The Toshiba MA11 28TB is the host-managed SMR branch of Toshiba's Mx11 generation. That makes it materially different from MG11 24TB CMR, even though both are 3.5-inch, helium, 7200 RPM enterprise drives in the same broad generation.
MA11 is not automatically a drop-in replacement for a conventional CMR hard drive. It belongs in storage platforms that can handle host-managed SMR write behavior and workloads that reward dense sequential or controlled bulk storage.
Toshiba MA11 28TB is a host-managed SMR enterprise drive for cloud-scale and controlled-write storage. Buy it only if your host software, controller path and application are qualified for HM-SMR. For normal NAS, unqualified RAID, desktop storage or general ZFS, choose MG11 CMR or another CMR enterprise drive.
Manufacturer-published values for the exact product family. Retail listings can collapse these details, so match the part number before ordering.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Model number | MA11 28TB family |
| Capacity | 28TB decimal marketed capacity |
| Recording technology | Host-managed SMR with Toshiba FC-MAMR on the Mx11 platform |
| Platform | Toshiba MA11 cloud-scale SMR branch of the Mx11 generation |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s per public MA11 launch documentation |
| Sector format | Require exact channel data sheet and host support before ordering |
| Spindle speed | 7200 RPM |
| Cache / buffer | 1GiB |
| Maximum sustained transfer rate | Use the exact MA11 data sheet supplied through the procurement channel; do not infer from MG11 CMR values |
| Workload rating | 550TB/year class in Toshiba Mx11 launch documentation |
| Reliability rating | 2.5M hours MTTF/MTBF; 0.35% AFR class |
| Warranty | Confirm warranty on the exact MA11 ordering code |
| Power | Model power should be confirmed from the exact MA11 data sheet and qualified enclosure plan. |
| Acoustics | Confirm from the exact MA11 data sheet and data-center acoustic requirements. |
| Operating temperature | Use the exact MA11 data sheet for operating limits. |
| Compatibility note | Requires host-managed SMR-aware software; not a normal NAS, desktop or unqualified RAID replacement. |
No exact in-stock live row is currently matched for MA11 28TB family. Relevant live alternatives are shown for pricing context; verify qualification before treating any row as a substitute.
Live prices · updated about once a day · last checked 23 min ago · not exact OEM replacements; verify qualification, carrier, firmware and interface before ordering
| Model | Capacity | Recording | RPM | Workload TB/yr | Warranty | $/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3TB HUS724030ALS640REFURB This offer: sold by Tech on Time (SN RECORDED) · Amazon says Used / LikeNew | 3TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $15.13 | $45 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3TB HUS723030ALS640REFURB This offer: sold by Tech Original · Amazon says Used / Good · title says Renewed | 3TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $18.33 | $55 | Buy on Amazon |
| 10TB HUH721010AL5200REFURB This offer: sold by Computer Supply · Amazon says Used / LikeNew | 10TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | 5 yr | $23.50 | $235 | Buy on Amazon |
| 14TB WUH721414AL5204REFURB This offer: sold by Dealforless · Amazon says Used / Good | 14TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | 550 | 5 yr | $26.79 | $375 | Buy on Amazon |
| 14TB WUH721414ALE604REFURB This offer: sold by Worldwide Product Importer · Amazon says New / New · title says Renewed | 14TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $27.14 | $380 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4TB HUS726040ALS210REFURB This offer: sold by Amazon Resale · Amazon says Used / LikeNew · Amazon Resale's note: No item damage observed during inspection. Item will come in original packaging. | 4TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $27.20 | $109 | Buy on Amazon |
| 14TB WUH721414ALE604REFURB This offer: sold by Worldwide Product Importer · Amazon says New / New · title says Renewed | 14TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $27.86 | $390 | Buy on Amazon |
| 12TB HUH721212ALE601REFURB This offer: sold by ANYHDD · Amazon says New / New · title says Renewed | 12TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $28.29 | $339 | Buy on Amazon |
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.
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.
| Live model | Drive price | $/TB | 1 drive | 4 drives | 8 drives | 12 drives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 is not usable capacity. This table shows the slot-level math before filesystem overhead, snapshots, reserved space and vendor-specific parity layouts.
| Drive count | Raw capacity | Single-parity usable | Dual-parity usable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bays | 112TB | 84TB | 56TB |
| 6 bays | 168TB | 140TB | 112TB |
| 8 bays | 224TB | 196TB | 168TB |
| 12 bays | 336TB | 308TB | 280TB |
Toshiba's public Mx11 announcement separates MG11 and MA11 clearly: MG11 goes to 24TB using CMR, while MA11 reaches 27TB and 28TB using host-managed SMR. That is the primary buying distinction.
The higher 28TB capacity can lower slot count and power per stored terabyte in a qualified fleet. It can also create major compatibility problems in ordinary storage software.
MA11 makes the most sense for storage systems that control writes deliberately: object storage, bulk retention, sequential ingest, staged replication and data-center platforms that already account for SMR behavior.
Avoid it for normal NAS shares, VM datastores, desktop use, random-write backup metadata workloads and hardware RAID controllers that do not expose the host-managed behavior the drive requires.
At 28TB, MA11 can put 336TB raw into 12 drives and 672TB raw into 24 drives. That is more density than MG11 CMR, but the extra capacity has value only if the stack can use the media model.
When exact MA11 live rows are unavailable, compare the shown alternatives as market context only. A 28TB SMR enterprise platform is not interchangeable with a 28TB or 24TB CMR listing.
No. Toshiba identifies MA11 27TB/28TB as host-managed SMR in its Mx11 launch material.
Do not assume so. It should be used only where the NAS or storage platform explicitly supports host-managed SMR for the exact drive class.
The public material verified for this page identifies the MA11 28TB family and architecture, but exact orderable model codes should be confirmed through the procurement channel.
No. Price per TB is the first screen, not the whole decision - for the Toshiba MA11 28TB Host specifically: match recording method, interface, bay count, firmware support, warranty position and rebuild risk before accepting the cheapest row.
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.