Best Hard Drives

[Enquiries]

Hi, I am wanting to use a Terramaster F8 Plus NAS to run my Plex Server, a Torrent server and backup cloud for mine, and my wife’s iPhones.
Could you please recommend the best hard drives for this NAS.
Please note that I intend to start with purchasing 3 hard drives and then building up to the 8 drives in the future.

[ed]

For your Terramaster F8 Plus NAS and the use cases you mentioned (Plex, Torrent server, and iPhone backups), it's important to choose hard drives that offer reliability, performance, and longevity, especially since you plan to expand from 3 drives to 8.

Here are my recommendations for hard drives in your $2000-$3000 budget range, considering you need 24-32TB of storage:

1. Seagate IronWolf Pro
Size: 12TB, 14TB, 16TB

Why: These drives are specifically designed for NAS use and come with 5-year warranty and IronWolf Health Management (IHM). They're great for media storage (Plex) and general data backup, offering a balance of performance and reliability.

Recommendation: You can start with 3 x 12TB IronWolf Pro drives and expand to 8 in the future.

2. Western Digital Red Plus
Size: 10TB, 12TB, 14TB

Why: These are reliable NAS drives at a slightly lower price point compared to the IronWolf Pro. They work well for both small home setups and medium workloads. The WD Red Plus models are optimized for NAS and offer 3D NAND and NASware 3.0.

Recommendation: Start with 3 x 12TB WD Red Plus for a cost-effective solution.

3. Toshiba N300
Size: 10TB, 12TB, 14TB

Why: Known for their reliability, Toshiba N300 drives are an affordable NAS solution and come with a 3-year warranty. They provide great performance for home server applications and media storage.

Recommendation: If you want a lower price point, consider 3 x 12TB Toshiba N300 for your starting setup.

4. Seagate Exos X16 (Enterprise Class)
Size: 14TB, 16TB, 18TB

Why: For a more enterprise-class solution, the Seagate Exos X16 offers high capacity and durability. While not specifically NAS-optimized, these drives are designed for heavy workloads, making them ideal for a Plex server with lots of streaming.

Recommendation: Consider 3 x 14TB Exos X16 for the ultimate storage performance if your budget allows.

5. HGST Ultrastar DC HC330 (Enterprise)
Size: 10TB, 12TB, 14TB

Why: These enterprise-class drives are designed for high reliability, especially under 24/7 operation. They're known for their long lifespan and performance, which is ideal for backing up large amounts of data and continuous media streaming.

Recommendation: If you need enterprise-grade drives, 3 x 12TB HGST Ultrastar can offer peace of mind.