The Most Reliable HDD, Ranked

Voting rules: Choose the HDD you think is the most reliable!

Updated on May 1, 2024 06:55

Hard disk drives (HDDs) are vital for storing everything from personal memories to critical business data, and their reliability can significantly impact our digital life and work efficiency. However, with so many brands and models on the market, it can be a challenge to identify which ones truly stand up to their promises of durability and performance. That's where the importance of user-based rankings comes in, offering real-world insights into which HDDs deliver the best reliability over time. By participating in this ranking, users contribute to a broader community resource that helps others make informed decisions when selecting an HDD. Each vote helps to adjust the rankings, ensuring they reflect current user experiences and opinions. This continuous input from a diverse range of users ensures that the rankings stay relevant and valuable for everyone looking to invest in reliable storage solutions.

What Is the Most Reliable HDD?

1

56
votes
HGST Ultrastar DC HC520

Western Digital Corporation

This hard drive is known for its reliability and durability, making it a popular choice for enterprise-level applications. It has a MTBF (mean time between failures) of 2.5 million hours and a 5-year warranty.
The HGST Ultrastar DC HC520 is a high-capacity, reliable hard drive designed for data center applications. It offers durability, performance, and advanced features that make it suitable for heavy workloads and demanding environments.

Capacity: 12TB, 14TB, 16TB, 18TB

Form Factor: 3.5 inches

Interface: SATA 6Gb/s, SAS 12Gb/s

Spindle Speed: 7200 RPM

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 267 MB/s
2

16
votes
Seagate IronWolf Pro

Seagate Technology

This hard drive is designed for use in NAS (network-attached storage) systems and has a MTBF of 1.2 million hours. It also comes with a 5-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance.
The Seagate IronWolf Pro is a high-performance hard drive designed specifically for network-attached storage (NAS) systems. It offers exceptional reliability, durability, and storage capacity for professional use. With advanced features, it ensures optimal performance and data integrity in demanding environments.

Workload Rate Limit: 300 TB/year

Capacity: 2TB - 18TB

Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM

Cache Size: 256MB - 256MB

Form Factor: 3.5-inch
3

24
votes
Western Digital Red Pro

Western Digital Corporation

Another hard drive designed for use in NAS systems, the Red Pro has a MTBF of 1 million hours and a 5-year warranty. It is known for its reliability and performance, making it a popular choice for home and small business users.
The Western Digital Red Pro is a high-performance hard disk drive (HDD) specifically designed for demanding NAS (Network-Attached Storage) environments. It offers excellent reliability, durability, and larger capacity for storing and accessing data.

Capacity: up to 18TB

Form Factor: 3.5-inch

RPM: 7200

Buffer size: 256MB

Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s
4

10
votes
Toshiba N300

Toshiba

This hard drive is designed for use in NAS systems and has a MTBF of 1 million hours. It also comes with a 3-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance.
The Toshiba N300 is a high-capacity 3.5-inch internal hard disk drive (HDD), specifically designed for NAS (Network Attached Storage) systems.

Capacity: Up to 16TB

Rotational Speed: Up to 7,200 RPM

Interface: SATA 6.0 Gbit/s

Cache: Up to 256MB

Form Factor: 3.5-inch
5

18
votes
Seagate BarraCuda Pro

Seagate Technology LLC

This hard drive is designed for use in desktop computers and workstations and has a MTBF of 1.2 million hours. It comes with a 5-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance.
The Seagate BarraCuda Pro is a high-performance hard disk drive (HDD) designed for professional use, combining large storage capacity with fast data transfer speeds. It is known for its reliability and durability, making it suitable for demanding applications and intense workloads. With its impressive performance and premium features, the BarraCuda Pro is widely regarded as one of the most reliable HDDs available.

Capacity: Up to 14TB

Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM

Interface: SATA 6Gb/s

Cache: 256MB

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 220MB/s
6

12
votes
Western Digital Black

Western Digital

Another hard drive designed for use in desktop computers and workstations, the Black has a MTBF of 1.5 million hours and a 5-year warranty. It is known for its reliability and performance, making it a popular choice for gamers and power users.
The Western Digital Black is a high-performance internal hard drive designed for gaming and demanding professional applications. It offers excellent reliability, speed, and capacity for users seeking optimal storage for their system.

