WD Red Plus 14TB NAS Hard Drive (WD140EFGX): features, specs and who it suits

The WD Red Plus 14TB (model WD140EFGX) is an internal 3.5-inch hard drive designed for network attached storage, or NAS, boxes. Western Digital positions it for home offices and small to medium businesses that keep files on a shared device that runs around the clock.

Why a NAS drive differs from a desktop drive

A NAS runs continuously, often with several drives working side by side in a RAID array. Western Digital says the Red Plus is built and tested for NAS systems of up to eight bays, and its firmware, called NASware, is meant to help the drive work with those systems. Drives made for desktops are usually tuned for shorter, single-drive use, so NAS-rated models are the usual choice for always-on storage.

What CMR and 7200 RPM mean

The listing specifies CMR, which stands for conventional magnetic recording. CMR writes tracks side by side without overlapping, so data can be rewritten in place. That typically matters in RAID setups, where drives that use overlapping (shingled) recording can slow down during long rebuilds. Western Digital also lists a 7200 RPM spin speed and a 512 MB cache. Higher spin speeds generally improve responsiveness, though they can add some noise and heat compared with slower drives.

Interface and capacity

The drive connects over SATA 6 Gb/s, the standard interface in almost every NAS enclosure and desktop PC. The Red Plus line spans capacities from 1TB to 14TB, and this model is the 14TB version. Western Digital describes it as suited to archiving and sharing, and to rebuilding RAID arrays on systems that use ZFS and other file systems.

Workload limit

Western Digital rates the drive for a workload of up to 180 TB per year. Workload is the amount of data read from or written to the drive over a year. The brand notes that real figures depend on your hardware, software and configuration. For most home and small-office use, that is a high ceiling, but heavy continuous workloads deserve a closer look.

Size and weight

It measures about 5.8 x 4.0 x 1.5 inches (roughly 147 x 102 x 38 mm) and weighs 1.5 lb (around 0.7 kg), the usual dimensions for a 3.5-inch drive.

Who it suits

It suits people building or expanding a NAS who want a large single drive, and small teams who keep shared files, backups or archives on a device that stays on 24 hours a day.

What to check before you buy

• That your NAS or enclosure takes 3.5-inch SATA drives and supports a 14TB capacity. Some older models cap drive size.
• The number of bays your NAS has. The drive is rated for up to eight.
• Whether your NAS maker publishes a list of tested drives.
• Space and cooling in the enclosure, since 7200 RPM drives produce more heat and sound than slower ones.
• Backups. RAID protects against a drive failing, not against deletion or theft, so keep a separate copy of important files.
• The warranty terms for your region on the maker's website.

The short version

• A 14TB, 3.5-inch internal hard drive for NAS use.
• CMR recording, 7200 RPM, 512 MB cache and SATA 6 Gb/s.
• Rated by Western Digital for up to 180 TB per year of workload.
• Built and tested for NAS systems of up to 8 bays.
• Check your NAS supports drives of this size before choosing.

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