Best hard drives for a UGREEN NAS
UGREEN's NASync line is the new arrival in NAS, and its DXP boxes take ordinary 3.5-inch SATA drives, so the choice comes down to the same things it always does: a CMR drive, a low real-world failure rate, and a price per terabyte you're happy with. UGREEN does publish a compatibility list, but it's the friendly kind - a reference, not a lock. The picks below are current CMR NAS and enterprise SATA drives, ranked by measured Backblaze failure rate.
* Shown as a full table on desktop, and as cards on tablet and phone.
| 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% | - | - |
| 4 |
ST16000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.53% | €43.06 | €689 |
| 5 |
WUH722626ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC590
|
26 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.67% | €53.11 | €1,381 |
| 6 |
MG10ACA20TE Toshiba MG10
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.68% | €45.75 | €915 |
| 7 |
WUH721414ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC530
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.72% | €54.39 | €761 |
| 8 |
WUH721816ALE6Lx WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.88% | €51.62 | €826 |
| 9 |
ST12000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 0.97% | €71.27 | €855 |
| 10 |
MG07ACA14TE Toshiba MG07
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.16% | - | - |
| 11 |
ST14000NM001G Seagate Exos X16
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.24% | €54.41 | €762 |
| 12 |
MG08ACA16Tx Toshiba MG08
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.43% | - | - |
| 13 |
MG09ACA16TE Toshiba MG09
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 1.46% | - | - |
| 14 |
ST24000NM002H Seagate Exos X24
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 2.91% | €39.46 | €947 |
| 15 |
HUH721212ALE604 WD Ultrastar DC HC520
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | 2.98% | - | - |
| 16 |
WUH722424ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC580
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €51.23 | €1,230 |
| 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 | - | €56.10 | €1,346 |
| 19 |
WD242KRYZ WD Gold
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €57.89 | €1,389 |
| 20 |
HAT5320-24T Synology Enterprise Series
|
24 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 21 |
WD221KFGX WD Red Pro
|
22 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €44.44 | €978 |
| 22 |
WD221KRYZ WD Gold
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €44.09 | €970 |
| 23 |
ST22000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
22 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 24 |
ST22000NM001E Seagate Exos X22
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €30.00 | €660 |
| 25 |
MG10AFA22TE Toshiba MG10
|
22 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €36.36 | €800 |
| 26 |
WD201KFGX WD Red Pro
|
20 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €59.95 | €1,199 |
| 27 |
WD202KRYZ WD Gold
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 28 |
WUH722020BLE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC560
|
20 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €29.15 | €583 |
| 29 |
ST20000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
20 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €54.38 | €1,088 |
| 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 | - | €59.80 | €1,076 |
| 34 |
WD181KRYZ WD Gold
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €53.75 | €968 |
| 35 |
WUH721818ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC550
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €64.75 | €1,166 |
| 36 |
ST18000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | - | - |
| 37 |
ST18000NM000J Seagate Exos X18
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €35.00 | €630 |
| 38 |
MG09ACA18TE Toshiba MG09
|
18 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €50.16 | €903 |
| 39 |
HDWG180 Toshiba N300
|
18 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €56.34 | €1,014 |
| 40 |
WD161KFGX WD Red Pro
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €47.87 | €766 |
| 41 |
WD161KRYZ WD Gold
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €49.94 | €799 |
| 42 |
ST16000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €43.63 | €698 |
| 43 |
HDWG51G Toshiba N300
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €64.76 | €1,036 |
| 44 |
HAT3310-16T Synology Plus Series
|
16 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 45 |
HAT5310-16T Synology Enterprise Series
|
16 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 46 |
WD140EFGX WD Red Plus
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €73.27 | €1,026 |
| 47 |
WD142KFGX WD Red Pro
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €49.97 | €700 |
| 48 |
WD142KRYZ WD Gold
|
14 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €56.00 | €784 |
| 49 |
ST14000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €39.21 | €549 |
| 50 |
HDWG31G Toshiba N300
|
14 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €49.63 | €695 |
| 51 |
WD120EFBX WD Red Plus
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €64.98 | €780 |
| 52 |
WD121KFBX WD Red Pro
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €49.58 | €595 |
| 53 |
WD121KRYZ WD Gold
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €48.75 | €585 |
| 54 |
ST12000VN0008 Seagate IronWolf
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €45.75 | €549 |
| 55 |
ST12000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €44.00 | €528 |
| 56 |
HDWG21C Toshiba N300
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €45.09 | €541 |
| 57 |
MG07ACA12TE Toshiba MG07
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €44.17 | €530 |
| 58 |
HAT3310-12T Synology Plus Series
|
12 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 59 |
HAT5300-12T Synology Enterprise Series
|
12 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 60 |
WD101EFBX WD Red Plus
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 61 |
WD102KFBX WD Red Pro
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €64.49 | €645 |
| 62 |
WD102KRYZ WD Gold
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €51.00 | €510 |
| 63 |
WUS721010ALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC330
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 64 |
ST10000VN000 Seagate IronWolf
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €74.09 | €741 |
| 65 |
ST10000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €48.20 | €482 |
| 66 |
ST10000NM019B Seagate Exos 7E10
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €52.01 | €520 |
| 67 |
