Largest Consumer HDD

24TB

Seagate IronWolf Pro

Largest Enterprise HDD

30TB

Seagate Exos

Best Value Tier

16-20TB

~$15/TB sweet spot

The Biggest Hard Drives You Can Buy

Hard drive capacities have reached unprecedented levels. Modern drives use advanced technologies like SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) and HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) to pack more data onto platters than ever before.

Here's the current landscape for high-capacity storage:

24TB: Largest widely available consumer/prosumer drives
28-30TB: Largest enterprise drives (Seagate Exos, WD Ultrastar)
Coming soon: 40TB+ drives using HAMR technology are on the roadmap

For most home users, the 16-20TB range offers the best value — maximum capacity without the premium pricing of bleeding-edge drives.

Largest Hard Drives by Capacity

Capacity	Top Models	Price Range	$/TB	Best For
30TB	Seagate Exos X24	$500-600	~$18-20	Enterprise, data centers
28TB	WD Ultrastar DC HC680	$480-550	~$17-20	Enterprise, large NAS
24TB	Seagate IronWolf Pro, Exos X24	$400-500	~$17-21	Prosumer NAS, servers
22TB	WD Red Pro, Ultrastar	$380-450	~$17-20	NAS, workstations
20TB	Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus	$300-380	~$15-19 ★	Best value high-cap NAS
18TB	Seagate Exos, WD Ultrastar	$250-320	~$14-18 ★★	Excellent value NAS/server
16TB	Seagate IronWolf, Exos	$220-280	~$14-17 ★★	Sweet spot for home NAS
14TB	Various NAS/Enterprise	$200-260	~$14-19	Mid-range NAS builds
12TB	Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus	$180-220	~$15-18	Entry high-capacity

★ = Best value tier. The 16-20TB range typically offers the lowest cost per terabyte while remaining widely available and affordable.

Largest Drives by Category

🏠 NAS Drives

Largest: 24TB (Seagate IronWolf Pro). IronWolf standard goes to 18TB. WD Red Plus tops at 14TB. All use CMR for NAS reliability.

View NAS Drives →

🏢 Enterprise Drives

Largest: 30TB (Seagate Exos). WD Ultrastar reaches 28TB. Designed for 24/7 operation with 5-year warranties. Premium pricing.

View Exos Drives →

🖥️ Desktop/Consumer

Largest: 8TB (Seagate Barracuda, WD Blue). Consumer drives cap lower than NAS/enterprise. For higher capacity, step up to NAS-rated.

View Barracuda →

📹 Surveillance

Largest: 24TB (Seagate SkyHawk AI). Standard SkyHawk goes to 10TB. Optimized for 24/7 video recording with high write endurance.

View Surveillance →

🔌 External Drives

Largest: 24TB (Seagate Expansion Desktop, WD Elements). USB desktop enclosures. Can be "shucked" for internal use.

View External Drives →

💾 SSDs

Largest Consumer: 8TB (Samsung 870 QVO, various). Enterprise SSDs reach 30TB+ but cost $1000+. HDDs dominate high capacity.

SSD vs HDD →

All High-Capacity Drives (12TB+) — Sorted by $/TB

Every large hard drive sorted by cost per terabyte. The best value drives are at the top. Prices from Amazon, updated hourly.

