Which is better for a home NAS?

The WD Red Plus. It is rated for 24/7 operation, uses CMR recording, and the 2-pack gives you two matched drives for a mirror. The Ultrastar is an enterprise drive that works in a NAS but is louder and not NAS-tuned.

On paper the Ultrastar, with an enterprise workload rating around 550TB per year versus 180TB per year for the Red Plus. Real lifespan depends on heat, vibration and power cycles, so back up either way.

Is the WD Red Plus 2-pack worth the extra?

At $154.00 at Newegg as of November 8, 2026, it is about $77 per drive. That is good value if you need two NAS drives. If you need one drive or more than 2TB, the Ultrastar makes more sense.

Can I use the Ultrastar in a desktop PC?

Yes. It is a standard 3.5-inch SATA drive, so it mounts in a desktop bay. Expect more noise and heat than a 5400 rpm drive.

Does the WD Red Plus 2TB use SMR?

No. The 2TB Red Plus is CMR, which matters for RAID rebuilds. Some older Red drives at other capacities used SMR, so check the model number.

The Ultrastar, at 7200 rpm, generally beats the 5400 rpm class Red Plus on sequential transfers. WD lists 175 MB/s read and 215 MB/s write for the Red Plus, so the gap is modest.

HGST Ultrastar 7K6000 vs WD Red Plus 2TB NAS HDD

Buy the WD Red Plus 2TB 2-pack if you are building or expanding a NAS and want drives rated for 24/7 use with CMR recording. Buy the HGST Ultrastar 7K6000 if you need a single large drive up to 6TB or a SAS connection for a server or desktop. The WD Red Plus 2-pack is $154.00 at Newegg as of November 8, 2026, which is about $77 per drive; the HGST's price was not given here, so compare its current store prices before deciding.

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