Best NAS hard drives for QNAP
QNAP runs best on NAS-rated CMR drives built for 24/7 multi-bay duty, and unlike Synology it never locked you out of third-party disks - any NAS-class CMR drive installs and builds a pool without a fight. The list below is every current CMR NAS and enterprise drive, SATA or SAS, ranked by how often it actually fails in Backblaze's field data rather than by a vendor's approval stamp. The one thing that really changes the calculus on QNAP isn't the compatibility list, it's which of QNAP's two operating systems you run.
| Drive | Capacity | Tech | Class | Interface | AFR | €/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
ST16000NM000J Seagate Exos X18
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.17% | - | - |
| 2 |
MG11ACA24TE Toshiba MG11
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.42% | €43.71 | €1,049 |
| 3 |
WUH722222ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC570
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.45% | €53.04 | €1,167 |
| 4 |
ST16000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.53% | €28.30 | €453 |
| 5 |
WUH722626ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC590
|
26 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.67% | €48.15 | €1,252 |
| 6 |
MG10ACA20TE Toshiba MG10
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.68% | €42.49 | €850 |
| 7 |
WUH721414ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC530
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.72% | €49.99 | €700 |
| 8 |
WUH721816ALE6Lx WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.88% | €63.26 | €1,012 |
| 9 |
ST12000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.97% | €70.68 | €848 |
| 10 |
MG07ACA14TE Toshiba MG07
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.16% | - | - |
| 11 |
ST14000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.24% | €59.61 | €835 |
| 12 |
MG08ACA16Tx Toshiba MG08
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.43% | €28.30 | €453 |
| 13 |
MG09ACA16TE Toshiba MG09
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.46% | - | - |
| 14 |
ST24000NM002H Seagate Exos X24
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 2.91% | €40.20 | €965 |
| 15 |
HUH721212ALE604 WD Ultrastar DC HC520
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 2.98% | €67.49 | €810 |
| 16 |
WUH722424ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC580
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €54.75 | €1,314 |
| 17 |
ST24000NT002 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
24 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €50.00 | €1,200 |
| 18 |
WD241KFGX WD Red Pro
|
24 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €41.63 | €999 |
| 19 |
WD242KRYZ WD Gold
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €56.21 | €1,349 |
| 20 |
HAT5320-24T Synology Enterprise Series
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 21 |
WD221KFGX WD Red Pro
|
22 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €52.00 | €1,144 |
| 22 |
WD221KRYZ WD Gold
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €60.27 | €1,326 |
| 23 |
ST22000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
22 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €55.00 | €1,210 |
| 24 |
ST22000NM001E Seagate Exos X22
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €30.00 | €660 |
| 25 |
MG10AFA22TE Toshiba MG10
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €39.50 | €869 |
| 26 |
WD201KFGX WD Red Pro
|
20 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €58.67 | €1,173 |
| 27 |
WD202KRYZ WD Gold
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €45.00 | €900 |
| 28 |
WUH722020BLE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC560
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €25.90 | €518 |
| 29 |
ST20000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
20 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 30 |
ST20000NM007D Seagate Exos X20
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 31 |
HAT3320-20T Synology Plus Series
|
20 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 32 |
HAT5320-20T Synology Enterprise Series
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 33 |
WD181KFGX WD Red Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €51.76 | €932 |
| 34 |
WD181KRYZ WD Gold
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €50.36 | €906 |
| 35 |
WUH721818ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €64.22 | €1,156 |
| 36 |
ST18000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 37 |
ST18000NM000J Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €34.73 | €625 |
| 38 |
ST18000NM004J Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | €71.11 | €1,280 |
| 39 |
MG09ACA18TE Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €58.17 | €1,047 |
| 40 |
MG09SCA18TE Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | €36.55 | €658 |
| 41 |
HDWG180 Toshiba N300
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €54.88 | €988 |
| 42 |
WD161KFGX WD Red Pro
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €52.25 | €836 |
| 43 |
WD161KRYZ WD Gold
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 44 |
ST16000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €43.69 | €699 |
| 45 |
ST16000NM002G Seagate Exos X16
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | €61.24 | €980 |
| 46 |
HDWG51G Toshiba N300
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €57.12 | €914 |
| 47 |
HAT3310-16T Synology Plus Series
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 48 |
HAT5310-16T Synology Enterprise Series
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 49 |
WD140EFGX WD Red Plus
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €74.21 | €1,039 |
| 50 |
WD142KFGX WD Red Pro
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €49.79 | €697 |
| 51 |
WD142KRYZ WD Gold
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €50.92 | €713 |
| 52 |
WUH721414AL5204 WD Ultrastar DC HC530
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | €52.85 | €740 |
| 53 |
ST14000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €31.50 | €441 |
| 54 |
HDWG31G Toshiba N300
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €54.57 | €764 |
| 55 |
MG07SCA14TE Toshiba MG07
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 56 |
WD120EFBX WD Red Plus
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €50.35 | €604 |
| 57 |
WD121KFBX WD Red Pro
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €54.29 | €652 |
| 58 |
WD121KRYZ WD Gold
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 59 |
ST12000VN0008 Seagate IronWolf
