Subj : Hard Drive Review
To   : All
From : warmfuzzy
Date : Tue Sep 17 2024 00:21:43

Best NAS Hard Disk Drives (Mechanical)
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A fellow BBS Scene enthusiast has recently requested me to do a review on the 
Toshiba 14 TB NAS 3.5" HDDs.  So I figured, why do a review of a single hard 
disk drive (HDD) when I can give a top five review of the best rated drives 
from reputable drives based on their ratings by professional organizations.  I 
will be examining a few brands, including Seagate, Western Digital, and 
Toshiba.  The best rated hard drives in 2023 were the Seagate IronWolf and the  Seagate IronWolf Pro.  They are expensive, but being the best out of all others things tend to get pricy.  I have two Western Digital 8 TB RED NAS 
drives on the Anonymous Archivers File Distro Network, but I would not 
recommend them anymore at this point because they really really overheat.  
When the server is online I have two fans each blowing at the two drives 
inserted into a HDD/SSD Drive Dock from opposite sides.  That seems to work, 
however I would never buy Western Digital HDDs again.  I have considered the 
Toshiba brand because it is very inexpensive, however I'm the kind of person 
who would rather have a few really really good things than having a lot of 
mediocre kit.

I have most recently ordered a Seagate IronWolf Pro 18 TB NAS HDD.  I haven't  yet opened it out of its package so I am unable to provide an unbiased opinion  on that drive except that it has the highest rating from the European Hardware  Awards agency.
The IronWolf Pro costs $300 CAD for an 18 TB drive that is renewed, or $650 
CAD for a brand new 18 TB Seagate IronWolf Pro NAS Drive.

Based on pcguide.com's review the drives are rated as follows:
1. Seagate IronWolf Pro : Best NAS Hard Drive : 18 TB Drive @ $480 CAD
2. Western Digital Red : Best Large NAS Hard Drive : 18 TB Drive @ $510 CAD
3. Toshiba N300 Pro : Best Budget NAS Hard Drive : 18 TB Drive @ $520 CAD
4. Western Digital Gold : Best NAS Hard Drive for Home : 18 TB Drive @ $615 CAD
5. Seagate IronWolf : Best Mid-Range NAS Hard Drives : Unknown Price Point

*note: I think that pcguide.com is wrong, where the Gold model is actually for 
enterprises, and I don't think I'm wrong though I could be.

So, my final analysis is to get a Seagate IronWolf Pro.  If that is too 
expensive then I'd recommend going with a Toshiba drive as the overheating of 
the Western Digital Drives that I have purchased is unacceptable.  I'd also 
recommend getting a renewed drive in place of a brand new drive to lower the 
price-point, but only if the refurbishing is done by the hard drive 
manufacturing company itself.  Getting it fixed up by a company that did not 
build your drive is just asking for trouble.  However, getting a drive that's 
renewed/refurbished/fixed would be a good bet.  Also, used equipment is sold 
on Amazon without incurring tax, so a $300 price tag will actually cost you 
$300.  It may be different in your region, however where I'm at (Ontario, 
Canada) there is no extra tax on used items of this sort.  In the end I'd 
recommend a NAS drive that is not an Enterprise drive.  NAS drives are good, 
while Enterprise drives are overkill.

Have fun making a great experience for your users with some tricked out kit.

Cheers!
-warmfuzzy

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: thE qUAntUm wOrmhOlE, rAmsgAtE, uK. bbs.erb.pw (700:100/37)

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