Western Digital WD GOLD 26TB

Enterprise HDD

Part number WD261KRYZ · WD GOLD series · SATA 6Gb/s (SATA III). If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.

WD GOLDNAS HARD DRIVE3.5" SATA HDDWESTERN DIGITAL

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93
Compatible NAS models
0 Syn · 93 QNAP · 0 Asus · 0 TM
By vendor
26 TB
Listed capacity
Western Digital
Manufacturer
Enterprise capacity
Product line (manufacturer rating)
7200
Spindle speed (RPM)
CMR
Recording
256 MB
Cache
550 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 93 machines and series — 93 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. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.

Compatible NAS models

QNAP HS-264 See its full HCL → QNAP QAI-16700 See its full HCL → QNAP TL-D1600S See its full HCL → QNAP TL-D400S See its full HCL → QNAP TL-D800S See its full HCL → QNAP TL-D810TC4 See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1200PES-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1200S-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1210TC4-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1220Sep-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1600PES-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R1620Sep-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R2400PES-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R400S See its full HCL → QNAP TL-R6020Sep-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TR-002 See its full HCL → QNAP TR-004 See its full HCL → QNAP TR-004U See its full HCL → QNAP TS-1232PXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-1264U-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-1273AU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-133 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-1655 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-1673AU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-216G See its full HCL → QNAP TS-233 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-253E See its full HCL → QNAP TS-262 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-264 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-364 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-432PXU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-432PXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-432XeU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-433 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-453E See its full HCL → QNAP TS-462 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-464 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-464U See its full HCL → QNAP TS-464U-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-464eU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-467X See its full HCL → QNAP TS-473A See its full HCL → QNAP TS-664 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-667X See its full HCL → QNAP TS-673A See its full HCL → QNAP TS-832PX See its full HCL → QNAP TS-832PXU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-832PXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-855eU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-855eU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-864eU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-864eU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-867X See its full HCL → QNAP TS-873A See its full HCL → QNAP TS-873AU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-873AU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-873AeU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-873AeU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-877XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-932PX See its full HCL → QNAP TS-AI642 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1065eU See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1065eU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1277AXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1277XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1465U-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1677AXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1886XU-RP R2 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h1887XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h2287XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h2477AXU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h3087XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h665 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h665U See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h665U-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h865 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h886 See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h966TX See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h973AX See its full HCL → QNAP TS-h987XU-RP See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-472XT See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-672XT See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-872XT See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h1277AX See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h1288X See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h1677AX See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h1688X See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h474 See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h674T See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h874 See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h874T See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h874X See its full HCL → QNAP TVS-h877AX See its full HCL →

Same-capacity alternatives

Other drives listed at 26 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:

Western Digital WD260KFGX 116 machines · Red Pro Western Digital WUH722626ALE6L4 106 machines · Ultrastar DC HC590 Western Digital WUH722626ALE6L1 93 machines · Ultrastar DC HC590 Western Digital WD260PURP 79 machines · Surveillance Purple Pro Western Digital WD260KFGX-68CNGN0 32 machines · WD260KFGX WD WD260KFGX - 68CNGN0 14 machines · Red Pro Western Digital WUH722626AL5204 5 machines · Ultrastar DC HC590 Western Digital WUH722626AL5201 5 machines · Ultrastar DC HC590

Quick answers

Is the WD261KRYZ officially compatible with my NAS?

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 93 machines and series — 93 QNAP. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.

Is the WD261KRYZ CMR or SMR?

As a Western Digital WD GOLD 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 WD261KRYZ 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 WD261KRYZ 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 WD261KRYZ?

At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Western Digital WD260KFGX (116 machines), Western Digital WUH722626ALE6L4 (106 machines), Western Digital WUH722626ALE6L1 (93 machines). The full ranked list is below.