Joining the original color of NAS, the 18TB WD Red Pro SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal Hard Drive continues the formula of success that has led the WD Red product family by adding support beyond consumer, SOHO, and small business markets into medium and large 8-16 bay business storage systems. WD Red Pro hard drives integrate WD’s exclusive technology, NASware 3.0, to provide unparalleled support for drive compatibility, reliability, and performance. It enables seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment. WD Red Pro is equipped with a multiaxis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events and dynamic fly height technology which adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data. This combination of technology further protects the drives in large 8 to 16 bay NAS environments and increases drive reliability. In combination with 3D Active Balance Plus, WD Red Pro also features hardware vibration compensation technology which monitors the drive to correct both linear and rotational vibration in real time, further increasing drive reliability.For overall enhanced accuracy for NAS, WD Red Pro is also equipped with dual actuator technology which improves positional accuracy over the data tracks and head positioning. StableTrac technology then secures the motor shaft at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize the drive platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. Both technologies are important for larger 8 to 16 bay NAS environments. Plus, it comes equipped with error recovery controls as part of NASware 3.0, which prevents the drive from fallout in RAID applications.
Joining the original color of NAS, the 18TB WD Red Pro SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal Hard Drive continues the formula of success that has led the WD Red product family by adding support beyond consumer, SOHO, and small business markets into medium and large 8-16 bay business storage systems. WD Red Pro hard drives integrate WD’s exclusive technology, NASware 3.0, to provide unparalleled support for drive compatibility, reliability, and performance. It enables seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment. WD Red Pro is equipped with a multiaxis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events and dynamic fly height technology which adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data. This combination of technology further protects the drives in large 8 to 16 bay NAS environments and increases drive reliability. In combination with 3D Active Balance Plus, WD Red Pro also features hardware vibration compensation technology which monitors the drive to correct both linear and rotational vibration in real time, further increasing drive reliability.For overall enhanced accuracy for NAS, WD Red Pro is also equipped with dual actuator technology which improves positional accuracy over the data tracks and head positioning. StableTrac technology then secures the motor shaft at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize the drive platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. Both technologies are important for larger 8 to 16 bay NAS environments. Plus, it comes equipped with error recovery controls as part of NASware 3.0, which prevents the drive from fallout in RAID applications.
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Joining the original color of NAS, the 18TB WD Red Pro SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal Hard Drive continues the formula of success that has led the WD Red product family by adding support beyond consumer, SOHO, and small business markets into medium and large 8-16 bay business storage systems. WD Red Pro hard drives integrate WD’s exclusive technology, NASware 3.0, to provide unparalleled support for drive compatibility, reliability, and performance. It enables seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment. WD Red Pro is equipped with a multiaxis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events and dynamic fly height technology which adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data. This combination of technology further protects the drives in large 8 to 16 bay NAS environments and increases drive reliability. In combination with 3D Active Balance Plus, WD Red Pro also features hardware vibration compensation technology which monitors the drive to correct both linear and rotational vibration in real time, further increasing drive reliability.For overall enhanced accuracy for NAS, WD Red Pro is also equipped with dual actuator technology which improves positional accuracy over the data tracks and head positioning. StableTrac technology then secures the motor shaft at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize the drive platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. Both technologies are important for larger 8 to 16 bay NAS environments. Plus, it comes equipped with error recovery controls as part of NASware 3.0, which prevents the drive from fallout in RAID applications.
Joining the original color of NAS, the 18TB WD Red Pro SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal Hard Drive continues the formula of success that has led the WD Red product family by adding support beyond consumer, SOHO, and small business markets into medium and large 8-16 bay business storage systems. WD Red Pro hard drives integrate WD’s exclusive technology, NASware 3.0, to provide unparalleled support for drive compatibility, reliability, and performance. It enables seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment. WD Red Pro is equipped with a multiaxis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shock events and dynamic fly height technology which adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data. This combination of technology further protects the drives in large 8 to 16 bay NAS environments and increases drive reliability. In combination with 3D Active Balance Plus, WD Red Pro also features hardware vibration compensation technology which monitors the drive to correct both linear and rotational vibration in real time, further increasing drive reliability.For overall enhanced accuracy for NAS, WD Red Pro is also equipped with dual actuator technology which improves positional accuracy over the data tracks and head positioning. StableTrac technology then secures the motor shaft at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize the drive platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. Both technologies are important for larger 8 to 16 bay NAS environments. Plus, it comes equipped with error recovery controls as part of NASware 3.0, which prevents the drive from fallout in RAID applications.
