Best internal HDD for a beginner?

[jyamkhan]

So I want to join the ranks of data hoarders - I have always been one at heart but right now my files are stored on a pretty classic setup, a 120 GB WD Green SSD + 1 TB WD Blue HDD, and I am running out of space.

I am considering either a 2 TB WD Red or a 2 TB Seagate Ironwolf. I can't shuck bigger capacity WD Easystores because apparently these are not available in my country and other WD external drives of that size cost almost $500. However in the case of both drives I read a lot of reviews complaining about bad sectors so I am unsure which one I should get. I am considering a WD Black as an alternative. I don't really care about noise. What would you recommend?

[HaQue]

have a good backup solution and it really doesn't matter, but personally I wouldn't get Seagate.

[Retika]

One of the things about NAS-grade hard drives is that their firmware is engineered to work in RAID arrays. One of the features that makes them ideal for this use is time limits on error recovery. What happens is that the controller has the ability to time a drive that is checking down errors and, if it's taking long enough, say "Alright guy, you're taking too long here and it's slowing everybody down. Pass the data onto the next guy and let's get moving." This helps the RAID array not get bogged down. So, when these drives get used alone/not in RAID, one potential issue that can occur is that the drive doesn't have an array to pass the data on, so it can cause errors with sectors to pile up on the drive faster than is ideal. If you're looking for a single drive rated for 24x7 use with no intentions to run RAID, we recommend you look into the Barracuda Pro. If you do end up going IronWolf or IronWolf Pro, we recommend getting at least 2 of them and running them in RAID.

[Retika]

One of the things about NAS-grade hard drives is that their firmware is engineered to work in RAID arrays. One of the features that makes them ideal for this use is time limits on error recovery. What happens is that the controller has the ability to time a drive that is checking down errors and, if it's taking long enough, say "Alright guy, you're taking too long here and it's slowing everybody down. Pass the data onto the next guy and let's get moving." This helps the RAID array not get bogged down. So, when these drives get used alone/not in RAID, one potential issue that can occur is that the drive doesn't have an array to pass the data on, so it can cause errors with sectors to pile up on the drive faster than is ideal. If you're looking for a single drive rated for 24x7 use with no intentions to run RAID, we recommend you look into the BarraCuda Pro. If you do end up going IronWolf or IronWolf Pro, we recommend getting at least 2 of them and running them in RAID.