6mo ago

current best HDD-model choice

Dear lemmings,

I am fairly new to the server-game and want to set up my first NAS. I will not only be doing a lot of reading but also quite a lot of writing as well so I guess RAID10 (even though hardware/money intensive) would be a good choice? Or should I rather go for RAID 0 with 3 2 1 backup strategy? Currently I am hosting some websites others use as well so uptime is an issue.

Now I am not sure what brand/model to buy, when reading up on it they all sound decent. I have an old PC that I can use to run the drives so I only really need to buy the drives for now. Currently I am looking at drives with a capacity of around 14TB if that is of any importance.

Many thanks in advance :D

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18 comments

I've always liked the ultrastar line. Used to be made by HGST and then WD bought them. I'm using specifically the HC530 14tb. The line has a long history of being very reliable enterprise drives.
I've bought mine from both goharddrive and serverpartsdeals. Both are reliable resellers of used storage. They'll warranty the drives for 2 or 5 years depending on which you to with. Prices are ~$130-$150.
Be aware you might need to do the electrical tape over some of the power pins hacks depending on your setup.
Ps. One of the listings for the HC530 on goharddrive or serverpartdeals is incorrectly labels as HC520. Just pay close attention.
As far as raid goes, Raid 10 is currently very popular for its speed and drive failure tolerance. Remember, raid is not a replacement for the 3-2-1 backup rule. Raid has some fault tolerances for bad hard drives, but doesn't protect against a failed raid card, fire, flood, robber, acts of god, etc.
You can also look into zfs and truenas if you feel inclined. Be aware that if you go with this setup, ecc ram is basically a requirement
- What, a HDD that doesn't work in some computers?
  
  "The cause is a new SATA specification which includes the ability to disable power to the hard disk. When you look at the SATA power connection on the back of your hard drive, there are 15 pins that make contact with your power supply. It's the third pin that delivers a 3.3V signal that disables the drive. What we need to do is prevent that third pin from making contact with the power cable."
  Some hotswap harddrive bays use this feature, definitely more common in enterprise scenarios or in USB HDD enclosures.

18 comments