The best 20 TB NAS drive in Canada
By Amara Okonkwo · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated At 20 TB, the picks are enterprise Exos and Ultrastar for the lowest CA$/TB, or IronWolf Pro and WD Red Pro for a quieter NAS drive — all CMR, 7200 rpm, 5-year warranty. 20 TB suits fewer-bay builds chasing maximum capacity: four give about 54.6 TiB usable in SHR or RAID 5, and RAID 6 is strongly advised at this size. The table ranks what is in stock by CA$/TB.
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20 TB: maximum capacity per bay
20 TB is for buyers who want the most storage from the fewest bays — a two-bay mirror gives 20 TB usable, a four-bay SHR/RAID 5 about 54.6 TiB. Fewer, larger drives also draw less power for the same capacity, which lowers the running cost (see the power-cost guide). At this size the drives are almost all enterprise or Pro lines; there is no standard 5400-class option.
RAID 6 is the default at 20 TB
The rebuild argument is strongest here. Reading a full set of 20 TB drives to rebuild after a failure takes well over a day under load, so a RAID 5 array spends a long window unprotected. At 20 TB, plan for RAID 6 or SHR-2 from the start: four 20 TB drives give about 54.6 TiB in RAID 5 or 36.4 TiB in RAID 6. Confirm your layout in the RAID calculator before buying.
20 TB NAS drives on Amazon.ca, by CA$/TB
20 TB CMR NAS drives in stock on Amazon.ca, ranked by price per terabyte in CAD.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best 20 TB NAS drive in Canada?
For lowest CA$/TB, a 20 TB Seagate Exos or WD Ultrastar; for a quieter NAS-tuned drive, IronWolf Pro or WD Red Pro. All are CMR, 7200 rpm, 5-year warranty. The live table ranks what is in stock.
Do I need RAID 6 with 20 TB drives?
It is strongly advised. Rebuilding a 20 TB array after a failure takes well over a day, leaving a RAID 5 array exposed the whole time. RAID 6 or SHR-2 survives two failures and is the sensible default at this capacity.
How much usable space do four 20 TB drives give?
About 54.6 TiB in SHR or RAID 5 (60 TB in drive-maker terms), surviving one failure; about 36.4 TiB in RAID 6 or SHR-2, surviving two. The RAID calculator shows other layouts.
Amara Okonkwo works out what a NAS costs to run over a year on provincial Canadian hydro rates, and ranks drive prices by Canadian dollars per terabyte, using the site's Amazon.ca price sync.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)