Quick Answer+
Best WD Red for NAS: The WD Red Plus is the right choice for most home NAS users — CMR technology, 5400 RPM quiet operation, and optimized for 1-8 bay systems. Avoid standard WD Red (SMR) for NAS use — it can cause RAID rebuild failures. For business/heavy workloads, the WD Red Pro offers 7200 RPM, 5-year warranty, and 300 TB/year workload rating. The “Plus” designation is critical — always verify CMR technology before buying.
WD Red vs Red Plus vs Red Pro: What’s the Difference?
Western Digital’s Red drive lineup is confusing — three products with similar names but very different specifications and use cases. Choosing the wrong one can lead to RAID failures, data loss, and frustration. This guide explains the critical differences and helps you pick the right drive for your Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, or other NAS system.
The most important distinction: WD Red (non-Plus) uses SMR technology which is NOT recommended for NAS or RAID. Always buy WD Red Plus or WD Red Pro for multi-drive systems.
Quick Comparison: WD Red vs Red Plus vs Red Pro
| Specification | WD Red | WD Red Plus ✓ | WD Red Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording Tech | SMR ⚠️ | CMR ✓ | CMR ✓ |
| RPM | 5400 | 5400 | 7200 |
| Capacities | 2TB – 6TB | 1TB – 14TB | 2TB – 24TB |
| Max NAS Bays | 1-8 bays | 1-8 bays | 1-24 bays |
| Workload Rating | 180 TB/year | 180 TB/year | 300 TB/year |
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years | 5 years |
| Cache | 256MB | 256MB | 512MB |
| RAID Safe | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Best For | Single drive backup | Home NAS | Business NAS |
| Model Numbers | WDxxEFAX | WDxxEFZX | WDxxxxFFBX |
WD Red Plus Prices (Recommended for Home NAS)
WD Red Plus is the right choice for most home NAS users. CMR technology ensures reliable RAID rebuilds and consistent write performance.
| Product | Capacity | Price | $ / TB | Price Drop | Brand | Interface |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| QNAP TR-004-44WD-US 4 Bay DAS (USB Type-C) with 12TB Storage Capacity, Preconfigured RAID 5 WD Red Plus HDD Bundle | 12.00 TB | $649.00 | $54.08 | +0% | QNAP | USB |
| Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 128 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD40EFZX (Renewed) | 4.00 TB | $452.00 | $113.00 | +0% | Western Digital | SATA |
WD Red Pro Prices (For Business/Heavy Use)
WD Red Pro is designed for business environments with heavier workloads, larger NAS systems (up to 24 bays), and users who need the 5-year warranty.
The WD Red SMR Controversy Explained
In 2020, Western Digital was caught secretly using SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) technology in WD Red drives marketed for NAS use. Users discovered this when RAID rebuilds failed and drives performed poorly under sustained writes. The backlash was significant — WD faced a class-action lawsuit and damaged trust with the NAS community.
SMR vs CMR: Why It Matters
CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording): Writes data tracks side-by-side without overlap. Delivers consistent write speeds and is safe for RAID arrays. This is what you want for NAS use.
SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording): Overlaps tracks like roof shingles to increase density. When data needs rewriting, entire “zones” must be rewritten, causing dramatic slowdowns. During RAID rebuilds, this can cause timeouts and drive drops — potentially destroying your array.
Why SMR Fails in NAS/RAID
- RAID rebuilds can fail: The slowdown during writes can cause timeouts, making the RAID array drop the drive
- Write speeds collapse: After the cache fills, SMR drives can slow to 10-30 MB/s
- Multi-drive environments suffer: Vibration combined with write amplification creates poor performance
How WD Responded
After the backlash, WD created clearer product naming:
- WD Red (SMR) — Now positioned for “light workloads” and single-drive use only
- WD Red Plus (CMR) — The “real” NAS drive with CMR technology
- WD Red Pro (CMR) — Premium NAS drive with 7200 RPM and 5-year warranty
Which WD Red Should You Buy?
Buy WD Red Plus If:
- You have a home NAS (Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, etc.)
- Your system has 1-8 drive bays
- You’re running a Plex media server
- You need reliable file storage and backup
- You want quiet operation (5400 RPM)
Buy WD Red Pro If:
- You have a business or office NAS
- Your system has 8+ drive bays
- Multiple users access the NAS simultaneously
- You need the 5-year warranty
- Higher workload requirements (300 TB/year)
Avoid Standard WD Red If:
- You’re using ANY NAS or RAID setup
- You need sustained write performance
- Data integrity is important to you
The only acceptable use for standard WD Red (SMR) is as a single external backup drive where you write occasionally and read infrequently.
