- Description
- Specifications
Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC550 14TB SAS Data Center Hard Drive with Conventional Magnetic Recording, HelioSeal Helium Technology, 12Gb/s SAS, 7200 RPM, and 512 MB Buffer for High-Capacity Enterprise Storage
The Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC550 WUH721814AL5204 (0F38528) is a 14TB helium-filled enterprise SAS hard drive that delivers 7200 RPM performance, 512 MB buffer, and Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) technology in a standard 3.5-inch form factor for 24/7 data center environments. The HC550 uses sixth-generation HelioSeal helium technology to maximize capacity per drive bay while reducing power consumption and operating temperature, and the CMR recording method provides consistent write performance without the write-amplification and rewrite penalties associated with shingled recording architectures.
The 14TB capacity on a 12Gb/s SAS interface provides dual-port connectivity for multipath I/O in high-availability storage architectures, while the 512e/4Kn disk format ensures compatibility with both legacy and modern enterprise storage controllers. The TCO-certified design reduces total cost of ownership through higher capacity per bay, lower power per terabyte from the helium-sealed environment, and fewer supporting hardware components at scale. The 3.5-inch form factor at 1.52 lb fits standard server drive bays and storage enclosures, and the platform supports Windows and Linux operating systems.
Where the WD Ultrastar DC HC550 14TB Fits
- Data center and cloud storage tiers requiring CMR write consistency where the Conventional Magnetic Recording technology delivers predictable write performance without the rewrite overhead of SMR drives, the 14TB capacity reduces the number of drive bays needed per petabyte of raw storage, and the 7200 RPM spindle with 512 MB buffer handles sustained mixed read/write enterprise workloads
- High-availability SAN and JBOD storage arrays where the 12Gb/s SAS interface supports dual-port multipath I/O for controller failover without data path interruption, the 512e/4Kn disk format provides compatibility with enterprise RAID controllers and storage platforms, and the HelioSeal helium technology maintains consistent performance in dense multi-drive enclosures
- TCO-focused enterprise and hyperscale deployments where the 14TB capacity per bay reduces rack space, power, and cooling infrastructure costs at scale, the helium-sealed design delivers lower power consumption per terabyte than air-filled alternatives, and the Ultrastar DC platform enables rapid qualification into existing data center infrastructure
What the WD Ultrastar DC HC550 14TB Delivers
- 14TB CMR Enterprise SAS: 14TB capacity with 12Gb/s SAS interface. Conventional Magnetic Recording for consistent write performance. HelioSeal helium technology (6th generation). 512e/4Kn disk format.
- 7200 RPM Data Center Performance: 7200 RPM spindle speed with 512 MB buffer. Dual-port SAS for multipath I/O in high-availability configurations. Designed for sustained 24/7 enterprise workloads.
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership: TCO-certified design. 14TB per bay reduces rack space, power, and cooling costs at scale. Helium-sealed environment for lower operating temperature and power draw.
- 3.5-Inch Form Factor: Standard 3.5-inch LFF chassis at 4 x 5.8 x 1 inches. 1.52 lb weight. Compatible with Windows and Linux. Drop-in for enterprise SAN, JBOD, and server platforms.
