N300

It's the cheapest of the three big drive manufacturers for this particular 4TB model, at least from what I saw. It's a bit noisy and I'm yet to see just how reliable it will be, but it looks to be running perfectly fine so far.

With a failed disk issue in our Zyxel NAS (RAID-1), I decided to replace both HDDs and to increase unit size from 2 to 4TB. These are also 7200 rpm as opposed to the WD 5400 rpm 2TB units they have replaced. Obviously, my need was urgent so, I paid a bit more for these 2 disks when compared with other supposedly "Prime" offerings on Amazon. Indeed, Scan Computers were the only sellers offering next day (Saturday morning) delivery (despite not being a Prime offering). Given the late hour on a Friday afternoon, I was dubious but they delivered - and my NAS is now fixed. Thank you Scan Computers and sorry I doubted you! I recovered one HDD at a time which is easy but not quick! Head movement is rather noisy and they run a tad hotter than the WD they replaced. However, I had expected this and a worst case 42 degC is more than reasonable. The units were factory sealed, well packaged with a manufacturing date of June 2020. So, I have no complaints - indeed, I am most chuffed!

Now I bought 3 x 4TB versions of these to replace the drives in my RAID-5 array. Compared to the Seagate Ironwolf Pro drives, these are a real bargain in terms of price, being almost 1/3 cheaper. And you really HAVE to compare the N300 against the Ironwolf Pro rather than the Ironwolf because only the Ironwolf Pro spins at 7200rpm like the N300 does. They're certainly faster in terms of transfer rate than the Ironwolf spinning at 5900rpm, but DEAR GOD are they noisy. I don't think I've come across a drive as noisy as the N300 in a LONG time. We're not talking about case-rattle here either, so it's not something that can be damped-down, this is head stepping noise. I read one of the reviews here that said that they sound like a tractor and I have to absolutely agree. So the conclusion is this: If you don't mind the noise, these drives are fast and work well. If you're annoyed by the noise, as I am and if you want something comparable in speed, you'll simply have to fork out the extra and buy the Seagate Ironwolf Pro drives, or if you don't mind sacrificing a bit of speed for less noise, then the Ironwolf is only a little more expensive than the N300.

*** Update - three years later I've now had 5x 4TB N300 drives running continuously between three and three and a half years across my two NAS', and thus far all of them have been operating smoothly. 2x 8TB N300 drives have been running for more than 10k hours, so a bit over a year, similarly without issue. So no issue with longevity to-date. Some of my HGST drives have now been running for more than 6 years, so will probably pre-emptively order a drive or two as replacements. *** Update ~ six months in I now have four 4TB N300 drives running across my two active NAS servers (the DS1019+ and 412+), and so far they have been running flawlessly. They seem to run around 2-3 degrees cooler than the 4TB HGST drives they are now mostly paired with (39-40 degrees, vs. 42-43 for the HGSTs), though obviously a bit warmer than the remaining 5400rpm Seagate drive (at 36 degrees). *** Original review I previously used a mix of 7200rpm HGST and 5x00rpm Seagate NAS drives and Samsung EcoGreen ones in my NAS servers (Synology DS1019+, 412+ and an older QNAP TS-210). These have replaced the Samsung ones, and I will probably get some more to replace some of the Seagate ones as they have been in continuous daily use for over five years. After around two months of use I can’t comment on longevity or reliability, but in terms of performance they have been a big improvement in the older 5x00rpm drives, and they haven’t increased the noise levels (which means at least they are quieter than the 7200rpm HGST drives). The 'bulk' drives just came in individual simple cardboard boxes with padding to stop the drives moving around - which is a step up from a single cardboard box for three drives with no padding I got most of my previous Seagate drives in.

No mention of remanufacturing in the description. Ive used Toshiba drives in my NAS for a number of years with no issues. Needed a replacement drive so ordered 2 of these (one replacement and one spare) Put the replacement in my NAS and ran a smart test. Multiple issues with the drive. First run 46 bad sectors, second run 248 bad sectors. removed the drive and placed it in my other NAS and it wouldnt even recognise that a drive was installed. I cannot recomend these drives at all. If new, Toshiba drives have been great for me, Remanufacture. Tried 1. failed immediately 1 so useless. Returned for refund and purchased 2 seagate drives instead.

An excellent NAS drive for Synology Disk Station with one bay. I used it as en entry level for Synology ds123j. Quite, fast and affordable.

If there is one thing I have learnt from all the many hard disks I've had, and still have; it's that the American ones die first. If you are a serious user and you will keep this hard disk for a long time, buy Japanese, and Japanese only. Toshiba is a fantastic Japanese manufacturer of hard disks. They tend to cost more, but the value is there through longevity. The N300 is bigger and louder than some of its alternatives, but it will outlive them. Watch as your American disks all die before your Japanese ones.

Fast and much more reliable than other brands – these things last for years running 24/7 in our office NAS.