Western Digital Red Plus 3TB
NAS HDD
Part number WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0 · Red Plus series · 3.5" SATA HDD. If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.
Part of the Western Digital Red Plus series →
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Specifications are the manufacturer's published ratings for this product series; verify the exact part number before purchase.
Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.
Compatibility verdict
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 52 machines and series — 52 Synology. This is a NAS-class drive: built for 24/7 operation with vibration compensation for multi-bay enclosures — the right tier for most 1-8 bay home or small-office NAS units. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.
Compatible NAS models
Same-capacity alternatives
Other drives listed at 3 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:
Quick answers
Is the WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0 officially compatible with my NAS?
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 52 machines and series — 52 Synology. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.
Is the WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0 CMR or SMR?
As a Western Digital Red Plus drive, it is rated CMR. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) is what a RAID array wants: SMR drives slow rebuilds dramatically. See the <a href="/faq/cmr-vs-smr-nas-drives/">CMR vs SMR guide</a> for the full series table.
Is the WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0 a good NAS drive?
This is a NAS-class drive: built for 24/7 operation with vibration compensation for multi-bay enclosures — the right tier for most 1-8 bay home or small-office NAS units. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.
Can I use the WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0 for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?
Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.
What are alternatives to the WD30EFZX - 68AWUN0?
At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Toshiba MG04ACA300E (418 machines), Seagate ST3000NM0033 (341 machines), Western Digital WD30PURZ (307 machines). The full ranked list is below.