I’ve been buying seagate ironwolf only drives for my NAS but I’ve been wondering if it’s really worth it given that it’s a small server sitting in a corner and these drives are getting more and more expensive. What are your thoughts? Do you only go with NAS drives or anything really does the trick assuming I have a good backup strategy?
Personal anecdote: I have had an old Synology DS215j using WD Blues for about eight years now, and the SMART checks show the drives are within spec.
First, I’d go with making sure you have 3-2-1 protection. It is better to have RAID 1 with two Blues than one enterprise drive. If you already have 3-2-1 protection in place, then move to higher tier drives.
Focus on the backups and getting that in place first. Ideally, CMR Reds are what you should be using, but if money is tight, blues can work.