as they lack the extensive cooling systems found in larger rackmount devices.

Rackmount NAS: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Scalability: Rackmount devices are built for expansion. Whether you’re looking to add more drives or integrate other server components, they provide more flexibility.
2. Efficient Cooling: Designed for data centers, they come with built-in cooling mechanisms to handle heat from multiple devices, ensuring longevity and consistent performance.
3. Higher Performance: These devices are generally more powerful, offering better CPU and RAM configurations suitable for businesses with extensive data operations.
4. Centralized Management: Being in a rack setup, all devices can be managed centrally, which is beneficial for larger operations.

Cons:

1. Size and Portability: Rackmount devices aren’t meant to be moved frequently. They require dedicated space, preferably in a cooled environment.
2. Complexity: They might require more expertise to set up and manage, especially in larger configurations.
3. Cost: Generally more expensive than desktop NAS due to their advanced features and build.

Given the above factors, how should you decide? Here are some considerations to help guide your choice:

1. Purpose: A home user wanting to store personal photos, documents, and media files might find a desktop NAS more than sufficient. However, a business dealing with massive databases, multiple simultaneous users, or requiring centralized server solutions would benefit more from a rackmount setup.
2. Space: Do you have space for a rack setup? If you’re limited on room, a desktop NAS might be the only feasible option.
3. Budget: High-end rackmount setups can be expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, a desktop NAS from Terramaster can provide excellent value for money.
4. Future Expansion: Always consider your future needs. If you foresee significant growth in your data needs, investing in a scalable rackmount solution now might save you the hassle and expense of upgrading later.
5. Technical Know-How: If you’re not tech-savvy and don’t have access to IT expertise, a desktop NAS is usually more straightforward and user-friendly. Rackmount setups, while offering more power and scalability, might pose challenges in setup and management.

Both desktop and rackmount NAS devices have their merits. While Terramaster primarily focuses on desktop NAS solutions, catering to a vast number of home users and small businesses, understanding the distinction between these two forms ensures you’re equipped with the knowledge to make the best decision. Whether you’re a professional photographer, a small business owner, or a large enterprise, there’s a NAS solution out there tailored to your needs. Remember, the key lies in assessing current requirements while also keeping an eye on the future. With the right NAS, you ensure not only the safety and accessibility of your data but also the smoothness of your operations.

Wrapping Up Terramaster and the Conclusion

A NAS is more than just a storage solution. It’s a centralized hub for your digital life. With brands like Terramaster providing a range of options suited for various needs, diving into the world of NAS has never been easier. When considering storage, weigh the pros and cons of HDDs vs. SSDs, think about redundancy, and plan for future data needs. Also, in today’s data-heavy world, network speeds play a crucial role, so choose a model that aligns with your demands. Whether you’re a professional needing a robust data management solution or a home user looking to centralize family memories, Terramaster’s NAS offerings can cater to your requirements. Dive in, and discover a more organized, accessible, and secure digital life.

Why Choose TerraMaster NAS? Advantages and Disadvantages

One brand that I have always had a personal love for is TerraMaster. This is purely subjective and should be taken with a pinch of salt, but for a brand that no one really knows about, they give ALOT of the key features that other bigger brand advertise alot. BTRFS support is available on pretty much ALL the Intel-based devices, they feature one of the ONLY 4 LAN 2-Bay NAS’, along with an Intel N5105 based 10Gbe 2, 4 5 and 8-Bay solution and a particularly unique 2 HDD 10GbE system. Arriving with a thunderbolt DAS range too, Terramaster is a NAS brand that has evolved comparatively quickly and although for the most part, they are only available via Amazon, this has still allowed them to be a recognizable brand. Typically in a like for like hardware comparison with them and companies like Synology/QNAP, you will find them better value for money, and the software (though less diverse or slick than those two big brands) is still pretty smooth and intuative. The chassis design is a little underwhelming, but even that has improved in recent revisions. All in all, they are the best budget NAS solution out there in 2023 and a good entry point into NAS.

PROS of TerraMaster NAS

• Great Price vs Hardware
• VERY Fast Brand Evolution
• TOS 5 Software introducing Surveillance, FluidRAID, AI-Powered photo Recognition and Isolation Mode
• Added a LARGE 2.5GbE selection of NAS in their portfolio
• Hugely Improved GUI and Client apps
• BTRFS available as file system choice
• Desktop and Rackmount options
• Similar Hardware to QNAP and Asustor, but at a Lower Price
• Straight forward range and classification
• Very Straight Fordwared Setup

CONS of TerraMaster NAS

• Very Few Mobile Apps
• Not quite as polished or fully featured as Synology/QNAP
• Despite Business targeting, very poor support of 10GBe till recently in the F2-423
• A little dated design
• Arrives with Warranty, but the turnaround is slower than many
• Have been targetted by Ransomware attacks in the last 2 years

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Synology, a leading provider of network-attached storage (NAS) solutions, has announced its latest addition to its lineup – the DS423+. This new NAS comes packed with features, including NVMe storage pools and a powerful CPU borrowed from the previously best-selling DS920+. Although the DS423+ lacks a 10GbE upgrade slot like the new DS923+, users can still enjoy 5GbE connectivity via USB adapters.

The DS423+ is equipped with an Intel Celeron J4125 CPU, a 64-bit quad-core processor with a base frequency of 2.0 GHz and a turbo frequency of 2.7 GHz. It also features a hardware encryption engine (AES-NI), making it an excellent choice for businesses and individuals looking for a secure and reliable storage solution. The system comes with 2GB DDR4 non-ECC SODIMM memory, with a maximum memory capacity of 6GB (2GB + 4GB).

One of the most significant upgrades on the DS423+ is the addition of two NVMe storage slots. This means that users can now create NVMe storage pools for faster access to frequently used files and applications. The DS423+ supports a wide range of drive types, including 3.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD, and M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. However, it’s worth noting that the hot-swappable drive feature is not supported by the M.2 SSD slots.

In terms of connectivity, the DS423+ comes with two RJ-45 1GbE LAN ports with link aggregation and failover support, as well as two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. The device’s LAN ports have a maximum transmission unit (MTU) size of 1,500 bytes. The DS423+ also supports a range of file systems, including Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+, and exFAT.

The DS423+ measures 166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm and weighs 2.18 kg. It comes with a system fan of 92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs and supports three fan speed modes – full-speed mode, cool mode, and quiet mode. The front LED indicators are also brightness adjustable. The device operates at a noise level of 19.8 dB(A) and consumes 28.3 W of power during access and 8.45 W during HDD hibernation.

The DS423+ is certified by FCC, CE, BSMI, VCCI, RCM, UKCA, EAC, CCC, and KC, and comes with a 3-year hardware warranty that can be extended to 5 years with Extended Warranty Plus. The package includes the main unit, an accessory pack, an AC power adapter, an AC power cord, two RJ-45 LAN cables, and a quick installation guide. Optional accessories include DDR4 non-ECC SODIMM, 3.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, VisualStation, and Surveillance Device License Pack.

Overall, the DS423+ is a powerful and reliable storage solution for businesses and individuals looking for high-speed access to their data. With NVMe storage pools and a robust CPU, this NAS is an excellent choice for anyone who needs a fast and secure storage solution.

Synology DS423+ specs