Dell capacity comparison

Dell 32TB vs 24TB hard drives for PowerEdge

Verified spec guide ·

A 32TB drive provides 33.3 percent more raw capacity per bay than a 24TB drive. In a bay-constrained PowerEdge platform, that can matter immediately.

The purchase still depends on Dell qualification, live price, condition, PERC support, hot-spare cost and whether the platform actually lists the 32TB option.

Left
Dell 24TB SATA family
Right
Dell 32TB SATA family
Decision
Price and workload fit
Availability
Live rows below
Quick answer

32TB is attractive when verified qualification and bay savings outweigh the price premium. 24TB remains better when it is cheaper per usable terabyte, easier to source or already standardized in the fleet.

Drive-count tradeoff
OEM procurement check

Verify the part number, carrier, firmware, sector format and server or storage-array qualification before ordering. A bare mechanism or third-party compatible listing can be useful, but it is an alternative unless it is sold as the qualified OEM kit or spare you need.

Raw capacity impact by drive count

This is raw decimal capacity only. It is not formatted capacity and it is not RAID usable capacity.

Drive count4 drives
24TB option96TB raw
32TB option128TB raw
Raw difference32TB raw
Drive count8 drives
24TB option192TB raw
32TB option256TB raw
Raw difference64TB raw
Drive count12 drives
24TB option288TB raw
32TB option384TB raw
Raw difference96TB raw
Drive count24 drives
24TB option576TB raw
32TB option768TB raw
Raw difference192TB raw

Dell 24TB SATA vs Dell 32TB SATA

The interface headline is only one line item. Qualification, carrier, controller and firmware path decide whether the drive is actually buyable for your system.

FeatureCapacity per drive
Dell 24TB SATA24TB
Dell 32TB SATA32TB
FeatureRaw uplift
Dell 24TB SATABaseline
Dell 32TB SATA+33.3 percent per drive
FeatureR760xd2 support
Dell 24TB SATAVerified in Dell configuration
Dell 32TB SATAVerified in Dell configuration
FeatureR7725/R6715 support
Dell 24TB SATAConditional in cited public sources
Dell 32TB SATANot confirmed in cited public sources
FeatureSpare cost
Dell 24TB SATAUsually lower
Dell 32TB SATAUsually higher
FeatureRebuild exposure
Dell 24TB SATALarge
Dell 32TB SATALarger
Current market status

No exact in-stock live row is currently matched for Dell 24TB SATA family / Dell 32TB SATA family. Relevant live alternatives are shown for pricing context; verify qualification before treating any row as a substitute.

Exact rows plus compatible alternatives to verify

Live prices · updated every 4-5 hours · last checked 32 min ago · one side may be unavailable; alternatives are not exact OEM replacements

Best $/TB in this tier
4TB 012GYY CMR at $21.25/TB — $85 for 4TB
4TB 012GYY
CMR
4TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$21.25/TB · $85Buy
2TB MG03SCA200
CMR
2TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$22.00/TB · $44Buy
4TB DRMYH
CMR
4TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$22.50/TB · $90Buy
8TB M40TH
CMR
8TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$25.63/TB · $205Buy
24TB WUH722424ALE604
CMR
24TB · 7200rpm · 550TB/yr · 5yr
$28.71/TB · $689Buy
24TB ST24000NM002H
CMR
24TB · 7200rpm · 550TB/yr · 5yr
$29.17/TB · $700Buy
8TB ST8000NM0075
CMR
8TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$35.63/TB · $285Buy
24TB ST24000DM001
CMR
24TB · 7200rpm · TB/yr · yr
$35.83/TB · $860Buy
32TB ST32000VE000
CMR
32TB · · 550TB/yr · 5yr
$36.25/TB · $1160Buy
24TB WD241KFGX
CMR
24TB · 7200rpm · 550TB/yr · 5yr
$44.17/TB · $1060Buy
1.2TB HUC101212CSS600
CMR
1.2TB · 10000rpm · TB/yr · yr
$47.41/TB · $57Buy
1.2TB 36RH9
CMR
1.2TB · 10000rpm · TB/yr · yr
$48.33/TB · $58Buy
1.2TB 89D42
CMR
1.2TB · 10000rpm · TB/yr · yr
$55.00/TB · $66Buy
24TB ST24000NM000H
CMR
24TB · 7200rpm · 550TB/yr · 5yr
$58.37/TB · $1401Buy

