Best Hard Drives for Backup
Backup storage is all about cost per terabyte, adequate capacity, and reliability. Whether you are backing up a home PC to a single external drive, building a NAS backup target, or setting up a cold-storage archive shelf, the ideal backup drive delivers the most usable terabytes for the least money without sacrificing data safety. Backup workloads are mostly sequential writes followed by long idle periods, so you do not need cutting-edge speed. You need capacity and trustworthiness.
Choosing a backup drive
For single-drive external backups, any reliable high-capacity HDD works, focus on price per TB. For NAS backup targets (Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS), NAS-rated drives add vibration tolerance and always-on firmware. For cold-storage archives that sit powered off most of the time, enterprise or refurbished datacenter drives offer the highest density at the lowest cost. In all cases, a backup drive does not need to be fast. It needs to be big and reliable.
Quick Verdict
- Who this is for
- Anyone building a backup target, home PC users, NAS owners backing up to a second volume, and cold-storage archivists who need maximum capacity at minimum cost.
- What usually wins
- The cheapest new drive at 8 TB or above for simple backups. A NAS-rated drive if your backup target runs 24/7 in a multi-bay enclosure. Refurbished enterprise pulls for cold-storage shelves where cost matters most.
- Prioritise
- Capacity and price per TB above all else. Backup workloads are write-once, read-rarely. Raw speed and premium features matter less than having enough room and keeping costs low.
Prices updated daily from Amazon.com. All links go directly to the retailer. Details.
Related tools
Price your exact decision from today's dataBottom line: the lowest price-per-TB pick on this page right now is the HGST Ultrastar DC HC510 (He10) 10TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch | Power Disable | Enterprise Hard Drive - HUH721010ALE600 (0F27452), 10 TB used, at $200.00 ($20.00/TB) on Amazon.com. Check the current price.
Best Overall Backup Value
The cheapest new high-capacity drives available, ranked by price per terabyte. Great for any backup use case where you want the most storage for the least money.
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD12TBGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty
HGST Ultrastar He12 | HUH721212ALE601 | 0F27454 | 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Cache | 512E | BitLocker Hard Drive Encryption | Power Disable Function |
T2YHT 0T2YHT 12TB 7.2K 6Gb/s SATA 3.5" Hard Drive HUH721212ALE600
X16 12TB 3.5" Hard Drive ST12000NM009G 7.2K 2MT233-150 7KT9W
10TB 3.5" 6Gbps 7.2K SATA Hard Drive RVFR2 HUH721010ALE600
MDD (MDD18TSATA25672DVR) 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty
HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE HPE 10TB 6G SATA 7.2K LFF 512E LP HDD
HDDTECH 10TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years (HDT10TS25672DVR)
High-Capacity Archive Drives (12 TB+)
Large drives for archiving media libraries, server images, and long-term data. More capacity per drive means fewer drives to manage and less shelf space needed.
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD12TBGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty
HGST Ultrastar He12 | HUH721212ALE601 | 0F27454 | 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Cache | 512E | BitLocker Hard Drive Encryption | Power Disable Function |
T2YHT 0T2YHT 12TB 7.2K 6Gb/s SATA 3.5" Hard Drive HUH721212ALE600
X16 12TB 3.5" Hard Drive ST12000NM009G 7.2K 2MT233-150 7KT9W
MDD (MDD18TSATA25672DVR) 18TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive - 3 Years Warranty
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 20TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal Hard Drive (for NAS, Network Storage) - 5 Years Warranty
WD HGST 12TB HUH721212ALE601 7200RPM Ultarstar SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Hard Drive 0F29591
MDD 12TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive, MD12TBGSA25672
NAS Backup Drives
IronWolf and WD Red drives for NAS-based backup targets. NAS firmware handles always-on operation, RAID arrays, and multi-drive enclosures. Ideal if your backup destination is a Synology, QNAP, or Unraid box.
Why this matters: If your backup target is a NAS running 24/7, NAS-rated drives are worth the modest premium. They include vibration tolerance for multi-bay enclosures, error recovery tuning for RAID, and firmware optimised for continuous operation. For a powered-off external drive, standard drives work fine.
