10 external and USB drives tracked. Compare prices per TB across WD Easystore, Seagate Expansion, and other shuckable externals.
WD Easystore and Elements Desktop externals frequently contain Ultrastar DC HC series internals - the same drives used in hyperscale datacenters. Seagate Expansion units often house Exos X series mechanisms. Buying external and removing the enclosure (shucking) can save 30-50% versus purchasing bare enterprise drives, making this the most cost-effective way to fill a NAS or JBOD.
| $/TB ▲ | Brand / Model | Cap | Interface | Tech | Cache | Sector | Wty | Price | Cond. | 90D | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
👑$16.63 👑 Best | WD Elements Desktop 24TB USB WDBWLG0240HBK Refurb · CMR · 2yr | 24TB | USB 7,200 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $399.00 | REFURB | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$17.73 ✓ Great | Seagate Expansion Desktop 22TB USB External STKP22000400 CMR · 2yr | 22TB | USB 7,200 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $389.99 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$22.92 ✓ Great | WD Elements Desktop 24TB USB WDBWLG0240HBK CMR · 2yr | 24TB | USB 7,200 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $549.99 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$23.00 | WD Easystore 5TB USB External WDBCKA0050HBK Refurb · CMR · 2yr | 5TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $114.99 | REFURB | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$23.20 | Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB USB External STKP8000400 Refurb · CMR · 2yr | 8TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $185.58 | REFURB | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$24.42 | Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB USB External STKP8000400 CMR · 2yr | 8TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $195.33 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$28.80 | WD Easystore 5TB USB External WDBCKA0050HBK CMR · 2yr | 5TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $143.99 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$54.50 ↑ High | WD Easystore 2TB USB External WDBCKA0020HBK Refurb · CMR · 2yr | 2TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $109.00 | REFURB | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$72.22 ↑ High | WD Easystore 4TB USB External WDBCKA0040HBK CMR · 2yr | 4TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $288.88 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ | |
$90.20 ↑ High | WD Easystore 2TB USB External WDBCKA0020HBK CMR · 2yr | 2TB | USB 5,400 RPM | CMR | — | 512e | 2yr | $180.39 | new | Buy →Details | ▼ |
WD Easystore and Elements Desktop 8TB+ units typically contain WD Ultrastar or Red Plus internals. Seagate Expansion 8TB+ often uses Exos or Barracuda Compute. Shucking lets you get enterprise drives at consumer prices - often 30-50% less than buying bare drives.
USB 3.0 (5Gbps) is sufficient for single HDD speeds (~200MB/s). USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) benefits SSD enclosures. For NAS or server use, shuck the drive and connect via SATA or SAS for lower latency and better SMART monitoring access.
Opening the enclosure voids the external drive warranty from WD/Seagate. However, the internal drive often has its own separate warranty tied to its serial number. WD Ultrastar and Seagate Exos internals typically carry 5-year manufacturer warranties regardless of how they were purchased.
Shucking is removing the hard drive from an external USB enclosure to use it as a bare internal drive. It is worth it because external drives are often priced 30-50% lower than the equivalent bare internal drive. WD Easystore 8TB+ and Seagate Expansion 8TB+ are the most popular shucking targets, frequently containing enterprise-grade Ultrastar or Exos internals.
Opening the external enclosure voids the retail product warranty from WD or Seagate. However, the internal drive mechanism often carries its own manufacturer warranty tied to its serial number. Enterprise drives like Ultrastar and Exos typically have a 5-year warranty that may still be honored. Check the drive serial on the manufacturer support site after shucking to confirm coverage.
Some WD external drives use a 3.3V pin reset on the SATA power connector that can prevent the drive from spinning up on standard PSUs. The fix is simple: cover pin 3 on the SATA power connector with kapton tape, or use a Molex-to-SATA adapter that does not supply the 3.3V rail. Seagate drives do not have this issue.