I'm looking to upgrade from my old desktop to a new system, and I need some advice on choosing a 3.5" HDD. My current setup has about 4TB of data spread across three 3.5" drives, and I need something larger to handle my DVD collection, music, and photos. Ideally, I'm aiming for an HDD with either 8TB or 12TB capacity. I'll be using it mainly as an archive and active library for media applications like Jellyfin.
I've found a few options within my budget of $200-$300:
- Seagate IronWolf 12TB for $270
- Western Digital Red Plus 10TB for $250
- Western Digital Black 8TB for $210
Reliability is my top priority, followed by price and performance. I keep hearing mixed things about CMR and SMR technologies, and I'm leaning towards the Seagate but would love some insights!
4 Answers
I really like the Western Digital Gold drives for reliability. I've got several in my setup, and they've never let me down. They are a bit pricier, particularly for the larger capacities, but if you can stretch your budget just a little, it's worth considering. Also, I hear IronWolf drives can be a great option, especially for media storage.
Definitely avoid SMR drives if you're planning to do a lot of writing or data management. CMR drives are a much better choice for your needs, and it sounds like all the ones you've picked are CMR, which is great. If you think you'll eventually need more space, investing in the 12TB IronWolf now could save you the trouble of upgrading again later.
I think you're on the right track! If reliability is your main concern, it might be a good idea to go with two smaller drives instead of one large one. That way, you can set them up in RAID 1 and have a backup if one fails. You can often find decent deals for 8TB drives too, which would give you a pretty solid setup. Plus, with prices of drives fluctuating, getting two smaller drives might be more economical in the long run.
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I get the appeal of having two drives for backup, but it's hard to justify the extra cost for a home setup. I’m also thinking about getting an external drive later for additional backups. Is the IronWolf still a solid choice for my archiving needs?
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