Seagate IronWolf 10TB NAS Internal Hard Drive, 3.5" SATA 6Gb/s, 7200 RPM, CMR, RAID Optimized, IronWolf Health Management – for NAS Systems (ST10000VNZ00)
Seagate 32TB IronWolf Pro Internal NAS Hard Drive | SATA (ST32000NT000)
Western Digital 22TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD221KFGX
Seagate IronWolf Pro, 20 TB, Enterprise NAS Internal HDD –CMR 3.5 Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, 7,200 RPM, 256 MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage (ST20000NT001)
Seagate IronWolf 3.5" 12TB Internal Hard Disk HDD 3 Year Warranty 256MB 7200rpm 24 Hours Service for PC NAS RV Sensor ST12000VN0008
Western Digital 18TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD181KFGX
Seagate IronWolf Pro 24TB Enterprise NAS Internal HDD Hard Drive – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 512MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage, Rescue Services (ST24000NT002)
Seagate IronWolf Pro ST12000NE0008 12 TB Hard Drive - 512E Format - SATA 600-3.5" Drive - Internal - 7200RPM - 256 MB Buffer - Hot Pluggable
Refurbished Drives for Budget Backups
Used enterprise drives at 40-60% less than new retail. Excellent for bulk backup and cold-storage archives where brand-new warranty is not essential. These datacenter pulls are designed for millions of hours of operation.
HKRVPXD EXOS 7E8 SAS HDD ST8000NM0075 8TB 7.2K 7200Rpm 256MB 12Gbps Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD Hard Drive for Server
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
HGST Ultrastar DC HC510 (He10) 10TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch | Power Disable | Enterprise Hard Drive - HUH721010ALE600 (0F27452)
HPE 819201-B21 8TB 12G SAS 7.2K LFF 512E SC MDL Hard Disk Drive
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
Genuine HUH721212AL4200 12TB HDD 7200 RPM SAS 12Gb/s LFF Drive Original
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
HPE 12 TB Hard Drive - 3.5" Internal - SAS (12Gb/s SAS)
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
Genuine P09155-B21 14TB SAS 12G BC 7.2K LFF LP He 512e MV HDD Original
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
Basicnology Enterprise HDD 14TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 128MB Cache 3.5inch Datacenter Hard Drive (BG14TSA256E) - 3 Years Warranty (Renewed)
8TB Hard Drive SAS 12Gbps 7.2K 512e 3.5i
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
How to Choose
Backup drives sit at the intersection of capacity, cost, and just-enough reliability. Here is how to pick the right one.
Capacity first
Your backup drive should be at least as large as the data set you are protecting, ideally larger to allow growth. At 8 TB and above, per-TB pricing improves significantly. Buy the largest drive your budget allows.
Price per TB
Backup storage is cost-sensitive. Compare drives on a per-TB basis rather than sticker price. A higher total price on a larger drive often delivers a lower cost per terabyte.
New vs refurbished
New drives include manufacturer warranties and known-good health. Refurbished enterprise pulls cost 40–60% less and work well for backup, especially cold-storage archives where the drive is powered off between backup runs. Both are valid depending on your budget and risk tolerance.
NAS vs single-drive use
If your backup target is a NAS running 24/7, use NAS-rated drives (IronWolf, WD Red Plus) for vibration tolerance and always-on firmware. For a single external drive or a powered-off shelf drive, any standard HDD is fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a hard drive store data without power?
Modern HDDs can retain data for years without power. Magnetic storage is non-volatile. However, mechanical components can seize after extended disuse. For long-term archival, power on backup drives every 6–12 months to keep bearings lubricated and verify data integrity.
Is an external or internal hard drive better for backup?
External drives are simpler. Plug in via USB, run your backup, unplug and store offsite. Internal drives in a NAS allow automated scheduled backups over the network. For the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite), having at least one external drive you can store offsite is ideal.
How much storage do I need for backups?
Plan for at least 2x your current data. If you have 2 TB of files, a 4 TB backup drive gives room for versioned backups and growth. For Time Machine or Windows File History, 2–3x your source data is recommended since these tools keep file history over time.
Do I need an enterprise drive for backups?
No. Backup workloads are typically infrequent, large sequential writes, any consumer or NAS drive handles this fine. Enterprise drives are built for 24/7 heavy workloads, which is overkill for a drive that runs a backup once a day. Buy refurbished enterprise drives if you want the build quality at consumer prices.
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