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €42.33 | €508 |
| 60 |
ST12000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €44.08 | €529 |
| 61 |
HDWG21C Toshiba N300
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €43.75 | €525 |
| 62 |
MG07ACA12TE Toshiba MG07
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €39.58 | €475 |
| 63 |
HAT3310-12T Synology Plus Series
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 64 |
HAT5300-12T Synology Enterprise Series
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 65 |
WD101EFBX WD Red Plus
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €65.05 | €650 |
| 66 |
WD102KFBX WD Red Pro
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €66.63 | €666 |
| 67 |
WD102KRYZ WD Gold
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 68 |
WUS721010ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC330
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €65.87 | €659 |
| 69 |
ST10000VN000 Seagate IronWolf
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €48.99 | €490 |
| 70 |
ST10000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €50.70 | €507 |
| 71 |
ST10000NM019B Seagate Exos 7E10
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €54.05 | €540 |
| 72 |
HDWG11A Toshiba N300
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €43.05 | €430 |
| 73 |
MG06ACA10TE Toshiba MG06
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 74 |
WD80EFPX WD Red Plus
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €52.82 | €423 |
| 75 |
WD80EFZZ WD Red Plus
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €61.03 | €488 |
| 76 |
WD8005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €52.03 | €416 |
| 77 |
WD8004FRYZ WD Gold
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €63.74 | €510 |
| 78 |
HUS728T8TALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC320
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €61.95 | €496 |
| 79 |
ST8000VN004 Seagate IronWolf
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €46.87 | €375 |
| 80 |
ST8000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €69.74 | €558 |
| 81 |
ST8000NM000A Seagate Exos 7E8
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €57.06 | €457 |
| 82 |
ST8000NM017B Seagate Exos 7E10
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €74.23 | €594 |
| 83 |
HDWG480 Toshiba N300
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €55.38 | €443 |
| 84 |
MG06ACA800E Toshiba MG06
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €71.24 | €570 |
| 85 |
ST8000NM018B Seagate Exos 7E10
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SAS | - | - | - |
| 86 |
HAT3320-8T Synology Plus Series
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 87 |
HAT5320-8T Synology Enterprise Series
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 88 |
WD60EFPX WD Red Plus
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €59.75 | €358 |
| 89 |
WD6005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €50.83 | €305 |
| 90 |
WD6004FRYZ WD Gold
|
6 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €83.33 | €500 |
| 91 |
ST6000VN006 Seagate IronWolf
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €75.82 | €455 |
| 92 |
ST6000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €54.83 | €329 |
| 93 |
HDWG460 Toshiba N300
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €52.75 | €317 |
| 94 |
MG06ACA600E Toshiba MG06
|
6 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 95 |
HAT3300-6T Synology Plus Series
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €57.75 | €346 |
| 96 |
WD40EFPX WD Red Plus
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €55.68 | €223 |
| 97 |
WD4005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €88.35 | €353 |
| 98 |
WD4004FRYZ WD Gold
|
4 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €64.77 | €259 |
| 99 |
ST4000VN006 Seagate IronWolf
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €54.94 | €220 |
| 100 |
ST4000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €65.50 | €262 |
| 101 |
HDWG440 Toshiba N300
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €70.72 | €283 |
| 102 |
HAT3300-4T Synology Plus Series
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 103 |
HAT5320-4T Synology Enterprise Series
|
4 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
ST16000NM000J
CMR
Seagate Exos X18
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.17%
Price / TB-
MG11ACA24TE
CMR
Toshiba MG11
Capacity24 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.42%
Price / TB€43.71
€1,049best live price
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WUH722222ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC570
Capacity22 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.45%
Price / TB€53.04
€1,167best live price
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ST16000NM001G
CMR
Seagate Exos X16
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.53%
Price / TB€28.30
€453best live price
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WUH722626ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC590
Capacity26 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.67%
Price / TB€48.15
€1,252best live price
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MG10ACA20TE
CMR
Toshiba MG10
Capacity20 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.68%
Price / TB€42.49
€850best live price
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WUH721414ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC530
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.72%
Price / TB€49.99
€700best live price
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WUH721816ALE6Lx
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC550
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.88%
Price / TB€63.26
€1,012best live price
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ST12000NM001G
CMR
Seagate Exos X16
Capacity12 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate0.97%
Price / TB€70.68
€848best live price
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MG07ACA14TE
CMR
Toshiba MG07
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate1.16%
Price / TB-
ST14000NM001G
CMR
Seagate Exos X16
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate1.24%
Price / TB€59.61
€835best live price
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MG08ACA16Tx
CMR
Toshiba MG08
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate1.43%
Price / TB€28.30
€453best live price
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MG09ACA16TE
CMR
Toshiba MG09
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate1.46%