Capacity: Various capacities available (up to 6TB)

Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s

Form Factor: 3.5-inch

Rotation Speed: 7200 RPM

Cache: Varies by capacity (up to 256MB)
7

6
votes
HGST Deskstar NAS

This hard drive is designed for use in NAS systems and has a MTBF of 1 million hours. It comes with a 3-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance.
The HGST Deskstar NAS is a high-performance hard disk drive (HDD) specifically designed for network-attached storage (NAS) systems. It offers large storage capacity and excellent reliability for professional and home NAS applications.

Capacity: Up to 18TB

Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM

Cache: Up to 256MB

Interface: SATA 6Gb/s

Workload Rate Limit: Up to 180TB/year
8

11
votes
Toshiba X300

Toshiba

This hard drive is designed for use in desktop computers and workstations and has a MTBF of 1 million hours. It comes with a 2-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance.
The Toshiba X300 is a high-performance internal hard drive designed for demanding storage applications. It offers a balance of capacity, speed, and reliability, making it an excellent choice for users who require large storage for intense workloads.

Capacity: Up to 14TB

Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM

Cache Size: 256MB

Interface: SATA 6.0 Gbit/s

Data Transfer Rate: Up to 240MB/s
9

8
votes
Seagate SkyHawk

Seagate Technology

This hard drive is designed for use in surveillance systems and has a MTBF of 1 million hours. It comes with a 3-year warranty and is known for its reliability and performance in high-traffic environments.
The Seagate SkyHawk is a high-performance hard drive designed specifically for surveillance systems. It is capable of handling the demanding requirements of continuous 24/7 video recording, making it an ideal choice for security installations.

Capacity: Up to 18TB

RPM: Up to 7200

Cache: Up to 256MB

Workload: Up to 180TB/year

Max Cameras Supported: Up to 64
10

6
votes
Western Digital Purple

Western Digital

Another hard drive designed for use in surveillance systems, the Purple has a MTBF of 1 million hours and a 3-year warranty. It is known for its reliability and performance in high-traffic environments.
The Western Digital Purple is a surveillance-optimized hard disk drive (HDD) designed for continuous monitoring and recording of video footage. It is an excellent choice for use in security systems or network video recorders (NVRs) where reliability and high-performance are crucial.

Capacity: Available in various sizes ranging from 1TB to 18TB

Interface: SATA 6Gb/s or SAS 12Gb/s

Form Factor: 3.5-inch

Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM

Cache: Up to 512MB

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Discussion

Ranking factors for reliable HDD

Performance

The performance of the HDD is also important. A reliable HDD should have consistent and fast read and write speeds.
Capacity

The capacity of the HDD is also a factor to consider. Higher capacity can result in more storage space; however, lower capacity hard drives may be more reliable.
Brand

The brand of the HDD can also play a significant role in reliability. Some brands have a better reputation for reliability, so it may be worthwhile to consider these brands when selecting an HDD.
Warranty

The length and type of warranty offered by the manufacturer is also important to consider. Longer warranties are usually indicative of higher quality products and can provide peace of mind.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most reliable HDD. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or HDD is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

2887 views
165 votes
10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each HDD once every 24 hours. The rank of each HDD is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

More information on most reliable hdd

When it comes to data storage, hard disk drives (HDD) have been the go-to choice for many years. HDDs use magnetic storage to store data on spinning disks, and they come in various sizes and capacities. However, not all HDDs are created equal, and reliability is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a hard drive. A reliable HDD can ensure that your data is safe and secure, and prevent data loss due to hardware failure. Factors that contribute to the reliability of an HDD include the quality of the components used, the manufacturing process, and the type of usage the drive is subjected to. It's important to choose an HDD from a reputable manufacturer known for producing high-quality drives. In addition, it's recommended to use an HDD for its intended purpose. For example, a desktop HDD may not be suitable for use in a server environment where it will be subjected to heavy usage and constant read/write operations. Overall, when choosing an HDD, it's important to consider reliability as a top priority to ensure the safety and security of your valuable data.