Last updated at 03/06/2026 11:51:36
Western Digital 18TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD181KFGX
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WD WD181KFGX-RET Red Pro 18TB 7200RPM 3.5-Inch Hard Drive
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Western Digital HD WD181KFGX-SINGLE 18T 3.5 7200rpm SATA 6Gb s WD Red Pro NAS
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WD WD181KFGX Red Pro 18TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gbps 3.5-Inch HDD
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WD RED PRO 18TB NAS HARD DRIVE .
Western Digital Red Pro internal hard drive 16 TB 7200 RPM 512 MB 3.5" Serial ATA
WD Red Pro 16TB 7200 RPM 3.5" SATA NAS Hard Drive
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WD Red Pro 18TB 7200 RPM 3.5" SATA NAS Hard Drive
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"WD 18TB Red Pro WD181KFGX 181KFGX 3.5"7200RPM SATA3 NAS Hard Drive"
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"WD 16TB Red Pro WD161KFGX 161KFGX 3.5"7200RPM SATA3 NAS Hard Drive"
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originally posted on westerndigital.com
I have a Seagate standup Thunderbolt SATA send where I normally run a 6TB WD HDD for Time Machine. I wanted to upgrade to 16TB but when I turned it on the mechanical noise was massive and it never mounted. Sounded like the disks were going to fly out.I got an RMA but called Customer Support and got lame response that NAS drives are not designed to do this kind of use. (SATA is not SATA???) and suggested I call Seagate support to find out more on my now 8 year old Thunderbolt base. Right... Existing WD 6tb works fine and same 6GBS rated. It would have been nice to be offered a replacement. My main gripe with tech support is how shallow the response like he didn't any real idea of how things work....or not.
originally posted on westerndigital.com
Bought 4 additional 18TB drives which were delivered quickly by UPS. All the drives worked with no issues. These drives were added to a ZFS raidz2 pool no issues and during the scrub and smart tests they were all in great working condition. Fast reads and writes of the data on the server. I Would recommend these for NAS!I did a large amount of research online before purchasing these for my NAS server. These drives are recommended for NAS in large arrays which was a key selling point.
originally posted on westerndigital.com
I would like to start by saying that i have always found WD products to be top quality. I have decided that I need a personal cloud service and started by purchasing a small NAS enclosure with some drives. My first two WD drives came from a retailer online. I had a not so good experience with them and decided to cut out the middle man and go to the manufacturer site. This afforded me the pleasure of lower cost. The WD drives i purchased perform just as they should and that is a positive. The sigular negative that i have is the shipping time. I was anxious to have the drives here quickly so i payed for two day delivery, 10 days later they arrived. Thia does not sour me with buying from the WD store in the future, it is just annoying.
| General | |
| Device Type | Hard drive - internal |
| Capacity | 18 TB |
| Form Factor | 3.5" |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s |
Western Digital 18TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD181KFGX
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
WD WD181KFGX-RET Red Pro 18TB 7200RPM 3.5-Inch Hard Drive
Free delivery between Thu – Mon
Western Digital HD WD181KFGX-SINGLE 18T 3.5 7200rpm SATA 6Gb s WD Red Pro NAS
Free delivery between Thu – Mon
WD WD181KFGX Red Pro 18TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gbps 3.5-Inch HDD
Free delivery between Thu – Mon
WD RED PRO 18TB NAS HARD DRIVE .
I have a Seagate standup Thunderbolt SATA send where I normally run a 6TB WD HDD for Time Machine. I wanted to upgrade to 16TB but when I turned it on the mechanical noise was massive and it never mounted. Sounded like the disks were going to fly out.I got an RMA but called Customer Support and got lame response that NAS drives are not designed to do this kind of use. (SATA is not SATA???) and suggested I call Seagate support to find out more on my now 8 year old Thunderbolt base. Right... Existing WD 6tb works fine and same 6GBS rated. It would have been nice to be offered a replacement. My main gripe with tech support is how shallow the response like he didn't any real idea of how things work....or not.
Bought 4 additional 18TB drives which were delivered quickly by UPS. All the drives worked with no issues. These drives were added to a ZFS raidz2 pool no issues and during the scrub and smart tests they were all in great working condition. Fast reads and writes of the data on the server. I Would recommend these for NAS!I did a large amount of research online before purchasing these for my NAS server. These drives are recommended for NAS in large arrays which was a key selling point.
I would like to start by saying that i have always found WD products to be top quality. I have decided that I need a personal cloud service and started by purchasing a small NAS enclosure with some drives. My first two WD drives came from a retailer online. I had a not so good experience with them and decided to cut out the middle man and go to the manufacturer site. This afforded me the pleasure of lower cost. The WD drives i purchased perform just as they should and that is a positive. The sigular negative that i have is the shipping time. I was anxious to have the drives here quickly so i payed for two day delivery, 10 days later they arrived. Thia does not sour me with buying from the WD store in the future, it is just annoying.