Product	Capacity	Price	$ / TB	Price Drop	Brand	Interface
Seagate Expansion 26TB USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive STKP26000400 Black	26.00 TB	$349.99	$13.46	+0%	Seagate	USB
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD18TSAS25672E) - [Not a SATA HDD] (Renewed)	18.00 TB	$249.99	$13.89	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 22TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD22TSAS25672E) - [NOT a SATA HDD] (Renewed)	22.00 TB	$309.99	$14.09	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD18TSAS25672E) - [Not a SATA HDD]	18.00 TB	$259.99	$14.44	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 22TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD22TSAS25672E) - [NOT a SATA HDD]	22.00 TB	$319.99	$14.55	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
WD Easystore 14TB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive - Black WDBAMA0140HBK-NESN	14.00 TB	$205.87	$14.71	+0%	External	USB
WD 16TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0160HBK-NESN	16.00 TB	$239.00	$14.94	-20%	WD	USB
Avolusion PRO-G2 18TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) External Hard Drive for Windows/MacOS (Silver)	18.00 TB	$269.99	$15.00	+0%	Avolusion	USB
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 22TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	22.00 TB	$329.99	$15.00	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
compatily LX23 36TB Portable (Dual 18TB) HDDs, USB-C 10Gbps External Hard Drive for Photos, Video, Game Storage (Renewed)	36.00 TB	$549.99	$15.28	+0%	compatily	USB
compatily LX23 32TB Portable (Dual 16TB) HDDs, USB-C 10Gbps External Hard Drive for Photos, Video, Game Storage (Renewed)	32.00 TB	$489.99	$15.31	+0%	compatily	USB
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 20TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD20TSAS25672E) - [NOT a SATA HDD]	20.00 TB	$309.99	$15.50	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 20TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD20TSAS25672E) - [NOT a SATA HDD] (Renewed)	20.00 TB	$309.99	$15.50	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD (MD18TSATA25672NAS) 18TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	18.00 TB	$279.99	$15.56	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
compatily LX23 44TB Portable (Dual 22TB) HDDs, USB-C 10Gbps External Hard Drive for Photos, Video, Game Storage (Renewed)	44.00 TB	$689.99	$15.68	+0%	compatily	USB
MDD (MDD22TS25672NAS) 22TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	22.00 TB	$349.99	$15.91	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD (MDD18TS25672CCTV) 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	18.00 TB	$289.99	$16.11	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD 16TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$259.99	$16.25	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SAS
MDD 14TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA Internal Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$229.99	$16.43	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Seagate Exos ST28000NM000C 28TB 7.2K RPM SATA 6Gb/s 512e CMR 3.5in Hard Drive	28.00 TB	$459.99	$16.43	+0%	Seagate	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD (MDD18TS25672NAS) 18TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal NAS Hard Drive (Renewed)	18.00 TB	$299.99	$16.67	+3%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD MDD (MDD20TSATA25672E) 20TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	20.00 TB	$339.99	$17.00	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD (MD20TSATA25672NAS) 20TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	20.00 TB	$339.99	$17.00	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC530 WUH721414ALN604 0F31102 14TB 7.2K RPM SATA 6Gb/s 4Kn Power Disable HDD (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$239.99	$17.14	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
Western Digital DC HC550 18TB 512MB SATA Ultra SE NP3	18.00 TB	$309.00	$17.17	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
MDD (MDD18TSATA25672DVR) 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty	18.00 TB	$309.99	$17.22	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