Price / TB-
ST24000NM002H
CMR
Seagate Exos X24
Capacity24 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate2.91%
Price / TB€40.20
€965best live price
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HUH721212ALE604
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC520
Capacity12 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate2.98%
Price / TB€67.49
€810best live price
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WUH722424ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC580
Capacity24 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.75
€1,314best live price
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ST24000NT002
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity24 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.00
€1,200best live price
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WD241KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity24 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€41.63
€999best live price
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WD242KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity24 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€56.21
€1,349best live price
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HAT5320-24T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity24 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD221KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity22 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.00
€1,144best live price
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WD221KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity22 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€60.27
€1,326best live price
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ST22000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity22 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€55.00
€1,210best live price
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ST22000NM001E
CMR
Seagate Exos X22
Capacity22 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€30.00
€660best live price
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MG10AFA22TE
CMR
Toshiba MG10
Capacity22 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€39.50
€869best live price
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WD201KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity20 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€58.67
€1,173best live price
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WD202KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity20 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€45.00
€900best live price
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WUH722020BLE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC560
Capacity20 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€25.90
€518best live price
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ST20000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity20 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST20000NM007D
CMR
Seagate Exos X20
Capacity20 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT3320-20T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity20 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT5320-20T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity20 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD181KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€51.76
€932best live price
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WD181KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.36
€906best live price
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WUH721818ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC550
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€64.22
€1,156best live price
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ST18000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST18000NM000J
CMR
Seagate Exos X18
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€34.73
€625best live price
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ST18000NM004J
CMR
Seagate Exos X18
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€71.11
€1,280best live price
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MG09ACA18TE
CMR
Toshiba MG09
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€58.17
€1,047best live price
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MG09SCA18TE
CMR
Toshiba MG09
Capacity18 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€36.55
€658best live price
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HDWG180
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity18 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.88
€988best live price
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WD161KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity16 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.25
€836best live price
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WD161KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST16000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity16 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€43.69
€699best live price
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ST16000NM002G
CMR
Seagate Exos X16
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€61.24
€980best live price
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HDWG51G
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity16 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€57.12
€914best live price
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HAT3310-16T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity16 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT5310-16T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity16 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD140EFGX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity14 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€74.21
€1,039best live price
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WD142KFGX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity14 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€49.79
€697best live price
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WD142KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.92
€713best live price
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WUH721414AL5204
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC530
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.85
€740best live price
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ST14000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity14 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€31.50