I bought this drive to use on a standalone SATA Seagate Thunderbolt stand. It made a horrendous amount of racket, never mounted on my Mac. Tech support told me to call Seagate for support on my old TB drive mount. They said that these drives are forNAT only but SATA is SATA and my other WD drive with ^GB spec has worked fine for years in the same slot. They were unable to answer my question about why a SATA drive like this is any different from another. I was able to return the drive but not get a replacement.
Found it was very easy to expand storage inside my PR 2100 Raid1 storage box. I went from 8 TB to 16 TB and it took the system 18 hours to transfer all data. Process was: 1. Log into drive dashboard. 2. Turn off all installed apps. 3. Click on storage, auto rebuild on, RAID Mode 1, then Expand Capacity, and press Next. 4. Follow on-screen instructions. 5. Turn apps back on and you are done! Note that you will have to keep logging back in due to dashboard time outs in order to check progress of storage expansion.
I purchased this HDD in March 2021 along with an WD Ultrastar 18TB. In my Raid boxes a Drobo and Synoloy I have started making a point of trying to by different brand / models HDD's as I add storage just in case a defect in one line will not destroy my entire storage array. I have found the Pro series to be slightly noisier than the Plus / original regular RED's and a bit quieter than the Ultrastars. Heat is kind of similar based one feeling the front of the HDD while is mounted in its RAID enclosure. The first thing I did after this hard drive arrived was check CrystalDiskInfo to check the drives specs and make sure it was all good. It had a power on count of 1 (since I powered it on) and everything else was perfect and new. Hard drive Speed Compare: All testing ... MoreI purchased this HDD in March 2021 along with an WD Ultrastar 18TB. In my Raid boxes a Drobo and Synoloy I have started making a point of trying to by different brand / models HDD's as I add storage just in case a defect in one line will not destroy my entire storage array. I have found the Pro series to be slightly noisier than the Plus / original regular RED's and a bit quieter than the Ultrastars. Heat is kind of similar based one feeling the front of the HDD while is mounted in its RAID enclosure. The first thing I did after this hard drive arrived was check CrystalDiskInfo to check the drives specs and make sure it was all good. It had a power on count of 1 (since I powered it on) and everything else was perfect and new. Hard drive Speed Compare: All testing was done with an external enclosure using CrystalDiskMark and a direct file copy (about 4GB) to the disk from an internal SSD.WD Red Pro 18TB: Seq Read 267 MB/s, Seq Write 266 MB/s, Copy 260 MB/sWD Ultrastar HC550 18TB: Seq Read 269 MB/s, Seq Write 268 MB/s, Copy 274 MB/sWD Red Plus 10TB WD101EFAX: Seq Read 218 MB/s, Seq Write 219 MB/s, Copy 80 MB/sWD Ultrastar HC510 10TB: Seq Read: 259 MB/s, Seq Write 263 MB/s, Copy 250 MB/sWD Red 10TB WD100EFRX: Seq Read: 200 MB/s, Seq Write 116 MB/s, Copy 186 MB/sSpeed comparison for reference. This is just a small selection of my hard drives that I have owned and have tested.I think I will be very happy with this expansive HDD.
I got these because they should be the best possible drive for My Cloud Expert Series EX2 Ultra, it came with two 4TB Red drives at 5400 RPM, absolutely silent but not the fastest. So based on the capacity, speed, and CRM vs SRM I was sold and these were on sale for 200 or so. Got the drives and removed one of the 4TB drives and rebuilt the RAID1 mirror. I quickly noticed how much louder the pro drive was than the regular and that it had almost a rythmic thud, made me think click of death. Kept moving forward hoping it was something about the RAID build process. Replaced the other 4tb with the second 12tb, expanded the drive and I had a 12tb mirror just like I wanted. Extreemly fast in comparison with the 4TB WD Red drives but was hot and extremely loud, across the ... MoreI got these because they should be the best possible drive for My Cloud Expert Series EX2 Ultra, it came with two 4TB Red drives at 5400 RPM, absolutely silent but not the fastest. So based on the capacity, speed, and CRM vs SRM I was sold and these were on sale for 200 or so. Got the drives and removed one of the 4TB drives and rebuilt the RAID1 mirror. I quickly noticed how much louder the pro drive was than the regular and that it had almost a rythmic thud, made me think click of death. Kept moving forward hoping it was something about the RAID build process. Replaced the other 4tb with the second 12tb, expanded the drive and I had a 12tb mirror just like I wanted. Extreemly fast in comparison with the 4TB WD Red drives but was hot and extremely loud, across the room loud. Lived with it for a week and decided that I deserver better for what I pay. Initiated a return and picked up two 12tb Red Plus drives, these are almost as good but dead slient in my NAS. They are not as responsive or do not move as much data but the are certainly an upgrade from the 4tb WD Red that the NAS came with and to be honest they were not bad either, just lower capacity and a bit slower. Disappointed as I really wanted to Red Pro drives but simply could not deal with the noise they made nor the risk to may data.
