DatacenterDisk

HGST 12TB vs WD Ultrastar

Side-by-side spec and price comparison. Live data from Amazon US.

+ Add driveShare comparison
Our Recommendation
👑
WD Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204

WD Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204 offers the best value at $26.58/TB. As a refurb unit, verify SMART data on arrival.

Best $/TB: WD
Best Warranty: WD
Best for RAID: WD
Full Specification Comparison
Spec
HGST
12TB SAS 12G 7.2K
$54.17/TB
WD
Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204
$26.58/TB
Brand
HGST
WD
Model
12TB SAS 12G 7.2K
Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204
Series
Ultrastar DC
Ultrastar HC520
Part Number
HUH721212AL4200
HUH721212AL5204
$/TB
$54.17
👑$26.58
Price
$650.00
$319.00
Condition
New
Refurb
Capacity
12TB
12TB
Interface
SAS-12G
SAS-12G
Form Factor
3.5"
3.5"
Drive Type
HDD
HDD
Recording Tech
CMR
CMR
RPM
7,200
7,200
Cache
—
—
Sector Size
4Kn
512e
Workload Rating
—
—
DWPD
N/A
N/A
Warranty
—
—
Workload Tier
nearline
nearline
In Stock
✓ In Stock
✓ In Stock
Buy
Buy on Amazon →
Buy on Amazon →
Workload Fit
Workload
HGST
WD
NAS Storage
●●
●●
Backup Target
●●●
●●●
OLTP Database
●
●
Cold Archive
●●
●●
Virtualization
●
●
AI/ML Storage
●
●
Buying Recommendation
Choose HGST 12TB SAS 12G 7.2K if:
  • ✓ You need new-with-warranty for compliance or budgeting
Buy HGST →
Choose WD Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204 if:
  • ✓ You need maximum storage per dollar
  • ✓ You're building a RAID array and need guaranteed CMR compatibility
  • ✓ You're comfortable with datacenter refurb to maximize savings
Buy WD →

Frequently Asked Questions

WD Ultrastar offers better value at $26.58/TB vs $54.17/TB - a 51% price difference. Factor in warranty length and workload rating when the price gap is small.

Mixing drives of different models in RAID is not recommended even if capacities match. Different firmware, error handling and seek patterns can cause rebuild issues. Use identical drives within the same RAID group for reliable operation.

Both drives carry similar warranty terms and are built for enterprise operation. Check brand-specific AFR data and Backblaze drive stats for real-world failure rate comparisons.

HGST 12TB is the better fit for NAS storage. It uses CMR recording which is safe for all RAID levels. SAS interface requires a SAS HBA or SAS-capable NAS.