WD 20TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 drive for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN	20.00 TB	$349.00	$17.45	+0%	WD	USB
HGST/WD WUH721414AL5204 3.5" 14TB SAS 12Gb/s 7.2K 512M 0F31052 512e SE (He14) HDD (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$250.00	$17.86	+0%	HGST	SAS
MDD (MD16TSATA25672NAS) 16TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$289.99	$18.12	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD 16TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD16TGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$289.99	$18.12	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD (MDD16TSATA25672DVR) 16TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$289.99	$18.12	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Avolusion PRO-G2 22TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) USB-C External Hard Drive for Windows/MacOS (Silver)	22.00 TB	$399.99	$18.18	+0%	Avolusion	USB
Avolusion PRO-G2 20TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) USB-C External Hard Drive for Windows/MacOS (Silver)	20.00 TB	$369.99	$18.50	+0%	Avolusion	USB
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA (MDD16TSATA25672DVR 16TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$299.99	$18.75	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD 16TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD16TGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$299.99	$18.75	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Western Digital 22TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 external hard drive for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0220HBK-NESN	22.00 TB	$419.99	$19.09	+0%	WD	USB
HGST 12TB Ultrastar DC HC520 SATA 6Gb/s 7200RPM 3.5-inch 256MB Cache HUH721212ALE604 0F29592, with Power Disable Feature (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.95	$19.16	+1%	HGST	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA (MDD12TSATA25672E) 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Enterprise Hard Drive (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.95	$19.16	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Western Digital 12TB Ultrastar DC HC520 SATA HDD - 7200 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256MB Cache, 3.5" - HUH721212ALE604 (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.99	$19.17	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD (MDD12TSATA25672NAS) 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.99	$19.17	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
MDD (MDD12TSATA25672DVR) 12TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.99	$19.17	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Seagate Exos x12 12TB SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive 3.5in (ST12000NM0007) (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$229.99	$19.17	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Toshiba MG08ACA16TE 16TB 7200RPM 512e 3.5" SATA Enterprise Desktop Hard Drive (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$309.99	$19.37	+0%	TOSHIBA	SATA
Seagate Exos x12 12TB SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive 3.5in (ST12000NM0127) (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$238.99	$19.92	+4%	Seagate	SATA
HGST 0F31284 3.5inch 14TB 7200RPM 512MB SATA 6Gb/s 512e SE Ultrastar DC HC530 (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$279.59	$19.97	+0%	HGST	SATA
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD12TBGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty	12.00 TB	$239.99	$20.00	+4%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Seagate Expansion Desktop, 16TB, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 (STKP16000402)	16.00 TB	$319.99	$20.00	+0%	Seagate	USB
MDD (MDD12TSATA25672NAS) 12TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal NAS Hard Drive - 5 Years Warranty (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$239.95	$20.00	+0%	MDD MAXDIGITALDATA	SATA
Genuine HDEPZ10LFB51 MG09 18TB SATA 6Gb/s 7.2K 512MB Cache 3.5" Server HDD Original	18.00 TB	$370.01	$20.56	+0%	Genuine Original	SATA
Western Digital 18TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 for plug-and-play storage - Western DigitalBWLG0180HBK-NESN	18.00 TB	$369.99	$20.56	-5%	WD	USB