Over my 20+ year IT career I can say this has been the worst drive for reliability, specifically the WD Red Pro 8TB model (WD8003FFBX). I configured 8 of these behind a hardware RAID card under RedHat Linux, and they periodically eject themselves from the RAID as "missing". Re-scanning brings them back, but only temporarily. I have done several RMAs on these with no improvements, one RMA arriving with bad sector geometry (not sure how this would get past QA).I have tried a total of 3 separate hardware RAID cards (however, each Adaptec). I have tried them with the quasi-mobo RAID, and Linux software RAID. All eventually failing during load-testing (speed, however, is great).Testing them outside of a RAID, as individual drives, they work great. So there's ... MoreOver my 20+ year IT career I can say this has been the worst drive for reliability, specifically the WD Red Pro 8TB model (WD8003FFBX). I configured 8 of these behind a hardware RAID card under RedHat Linux, and they periodically eject themselves from the RAID as "missing". Re-scanning brings them back, but only temporarily. I have done several RMAs on these with no improvements, one RMA arriving with bad sector geometry (not sure how this would get past QA).I have tried a total of 3 separate hardware RAID cards (however, each Adaptec). I have tried them with the quasi-mobo RAID, and Linux software RAID. All eventually failing during load-testing (speed, however, is great).Testing them outside of a RAID, as individual drives, they work great. So there's something odd with them in a RAID in my experience. Beware of this product line if this is your use case (RAID under Linux).
This is a follow-up to my review about a year ago. Again, my use case is an 8 drive RAID in a Linux system (Fedora). These drives were purchased Nov 2020. I have also since moved from an Adaptec RAID card to a MegaRAID card, to hopefully get a better experience, however, that did not help. I was running these as a RAID 5, but because of the failure rates I have switched to a RAID 6. I have now had 10 of these drives replaced in 8 RMAs (88473645 88545097 88568417 88587158 65073767 65099873 65155823 65162324 65191095). Smartctl is also giving me the tell-tale warning signs that another is now going out (increasing ATA error count). So WD may expect my 11th RMA very soon.The response to my last review, to contact customer support, went no-where. I did as suggested ... MoreThis is a follow-up to my review about a year ago. Again, my use case is an 8 drive RAID in a Linux system (Fedora). These drives were purchased Nov 2020. I have also since moved from an Adaptec RAID card to a MegaRAID card, to hopefully get a better experience, however, that did not help. I was running these as a RAID 5, but because of the failure rates I have switched to a RAID 6. I have now had 10 of these drives replaced in 8 RMAs (88473645 88545097 88568417 88587158 65073767 65099873 65155823 65162324 65191095). Smartctl is also giving me the tell-tale warning signs that another is now going out (increasing ATA error count). So WD may expect my 11th RMA very soon.The response to my last review, to contact customer support, went no-where. I did as suggested and it seemed to be promising at first. However, I got bounced around 3 different groups and eventually no more replies.Again, these drives appear to do very well as stand-alone drives. But in a Linux RAID, seriously, hands-down the worst drive I've ever had the misfortune to use. And as an IT pro with over 20+ years...I've used a LOT of drives, different types, configurations, etc. I would not ever recommend this drive as a RAID drive. WD customer support on this matter was a disappointment. However, their RMA program is fantastic.
I love WD's higher end drives like the Blacks, Reds, and Purples (Greens and Blues are garbage). I pretty much use WD exclusively, except for SSD which I prefer Samsung Evo's . I have 2 Synology NAS' with WD Reds in Raid 5 arrays (4 drives each). one drive starts to die approximately every 3 years (IO errors with a few bad sectors). I just configured a new Synology RS820+ in raid 10 w/(4) 4tb WD Red pro drives. No problems at all. The drives were shipped in OEM boxes, within a bigger box. All nice and tidy. I then ordered another drive, as a spare, which was also nicely packaged. I went with red pro over regular red for the higher cache.
| General | |
| Device Type | Hard drive - internal |
| Capacity | 18 TB |
| Form Factor | 3.5" |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s |
