Is the WD Red 6TB SMR or CMR?
The plain WD Red 6TB (WD60EFAX) is SMR; the WD Red Plus 6TB (WD60EFPX/EFZX) and WD Red Pro 6TB are CMR. As with the 4TB, buy WD Red Plus or Red Pro for a NAS: the plain WD Red's SMR recording is poorly suited to RAID rebuilds. Verify the exact model number on WD's documentation.
Last verified July 22, 2026 · 2 official sources checked Updated
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Same story as the 4 TB: the plain WD Red 6 TB is SMR; WD Red Plus and Red Pro 6 TB are CMR. The 2–6 TB plain WD Red drives (the EFAX generation) were the ones Western Digital shipped as SMR before splitting the line.
The model numbers
- WD60EFAX, plain WD Red 6 TB, SMR.
- WD Red Plus 6 TB (WD60EFPX / WD60EFZX): CMR.
- WD Red Pro 6 TB: CMR, 7200 rpm.
Higher-capacity Reds (8 TB and up) were CMR across the board, but at 6 TB the plain-Red/Red-Plus distinction is exactly where SMR sat. Confirm the model number on the drive label.
For a NAS, choose CMR
An SMR drive's write speed falls apart under the sustained load of a RAID rebuild, which is precisely when you need it to be reliable. For any NAS array, buy WD Red Plus or WD Red Pro. The table shows in-stock WD Red Plus (CMR) drives by price per terabyte.
WD Red Plus (CMR) drives in stock, by CA$/TB
Live Amazon.ca prices in CAD, ranked by price per terabyte. The Recording column is verified against manufacturer documentation. Prices checked
| Model | Capacity | Recording | Price | CA$/raw TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Western Digital 10TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD101EFBXNewbest price per TB CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$649Buy on Amazon | 10 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$649 | CA$64.91/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 8TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5640 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD80EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$530Buy on Amazon | 8 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$530 | CA$66.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 128 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EFZZNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$275Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$275 | CA$68.75/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 3TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD30EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Generic Computer · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$216Buy on Amazon | 3 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$216 | CA$72.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 6TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 64 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD60EFRXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$518Buy on Amazon | 6 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$518 | CA$86.41/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital WD Red Plus Internal Hard Drive 8TB CMR 3.5 inch SATA 5640 RPM 256MB NAS WD80EFPX-AJP Eco PackageNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$759Buy on Amazon | 8 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$759 | CA$94.86/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD40EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Memory Canada · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$387Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$387 | CA$96.77/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 64 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EFRXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$419Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$419 | CA$104.72/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 2TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 64 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD20EFPXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$253Buy on Amazon | 2 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$253 | CA$126.38/TB | Buy on Amazon |
Related questions
Sources
Every technical claim on this page is checked against manufacturer and standards documentation. Dates are when each source was last reviewed.
- Western Digital: WD Red Plus / Red Pro product & recording-tech documentation (checked 2026-07-22)
- Western Digital: Internal drives CMR/SMR statement (checked 2026-07-22)