Seagate Enterprise ST18000NM004J Internal Hard Drive 3.5" 18TB 7.2K RPM SAS 12Gb/s for Servers Desktop PC's Not Supported(Renewed)	18.00 TB	$370.00	$20.56	+0%	Seagate	SAS
Genuine WUH721816ALE6L4 DC HC550 16TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 512e 512Mb 3.5 in HDD Original	16.00 TB	$330.00	$20.63	+0%	Generic	SATA
NEW 14TB Retro Gaming Hard Drive Preloaded with 98000+ Games \| Plug & Play for 7 Gaming Systems \| 9800+ 3D & 1000+ High-End PC Games \| USB 3.1 Portable External Hard Drive for Windows PC 7/8/10/11	14.00 TB	$296.00	$21.14	+0%	BEABRET	USB
Seagate BarraCuda Pro 12TB Internal Hard Drive Performance HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for Computer Desktop PC Laptop – Frustration Free Packaging (ST12000DM0007) (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$257.99	$21.50	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Seagate (Recertified) IronWolf Pro 16TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage (ST16000NE000)	16.00 TB	$349.00	$21.81	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Seagate Skyhawk AI 32TB Video Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 512MB Cache for DVR NVR Security Camera System with in-House Rescue Services (ST32000VE000)	32.00 TB	$699.99	$21.87	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Water Panther WP Arsenal 18TB SATA 7200RPM 3.5-Inch DAS Hard Drive (Renewed)	18.00 TB	$397.99	$22.11	+0%	Water Panther	SATA
Western Digital 14TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 external hard drive for plug-and-play storage - Western DigitalBWLG0140HBK-NESN	14.00 TB	$309.99	$22.14	-6%	WD	USB
Toshiba MG09 3.5" 18000GB SAS	18.00 TB	$399.00	$22.17	+0%	TOSHIBA	SAS
HGST 0F31052 3.5inch 14TB 7200RPM 512MB SAS 12Gb/s 512e SE Ultrastar DC HC530 Bare	14.00 TB	$314.49	$22.46	+0%	HGST	SAS
Western Digital 14TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive - USB 3.0	14.00 TB	$319.00	$22.79	+0%	WD	USB
Western Digital WD 24TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive for Plug-and-Play Storage, USB 3.2 Gen1 - WDBWLG0240HBK-NESN	24.00 TB	$549.99	$22.92	+1%	Western Digital	USB
Seagate ST16000NM002G-R - Seagate 16TB 3.5" SAS 7.2K 12Gb/s Hard Drive (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$374.45	$23.40	+0%	Seagate	SAS
HDD for 16TB 3.5" SATA 6 Gb/s 256MB 7200RPM for Internal HDD for Enterprise Class HDD for ST16000NM001G (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$379.00	$23.69	+0%	Generic	SATA
HGST 12TB HDD 7.2K RPM 3.5" 12Gb/s SAS Hard Disk Drive Model: HUH721212AL5200 DP/N: 9HXK6	12.00 TB	$288.99	$24.08	+0%	HGST	SAS
Seagate IronWolf NAS 7200RPM Internal SATA Hard Drive 12TB 6Gb/s 3.5-Inch ST12000VN0007 (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$289.99	$24.17	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Water Panther WP Arsenal 16TB SATA 7200RPM 3.5-Inch DAS Hard Drive (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$389.99	$24.37	+19%	Water Panther	SATA
Oyen Digital Novus 22TB External USB-C 7200RPM Hard Drive, (3N1-C-22T-BL)	22.00 TB	$549.00	$24.95	+0%	Oyen Digital	USB
Synology 3.5” SATA Enterprise Series Hard Drive 20TB (HAT5310-20T)	20.00 TB	$505.01	$25.25	+0%	Synology	SATA
Synology, HAT3310, 16TB, 3.5" SATA Home User HDD, MTBF 1.2 Million Hours	16.00 TB	$426.99	$26.69	+0%	Synology	SATA
Synology HAT3310 16TB Plus Series SATA HDD 3.5" (HAT3310-16T)	16.00 TB	$428.03	$26.75	+2%	Synology	SATA
Western Digital 14TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD140EFFX (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$379.99	$27.14	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
Western Digital 12TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 GB/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD120EFBX	12.00 TB	$332.59	$27.72	-4%	Western Digital	SATA
LaCie 2big RAID, 36TB, External Hard Drive Desktop, USB-C, 7.200 RPM, Enterprise Class Drives, for Mac and PC Desktop (STHJ36000800)	36.00 TB	$1,015.46	$28.21	+0%	LaCie	USB
Seagate Exos 12TB 3.5 7200RPM 256MB SAS 12GB s Enterprise Bare HDD ST12000NM0027	12.00 TB	$340.00	$28.33	+0%	Seagate	SAS
SanDisk Professional 24TB G-Drive Enterprise-Class External Desktop Hard Drive - 7200RPM Ultrastar HDD Inside, USB-C (10Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 2, Mac Ready - SDPHF1A-024T-NBAAD	24.00 TB	$699.99	$29.17	+0%	SanDisk Professional	USB
