Is WD Red Plus the right NAS drive?
Yes, for most home NAS builds. WD Red Plus is CMR, 5,400 to 7,200 RPM, up to 14TB, with a 3-year warranty, aimed at 1 to 8-bay units. WD Red Pro steps up to 7,200 RPM and 24TB with a 5-year warranty for larger or busier arrays.
Just make sure you buy Red Plus or Red Pro, not the plain WD Red, which uses SMR in several capacities and is poor for RAID.
Red Plus vs Red Pro vs plain Red
| WD Red Plus | WD Red Pro | WD Red (plain) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording | CMR | CMR | SMR (2 to 6TB) |
| Capacities | 1TB to 14TB | 2TB to 24TB | Small |
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years | 3 years |
| NAS/RAID | Yes | Yes | Avoid |
Which to choose
- 1 to 8-bay home NAS: WD Red Plus is the default, CMR and RAID-safe.
- Larger or busy arrays: WD Red Pro for the higher workload and 5-year warranty.
- Alternatives: Seagate IronWolf matches Red Plus; Exos or Ultrastar win on price per terabyte if noise is not a concern.
Pros, cons and the bottom line
Bottom line: buy WD Red Plus for a home NAS and Red Pro for bigger builds. Avoid the plain WD Red, and consider Exos or Ultrastar when value beats quietness.
- Pros: CMR and RAID-safe, quiet, NAS-tuned firmware, wide capacities.
- Cons: plain WD Red naming is confusing; costs more than desktop drives.