HDWG11A Toshiba N300
|
10 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €57.30 | €573 |
| 68 |
MG06ACA10TE Toshiba MG06
|
10 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 69 |
WD80EFPX WD Red Plus
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €78.75 | €630 |
| 70 |
WD80EFZZ WD Red Plus
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €78.22 | €626 |
| 71 |
WD8005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €55.63 | €445 |
| 72 |
WD8004FRYZ WD Gold
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €61.13 | €489 |
| 73 |
HUS728T8TALE6L4 WD Ultrastar DC HC320
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €46.95 | €376 |
| 74 |
ST8000VN004 Seagate IronWolf
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €47.45 | €380 |
| 75 |
ST8000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €70.36 | €563 |
| 76 |
ST8000NM000A Seagate Exos 7E8
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €45.15 | €361 |
| 77 |
ST8000NM017B Seagate Exos 7E10
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €74.47 | €596 |
| 78 |
HDWG480 Toshiba N300
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €50.90 | €407 |
| 79 |
MG06ACA800E Toshiba MG06
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €72.86 | €583 |
| 80 |
HAT3320-8T Synology Plus Series
|
8 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | - | - |
| 81 |
HAT5320-8T Synology Enterprise Series
|
8 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 82 |
WD60EFPX WD Red Plus
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €53.78 | €323 |
| 83 |
WD6005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €51.51 | €309 |
| 84 |
WD6004FRYZ WD Gold
|
6 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €83.50 | €501 |
| 85 |
ST6000VN006 Seagate IronWolf
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €50.81 | €305 |
| 86 |
ST6000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €51.50 | €309 |
| 87 |
HDWG460 Toshiba N300
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €62.97 | €378 |
| 88 |
MG06ACA600E Toshiba MG06
|
6 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
| 89 |
HAT3300-6T Synology Plus Series
|
6 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €60.64 | €364 |
| 90 |
WD40EFPX WD Red Plus
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €54.34 | €217 |
| 91 |
WD4005FFBX WD Red Pro
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €92.86 | €371 |
| 92 |
WD4004FRYZ WD Gold
|
4 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | €64.75 | €259 |
| 93 |
ST4000VN006 Seagate IronWolf
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €51.73 | €207 |
| 94 |
ST4000NT001 Seagate IronWolf Pro
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS-Pro | SATA | - | €57.25 | €229 |
| 95 |
HDWG440 Toshiba N300
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €59.23 | €237 |
| 96 |
HAT3300-4T Synology Plus Series
|
4 TB | CMR | NAS | SATA | - | €70.00 | €280 |
| 97 |
HAT5320-4T Synology Enterprise Series
|
4 TB | CMR | Enterprise | SATA | - | - | - |
Ranked by measured failure rate (Backblaze AFR). $/TB uses the cheapest live price where available.
How a UGREEN NAS handles drives
The NASync DXP units are consumer SATA NAS boxes: 3.5-inch bays (some also take 2.5-inch), a straightforward setup, and separate M.2 NVMe slots for SSD caching that have nothing to do with the hard-drive bays. There's no SAS backplane, so this is SATA territory - any current 3.5-inch SATA NAS or enterprise drive drops in. The range runs from 2-bay up to 6- and 8-bay models, so how many drives you buy is really a question of the box you picked.
CMR, never SMR
Buy CMR. An SMR drive slows to a crawl during a RAID rebuild and under sustained writes, which is exactly when an array is working hardest and least able to wait. Stall it long enough and it can drop out of the group mid-rebuild, the worst possible moment. CMR avoids that failure mode entirely, so the list here is CMR-only and every drive page states the recording tech.
Compatibility: a list, and a per-bay cap
UGREEN keeps a compatibility list covering drives, SSDs, RAM and UPS, but unlike Synology it is openly third-party friendly - its own material points you at Western Digital, Seagate and Toshiba, and an unlisted drive still works. The one UGREEN-specific thing worth checking is the per-bay capacity cap: each model supports drives up to a certain size, 32TB per bay on some, so confirm your model's limit before buying a very large drive. Past that, any current CMR SATA NAS or enterprise drive is fair game.
What to optimise for
Buy identical-capacity CMR drives for the array, up to your model's per-bay cap. Lead with reliability, then compare price per terabyte across Seagate, WD and Toshiba before you commit. Keep at least one parity drive, and move to double parity once you're running several large drives, since a bigger drive takes longer to rebuild and the second parity gives that rebuild a margin. The M.2 slots are a separate question - handy for an SSD cache, but the bulk storage lives in the SATA bays, and that is what this list is for.
The short version
Any current CMR SATA NAS or enterprise drive works in a NASync - there's no lock-in, just a per-bay size cap to respect. Buy matched capacities, start from the failure-rate ranking, and compare price per terabyte from there. Skip SMR entirely.
Frequently asked questions
- What hard drives are compatible with a UGREEN NAS?
- The DXP 3.5-inch bays take any standard SATA hard drive - there's no vendor lock-in. UGREEN publishes a compatibility list (drives, SSDs, RAM and UPS) but it's a reference, not a gate: an unlisted CMR NAS or enterprise drive still works. Stick to CMR (Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus, Toshiba N300, or enterprise Exos/Ultrastar/MG) and check your model's per-bay size cap. The M.2 NVMe slots for SSD caching are separate from the hard-drive bays.
- Is there a maximum drive size for a UGREEN NAS?
- Yes, and it varies by model - some NASync units cap each bay at 32TB, others differ. It's the one UGREEN-specific thing worth checking before you buy a very large drive, so confirm your model's per-bay limit on UGREEN's compatibility page.
- Can I use SMR drives in a UGREEN NAS?
- Avoid them. SMR drives slow to a crawl during RAID rebuilds and sustained writes - exactly when a NAS is working hardest. We flag recording technology on every drive page; pick CMR every time.
- How many drives does a UGREEN NAS hold?
- It depends on the model - the NASync range runs from 2-bay up to 6- and 8-bay units. Buy identical-capacity CMR drives for the array and keep at least one parity drive, moving to two once you run several large drives so a rebuild has a safety margin.