WD Ultrastar 24TB: HC580 or HC590, SATA or SAS

Ultrastar 24TB part numbers: HC580 and HC590 beside each other

Searching for a WD Ultrastar 24TB HDD leads to two different drives. One is the HC580, for which 24 TB is the top of the range. The other is the HC590, for which it is the lower of two sizes. We have not found a WD document listing any other 24 TB Ultrastar. Each family has four part numbers here, one for every mix of interface and security label.

In a listing title, the model prefix is the fastest test of family: WUH722424 is the HC580 and WUH722624 is the HC590. A single digit separates them, so read the whole string. The HC590 sheet prints only the pattern WUH722624ALxxyz, so that column's long strings come from WD's en-gb page, which prints them in spec blocks with a capacity and a security label. Each block's Interface field lists both SAS and SATA, so the interface comes from the key's E6 and 52.

Parts of this grid are our reading. WD's pages give the short numbers, and the long strings come from the HC580 sheet and the HC590 en-gb page, so setting one beside the other on a row is ours. On the HC580 row for 0F62796, WD's en-gb page prints WUHT22424ALE6L1 on the 24 TB Base (SE) block, and we follow the sheet's WUH722424ALE6L4. The HC590 page uses only the labels SE and TCG. Lining those up with Base (SE) and SED is our interpretation, on the evidence that its blocks put SE on strings ending 4 and TCG on strings ending 1.

HC580 or HC590 at 24TB: what the two sheets change

Only the rows that differ are here. Where a cell holds two values with a slash, the first is SATA and the second SAS.

Across power and speed, the HC580's figures lead or tie at this size. The HC590 reaches the same capacity with one more disk and a lower areal density, and its sheet states 11 MB/s less sustained transfer and 0.1 W more at idle. That is a reading of two data sheets and not a test: we hold no measurement of either drive, and whether those gaps matter depends on your workload.

What the HC590 adds on paper is in its key: Instant Secure Erase and SED-FIPS. We have found those only as codes, because neither family's list of 24 TB part numbers shows one, so anyone who needs FIPS should get an exact number confirmed in writing first.

The noise row runs on two label orders. The HC580 sheet prints Idle/Operating, 2.0/3.2, and the HC590 sheet prints Operating/Idle, 3.2/2.5. We have read each as labelled, which puts the HC590's idle figure 0.5 Bel higher and the operating figures level.

Several rows are missing because they match and cannot help you choose: 8.4 W and 8.7 W for random 50/50 at 4KB QD4, a 5-year limited warranty, 2.5 million hours MTBF, 0.35% AFR, up to 550 TB a year and a 26.1 mm z-height.

Ultrastar 24TB SATA or Ultrastar 24TB SAS: what the interface changes

On neither sheet does SAS raise the sustained figure. Its higher interface maximum is a limit on the link, and SATA's 600 MB/s is already about twice the drive's stated sustained rate. SAS draws 0.3 W more at idle and under that random load, in both families.

The HC590 strings on WD's en-gb page carry L on ALE6L1 and ALE6L4 and 0 on AL5201 and AL5204, the same split as the HC580 sheet. Tying a code to a given 0F number stays our reading. In practice the interface is decided by what your controller, backplane or enclosure accepts. Neither sheet answers that and we hold no compatibility document for these drives, so go by your own system's documents.

This page stays with Ultrastar. Other makers at this size appear on 24TB SAS hard drives and 24TB hard drives.

WD Ultrastar 24TB price on Amazon.co.uk

This table takes the Amazon.co.uk listings we identify as Ultrastar at 24 TB, from either family. It holds 1 listing right now. With one capacity throughout, price per TB and total price rank rows the same way, so the order is lowest pounds first, inc VAT. If a family or interface has no row, the table holds none at this moment.

The rows are not grouped by family, so use the part number or model prefix in each title to place a row in the grid at the top of this page. A title with neither is not tied to these figures until the seller confirms the number. Both sheets state CMR. The Recording column prints it only where a document ties it to the part number, so a row without it marks our sourcing gap.

Both families carry a 5-year limited warranty on their sheets, but read the conditions on WD's en-gb warranty page. It applies to new Western Digital Ultrastar and HGST HDDs, purchased from an authorised dealer by the original purchaser for normal use and not for resale. We have not found a WD document saying how that applies to a particular Amazon.co.uk seller, so ask who takes a claim before you press Buy on Amazon.

In-stock alternatives

None of these is the product this page covers: they are what is in stock on Amazon.co.uk beside it right now. Each row says why it is listed. Check the interface, form factor and part number against your system before buying.