DatacenterDisk

HP 12TB vs WD Ultrastar

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

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Our Recommendation
👑
HP 12TB SAS 7.2K LFF Enterprise

HP 12TB SAS 7.2K LFF Enterprise balances price ($53.62/TB), warranty (5 years), and enterprise reliability for the best overall value.

Best $/TB: WD
Best Warranty: HP
Best for RAID: WD
Full Specification Comparison
Spec
HP
12TB SAS 7.2K LFF Enterprise
$53.62/TB
WD
Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204
$28.25/TB
Brand
HP
WD
Model
12TB SAS 7.2K LFF Enterprise
Ultrastar 12TB SAS HUH721212AL5204
Series
ProLiant OEM
Ultrastar HC520
Part Number
MB012000GWWFE
HUH721212AL5204
$/TB
$53.62
👑$28.25
Price
$643.42
$339.00
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
512e
512e
Workload Rating
—
—
DWPD
N/A
N/A
Warranty
5 years
—
Workload Tier
nearline
nearline
In Stock
✓ In Stock
✓ In Stock
Buy
Buy on Amazon →
Buy on Amazon →
Workload Fit
Workload
HP
WD
NAS Storage
●●
●●
Backup Target
●●●
●●●
OLTP Database
●
●
Cold Archive
●●
●●
Virtualization
●
●
AI/ML Storage
●
●
Buying Recommendation
Choose HP 12TB SAS 7.2K LFF Enterprise if:
  • ✓ You need 5-year warranty coverage for production
  • ✓ You need new-with-warranty for compliance or budgeting
Buy HP →
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 $28.25/TB vs $53.62/TB - a 47% 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.

HP 12TB carries a longer 5-year warranty vs unknown years for WD Ultrastar. Longer warranty typically correlates with manufacturer confidence in reliability.

HP 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.