What HDD for the new NAS?


Recommended Posts

So I am picking up a new NAS soon, the synology DS213, but I have no idea what HDD to put in it. There are so many options available that it is mind blowing. I am looking for around 4TB and will probably do a raid1 or the synology hybrid raid option. I know that HDD prices are good now but I don't know what brands are good or what models.

I have had the WD caviar blacks before and really liked them. Do I stay with them or go for something else?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1138704-what-hdd-for-the-new-nas/
Share on other sites

If it's going to be on 24/7 I would go with WD Green drives.

WD has stated though that the greens are not designed for NAS setups

Blacks are overklll for a NAS. WD makes a red which is designed for NAS use, and I've seen them on sale recently for reasonable prices.

Last time I setup a NAS, the reds were sky high expensive. I'll look at it.

I got the Synology DS213, and I'm running just 1 TB WD Red, and it's held up well so far. I plan to add in a second WD Red in the future, I just don't need that much storage (for now). If you're going Western Digital, don't get the Black, Blue or Green. Only the Red lineup is 'optimized' for NAS use.

I got the Synology DS213, and I'm running just 1 TB WD Red, and it's held up well so far. I plan to add in a second WD Red in the future, I just don't need that much storage (for now). If you're going Western Digital, don't get the Black, Blue or Green. Only the Red lineup is 'optimized' for NAS use.

I have used WD drives for a long time now and they have always treated me well.

Last time I setup a NAS, the reds were sky high expensive. I'll look at it.

Microcenter is selling 2TB Reds for $119, only $10 than a green, and $50 less than a black.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/397398/Red_2TB_SATA_60Gb-s_35_Internal_Hard_Drive_WD20EFRX_-_Bare_Drive

Microcenter is selling 2TB Reds for $119, only $10 than a green, and $50 less than a black.

http://www.microcent...RX_-_Bare_Drive

That's not a half bad deal, plus I have a microcenter store near me. But if I do this then I want to make it last so I am thinking of going with the 3tb drives. Amazon has them for $158, plus I am a prime member so no tax and free shipping.

I agree with the group here and suggest WD Red drives if you can afford them. I just migrated from a Drobo-FS to a Drobo 5N, but couldn't quite stomach the extra $150 5 2TB WD Reds were going to cost me over 2TB Seagate Barracudas (which happened to be the cooler running two platter version) that were on sale.

Drobo doesn't suggest green drives in their devices.

That's not a half bad deal, plus I have a microcenter store near me. But if I do this then I want to make it last so I am thinking of going with the 3tb drives. Amazon has them for $158, plus I am a prime member so no tax and free shipping.

yea def go with the 3TB, I went with 2x2TB in my DSJ211 and running in raid 0 (i think, its mirrored for backup). I only use it for backup for my mp3s and photos but I do not look forward to eventually swapping out the drives to increase storage

We have just changed the drives in one of the NAS devices at work. Removed 4x 2TB Green and replaced with 4x 3TB Red (which are designed for NAS). When the Greens were in the NAS was fairly slow for what we use it for. A lot better now we have the right drives.

Just a side note.... every Buffalo NAS i have bought for my clients comes with WD Green's in the UK here.... Bit odd if they are not designed to be a NAS Drive.

WD Red looks brill

The Reds are "relatively" new, also depending on when Buffalo stocked up on drives, the Greens were considerably cheaper in the past. As sort of a "dumb" storage backup, they work relatively well.

yea def go with the 3TB, I went with 2x2TB in my DSJ211 and running in raid 0 (i think, its mirrored for backup). I only use it for backup for my mp3s and photos but I do not look forward to eventually swapping out the drives to increase storage

No RAID provides backup. In fact, RAID has nothing to do with backups. They only provide hardware fault-tolerance, with the exception of RAID 0.

- RAID 0 is striped = minimum of 2 drives, space is added. One drive fails, everything is gone

- RAID 1 is mirrored = example with 2 drives, 1 drive is mirrored to the other. You only have the space of one drive (assuming both HDD's are the same size). One drive fails, the RAID runs in degraded mode but you still have one drive holding your data. You can swap out the faulted drive and rebuild the array.

No RAID provides backup. In fact, RAID has nothing to do with backups. They only provide hardware fault-tolerance, with the exception of RAID 0.

- RAID 0 is striped = minimum of 2 drives, space is added. One drive fails, everything is gone

- RAID 1 is mirrored = example with 2 drives, 1 drive is mirrored to the other. You only have the space of one drive (assuming both HDD's are the same size). One drive fails, the RAID runs in degraded mode but you still have one drive holding your data. You can swap out the faulted drive and rebuild the array.

Thanks, I knew I'd pick the wrong one. Mine is currently in raid 1 then. I did use the wrong wording but by "backup" I meant in the event of 1 drive failing. I hope I am correct in assuming that if one driver were to fail I would be able to replace and the raid would repair itself?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • eSound Music 3.0.0 by Razvan Serea eSound Music is a free music streaming app that gives you access to over 150 million tracks from all genres. It allows you to search and listen to your favorite songs, create personalized playlists, and explore trending music. With an intuitive interface and smart search, discovering new artists and hits is fast and easy. You can even stream music in the background while using other apps. One of eSound’s standout features is its offline mode, letting you download and listen without internet access. eSound is widely compatible, working seamlessly across Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, HarmonyOS, Amazon Fire devices, CarPlay, Android Auto, and more. eSound Music key features: Over 150 million tracks available Smart search for songs, artists, albums, and playlists Personalized song recommendations Continuous playback with auto-generated playlists Offline mode with song and playlist downloads Daily-updated trending charts and top songs Sleep timer to auto-stop playback High-quality audio support Customizable playlists and favorites Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, Amazon Fire, and more Cross-device sync via account login Background playback while using other apps Download: eSound Music 64-bit | Portable | ~160.0 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Download: ARM64 | 116.0 MB Links: eSound Music Website | Screenshot | Web Player | Other OSes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • All these CEOs got the biggest boners thinking about firing employees for AI. Turned out it was just a wet dream.
    • And the fact that the majority of people from Poland are white European Christians while the people you are complaining about in post after post are not is just a coincidence... Every sentence in your post I am replying to is racist nonsense. None of it is actually based on any facts whatsoever. All immigrants are seeking a better life too. It's literally the only reason they would risk everything and leave their homes, families, and homeland. They are working and contributing to the economy too, as you even admit. They get the same benefits your partner did AND that YOU are eligible for as well. That is one of the key things of the EU and a mark of a civilization. That is the definition of a society where everyone is given a chance, treated equally and fairly, and is judged by the content of their character, not their different skin color or which version of ignorant superstitious nonsense their parents lied about as children. Racists around the world said the same things about the Irish and Jews and Poles (like your partner) and...every other immigrant movement over the centuries. What's your family's heritage, by the way? Were your ancestors lied about with racist fearmongering crapola by self-entitled locals the same way as you are now? If someone like that said the same things about all people from Poland, like your partner, would they be right? Or would you want them to judge your partner based on who they actually were, not where they just happened to come from?
    • Again, this is an irrelevant attempt to attack the messenger. The truth does not require any justification.
    • Removed the blue and underline as you did not post a link. This would also  be considered spamming.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      506
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      153
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      72
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      65
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!