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 Seagate Exos x10 10TB SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive 3.5" (ST10000NM0086), 10 TB used, at $219.99 ($22.00/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.
Water Panther 14TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" HDD for Dell PowerEdge Servers | Enterprise Hard Drive in 13G Tray
14TB 7.2K RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" HDD for Dell PowerEdge Servers | Enterprise Hard Drive in 14G Tray | Compatible with R340 R440 R640 R740
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 20TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal Hard Drive (for NAS, Network Storage) - 5 Years Warranty
Genuine MB012000GWDFE 12TB SATA 6G 7.2K LFF LP Helium 512E HDD Original
HGST Ultrastar He12 | HUH721212ALE601 | 0F27454 | 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Cache | 512E | BitLocker Hard Drive Encryption | Power Disable Function |
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD12TBGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty
MDD 12TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive, MD12TBGSA25672
BUFFALO Replacement Spare Hard Drive 8TB NAS-Grade for TeraStation 2/4/8 Bay (OP-HD8.0N)
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.
14TB 7.2K RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" HDD for Dell PowerEdge Servers | Enterprise Hard Drive in 14G Tray | Compatible with R340 R440 R640 R740
Water Panther 14TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5" HDD for Dell PowerEdge Servers | Enterprise Hard Drive in 13G Tray
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 20TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal Hard Drive (for NAS, Network Storage) - 5 Years Warranty
Genuine MB012000GWDFE 12TB SATA 6G 7.2K LFF LP Helium 512E HDD Original
HGST Ultrastar He12 | HUH721212ALE601 | 0F27454 | 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Cache | 512E | BitLocker Hard Drive Encryption | Power Disable Function |
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA 12TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for Surveillance Storage (MD12TBGSA25672DVR) - 3 Years Warranty
MDD 12TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive, MD12TBGSA25672
X16 12TB 3.5" Hard Drive ST12000NM009G 7.2K 2MT233-150 7KT9W
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 Pro 14 TB NAS RAID Internal Hard Drive - 7,200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 3.5-inch (ST14000NE0008)
Western Digital 12TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 GB/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD120EFGX
Seagate IronWolf Pro ST16000NE000 16 TB Hard Drive - 3.5" Internal - SATA (SATA/600), Mechanical Hard Disk
Seagate IronWolf 16TB SATA 256Mb 7200Rpm
Seagate IronWolf ST16000VN001 16 TB Hard Drive - 3.5" Internal - SATA (SATA/600)
Seagate IronWolf Pro ST14000NE0008 14 TB Hard Drive - 3.5" Internal - SATA (SATA/600)
Seagate IronWolf 14TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage – Frustration Free Packaging (ST14000VN0008)
Seagate IronWolf 16TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6GB/S 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for Raid Network Attached Storage, with Rescue Service (ST16000VN001)
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.
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MDD 10TB 7200RPM 256MB Cache SAS 12.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Enterprise Hard Drive (MDD10TSAS25672E) - [NOT a SATA HDD] (Renewed)
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
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.
Dell 400-ATKR 8TB 7.2K SAS 3.5" 12Gb/s HDD KIT 14TH Generation Servers POWEREDGE R640 R740 R740XD R940 C6420 POWERVAULT MD1400 MD1420
SAS interface. Needs a host bus adapter, it will not plug into a normal motherboard.
Seagate Exos x10 10TB SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache Enterprise Hard Drive 3.5" (ST10000NM0086)
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.
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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