Western Digital Surveillance Purple Pro 22TB
Surveillance HDD
Part number WD221PURP-74B9SY0 · Surveillance Purple Pro series · SATA 6Gb/s (SATA III). If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.
Part of the Western Digital Surveillance Purple Pro series →
Check WD221PURP price on Amazon partner link
No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet — check the exact model for CMR vs SMR before buying it as a large cold copy (SMR is the one trait that makes a 16 TB+ backup copy painfully slow). The 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover what to schedule it with.
Compatibility verdict
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 22 machines and series — 22 QNAP. This is a Surveillance-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet, so check CMR vs SMR on the exact model before buying for an array.
Compatible NAS models
Same-capacity alternatives
Other drives listed at 22 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:
Quick answers
Is the WD221PURP-74B9SY0 officially compatible with my NAS?
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 22 machines and series — 22 QNAP. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.
Is the WD221PURP-74B9SY0 a good NAS drive?
This is a Surveillance-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet, so check CMR vs SMR on the exact model before buying for an array.
Can I use the WD221PURP-74B9SY0 for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?
No series-level recording rating is on file for this part number yet — check the exact model for CMR vs SMR before buying it as a large cold copy (SMR is the one trait that makes a 16 TB+ backup copy painfully slow). The 3-2-1 guide and the backup tools encyclopedia cover what to schedule it with.
What are alternatives to the WD221PURP-74B9SY0?
At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Seagate ST22000NT001 (148 machines), Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 (121 machines), Western Digital WD221KFGX-68B9KN0 (121 machines). The full ranked list is below.