Best HDD for NAS 2023 – Top NAS Hard Drives and SSDs

There’s a lot that goes into building a server. Often, the CPU (central processing unit), RAM, and other network-attached storage (NAS) device characteristics get the primary focus. However, a homelab relies heavily on storage space. While sheer volume of hard disk drive (HDD) space is important, many other elements are crucial. Check out the best NAS HDD use in 2023, from what to look for in a server harddrive to which server drives you should buy!

Best HDD for NAS 2023 Overall – Seagate IronWolf Pro

Seagate is a renowned name in the PC storage space, and the Seagate IronWolf NAS drive lineup stays at the head of the pack. The IronWolf homelab HDDs come in a variety of sizes ranging from 4TB all the way up through 20TB. You’ll enjoy 7200 RPM NAS drive speeds. Coupled with a 128MB or 256MB cache for RAID depending on the model, Seagate’s IronWolf NAS Pro series is a high-performing server hard drive option.

There’s a standard SATA 6Gbps interface, great reliability that’s engineered for a 24/7 always-on server environment, and silent, vibration-free operation. In my Lenovo ThinkStation TS140 Plex server, I use Seagate IronWolf NAS-class HDDs. I’ve yet to encounter any issues, and run my media server round the clock. As is to be expected, you’ll pay a premium for Seagate’s IronWolf line when compared with consumer drives. But you’ll enjoy better performance, speed, and reliability for a server setting, so it’s definitely worth the cost.

Pros:

• 1TB-14TB capacities available
• 5900 RPM (1TB-4TB), 7200 RPM (6TB-14TB)
• 256MB cache
• RAID-ready
• Reliable
• Suitable for 24/7 operation
• Silent, vibration-free drives
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• 3.5-inch internal drive

Cons:

• More expensive than consumer HDDs

Best Price-to-Storage Server Harddrive 2023 – Western Digital Red Plus

Boasting up to a 14TB capacity, the Western Digital Red Plus series sports a ton of different storage capacities, excellent performance, and top-notch reliability. Larger WD Red NAS HDDs feature bigger caches. The 14TB version is a 7200 RPM drive and a 512MB cashe, while the 1TB variant comes with a 500RPM speed plus a 64MB cache, and the 8TB, 10TB, and 12TB drives arrive with a 256MB cache at 7200 RPM. For a massive amount of storage space, the Western Digital Red line offers great value and performance.

Unfortunately, the 7200 RPM, while solid, is only an incremental upgrade over a 5400 RPM drive. Granted, that’s a minimal performance gain particularly when compared with solid-state drives (SSDs), though when it comes to a multi-drive environment, speed matters. For up to 22TB of storage space, consider the Western Digital Red Pro NAS line. With excellent price-to-storage space ratios, the Western Digital Red HDDs are among the best server harddrive options on the market.

Pros:

• 1TB-14TB storage capacities
• RAID-capable
• 7200 RPM
• 64MB cache (1TB), 256MB cache (8-12TB), 512MB cache (14TB)
• Good price-to-storage ratio
• Engineered for 24/7 NAS use
• Silent, vibration-free operation
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• 3.5-inch internal drive

Cons:

• Middling small block sequential transfer speeds

Best Reliable Server Hard Drive – Toshiba N300

Although Toshiba may be more well-known for its consumer electronics such as TVs, the Toshiba N300 is a fantastic and reliable HDD for NAS environments. You’ll find capacities spanning 4TB through 16TB, with the 4TB and 6TB models boasting a 128MB cache, and its 8TB to 16TB drives upping the ante to a 512MBMB cache. The entire lineup comes with a speedy 7200 RPM. While most network-attached storage device hard disk drives are engineered for reliability, the Toshiba N300 line is rated for a 180TB per year workload.