€441best live price
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HDWG31G
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity14 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.57
€764best live price
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MG07SCA14TE
CMR
Toshiba MG07
Capacity14 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD120EFBX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.35
€604best live price
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WD121KFBX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.29
€652best live price
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WD121KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity12 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
ST12000VN0008
CMR
Seagate IronWolf
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€42.33
€508best live price
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ST12000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€44.08
€529best live price
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HDWG21C
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€43.75
€525best live price
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MG07ACA12TE
CMR
Toshiba MG07
Capacity12 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€39.58
€475best live price
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HAT3310-12T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity12 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT5300-12T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity12 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD101EFBX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity10 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€65.05
€650best live price
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WD102KFBX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity10 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€66.63
€666best live price
View on Amazon
WD102KRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity10 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WUS721010ALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC330
Capacity10 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€65.87
€659best live price
View on Amazon
ST10000VN000
CMR
Seagate IronWolf
Capacity10 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€48.99
€490best live price
View on Amazon
ST10000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity10 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.70
€507best live price
View on Amazon
ST10000NM019B
CMR
Seagate Exos 7E10
Capacity10 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.05
€540best live price
View on Amazon
HDWG11A
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity10 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€43.05
€430best live price
View on Amazon
MG06ACA10TE
CMR
Toshiba MG06
Capacity10 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD80EFPX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.82
€423best live price
View on Amazon
WD80EFZZ
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€61.03
€488best live price
View on Amazon
WD8005FFBX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.03
€416best live price
View on Amazon
WD8004FRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€63.74
€510best live price
View on Amazon
HUS728T8TALE6L4
CMR
WD Ultrastar DC HC320
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€61.95
€496best live price
View on Amazon
ST8000VN004
CMR
Seagate IronWolf
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€46.87
€375best live price
View on Amazon
ST8000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€69.74
€558best live price
View on Amazon
ST8000NM000A
CMR
Seagate Exos 7E8
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€57.06
€457best live price
View on Amazon
ST8000NM017B
CMR
Seagate Exos 7E10
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€74.23
€594best live price
View on Amazon
HDWG480
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€55.38
€443best live price
View on Amazon
MG06ACA800E
CMR
Toshiba MG06
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€71.24
€570best live price
View on Amazon
ST8000NM018B
CMR
Seagate Exos 7E10
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT3320-8T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity8 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT5320-8T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity8 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
WD60EFPX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€59.75
€358best live price
View on Amazon
WD6005FFBX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€50.83
€305best live price
View on Amazon
WD6004FRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity6 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€83.33
€500best live price
View on Amazon
ST6000VN006
CMR
Seagate IronWolf
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€75.82
€455best live price
View on Amazon
ST6000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.83
€329best live price
View on Amazon
HDWG460
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€52.75
€317best live price
View on Amazon
MG06ACA600E
CMR
Toshiba MG06
Capacity6 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT3300-6T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity6 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€57.75
€346best live price
View on Amazon
WD40EFPX
CMR
WD Red Plus
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€55.68
€223best live price
View on Amazon
WD4005FFBX
CMR
WD Red Pro
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€88.35
€353best live price
View on Amazon
WD4004FRYZ
CMR
WD Gold
Capacity4 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB€64.77
€259best live price
View on Amazon
ST4000VN006
CMR
Seagate IronWolf
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€54.94
€220best live price
View on Amazon
ST4000NT001
CMR
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS-Pro
Failure rate-
Price / TB€65.50
€262best live price
View on Amazon
HDWG440
CMR
Toshiba N300
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB€70.72
€283best live price
View on Amazon
HAT3300-4T
CMR
Synology Plus Series
Capacity4 TB
ClassNAS
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
HAT5320-4T
CMR
Synology Enterprise Series
Capacity4 TB
ClassEnterprise
Failure rate-
Price / TB-
Ranked by measured failure rate (Backblaze AFR). $/TB uses the cheapest live price where available.