Western Digital 12TB WD Purple Surveillance Internal Hard Drive HDD - SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD121PURZ (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$351.00	$29.25	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
LaCie 2big RAID 28TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD – USB-C, 7200 RPM Enterprise Class Drives, for Mac and PC Desktop, Rescue Services (STHJ28000800)	28.00 TB	$829.17	$29.61	+0%	LaCie	USB
SanDisk Professional 18TB G-Drive Enterprise-Class External Desktop Hard Drive - 7200RPM Ultrastar HDD Inside, USB-C (10Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 2, Mac Ready - SDPHF1A-018T-NBAAD	18.00 TB	$539.99	$30.00	+0%	SanDisk Professional	USB
HGST WD Ultrastar DC HC530 WUH721414AL5204 - Hard Drive, 0F31052 (WUH721414AL5204 - Hard Drive 14 TB Internal (Desktop) 3.5 (in 3.5 Carrier) SAS 12Gb/s 7200 RPM Buffer: 512)	14.00 TB	$424.45	$30.32	+0%	HGST	SAS
Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE 12TB SAS 7.2K Lff LP HE 512E DS HDD	12.00 TB	$364.00	$30.33	+0%	Hewlett Packard Enterprise	SAS
Synology HAT3310 12TB Plus Series SATA HDD 3.5" (HAT3310-12T)	12.00 TB	$366.09	$30.51	+0%	Synology	SATA
Seagate IronWolf 12TB, Interne Harde Schijf, voor NAS RAID, NAS, 3.5", SATA 6 GB/s, 7200 RPM, 265 MB cache, FFP, Data Rescue Service (ST12000VNZ008)	12.00 TB	$368.88	$30.74	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Oyen Digital HDX Pro C 20TB USB-C Enterprise 7200RPM External Hard Drive (HDXP-C-20T-RT)	20.00 TB	$629.00	$31.45	+0%	Oyen Digital	USB
SanDisk Professional 48TB G-RAID Project 2 - External Hard Drive HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 540MB/s Read - SDPHK2H-048T-NBAAD	48.00 TB	$1,622.00	$33.79	+0%	SanDisk Professional	USB
WD Red Pro 16TB NAS 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - 7200 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512MB Cache	16.00 TB	$563.18	$35.20	+0%	Western Digital	SATA
Western Digital HUH721212ALE604 12TB Ultrastar DC HC520 SATA HDD - 7200 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256MB Cache, 3.5"	12.00 TB	$428.02	$35.67	+12%	Western Digital	SATA
Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage, (ST14000NE0008) (Renewed)	14.00 TB	$514.00	$36.71	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Seagate Exos X18 14TB 3.5" 12Gb/s SAS III Internal Hard Drive, OEM	14.00 TB	$516.00	$36.86	+0%	Seagate	SAS
Seagate BarraCuda Pro Performance Internal Hard Drive SATA HDD 12TB 6GB/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch (ST12000DM0007)	12.00 TB	$444.00	$37.00	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Seagate (Recertified) 12TB IronWolf NAS SATA Hard Drive 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive for NAS Servers, Personal Cloud Storage (ST12000VN0007)	12.00 TB	$449.00	$37.42	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Seagate IronWolf 12TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache RAID Home Servers -(ST12000VN0008) (Renewed)	12.00 TB	$449.00	$37.42	+0%	Seagate	SATA
Toshiba MG08 3.5" 16000 GB SAS	16.00 TB	$602.00	$37.63	+0%	TOSHIBA	SAS
SanDisk Professional 18TB G-Drive Project - External HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 260MB/s Read - SDPHG1H-018T-NBAAD	18.00 TB	$684.99	$38.06	+0%	SanDisk Professional	USB
Synology HAT5300 3.5" SATA III Enterprise Hard Drive - 20TB	20.00 TB	$779.58	$38.98	+0%	Synology	SATA
SanDisk Professional 22TB G-Drive Project - External HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 260MB/s Read - SDPHG1H-022T-NBAAD	22.00 TB	$869.44	$39.52	+0%	SanDisk Professional	USB
LaCie 2big RAID 16TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD – USB-C, 7200 RPM Enterprise Class Drives, for Mac and PC Desktop, Rescue Services (STHJ16000800)	16.00 TB	$649.99	$40.62	+0%	LaCie	USB
LaCie d2 Professional, USB 3.1 Type C, 3.5E, 16TB STHA16000800 (Renewed)	16.00 TB	$674.54	$42.16	+0%	LaCie	USB
TDSourcing Hard Drive - encrypted - 12 TB - hot-swap - 3.5" - SAS 12Gb/s - NL - 7200 RPM - FIPS 140 - Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) - for Dell EMC PowerEdge R740xd (3.5")	12.00 TB	$514.25	$42.85	+0%	TDSourcing	SAS
Synology Enterprise 3.5" SAS HDD HAS5300 16TB (SAS)	16.00 TB	$769.85	$48.12	+0%	Synology	SAS

