NAS drives are hard disk drives (HDDs) built for network storage devices that run day and night. Our range has over 150 models for home and office NAS units, including drives from Seagate, Synology, Toshiba and Western Digital (WD).
A few items are meant for servers, workstations or PCs.
How to choose a NAS drive
Capacity. Our range runs from 2 TB to 30 TB, including 4, 6, 8 and 12 TB models. Remember that a RAID array gives up part of its capacity to protection: a two-drive RAID 1 leaves you the space of one drive, and RAID 5 loses the capacity of one drive. The larger the drive, the longer an array takes to rebuild after a failure.
Recording technology. Drives with CMR (conventional magnetic recording) suit RAID arrays better, because SMR (shingled recording) drives can slow down considerably during long writes or an array rebuild. The manufacturer's specification states which technology is used, so check it before buying.
Workload and vibration. With one or two bays, standard NAS-series drives are enough. With more bays, choose models rated for a heavier workload and with vibration compensation, since neighbouring spinning drives shake one another. In our range, the operating shock tolerance of drives varies from 30 to 80 G.
Failure rate (MTBF). This figure ranges from 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 hours in our range. It is a statistical estimate, not a promise that a drive will run for that long, but a higher value usually points to a drive meant for a heavier workload. Compare it with the length of the manufacturer's warranty.
Power use and temperature. In standby, drives draw from 0.25 to 1.2 W, and when idle from 2.8 to 6.8 W, which matters when a NAS runs around the clock. If the unit sits in a closed cabinet, look at the operating temperature: some drives are rated for 0 to 65 °C or 5 to 70 °C.
Brands in our range
- Seagate: the largest number of models in our range come from this manufacturer, which is also known for server-class drives.
- Toshiba: one of the three hard drive makers left in the world, alongside Seagate and Western Digital.
- Western Digital (WD): one of the oldest hard drive manufacturers; WD and Western Digital are the same company.
- Synology and QNAP: both are known first of all as makers of NAS units with their own operating systems (Synology DSM, QNAP QTS).
Also in our range: Ubiquiti.
NAS drive FAQ
How is a NAS drive different from a normal desktop drive?
A NAS drive is designed to run around the clock and to work alongside other drives in the same enclosure. It typically has vibration compensation and firmware tuned for RAID arrays, which ordinary desktop drives are not optimised for. As a result, NAS drives generally cope better with continuous use.
What capacity of NAS drive should I buy?
Base it on how much data you have now and add at least half again for growth. A few terabytes cover documents and small backups, while photo and video archives call for 8 or 12 TB drives. Keep in mind that a RAID array uses part of the total capacity for protection.
Can I use a NAS drive in a desktop PC?
Yes, a NAS drive usually connects to a PC like any other SATA drive. It will work, but features built for NAS use, such as vibration compensation and continuous operation, are rarely needed in a PC. For everyday desktop use, an ordinary drive is often enough.
Can I mix drives from different manufacturers in a NAS?
Yes, most NAS units accept drives from different manufacturers, but some publish a compatibility list, so check it first. In a RAID array it is best to use drives of the same capacity and similar speed, because any space on a larger drive beyond the smallest one goes unused.
