Fresh/Last checked Sep 26, 12:43 PM·Updated daily
US region
Hard Disk Prices
← Live table

Best 16TB Hard Drives by Price per TB

The best 16TB deal depends on where the drive will live: a new NAS-class drive for an always-on array, a renewed enterprise drive for a cheaper second copy, or an external drive used as-is for backups — the ranking below compares all three by price per TB.

A 16TB drive suits NAS builds, Plex and media servers, and anyone who wants one large backup target. It shows up as about 14.6 TB in Windows and holds roughly 3,200 movies at 5 GB each. The list below ranks today's Amazon offers for exactly 16TB — internal and external, new and renewed — by price per TB, and re-ranks on every snapshot refresh.

16TB is where external desktop drives and bare internal drives compete on price per TB, so this ranking shows both. That leaves three real choices: an external drive that just plugs in, a new internal NAS drive with the maker's warranty, or a renewed enterprise drive with a seller warranty. Each entry notes its type and condition so you can compare like with like.

  1. Toshiba MG08ACA16TE 16TB 7200RPM 512e 3.5" SATA Enterprise Desktop Hard Drive (Renewed)

    $439.00 · $27.44/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #1 at $27.44/TB — 12% below the typical 16TB HDD. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".

  2. Seagate ST16000NM001G 16TB HDD Exos X16 7200 RPM 512e/4Kn SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Enterprise Hard Drive (Renewed)

    $489.99 · $30.62/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #2 at $30.62/TB — 2% below the typical 16TB HDD. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".

  3. Seagate (Recertified) Exos X18 16TB Enterprise HDD - CMR 3.5 Inch Hyperscale SATA 6Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 512e and 4Kn FastFormat, Low Latency with Enhanced Caching (ST16000NM000J)

    $499.50 · $31.22/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #3 at $31.22/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".

  4. Seagate Exos X16 ST16000NM003G 16TB 7200 RPM 256MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5 inches Hard Drives, 512E/4KN (Renewed)

    $499.99 · $31.25/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #4 at $31.25/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".

  5. Seagate 16TB HDD Exos X16 7200 RPM 512e/4Kn SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Enterprise Hard Drive (ST16000NM001G) (Renewed)

    $499.99 · $31.25/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #5 at $31.25/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".

  6. Seagate Expansion Desktop 16TB External Hard Drive – USB 3.0, 3.5" HDD for Windows & Mac, Plug-and-Play Backup Storage - STKP16000400

    $509.49 · $31.84/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #6 at $31.84/TB. New condition, USB, 3.5".

  7. Seagate IronWolf Pro, 16 TB, Enterprise NAS Internal HDD –CMR 3.5 Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, 7,200 RPM, 256 MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage (ST16000NT001)

    $579.99 · $36.25/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #7 at $36.25/TB — 15% below the typical 16TB HDD. New condition, SATA, 3.5".

  8. Western Digital 16TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD161KFGX

    $670.00 · $41.88/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #8 at $41.88/TB — 1% below the typical 16TB HDD. New condition, SATA, 3.5".

  9. Seagate Skyhawk AI 16TB Video Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache for DVR NVR Security Camera System with Drive Health Management and in-House Rescue Services (ST16000VE000)

    $679.99 · $42.50/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #9 at $42.50/TB. New condition, SATA, 3.5".

  10. BUFFALO TeraStation Essentials 2025 4-Bay Value Desktop NAS 16TB (4x4TB) with Hard Drives Included

    $839.99 · $52.50/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM

    Ranks #10 at $52.50/TB — 24% above the typical 16TB HDD. New condition.

Compare live hard disk prices for all matching deals →

What to look for

Treat an external 16TB drive as an external drive. Some buyers remove the internal drive ("shucking") to use it in a NAS, but both WD and Seagate say opening the enclosure voids the warranty, and neither discloses which drive is inside — so you won't know its workload rating in advance. If the drive is going into a NAS, compare it against the internal NAS drives on this list, not against other externals.

Check the workload rating for always-on use. Desktop-class drives are rated for 120 TB of writes a year and limited power-on hours, with a 2-year warranty; entry NAS-class for 180 TB and 3 years; pro NAS and enterprise-class for 550 TB and 5 years. A 16TB drive in a NAS runs around the clock, so a desktop-class drive is the wrong fit even when it ranks cheapest.

Plan for the rebuild. Writing 16TB once at top sustained speed — about 255 to 270 MB/s for drives this size — takes roughly 16.5 to 17.5 hours, and a real RAID rebuild takes longer. Pro NAS and enterprise drives are also rated for fewer unrecoverable read errors (1 per 10^15 bits instead of 1 per 10^14). With this much data per drive, dual parity or a separate backup matters more than it did at smaller sizes.

FAQ

Is 16TB a lot of storage?

Yes, for a single drive. It holds about 3,200 movies at 5 GB each, or about 320 at 50 GB each. For a small NAS or one backup target it is usually plenty; heavy media collectors often run several in an array.

Is a 16TB hard drive better than an 8TB SSD?

For bulk media and backups, yes: the hard drive holds twice as much for far less per TB. The SSD is much faster and silent, so it wins for your operating system, games, and active projects — many setups use both.

How much does a 16TB hard drive cost?

It changes with the market, so this page ranks live offers instead of quoting a number. Compare price per TB within the same condition: renewed and new drives sit on the same list, and their warranties differ.

Can I take the drive out of a 16TB external and use it in a NAS?

You can, but both WD and Seagate say removing the drive from the enclosure voids the warranty. The makers also don't say which drive is inside, so you won't know its workload rating or warranty class until you open it.