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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Western Digital announced in October 2024 that it was shipping an UltraSMR hard drive with capacity up to 32TB. The drive, identified in WD’s product listings as the Ultrastar DC HC690, is designed for hyperscalers, cloud service providers and enterprises—not as a universal drop-in replacement for conventional hard drives. Its extra capacity comes with a key requirement: the storage software and controller must support host-managed shingled magnetic recording (SMR).
What WD announced—and which drive reaches 32TB
On October 15, 2024, WD announced that it was shipping an UltraSMR HDD with capacity up to 32TB, using energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (ePMR). WD named hyperscalers, cloud service providers and enterprises as its intended customers. The product family is the Ultrastar DC HC690, and WD’s product result lists a 32TB SATA model. WD’s launch announcement and HC690 product page provide the company’s details.
The same announcement introduced a separate drive, the 26TB Ultrastar DC HC590, which uses conventional magnetic recording (CMR). WD gave that model a sustained transfer rate of up to 288 MiB/s and idle power as low as 5.6W. Those figures apply to the HC590, not the 32TB HC690; they should not be used to characterize the shingled model.
How shingled recording adds capacity
In shingled magnetic recording, adjacent data tracks overlap like shingles on a roof. This lets a drive fit more tracks—and therefore more data—on a platter. The trade-off is that changing data in an overlapped region can require rewriting neighboring tracks, so where and how a host writes data matters.
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- (1) 1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.
- Compatibility: Unlike desktop drives, WD Red hard drives are specifically designed and tested for NAS and include NASware technology which fine tunes drive parameters to match NAS system workloads for optimum performance.
- Reliability: Desktop drives aren’t typically designed for the demands of an always-on NAS environment. WD Red hard drives are designed to perform under tough conditions encountered in high-intensity 24x7 multi-user NAS environments.
- RAID Ready: WD Red hard drives are engineered with RAID error recovery control to help reduce failures within multi-bay NAS systems, unlike most desktop drives that are configured for generic use.
- Noise and Vibration Protection: Designed to operate solo, desktop drives typically offer little or no protection from the noise and vibration present in a multi-drive system. WD Red hard drives include Rotation Vibration (RV) sensors that anticipate and proactively counteract disturbances caused by increased vibration often found in multi-bay NAS systems.
WD’s UltraSMR implementation is host-managed. WD says it uses a different command set from conventional CMR drives and requires rules governing where data can be written. The host’s storage software must understand and manage those rules. In practical terms, an HC690 is not automatically compatible with every controller, operating system or workload that accepts a standard enterprise HDD.
WD’s July 2026 technical brief describes UltraSMR as a combination of recording-subsystem technology, large-block encoding, increased parity formats, OptiNAND, firmware and algorithms. WD says host-managed SMR requires software changes to use its capacity advantage effectively. These are the company’s descriptions of its design and requirements, not independent comparative test results. See WD’s UltraSMR technical brief.
Rank #2
- Engineered for mainstream surveillance systems
- WD AllFrame technology delivers optimizations for write-intensive, low bit-rate, high stream-count workloads typical to mainstream surveillance applications
- Supports up to 180 TB/yr workload rate(3) | (3) Workload Rate is defined as the amount of user data transferred to or from the hard drive. Workload Rate is annualized (TB transferred ✕ (8760 / recorded power-on hours)). Workload Rate will vary depending on your hardware and software components and configurations.
- Support for up to 16 bays(7) | (7) 1TB through 2TB support up to eight bays; 3TB and above support up to 16 bays.
- Tarnish-resistant components(6) | (6) Tarnish resistant components for capacities 3TB and higher.
How to interpret WD’s capacity comparisons
WD has published two different comparisons for UltraSMR capacity. They use different baselines, so the figures should not be merged or presented as if they describe the same comparison.
| WD’s stated comparison | What the figure means | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| 18% or 4TB more than CMR in the same drive generation | WD’s same-generation comparison for UltraSMR versus CMR; it is not the 32TB-versus-26TB comparison. | WD technical brief, July 2026: UltraSMR technology brief |
| 23% more for up to 32TB UltraSMR versus 26TB CMR | A comparison of those stated capacities; it does not establish a same-generation percentage. | WD blog, December 2025: WD’s UltraSMR capacity discussion |
Both are vendor-published comparisons. Neither, by itself, tells an operator how much usable capacity a particular system will deliver after formatting, redundancy, workload design and other deployment choices.
Rank #3
- High-capacity add-on storage.Specific uses: Business, personal
- Fast data transfers
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
- WD quality inside and out
What to check before choosing a 32TB HC690
The capacity advantage is most relevant when a deployment can use host-managed SMR correctly. Before selecting the drive, check the complete storage path rather than only the drive’s interface and capacity:
- Host and controller support: Confirm that the storage software and controller support host-managed SMR and its write-placement requirements.
- Workload pattern: Evaluate how often data is written, rewritten or updated, and whether the workload can be managed in a way compatible with shingled recording.
- Capacity at system level: Compare usable capacity per drive and per chassis slot, accounting for the deployment’s own redundancy and data-management design.
- Power and cooling: Use specifications for the exact HC690 SKU and system configuration. Do not substitute the HC590’s launch figures.
- Commercial terms: Verify the exact model number, regional specification sheet, workload rating, warranty and availability with WD or the relevant supplier. WD’s product search identifies the HC690 as an 11-disk platform and lists workload, MTBF and warranty ratings, but the applicable values and terms depend on the exact SKU and region. The HC690 product page is the appropriate starting point.
WD’s later capacity roadmap is a dated plan
On February 3, 2026, WD said its 40TB UltraSMR ePMR HDD was in qualification with two hyperscale customers and that volume production was planned for the second half of 2026. WD also described a longer-term path to 60TB ePMR and 100TB HAMR by 2029. These were company plans and status statements made on that date; they do not establish that the 40TB production schedule was subsequently met or that the longer-term targets will be achieved. See WD’s February 2026 Innovation Day release.
Rank #4
- Store up to 24TB* for archiving photos, videos, music, important and historical documents, and more (*1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.)
- Plug-and-play expandability
- SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1/USB 3.0 (5Gbps)
In that release, WD CEO Irving Tan said: “For the past year, WD has remained continuously focused on execution and accelerating innovation, which has enabled us to truly reimagine the hard drive to meet the requirements of AI.” This is WD’s characterization of its strategy, not an independent assessment of the drives’ performance.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Up-to 24TB (1) capacity | (1) 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.
- Enterprise-class reliability and performance
- 550TB (3) per year workload rating | (3) Workload Rate is defined as the amount of user data transferred to or from the hard drive. Workload Rate is annualized (TB transferred ✕ (8760 / recorded power-on hours)).
- Innovative AllFrame technology helps reduce dropped frames
- Western Digital Device Analytics (WDDA) proactive health management
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
