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Western Digital

Western Digital

Good8/10

US storage company that has focused on hard drives since spinning off its flash business as Sandisk in 2025.

Founded
1970
From
United States
HQ
San Jose, United States
Owned by
Independent
Made in
Thailand and Malaysia
Also sold as
WD
www.westerndigital.com

Hard drive (HDD)

Good8/10Mid-range

Western Digital's hard drives are widely trusted, and fleet data from Backblaze and a peer-reviewed study rate WD and its HGST lineage among the most reliable. The 2020 SMR row and the 3-year warning flag still colour enthusiast opinion. For a NAS, pick Red Plus or Red Pro, never plain Red.

Good at

  • WD Red Plus and Red Pro are trusted CMR drives for NAS
  • Clear colour tiers for desktop, NAS, CCTV and enterprise
  • Backblaze data has long been kind to WD and HGST drives
  • Five-year warranty on Red Pro and Gold

Weak at

  • 2020: WD Red drives used SMR without disclosure
  • Synology/WD analytics flag NAS drives at 3 years' use (2023)
  • 2026 supply largely sold out to data centres; prices up
Reliability
Value
Features
Service & warranty
WD Red Plus / Red Pro (NAS)WD Red (SMR)WD BlueWD_BlackWD Purple / Purple ProWD Gold / Ultrastar

Best for: NAS and bulk-storage builders who value reliability

nzauukushk

Researched September 2026 from public reviews, consumer groups and retailer listings, and summarised by hand — ratings are a judgement, not a lab score. Check current reviews and local retailers before you buy.