How to choose hard drives for NAS

How to Choose Hard Drives for NAS

Choosing the right hard drive for your NAS (Network Attached Storage) is one of the most important decisions in building a reliable storage system. Not all hard drives are designed for NAS environments — and selecting the wrong one can lead to poor performance, reduced lifespan, or even data loss.

At Neology Technology – Australia’s Data Storage Specialist, we help customers choose storage solutions that balance performance, reliability, and value. Here’s what you need to know.

1️⃣ Why You Shouldn’t Use Regular Desktop Drives in a NAS

NAS systems operate very differently from a standard PC:

  • They run 24/7
  • They handle multiple users simultaneously
  • They operate in multi-drive RAID environments
  • They experience constant vibration and workload

Desktop drives are not designed for this type of workload. NAS drives are built specifically for:

  • Higher durability
  • RAID error recovery control
  • Better vibration tolerance
  • Optimised firmware for multi-bay systems

2️⃣ Understand NAS vs Enterprise Drives

There are generally two categories suitable for NAS systems:

NAS Drives (Best for Home & SMB)

Designed for:

  • 2–8 bay NAS systems
  • Moderate workloads
  • Home offices
  • Media servers

Examples include drives like Seagate IronWolf or Western Digital Red, Red Plus, Red Pro.

Enterprise Drives (Best for Heavy Workloads)

Designed for:

  • 8+ bay systems
  • Business-critical data
  • Higher annual workload ratings
  • Data centre environments

Popular enterprise-grade options include:

  • Seagate Exos
  • Western Digital Ultrastar
  • Western Digital Gold

Enterprise drives offer:

  • Higher workload ratings (often 550TB/year)
  • Better vibration resistance
  • Longer MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
  • Stronger firmware stability

For many serious NAS users in Australia, enterprise drives provide better long-term value.

3️⃣ Capacity Planning: How Much Storage Do You Need?

Before buying drives, ask:

  • How much data do I have today?
  • How fast is my data growing?
  • Will I use RAID redundancy?
  • Will I run Plex, backups, VM storage, or surveillance?

Remember:

If you run RAID 5 or RAID 6, usable capacity will be less than total raw capacity.

Example:
4 x 12TB in RAID 5 ≠ 48TB usable
You’ll get roughly 36TB usable (one drive parity).

Plan for future growth — upgrading later is more expensive than sizing correctly from the start.

Here are some useful tools to help you plan your capacity with your NAS:

4️⃣ CMR vs SMR — This Is Critical

Always choose CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives for NAS.

Avoid SMR drives because:

  • Slower write speeds
  • Poor RAID rebuild performance
  • Increased risk during rebuild

Enterprise drives like Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar are CMR-based and ideal for NAS environments.

5️⃣ RPM & Performance

Most NAS and enterprise drives run at:

  • 7200 RPM → Higher performance
  • 5400 RPM → Lower noise and power

For:

  • Media streaming → 5400 or 7200 is fine
  • VM hosting or heavy workloads → 7200 recommended
  • Business storage → 7200 preferred

6️⃣ Workload Rating Matters

Each drive has an annual workload rating (TB/year).

Typical ranges:

  • NAS drives: 180–300TB/year
  • Enterprise drives: 550TB/year

If you:

  • Run backups daily
  • Store surveillance footage
  • Host multiple users
  • Perform frequent large transfers

Choose higher workload-rated drives.

7️⃣ Reliability & Warranty

Look for:

  • High MTBF rating
  • Established brand reputation
  • Longer term warranty

Enterprise models like Exos and Ultrastar often provide stronger durability specifications.

8️⃣ Noise & Power Consumption

Enterprise drives may:

  • Run slightly louder
  • Consume slightly more power

For home living spaces, consider placement and ventilation.

For server racks or dedicated rooms, this is less important.

9️⃣ Buying from a Trusted Australian Supplier

Hard drives are sensitive devices.

Choose a supplier that:

  • Ships properly packaged drives
  • Operates locally
  • Provides genuine warranty support
  • Understands Australian consumer law

At Neology Technology, we:

  • Operate onshore
  • Ship fast from Melbourne
  • Provide consultation before purchase
  • Specialise in genuine Seagate Exos, WD Ultrastar, and UniFi solutions

Final Recommendation

If you're building a NAS in Australia:

✔ Choose CMR drives
✔ Consider enterprise-grade options for better durability
✔ Plan capacity carefully
✔ Buy from a reputable local supplier
✔ Match workload rating to your usage

Your data is valuable — your storage should be reliable.

If you need help selecting drives for your NAS build, our team at Neology Technology is here to assist with storage planning and equipment selection.

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