Choosing hard drives for a NAS
A NAS (network-attached storage) box runs its drives 24/7, often several at once. That changes which drives are sensible — and which will wear out early.
Why NAS drives are different
NAS-rated drives are built for continuous operation and the vibration of sitting alongside other spinning disks. They include firmware tuned for RAID, longer warranties and higher workload ratings than desktop drives. Popular families include WD Red, Seagate IronWolf and Toshiba N300.
Capacity and the cost curve
Because you may be buying several drives at once, price per terabyte matters more than ever. Larger 3.5" drives usually give the best value, and matching capacities keeps RAID simple. Our NAS drive hub compares every NAS family and works out what it costs to fill a 2-, 4-, 5- or 8-bay box; for one size at a time see 4TB, 8TB, 12TB, 16TB and 20TB NAS drives.
Practical tips
- Buy drives from more than one batch to reduce the chance of simultaneous failure.
- RAID is not a backup — keep an offsite or cloud copy of critical data.
- Already running a NAS? See should you replace your NAS drives for a re-evaluation checklist.
- Factor noise and power: more drives mean more heat and a higher running cost.