Hello, I’m relatively new to self-hosting and recently started using Unraid, which I find fantastic! I’m now considering upgrading my storage capacity by purchasing either an 8TB or 10TB hard drive. I’m exploring both new and used options to find the best deal. However, I’ve noticed that prices vary based on the specific category of hard drive (e.g., Seagate’s IronWolf for NAS or Firecuda for gaming). I’m unsure about the significance of these different categories. Would using a gaming or surveillance hard drive impact the performance of my NAS setup?

Thanks for any tips and clarifications! 🌻

  • TheHolmEnglish
    2•6 months ago

    Yes, it will. Will it make any difference for you, depends of what are you doing. I would not use surveillance drive in to server, they are way too specific. Outside of that prices is pretty much same per TB/(Warranty Year) accross the board.

    I done some excessive research couple of years back on the topic. you can find it here https://blog.holms.place/2022/05/01/hdd-storage-cost-comparation-may-2022.html. I do not think situation have changed match since than. Price per TB/Year is nearly constant past 8GB size.

    Also consider looking to re-certified drives, or even refurbished drives. you may save hips on them. But it depends on how much you value your data, how much redundancy in you storage pool and how good your backup strategy.