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NAS Drive Comparison Guide
WD Red vs Seagate IronWolf - 4TB Models Deep Dive
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WD Red
WD40EFAX
Recording
SMR
Speed
5400 RPM
Transfer Rate
180 MB/s
Cache
256 MB
Workload
180 TB/year
MTBF
1M hours
Warranty
3 years + Rescue
Power (Active)
4.8W
Best For
1-8 bay SOHO
Balanced
✓
IronWolf Pro
ST4000NE00253
Recording
CMR
Speed
7200 RPM
Transfer Rate
214 MB/s
Cache
256 MB
Workload
300 TB/year
MTBF
1.2M hours
Warranty
5 years + Rescue
Power (Active)
9.0W
Best For
Up to 16 bay SMB
Pro Features
Use Case Recommendations
🏠
Home & SOHO NAS (1-8 bay)
For personal backups, media streaming, and light RAID arrays. Focus on value and reliability for home users.
WD Red
Seagate IronWolf
💼
SMB & Creative Pros (up to 16 bay)
For intensive multi-user environments, video editing, and business-critical data. Performance and endurance are key.
WD Red Pro
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Key Differentiators
Recording Technology
WD Red uses SMR for higher capacity efficiency, while all others use CMR for consistent performance in RAID.
Performance Leaders
WD Red Pro leads with 217 MB/s transfers and 550 TB/year workload rating - best for heavy usage.
Data Protection
Seagate offers unique Rescue Data Recovery plans - IronWolf gets 4 years, Pro includes 2 years.
NAS Technologies
WD uses NASware 3.0, Seagate employs AgileArray with dual-plane balancing and RV sensors.
Value Proposition
Standard models offer 3-year warranties for budget builds; Pro versions extend to 5 years for business use.
Noise & Power
WD Red and IronWolf standard models are most power-efficient at 4.8W. Pro models consume more power (6-9W) but deliver superior performance.