With tons of different storage capacities, 7200 RPM across the entire array of HDDs, and up to a 512MB cache, the N300 is a compelling option for any homelab or enterprise server. Yet, Toshiba N300 drives are notorious for being somewhat noisy. Although this doesn’t really impact performance, if you’re running a home server, the noise level of the N300 might be an annoyance. However, if you can live with this inconvenience, you’ll appreciate a reliable, speedy, large storage capacity NAS drive.

Pros:

• 4TB-16TB storage capacities
• 128MB cache (4TB, 6TB), 256MB (8TB, 10TB, 12TB, 14TB, 16TB)
• Reliable, rated for a 180TB/year workload
• Good bang-for-the-buck
• Engineered for 24/7 operation
• RAID-capable
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• 3.5-inch internal PC drive

Cons:

• Somewhat noisy operation

Best Enterprise-caliber NAS Hard Drive 2023 – Seagate Exos

Although most NAS drives should be fine for use in a home server, an enterprise environment is generally more demanding. Accordingly, a hard disk drive built with additional performance enhancement features is a must. The Seagate Exos is a worthy inclusion in any enterprise setting, from small business NAS devices to major corporation server racks. Onboard, you’ll find helium-protected components, up to 16TB of storage space, a 256MB cache, and 7200 RPM.

With blisteringly fast read/write speeds, the Seagate Exos family is a versatile professional server harddrive. Features such as TurboBoost technology for elevate performance while lowering the risk for data loss in the event of a power outage makes the Exos suite of Seagate HDDs a best bet for the most demanding of situations. The Seagate Exos drives can be a bit loud compared to consumer drives and even other NAS hard disks, but particularly if you’re deploying in a business setting, that shouldn’t be an issue.

Pros:

• 1TB-16TB storage capacities
• 256MB cache
• 7200 RPM
• 3.5-inch internal drive
• Helium-filled for component protection
• Advanced features such as TurboBoost to increase performance while lowering the risk of data loss
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• Engineered for enterprise environments
• Suitable for 24/7 use
• RAID-capable

Cons:

• Somewhat noisy

Best Server Harddrive for Surveillance Cameras 2023 – WD Purple

All sorts of servers exist, from home media servers to file servers. While many pre-built surveillance cameras are available, surveillance NAS drives cater to video security systems. Even some NAS devices from the likes of Synology come with IP (Internet protocol) camera licenses for digital video camera surveillance systems. And the Western Digital Purple suite focuses on optimizing for video footage. The WD Purple range comes in sizes from 1TB to 14Tb with 5400 and 7200 RPM options. You’ll find up to a 512MB cache.

Created with 24/7 operation in mind, Western Digital Purpler NAS drives can support up to 64 cameras and are rated for an up to 180TB per year workload. Stepping up to its high-capacity 8TB, 10Tb, 12TB, and 14TB HDDs, WD Purple disks feature advanced features such as support for deep learning analytics in artificial intelligence-capable NVRs, and an impressive 360TB per year workload. Because Western Digital Purple drives are optimized for video recording, often times write speeds are faster than read speeds. That shouldn’t be a major concern, but it’s worth noting.

Pros:

• 1TB-18TB sizes available
• 7200 RPM and 5400 RPM options available
• 512MB cache
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• Great price-per-TB
• Engineered with surveillance systems in mind, support for up to 64 IP cameras
• 180TB/year workload (1TB-6TB), 360TB/year workload (8TB-14TB)
• Support for AI and deep learning applications

Cons: 

• Typically faster write than read speeds

Best SSD for NAS Use 2023 – Seagate IronWolf SSD

Although spindle drives remain prevalent, solid-state drives boast better performance with faster read/write speeds and improved reliability. But there’s a higher cost for SSDs than traditional HDDs. For deploying an SSD in a server environment, the IronWolf SATA SSD NAS line is an excellent choice. You’ll find drives in capacities varying from 240GB to 3.84TB. IronWolf NAS SSDs are RAID-ready and as such function flawlessly in multibay settings. Unlike the average server hard drive, Seagate network-attached storage solid-state drives come in a 2.5-inch drive form factor. Benefits include blazing fast speeds, silent, cool operation, and the ability to run worry-free in an always-on environment. A sustained data rate of up to 560MB/s is incredibly impressive.