How QNAP handles drives
QNAP ships two operating systems, and they ask different things of a drive. Plain QTS runs ext4 over Linux mdraid and is forgiving, so almost any NAS-rated CMR drive is a fine fit. QuTS hero is ZFS - checksums, snapshots and self-healing - and like any ZFS box it leans harder on the disks, rewarding consistent behaviour and honest RAID error timing (TLER/ERC). Both take standard SATA drives; the SAS-capable rackmount and enterprise units take SAS through their backplane or an HBA, which is why enterprise SAS drives appear in the list above.
CMR, and why it matters more on QuTS hero
Whichever OS you run, buy CMR. An SMR drive slows to a crawl under the sustained writes of a RAID rebuild and can drop out of the group at the exact moment you need it to hold. On QuTS hero that risk is sharper, because a ZFS resilver reads and writes across every disk the way it does on TrueNAS. So the list here is CMR-only, and every drive page states the recording tech so you can check any model in seconds.
Compatibility: a list, but not a lockout
QNAP keeps a per-model compatibility list, but it works nothing like Synology's 2025 lockout. An unlisted NAS drive still installs, builds a pool, and runs - the list mostly governs the "unverified drive" warning and a few model-specific extras, not whether the disk works. Check it for your exact model if you want every feature enabled, but don't treat a drive's absence from it as a wall.
What to optimise for
NAS-rated CMR is the floor: vibration tolerance for a multi-bay box, and RAID error-recovery timing so one slow sector doesn't get a healthy drive evicted mid-rebuild. Enterprise SATA or SAS drops in fine if you want the endurance and the longer warranty and can live with the extra noise and power, and it earns its keep on QuTS hero or a heavy always-on load. Separately, QNAP supports SSD read/write caching and QTier auto-tiering, and QM2 cards add M.2 slots on units without them - those decide where a drive sits, fast cache versus bulk pool, not the rule that the spinning bulk should be NAS-rated CMR. Plan the array with the RAID calculator, then pick from the top of the table.
The short version
Run CMR, full stop - it is the one thing that protects a rebuild, and doubly so on QuTS hero's ZFS. Beyond that, buy NAS-class for a home box or enterprise (SATA or SAS) for an always-on one, check QNAP's list only if you want every extra enabled, and start from the top of the failure-rate ranking. Add an SSD cache if your writes are heavy, and keep the spinning pool CMR.
Frequently asked questions
- Does QNAP block third-party drives like Synology did?
- No. When Synology locked its 2025 Plus units to a short in-house drive list, QNAP kept publicly backing third-party disks. An unlisted NAS drive still installs, builds a pool, and runs normally - QNAP's compatibility list mainly controls the 'unverified drive' warning, not whether you can use the disk. Check it for your exact model if you want every feature lit.
- Does the drive choice change between QTS and QuTS hero?
- Yes. QTS runs ext4 on Linux mdraid and is forgiving - mid-range NAS drives are fine. QuTS hero is ZFS, which checksums and self-heals but wants consistent, well-behaved drives with honest error timing (TLER/ERC); favour NAS-Pro or enterprise CMR there, and add an SSD cache if the workload is write-heavy.
- Can I use enterprise or SAS drives in a QNAP?
- Yes. QNAP supports enterprise SATA drives everywhere, and its SAS-capable rackmount and enterprise units take SAS directly - both add endurance and a 5-year warranty at the cost of noise and power. For most home units NAS-class SATA is the better balance; enterprise or SAS makes more sense on QuTS hero or a heavy 24/7 load.
- Why avoid SMR in a QNAP?
- SMR drives slow dramatically under sustained writes and can drop out of a RAID group during a rebuild, and that risk is sharper on QuTS hero where a ZFS resilver hammers every disk. CMR avoids the failure mode entirely, which is why this list is CMR-only.