Your NAS is only as good as the drives inside it. We break down why CMR is mandatory and which 20TB+ monsters are worth the money.
By The Server Team
EasyDriveCompare.com
If you take one thing away from this guide, let it be this: Never put an SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) drive in a RAID array.
Why? SMR drives overlap data tracks to save space. When you try to overwrite data (like during a RAID rebuild), the drive has to rewrite adjacent tracks too. This causes massive slowdowns. Your NAS will think the drive has failed, kick it out of the array, and potentially crash your storage pool.
Always buy CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives.
| Drive Series | Best For | Warranty | RPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| WD Red Pro | Medium/Large Business (24/7) | 5 Years | 7200 |
| Seagate IronWolf Pro | Creative Pros (High Speed) | 5 Years | 7200 |
| Toshiba N300 | Budget Value | 3 Years | 7200 |
Once you go above 10TB or 12TB, manufacturers switch from air-filled drives to Helium-filled.
Cooler Running: Helium creates less friction, so drives run 4-5°C cooler.
Less Power: Lower friction means less energy usage (crucial for 24/7 servers).
Quieter: No turbulence means less "whirring" noise.
Don't risk your data on cheap drives. Compare prices on the best CMR NAS drives and build a server that lasts.
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