Disappointingly, all of this awesomeness comes at a cost – quite literally. While it’s true that there’s an upcharge for NAS HDDs, server SSDs are even more expensive. The 3.84TB IronWolf SATA SSD clocks in at over $800 USD. For that price you could get two 14TB spindle drives. The price-per-gigabyte is extraordinarily high. Nevertheless, if your server needs SSD performance and reliability, the Seagate IronWolf SSD family leads the pack.

Pros:

• 240GB-3.84TB storage capacities available
• 2.5-inch internal drive
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• RAID-ready
• 560MB/s sustained data rate
• 24/7 environment capable
• DuraWrite technology for increased performance and reliability
• Cool operation
• Silent

Cons:

• Expensive

Best Budget SSD for Server Use 2023 – WD Red SSD

Western Digital Red SSDs are budget-priced, at least where solid-state drives are concerned. With storage capacities spanning 500GB to 4TB, the WD Red NAS SSDs balance price with performance. You’ll find up to a 560MB/s sustained data rate in a 2.5-inch internal PC drive form factor. Ushering in the cool, silent, reliable operation of solid-state drives, WD Red NAS SSDs are compelling options. Admittedly, the price-per-GB is still much higher than a comparatively-sized HDD. However, you’ll gain a ton of added benefits. If the price isn’t a deterrent, the WD Red SSD lineup is a great way choice for any server.

Pros:

• 500GB-4TB storage capacities available
• 24/7 environment
• RAID-ready
• 6Gbps SATA interface
• 2.5-inch internal drive
• Up to 560MB/s sustained data rates
• Silent, cool, vibration-free operation

Cons:

• High price-per-GB

What to Look for in an HDD for NAS

When selecting a NAS hard drive, there’s a lot to think about.

Storage capacity: Most obviously, storage space matters. Think about how much total hard disk space you’ll need as well as the number of HDDs you’ll be using in conjunction.

RAID: If you’re running RAID, make sure that the server-caliber drive is RAID-capable.

Reliability: Reliability is important as well. Oftentimes, servers run 24/7, so an always-on NAS stresses its disk drives more so than the average consumer PC that gets powered off occasionally.

Disk speed: Think about your preferred RPM, or revolutions per minute. The faster RPM such as 5400 and 7200 a server hard drive has, the speedier it will be.

Cache size: HDD cache size matters as well since it utilizes memory to boost effective disk speeds.

SSD vs. HDD: While SSDs feature faster read/write speeds and improved caching capabilities, HDDs boast larger storage capacities of up to 22TB, alongside cheaper cost-per-gig pricing. For a compromise, consider an SSD for your NAS operating system and caching, with larger, slower HHDs for file storage space.

Price: Finally, cost is a huge factor. In general, server-class hard drives retail for more than comparatively-sized consumer drives. Still, budget NAS drives do exist.

What to look for in a server hard drive:

• Storage space
• RAID capabilities
• Reliability
• RPM
• Cache size
• Price

Best Server Hard Drive Options FAQs

Best HDD for NAS 2023 – Final Thoughts

Overall, there are loads of server hard drive options for every use and budget. WD Red and Seagate IronWolf HDDs are perfect for home servers and business settings alike. Seagate Exos enterprise-certified NAS HDDs come equipped with premium features such as helium for protection and performance enhancement. WD Purple drives sacrifice a bit of read speed for write speed, and cater to video surveillance systems. And while the most common HDDs for NAS purposes are traditional spindle drives, you’ll find high-performance (and price) NAS SSDs as well from the likes of Western Digital and Seagate.

Your turn: What HDD for NAS environments do you recommend?