NAS Drive Compatibility

Western Digital WD RED 12 TB

NAS HDD

Part number WD120EFAX · WD RED series · 3.5" SATA HDD. If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.

WD REDNAS HARD DRIVE3.5" SATA HDDWESTERN DIGITAL

Part of the Western Digital WD RED series →

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48
Compatible NAS models
0 Syn · 0 QNAP · 0 Asus · 48 TM
By vendor
12 TB
Listed capacity
Western Digital
Manufacturer
NAS (older line)
Product line (manufacturer rating)
5400
Spindle speed (RPM)
CMR/SMR
Recording
256 MB
Cache
180 TB
Rated workload / year

Specifications are the manufacturer's published ratings for this product series; verify the exact part number before purchase.

Strong pick as a cold copy

Recording for this series is mixed CMR/SMR — it varies by exact model number. Verify the exact part number before buying a cold copy: SMR drives throttle writes once their internal cache is full, which is exactly what a full-library backup pass does — a 16 TB cold-copy backup that takes days will slow to crawl on the last terabytes. For the off-site slot of a 3-2-1 plan, prefer the CMR variant of the same capacity; the 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover the rest of the chain.

Compatibility verdict

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 48 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster. This is a NAS-class drive: built for 24/7 operation with vibration compensation for multi-bay enclosures — the right tier for most 1-8 bay home or small-office NAS units. Its series rating is on file as SMR (shingled) — the one trait that slows large RAID rebuilds and full-library copies.

Compatible NAS models

TerraMaster D16 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2-310 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-300 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-320U See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-300 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-300C See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-310 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5 Hybrid See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D6-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D8 Hybrid See its full HCL → TerraMaster D8 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D9-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-210 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-212 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-425 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-425 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-210 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-212 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 Max See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-424 Max See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-425 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster T12-450 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T12-500 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster T6-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-450 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-500 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster U12 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U12-500 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster U16 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U24 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U4 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U4-500 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U8 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U8-500 Plus See its full HCL →

Same-capacity alternatives

Other drives listed at 12 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:

Western Digital WD121KRYZ 381 machines · Gold Toshiba MG07ACA12TE 329 machines · MG07ACA*** Seagate ST12000NM0008 315 machines · Exos X14 Seagate ST12000NE0007 311 machines · IronWolf Pro Seagate ST12000NE0008 296 machines · IronWolf Pro Seagate ST12000VE0008 287 machines · SkyHawkAI Western Digital HUH721212ALE600 287 machines · Ultrastar DC HC520 Western Digital HUH721212ALE604 285 machines · Ultrastar DC HC520

Quick answers

Is the WD120EFAX officially compatible with my NAS?

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 48 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.

Is the WD120EFAX CMR or SMR?

As a Western Digital WD RED drive, it is rated CMR/SMR varies by model. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) is what a RAID array wants: SMR drives slow rebuilds dramatically. This series mixes both, so verify the exact part number before buying — the <a href="/faq/cmr-vs-smr-nas-drives/">CMR vs SMR guide</a> has a part-number lookup.

Is the WD120EFAX a good NAS drive?

This is a NAS-class drive: built for 24/7 operation with vibration compensation for multi-bay enclosures — the right tier for most 1-8 bay home or small-office NAS units. Its series rating is on file as SMR (shingled) — the one trait that slows large RAID rebuilds and full-library copies.

Can I use the WD120EFAX for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?

Recording for this series is mixed CMR/SMR — it varies by exact model number. Verify the exact part number before buying a cold copy: SMR drives throttle writes once their internal cache is full, which is exactly what a full-library backup pass does — a 16 TB cold-copy backup that takes days will slow to crawl on the last terabytes. For the off-site slot of a 3-2-1 plan, prefer the CMR variant of the same capacity; the 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover the rest of the chain.

What are alternatives to the WD120EFAX?

At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Western Digital WD121KRYZ (381 machines), Toshiba MG07ACA12TE (329 machines), Seagate ST12000NM0008 (315 machines). The full ranked list is below.