Drive selection for my NAS build

[tactjonin]

I have recently completed a nas build and am looking forward to getting drive recommendations.

Parts that i have -

• Fractal Design Meshify 2
• X470D4U motherboard
• Ryzen 5 3600
• 32GB(16x2) Kingston ECC Memory 3200Mhz Cl22
• 2x Samsung 970 evo plus (500GB) 
• Ultra Fit (16GB) running Unraid (wasn't recognized in unraid tool for windows but worked with a MacOs VM on Virtual Box)

My Purpose -

• Been running 2x Windows 10 VM's 
• PiHole docker
• PlexMediaServer Docker
• WireGuard VPN docker
• I have no fixed storage requirement. With 11x 3.5" drive slots available, i'm probably looking forward to fill all in the coming years.

I'll be adding more if need be...

I have 3 queries

1. I've been confused between shucking WD MyBooks(max 12TB in my region) for White Labeled drives or Seagate Expansion Desktop(16TB) for Exos x16 drives. 
2. What are the odds of finding the above specified drives in the enclosures?
3. A WD retailer that i contacted recently for a sales enquiry said that the company has been sending out external MyBook drives with USB ports built in the PCB and not sata interface... This scared me as hell, so is this true? And if yes, just how safe is Seagate for that matter, have they been doing the same or the shucking legacy continues? 

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

4 minutes ago, _wakajbr said:

A WD retailer that i contacted recently for a sales enquiry said that the company has been sending out external MyBook drives with USB ports built in the PCB and not sata interface... This scared me as hell, so is this true? And if yes, just how safe is Seagate for that matter, have they been doing the same or the shucking legacy continues? 

this only seems to be true for 2.5in models, the 3.5in models are allsata.

 

5 minutes ago, _wakajbr said:

• I've been confused between shucking WD MyBooks(max 12TB in my region) for White Labeled drives or Seagate Expansion Desktop(16TB) for Exos x16 drives. 
• What are the odds of finding the above specified drives in the enclosures?

There are a few options of drives, but all should work for your use case.

 

 

[tactjonin]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

There are a few options of drives

I'm more interested in the Seagate Expansion 16TB($300) for it has revealed Exos X16's in the past as per the people who've shucked before. I have no idea if Exos drives are more reliable than the WD WhiteLables or vise-versa. Warranties, pre and post shucking are a concern too.  

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, _wakajbr said:

I'm more interested in the Seagate Expansion 16TB($300) for it has revealed Exos X16's in the past as per the people who've shucked before. I have no idea if Exos drives are more reliable than the WD WhiteLables or vise-versa. Warranties, pre and post shucking are a concern too.  

There has been some reports there not the same grade as the real exos drives, but with the price savings, its probably worth it.

 

No good data on reliablilty, but both should be fine, and restore backups if something goes really wrong.

 

Warranty depends on the warraty of the device and laws in your country, but I personally wouldn't worry too much about the warranty.