The WD Ultrastar DC HC690 30TB is the lower-capacity member of WD's 30TB/32TB HC690 UltraSMR generation. It is an enterprise density product, not a generic 30TB hard-drive recommendation.
The practical decision is whether your infrastructure is ready for host-managed SMR behavior and whether the 30TB SKU prices better than 32TB HC690 or CMR alternatives. Capacity alone is the wrong screen.
Choose HC690 30TB only for qualified SMR-aware storage stacks where the 30TB SKU has a clear acquisition or availability advantage over 32TB. If the environment is conventional RAID, normal NAS, general ZFS or mixed VM storage, choose a CMR drive instead.
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 | WSH723200AL4201, WSH723200AL4204, WSH723200ALN601, WSH723200ALN604, WSH723200ALN6L1, WSH723200ALN6L4 |
| Capacity | 30TB decimal marketed capacity |
| Recording technology | UltraSMR / host-managed SMR |
| Platform | 11-disk OptiNAND and UltraSMR generation |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s and SAS 12Gb/s variants |
| Sector format | 512e/4Kn family variants; interface and format code must match host support |
| Spindle speed | 7200 RPM |
| Cache / buffer | 512MB |
| Maximum sustained transfer rate | 260MB/s maximum sustained transfer rate on 30TB SATA/SAS variants |
| Workload rating | 550TB/year |
| Reliability rating | 2.5M hours projected |
| Warranty | 5-year limited warranty |
| Power | 5.5W idle SATA / 5.8W idle SAS; 9.4W SATA / 9.7W SAS random read 4KB QD=8 at max IOPS |
| Acoustics | 2.5/3.2 Bels idle/operating typical |
| Operating temperature | 5C to 60C operating; -40C to 70C non-operating |
| Compatibility note | Best for qualified data-center stacks that already support SMR/zoned write management. |
No exact in-stock live row is currently matched for WSH723200AL4201, WSH723200AL4204, WSH723200ALN601, WSH723200ALN604, WSH723200ALN6L1, WSH723200ALN6L4. 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 3 hr 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 HUH721010ALE600REFURB This offer: sold by AceTech Solutions LLC · Amazon says Used / Good · AceTech Solutions LLC's note: Works fine, may have cosmetic wear such as scuffs, marks, scratches, dents, etc. Drive tested by special programs to make sure it works and is a healthy drive. Due to having more than one drive, drive might have a different serial numbers, date, FW, etc. So if your looking for something specific just let us know first. Other drives in stock has similar overview / s.m.a.r.t. and usage to the one listed. Please refer to pictures for details, you will get item as is. | 10TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $20.00 | $200 | 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 WUH721414ALE604REFURB This offer: sold by Worldwide Product Importer · Amazon says New / New · title says Renewed | 14TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $26.43 | $370 | 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 |
| 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 | — | — | $27.49 | $110 | Buy on Amazon |
| 12TB HUH721212ALE604REFURB This offer: sold by Worldwide Product Importer · Amazon says New / New · title says Renewed | 12TB | UNVERIFIED | 7,200 | — | — | $27.50 | $330 | 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 | 120TB | 90TB | 60TB |
| 6 bays | 180TB | 150TB | 120TB |
| 8 bays | 240TB | 210TB | 180TB |
| 12 bays | 360TB | 330TB | 300TB |
HC690 moves WD's UltraSMR line to a higher-density 11-disk generation. The 30TB version has the same central deployment constraint as the 32TB version: it belongs in software stacks that understand and manage SMR behavior.
This is why the page does not rank it like a normal 30TB SATA HDD. It can be excellent in the right fleet and wrong in a conventional storage chassis.
WD lists both SATA 6Gb/s and SAS 12Gb/s HC690 variants. Choose based on the host path. A SAS drive requires a SAS-capable controller/backplane; a SATA model does not gain SAS behavior because it belongs to the same family.
Power-disable and security suffixes also matter. Fleet buyers should pin the exact WSH723200 model string in purchase orders rather than allowing substitutions under the HC690 name.
The 30TB SKU makes sense when it is materially cheaper, easier to source, or already qualified while 32TB remains in pilot. If price is close, the 32TB version increases density with the same broad infrastructure requirements.
At 100-drive scale, 30TB gives 3PB raw while 32TB gives 3.2PB raw. The 200TB delta can be important, but only after compatibility is solved.
HC690 30TB is a procurement option inside an SMR-aware architecture, not the default 30TB answer. Its best use is a fleet where 30TB meets density targets and wins on price or qualification timing.
Buyers without confirmed host-managed SMR support should step back to CMR options before comparing price.
WD's HC690 family is UltraSMR/SMR, and WD's SMR materials describe enterprise SMR deployment as requiring host/software support. Treat it as a host-managed SMR purchase unless your vendor documentation says otherwise.
WD lists WSH723200AL4201, WSH723200AL4204, WSH723200ALN601, WSH723200ALN604, WSH723200ALN6L1 and WSH723200ALN6L4 across SAS/SATA, security and power-disable variants.
Buy 30TB only when it wins on live cost, availability or qualification. Otherwise the 32TB version provides more slot density with the same architecture class.
No. Price per TB is the first screen, not the whole decision - for the WD Ultrastar DC HC690 30TB UltraSMR 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.