Western Digital Consumer Gold 22TB
Enterprise HDD
Part number WD221VRYZ · Consumer Gold series · SATA 6Gb/s (SATA III). If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.
Part of the Western Digital Consumer Gold series →
Check WD221VRYZ price on Amazon partner link
No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet — check the exact model for CMR vs SMR before buying it as a large cold copy (SMR is the one trait that makes a 16 TB+ backup copy painfully slow). The 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover what to schedule it with.
Compatibility verdict
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 116 machines and series — 116 QNAP. 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. No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet, so check CMR vs SMR on the exact model before buying for an array.
Compatible NAS models
Same-capacity alternatives
Other drives listed at 22 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:
Quick answers
Is the WD221VRYZ officially compatible with my NAS?
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 116 machines and series — 116 QNAP. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.
Is the WD221VRYZ 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. No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet, so check CMR vs SMR on the exact model before buying for an array.
Can I use the WD221VRYZ for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?
No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet — check the exact model for CMR vs SMR before buying it as a large cold copy (SMR is the one trait that makes a 16 TB+ backup copy painfully slow). The 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover what to schedule it with.
What are alternatives to the WD221VRYZ?
At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Seagate ST22000NT001 (148 machines), Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 (121 machines), Western Digital WD221KFGX-68B9KN0 (121 machines). The full ranked list is below.