How to Choose a High-Capacity Hard Drive

1. Determine Your Use Case

Home NAS (1-4 bays): 16-20TB NAS drives (IronWolf, Red Plus)
Large NAS/Server (8+ bays): 18-24TB enterprise drives for density
Archival/Cold storage: Highest capacity you can afford
Single desktop drive: 8-12TB is usually sufficient

2. Choose NAS or Enterprise Grade

NAS drives (IronWolf, Red Plus) are designed for home/small business NAS with 1-8 bays. They have 3-year warranties and cost less.

Enterprise drives (Exos, Ultrastar) are built for 24/7 datacenter use with 5-year warranties, higher MTBF, and better vibration tolerance. Worth it for critical data or large arrays.

3. Verify CMR vs SMR

Always check for CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) for NAS use. SMR drives cause severe performance issues in RAID arrays. All NAS-rated drives use CMR. See our CMR vs SMR guide.

4. Consider Total Array Cost

For NAS builds, calculate total cost: 4× 18TB drives may be better value than 3× 24TB drives depending on pricing. Balance drive count against enclosure bay limits and per-drive costs.

🔮 Coming Soon: Even Larger Drives

Hard drive manufacturers are pushing capacity limits with new technologies:

HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording): Seagate's Exos roadmap targets 40TB+ by 2026-2027
MAMR (Microwave-Assisted): Western Digital's alternative approach to higher density
Multi-Actuator: Faster performance with multiple read/write heads

Should you wait? No. New high-capacity drives will be expensive at launch. Current 16-20TB drives offer excellent value. Buy what you need now — storage needs grow faster than you expect.

Frequently Asked Questions About Large Hard Drives

What is the largest hard drive you can buy?

The largest consumer-available hard drive is 30TB (Seagate Exos X24). For prosumer/NAS use, 24TB drives are widely available (Seagate IronWolf Pro, Exos). The largest commonly purchased drives for home NAS builds are 18-20TB, which offer the best balance of capacity and value. Enterprise datacenters have access to even higher capacities in limited quantities.

What is the best high-capacity hard drive?

For home NAS: Seagate IronWolf 16-20TB. For enterprise/servers: Seagate Exos or WD Ultrastar 18-24TB. The "best" depends on your use case — IronWolf offers great value for home users, while Exos provides enterprise reliability for critical applications. Both are excellent choices.

Are large hard drives reliable?

Yes, when you choose quality drives. Backblaze reliability data shows modern high-capacity drives from Seagate and WD perform well. Enterprise drives (Exos, Ultrastar) have the best reliability with 5-year warranties and 2.5M hour MTBF ratings. NAS drives (IronWolf, Red Plus) are also reliable for their intended use. Always use RAID or backup for critical data regardless of drive quality.

How much does a 20TB hard drive cost?

20TB hard drives cost $300-400 depending on the model. NAS drives (Seagate IronWolf 20TB) are around $350-400. Enterprise drives (Seagate Exos) can be found for $300-350 when on sale. This works out to approximately $15-20 per terabyte — excellent value for high-capacity storage. Check our price table above for current pricing.

Should I buy one large drive or multiple smaller drives?

Multiple drives with RAID protection is safer. One 20TB drive failing means 20TB of data at risk. Four 8TB drives in RAID can survive a drive failure. For NAS builds, multiple drives provide redundancy. For single-drive desktop use, one large drive is fine if you maintain backups. Calculate total cost both ways — sometimes larger drives are more cost-effective per TB.

What is the largest SSD available?

Consumer SSDs max out around 8TB (Samsung 870 QVO, Crucial MX500). Enterprise SSDs reach 30TB+ but cost thousands of dollars. For high-capacity storage, HDDs offer far better value — an 8TB SSD costs $500-800 while an 8TB HDD costs $120-160. Use SSD for speed-critical storage and HDD for bulk capacity.

Do 30TB hard drives exist?

Yes, 30TB drives exist and are available. The Seagate Exos X24 30TB is the current highest-capacity drive widely available for purchase. These are enterprise-grade drives priced at $500-600. They use HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology to achieve higher densities. For most users, 18-24TB drives offer better value, but 30TB drives exist for those who need maximum capacity.