The WD Blue 2TB (WD20EZAZ) uses SMR recording.
Live rankings this model belongs to: every 2TB hard drive.
Verified against: Western Digital internal client HDD recording technology - SMR drives by capacity (7 July 2020) · Checked
Shingled recording overlaps tracks like roof tiles to raise density. Reading is unaffected, and for sequential work, archives, media libraries, backup targets, files written once and read many times, this drive is genuinely fine and the saving is real. The problem is sustained random writing, because modifying data under an existing track can force the tracks above it to be rewritten too. A RAID rebuild or a ZFS resilver is hours of exactly that pattern with no idle time to recover, so a 2TB WD20EZAZ in an array can extend a rebuild dramatically, and the rebuild window is precisely when the array has no redundancy left. Do not put this drive in a NAS or a parity array.
| Model number | WD20EZAZ |
| Brand | WD |
| Family | WD Blue |
| Capacity | 2TB |
| Form factor | 3.5" |
| Rotational speed | 5400 RPM |
| Cache | 256 MB |
| Recording technology | SMR |
| Workload rate | — |
| Warranty | — |
| Status | Current |
| Replaced by | — |
A dash means we have not found a manufacturer document stating that field for this exact model. We leave it blank rather than filling it from a retailer listing.
If this drive is going into an array, a NAS, or anything that rebuilds, shingled recording is the wrong choice at any price. These are conventionally-recorded drives at this capacity or one step up, in stock right now with live prices.
| Drive | Capacity | Recording | $/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Plus 8TB NAS | 8TB | CMR | $47.50 | $380 | Buy |
| WD Gold 8TB | 8TB | CMR | $47.50 | $380 | Buy |
| Ultrastar He10 10TB SATA NAS | 10TB | CMR | $31.90 | $319 | Buy |
Verified CMR model numbers at this size: WD2002FFSX, WD23PURZ, WD20EFPX, ST3000VX009.
It is SMR. That comes from Western Digital internal client HDD recording technology - SMR drives by capacity (7 July 2020), WD's own documentation for this exact part number; the cheapest in-stock conventional pick right now is the Red Plus 8TB NAS.
We would not: Western Digital internal client HDD recording technology - SMR drives by capacity (7 July 2020) states SMR for the WD20EZAZ, and shingled recording turns a rebuild into hours of the write pattern it handles worst. The page's own in-stock conventional alternative right now is the Red Plus 8TB NAS. For sequential and archival use outside an array this drive is fine.
A conventionally-recorded drive at 2TB or one step up - right now the table's top in-stock pick is the Red Plus 8TB NAS. Every model number linked in the table has its own verified page with the manufacturer source.