How to Identify WD Red vs Red Plus vs Red Pro
Check the model number on the drive label to confirm which variant you have:
| Model Pattern | Drive Type | Technology | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| WDxxEFAX | WD Red | SMR ⚠️ | WD60EFAX (6TB) |
| WDxxEFZX | WD Red Plus | CMR ✓ | WD80EFZX (8TB) |
| WDxxxxFFBX | WD Red Pro | CMR ✓ | WD8003FFBX (8TB) |
Key identifiers: EFAX = SMR (avoid for NAS), EFZX = Red Plus CMR (good), FFBX = Red Pro CMR (pro).
WD Red Plus vs Competitors
WD Red Plus vs Seagate IronWolf
Both are excellent home NAS drives with CMR technology. IronWolf offers IronWolf Health Management (IHM) integration with Synology and QNAP for proactive monitoring. Red Plus is often slightly quieter. Performance and reliability are comparable — choose based on current pricing as they trade places on sales regularly.
WD Red Pro vs Seagate IronWolf Pro
Very similar specifications: both 7200 RPM, CMR technology, 5-year warranty. IronWolf Pro includes Rescue Data Recovery service. Red Pro has slightly better vibration resistance in multi-drive environments. Compare prices and buy whichever is cheaper.
WD Red Pro vs Seagate Exos (Secret Value Pick)
Here’s the secret many NAS enthusiasts know: Seagate Exos often costs LESS than WD Red Pro while offering better specifications:
- Exos: 550 TB/year workload vs Red Pro’s 300 TB/year
- Exos: Enterprise-grade reliability
- Both: 5-year warranty
The only downside: Exos is louder. If your NAS is in a closet or server room, Exos is the better value. If it’s in a living space, Red Pro’s quieter operation may be worth the premium.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are different drives. WD Red uses SMR technology and is not recommended for NAS/RAID. WD Red Plus uses CMR technology and is safe for NAS use. The “Plus” designation is critical — always buy Red Plus for any NAS application.
Not recommended. While the drive will physically work, the SMR technology can cause RAID rebuild failures, slow write performance, and potential data loss during heavy use. Synology and other NAS manufacturers recommend CMR drives. Use WD Red Plus or WD Red Pro instead.
WD Red Pro offers: 7200 RPM (faster than 5400 RPM), 5-year warranty (vs 3-year), 300 TB/year workload (vs 180 TB/year), 512MB cache (vs 256MB), and support for up to 24-bay systems. It’s designed for business environments with heavier workloads.
For most users, Exos is the better value. Exos typically costs less while offering higher workload ratings (550 TB/year vs 300 TB/year) and the same 5-year warranty. The only advantage of Red Pro is quieter operation. If your NAS is in a closet, choose Exos. If it’s in a living space, Red Pro’s quieter operation may be worth the premium.
Check the model number: EFAX = SMR (avoid for NAS), EFZX = CMR Red Plus (good), FFBX = CMR Red Pro (good). You can find this on the drive label or in the product listing.
Yes, WD Red Plus is excellent for Plex. Media streaming is sequential read-heavy, which any NAS drive handles well. Red Plus’s 5400 RPM is actually beneficial — quieter operation for living room NAS setups. The CMR technology ensures consistent performance when adding new media to your library.
Yes, you can mix them. Both use CMR technology and are NAS-compatible. The array will operate at the slower drive’s speed (5400 RPM). Mixing drive models is actually recommended by some experts to reduce correlated failure risk. Just avoid mixing SMR drives (standard WD Red) with CMR drives.
Both are excellent CMR NAS drives with similar specs. IronWolf offers IronWolf Health Management (IHM) integration with Synology/QNAP for proactive monitoring. Red Plus is often quieter. Performance and reliability are comparable. Buy whichever is cheaper — they trade places on sales regularly.
Related WD NAS Drive Guides
- WD Red Plus Prices — Current pricing for all capacities
- WD Red Pro Prices — Business NAS drive pricing
- Best NAS Drives 2026 — Complete NAS drive guide
- IronWolf vs WD Red — Brand comparison
- CMR vs SMR Explained — Recording technology guide
- Seagate Exos Prices — Enterprise drive value option
- Best Drives for Plex — Media server recommendations
- WD Ultrastar Prices — Enterprise WD drives
Last Updated: February 2026 | Prices verified and specifications updated