Workload rating is recorded per part number from the manufacturer's published data for that exact model where available, not blanketed across the line — two drives of the same capacity can differ because they are different generations. A dash means the figure is not stated for that listing. Recording technology comes from the manufacturer's published CMR/SMR list; a model absent from that list is shown as UNVERIFIED rather than guessed. Rows priced above 3× this line's in-stock median are flagged and excluded from the winner callout and from every median we compute.

Live acquisition math for exact comparison rows

This table is computed from live DatacenterDisk rows when an exact in-stock match exists. It is intentionally blank for unavailable models rather than filled with stale prices.

No exact in-stock row is available right now. Use the availability table for nearby live alternatives, then re-check the exact model before ordering.

Raw capacity examples

Four drives are 96TB raw at 24TB and 128TB raw at 32TB. Eight drives are 192TB versus 256TB. Twelve are 288TB versus 384TB. Twenty-four are 576TB versus 768TB.

Rack density and bays

A 32TB option can defer a chassis expansion or free bays for hot spares, but those benefits only matter when the platform supports the drive and the price premium is justified.

Rebuild and spares

Larger drives extend rebuild windows and raise the cost of a matching hot spare. That is a reliability and inventory decision, not just a capacity calculation.

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Dell 32TB SATA
Qualified 32TB page
Dell 24TB SATA
SATA 24TB page
R760xd2 storage
24-bay capacity page
Dell storage hub
PowerEdge parts and drives
Server guides
Platform storage pages
SAS HDDs
Dual-port enterprise storage
SATA HDDs
Nearline capacity storage

Frequently asked questions

How much more capacity is 32TB than 24TB?

32TB is 33.3 percent more raw capacity per drive than 24TB.

Does every current PowerEdge support 32TB?

No. The cited Dell configuration verifies 32TB SATA for R760xd2. Other platforms require exact Dell verification.

Should I buy fewer 32TB drives or more 24TB drives?

Compare live qualified drive prices, bay count, RAID policy, power, hot spares and rebuild exposure. Do not assume either answer.

Sources

Specification claims on this page were checked against the pages below on 1 September 2026. Where a widely-repeated figure did not survive that check, we report what the source says now and say so in the text rather than repeating the familiar number.

  1. Dell Technologies - PowerEdge R760xd2 configuration options (Dell.com, 2026-09-01)
    Used for: Dell-qualified 24TB SAS ISE 12Gbps 7.2K 512e 3.5-inch hot-plug AG drive listed as no longer available in the current R760xd2 flow, plus 24TB SATA and 32TB SATA ISE 6Gbps 7.2K 512e 3.5-inch hot-plug AG drive descriptions
  2. Dell Technologies - PowerEdge R760xd2 Installation and Service Manual (Dell Support, 2026-09-01)
    Used for: R760xd2 front 24 x 3.5-inch hot-swappable SAS/SATA drive support and rear drive options
  3. Dell Technologies - PowerEdge R7725 Installation and Service Manual (Dell Support, 2026-09-01)
    Used for: R7725 2U chassis, 12 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA configuration, 16/24 x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA options, EDSFF/NVMe options and warranty caution around invalidated hardware
  4. Dell Technologies - PowerEdge R6715 Installation and Service Manual (Dell Support, 2026-09-01)
    Used for: R6715 4 x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA configuration, 2.5-inch universal/NVMe options and Dell service guidance for supported hardware
  5. DatacenterDisk - Live enterprise drive catalogue (DatacenterDisk.com, Live)
    Used for: current stock, seller condition, price per drive and price per terabyte values rendered in the live tables