Best NAS Hard Drive: The Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation is my top pick and the best NAS hard drive you can buy right now. It has a dual-core CPU that supports high-speed file transfer with writing speeds of up to 112 MB/s. Also live transcode dual 4K H.264/H.265 video files. Comes in sizes as big as 24 TB, which we thought was big enough.
To help you decide on a NAS hard drive for your home or office. We tested dozens of models by connecting them. To networks to test file transfer speed, high workload rates over the course of a year. And compatibility with network-attached storage (NAS) systems. Along with firmware and great customer service.
We chose based on how well the user interface was made. How easy it was to access from afar. And how well it worked with the most popular cloud service options. We looked for NAS units that could sense vibrations and handle heat, so that if a drive failed. There wouldn’t be any downtime. We looked for both the best NAS hard drive for the money and the best NAS hard drive for home use. Find out what you can about the WD Red NAS Hard Drive. And the other models on this list by continuing to read.
5 Best NAS Hard Drive
1. HGST Deskstar NAS 3.5-Inch 4TB
These Deskstar units are our pick for the best 4TB NAS hard drive in their class because they are fast and have a good reputation for being reliable.
This 4 TB HDD for Synology and other network server devices is best for use in multi-bay network drives. It has an MTBF of 1 million hours and a workflow rate capacity of 180 TB/year. It also has a SATA III hardware interface, which makes it pretty simple to set up.
This 7200-rpm drive promises to read and write data up to 20% faster than similar 5400-rpm drives. It also has better thermal efficiency and less vibration than desktop drives. It can be used in network drives that have between one and eight bays. The power consumption is rated at 850mA hours on 12V power and.450mA on 5V. Take a look at the best external hard drives for xbox 1 if you want a storage device that works with your xBox.
Pros
- 1 million hours said to go by between failures in a lifetime
- The SATA III port
- 7200 RPM
Cons
- Noisy for desktop use
- Not the cheapest NAS hard drive in its price range
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2. WD Red 4TB
This 4 TB HDD can be used in drives with up to 8 bays. It has a 64 MB Cache, SATA 6 hardware interface, and a claimed workload rate of 180 TB/year. This makes it the best HDD for NAS Synology and similar single- to eight-bay disc stations.
This Western Digital hard drive has a speed of 5400 rpm and is sold by itself. It is made for NAS hard drives with up to eight bays. It has a 64 MB cache and can store 4 TB of data. Even though these specs may not be too impressive on their own, this Western Digital Red drive is mainly made for use in a network. As such, it supports a solid 180 TB/year workflow and has a flexible hardware interface.
These WD Red drives are great for small and home office NAS systems because they come with NASware 3.0 software. This software is designed to make it easier to integrate, share, and stream content, which supports a 24/7 connected workflow. If you want to compare this to another option, take a look at some of these other storage devices.
Pros
- Formatting is easy to automate with NASware 3.0.
- 64 MB Cache
- Works with SATA 6 interface hardware
Cons
- Not the fastest hard drive available
- Some of the other NAS hard drives have more space on the inside.
3. Seagate IronWolf 12TB
This hdd for network hard drive uses rotational vibration sensors to make it last longer in enclosures with more than one drive bay. It was made to offer scalable 24/7 performance and lower maintenance costs. It also has a competitive workflow of 180 TB per year.
These Seagate drives are faster than the WD Red option and match the speed and cache size of the more expensive WD Pro. They are one of the most reliable NAS-optimized external hard drives for desktop servers and home or office network servers. This drive has a 256 MB cache and spins at 7200 rpm. It also comes with Seagate’s AgileArray interface, which makes it easy to move files and add media. It also says that it has great RAID optimization for use as a desktop server.
With its use of rotational vibration sensors, the Seagate Iron Wolf series stands out in terms of how long it lasts. These sensors, along with dual plane balancing, aim to keep the drive’s lifespan over long periods of heavy workload while controlling power consumption in multi-bay environments. You might also need to find out what the best external hard drive for Mac is.
Pros
- Designed to be used from a distance
- 7200 rpm is a speed class.
- Balance on two planes
Cons
- Costs more than some items on the list
- May use more electricity than 5400 rpm drives.
4. Toshiba (HDWN180XZSTA) N300 8TB NAS 3.5-Inch
This is the best NAS hard drive for RAID servers and one of the best NAS drives for streaming media. It is said to last a million work hours and can handle 180TB of data per year. It also has sensors for heat and vibration and good storage specs.
This 8 TB hard drive for NAS is one of the best choices for the best value NAS drive on the market. It has a high throughput capacity and a claimed work life of 1 million hours. It works best with RAID desktop servers and is mostly made for systems with 2 to 8 bays. This is great for home servers and small businesses. The total capacity is usually between 32 and 64 TB.
The Toshiba N300 hard drive for NAS has sensors for vibration and heat, and the company says it can handle 180TB of data per year. Those who want to use this drive in a single-drive environment, however, should know that it gets hot and noisy when in use. It works best in bays that are made for fast-spinning drives that make heat, like this one. If you want to use this external hard drive for gaming, check out the best external hard drive for PS4.
Pros
- For long-lasting performance, heat and vibration sensing
- 8 TB per drive
- SATA interface at 6.0 Mb/s
Cons
- Some picks have bigger caches than this one.
- Can be loud when in use
- Works best in systems designed for multiple drives
5. Synology 2 bay
Internal storage of up to 24 TB, high-speed encrypted file transfer. Three USB ports, two drive bays. And a hardware engine that can live transcode two H.264 (AVC). Or H.265 (HEVC) video streams at the same time.
The Synology 2-bay DiskStation is one of the smallest NAS drives on the market. It weighs less than three pounds when it’s empty. And it has enough processing and transcoding power to deliver high throughput workflow in a home or small office. It works with all of the most popular file transfer protocols and can store up to 24 TB of data
This Synology NAS hard drive has 2 GB of DDR3 RAM built in. But you can add up to 6 GB more if you want to. It also lets you share files well and uses the copy-on-write Btrfs file system. It has AES-NI encryption acceleration and Synology QuickConnect. Which lets you quickly get to your files from Windows, Linux, Mac, and mobile devices. All in all, if you want a small and relatively cheap network hard drive for streaming media. This may be the best NAS drive for you. If you like SD drives, you should think about getting the best micro SD card instead.
Pros
- Supports transcoding of 4k video in real time
- Works with file sharing protocols FTP, NFS, AFP, and CIFS
- Two IP licences for cameras are included.
Cons
- No discs come with it.
- Setup can take a long time, depending on how experienced the user is.
