Western Digital WD RED Pro 16 TB

Enterprise HDD

Part number WD161KFGX · WD RED Pro series · 3.5" SATA HDD. If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.

WD REDProNAS HARD DRIVE3.5" SATA HDDWESTERN DIGITAL

Part of the Western Digital WD RED Pro series →

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65
Compatible NAS models
0 Syn · 0 QNAP · 0 Asus · 48 TM
By vendor
16 TB
Listed capacity
Western Digital
Manufacturer
NAS Pro tier
Product line (manufacturer rating)
7200
Spindle speed (RPM)
CMR
Recording
512 MB
Cache
300 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

Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.

Compatibility verdict

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 65 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster, 17 UGREEN. This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.

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 → UGREEN dh2300 See its full HCL → UGREEN dh4300-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp2800 See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp2800-gt See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800 See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800-gt See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800-pro See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-pro See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-ultra See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp8800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp8800-ultra See its full HCL → UGREEN ha100 See its full HCL → UGREEN ha100-pro See its full HCL → UGREEN idx6011 See its full HCL → UGREEN idx6011-pro See its full HCL →

Same-capacity alternatives

Other drives listed at 16 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:

Seagate ST16000NM001G 314 machines · Enterprise Toshiba MG08ACA16TE 299 machines · MG08ACA*** Seagate ST16000NE000 294 machines · IronWolf Pro Seagate ST16000VE000 287 machines · SkyHawkAI Seagate ST16000VN001 239 machines · IronWolf Western Digital WUH721816ALE6L4 227 machines · Ultrastar DC HC550 Western Digital WD161KRYZ 224 machines · Gold Seagate ST16000NM000J 219 machines · EXOS x18

Quick answers

Is the WD161KFGX officially compatible with my NAS?

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 65 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster, 17 UGREEN. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.

Is the WD161KFGX CMR or SMR?

As a Western Digital WD RED Pro drive, it is rated CMR. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) is what a RAID array wants: SMR drives slow rebuilds dramatically. See the <a href="/faq/cmr-vs-smr-nas-drives/">CMR vs SMR guide</a> for the full series table.

Is the WD161KFGX a good NAS drive?

This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.

Can I use the WD161KFGX for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?

Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.

What are alternatives to the WD161KFGX?

At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Seagate ST16000NM001G (314 machines), Toshiba MG08ACA16TE (299 machines), Seagate ST16000NE000 (294 machines). The full ranked list is below.