I’m at all times working out of storage, and whereas I lastly did one thing about that this yr — I switched to a 100TB server — it is attending to the purpose when I’ll want to choose up laborious drives within the subsequent yr or so. With HDD sizes rising by a substantial quantity, I made a decision to make use of 18TB and 24TB drives in my NAS, however the secondary NAS (a DiskStation DS1019+) that is now getting used to again up very important information (photographs, paperwork, and so forth) remains to be going sturdy, and it has 12TB and 16TB IronWolf drives.
The DS1019+ has been in fixed use for the final 5 years, and the IronWolf drives housed inside are near hitting 40,000 hours of use. When I arrange the NAS again in 2019, I had no thought the drives would final this lengthy, and it is nice to see the HDDs exceed Seagate’s utilization ceiling. While this NAS isn’t getting used as the first server any longer, I nonetheless have loads of useful information on it (which is fortunately backed up elsewhere), and I’m now simply keen on seeing how lengthy these drives truly final.
If you’ve got received a house server and are considering of selecting up further drives, the 12TB IronWolf HDD I’m utilizing is now right down to $199 on Amazon. That was what it went right down to final yr as properly, however the deal ran out on the retailer, and if that is the case, you may get the identical low cost at Newegg and B&H Photo.
I feel the 8TB IronWolf is a superb place to begin in case you do not want an excessive amount of storage, and the drive is an efficient alternative you probably have a 2-bay NAS. The drive is now right down to $149, which is $10 greater than what it was this time final yr, however nonetheless a good $30 financial savings on its retail value. The 12TB drive is my go-to advice, and I’ve used 4 of those over the course of the final 5 years to good impact.
The 16TB IronWolf Pro is as soon as once more right down to $249, and in case you’re contemplating this drive, I’d suggest upgrading to the 24TB mannequin as an alternative, which is a greater deal at $399. With 24TB of storage on a single drive, you need not fear about storage for a number of years.
Regardless of what storage variant you get, all IronWolf drives include long-term reliability, spin at 7200rpm, and embrace customized software program with vibration resistance — mandatory in a NAS server. The 12TB IronWolf HDD for $199 is my decide due to the worth you are getting, however I’ve additionally used the 16TB variants, and I’m now getting began with the 22TB choice.
