Best 4TB Hard Drives by Price per TB
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At 4TB, check the recording method before the price: pick a CMR drive for a NAS or RAID, because many 4TB desktop drives and plain WD Red are SMR, then compare price per TB in the ranking below.
A 4TB hard drive is the entry point for bulk storage: a second drive in a desktop PC, a first two-bay NAS, a backup drive, or extra storage for a PS5 or Xbox. The list below ranks today's Amazon offers for exactly 4TB — internal and external, new, renewed, and used — by price per TB, and re-ranks itself every time our price snapshot refreshes.
4TB is also where SMR turns up most. Seagate's and Toshiba's desktop drives are SMR at this size, WD sells its 4TB desktop drive in both a CMR and an SMR version, and plain WD Red is SMR. The lowest price per TB can belong to a drive that slows sharply during a RAID rebuild, so the recording method matters more here than at any larger size.
Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD (Constellation ES) 4TB 7200RPM
$110.89 · $27.72/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #1 at $27.72/TB — 44% below the typical 4TB HDD. New condition.
Western Digital RE WD4000FYYZ 4TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Enterprise Internal Hard Drive - OEM (Renewed)
$118.99 · $29.75/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #2 at $29.75/TB — 26% below the typical 4TB HDD. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA MaxDigitalData 4TB 64MB Cache 5900PM SATA 6Gbps 3.5-inch Internal Surveillance Hard Drive (MD4000GSA6459DVR) (Renewed)
$139.99 · $35.00/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #3 at $35.00/TB — 13% below the typical 4TB HDD. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
Avolusion PRO-H1 4TB 7200RPM USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) External Hard Drive (for Windows or MacOS Desktop PC/Laptop) (Renewed)
$139.99 · $35.00/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #4 at $35.00/TB — 10% above the typical external HDD across all sizes. Renewed condition, USB.
HGST Ultrastar 7K6000 HUS726040ALE610 (0F23005) 4 TB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (Renewed)
$149.99 · $37.50/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #5 at $37.50/TB — 6% below the typical 4TB HDD. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
Western Digital 4TB WD Blue PC Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EZAZ (WD Factory Recertified) (Renewed)
$159.75 · $39.94/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #6 at $39.94/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
Hitachi 2022 HGST WD Ultrastar HUS726T4TALE6L4 4TB 7200 RPM 512e SATA 6Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Disk Drive (Renewed)
$159.99 · $40.00/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #7 at $40.00/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
HGST Ultrastar 7K6000 4TB 7200 RPM SATA 128MB Cache 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive - HUS726040ALE610 (0F23005) (Renewed)
$159.99 · $40.00/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #8 at $40.00/TB. Renewed condition, SATA, 3.5".
MDD MAXDIGITALDATA (MDD4000GSA6472 4TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5inch Internal Desktop Hard Drive (for Desktop PC, Mac, CCTV DVR, Surveillence, Server, NAS)
$159.99 · $40.00/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #9 at $40.00/TB — 19% below the typical 4TB HDD. New condition, SATA, 3.5".
White Label WL 4TB 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s (Enterprise Grade) 3.5" Hard Drive (for Server, RAID, NAS, DVR, Desktop PC)
$169.95 · $42.49/TB as of Sep 26, 02:56 PM EDT
Ranks #10 at $42.49/TB — 14% below the typical 4TB HDD. New condition, SATA, 3.5".
Compare live hard disk prices for all matching deals →
What to look for
Read the recording method on every listing. At 4TB, Seagate's BarraCuda desktop line and Toshiba's P300 are SMR, and so is plain WD Red, even though it is sold for NAS use. WD Blue comes in both a CMR and an SMR version at this size, so check the maker's spec sheet for the exact model. SMR writes large files fine as a single backup drive; in a RAID array, a rebuild's sustained random writes can slow it sharply.
For a NAS, choose a line that is CMR at 4TB. WD Red Plus and Red Pro, Seagate IronWolf, IronWolf Pro, SkyHawk, and Exos, and Toshiba N300 and X300 are all CMR at this size. NAS-class drives carry a 3-year warranty and a 180 TB-per-year workload rating; pro NAS and enterprise drives get 5 years, desktop drives 2. Renewed 4TB offers are often older enterprise drives, with a seller warranty that is usually shorter than the maker's.
Expect small speed differences at 4TB. Datasheet sustained rates run from about 180 MB/s on a 5400 RPM NAS drive to about 195 MB/s on a 7200 RPM one, with Seagate's desktop drive near 190 MB/s. Filling the whole drive at roughly 185 MB/s takes about six hours. Windows shows a 4TB drive as about 3.64 TB because it counts in binary units; nothing is missing.
FAQ
Is 4TB overkill?
Not for most buyers: 4TB is a common size for a PC's second drive or a console's extra storage. It holds about 800 movies at 5 GB each in 1080p, or about 80 at 50 GB each as 4K disc rips.
How long does a 4TB hard drive last?
There is no fixed lifespan; the only hard numbers are warranties: 2 years for desktop-class, 3 for NAS-class, and 5 for pro NAS and enterprise drives. Backblaze's fleet data shows failure rates vary more by model than by capacity, so two drives of the same size can age very differently.
What is the cheapest 4TB hard drive?
It changes daily, so this page ranks today's Amazon offers live by price per TB. Before buying the top row, check whether it is SMR, which is common at 4TB, and whether it is renewed with a shorter seller warranty. Makers don't publish the recording method of the drive inside a portable external.
Is a 4TB hard drive good for a NAS?
Yes, if it is CMR. At 4TB, Seagate's and Toshiba's desktop drives, one WD Blue version, and plain WD Red are SMR, and an SMR drive can slow sharply during a RAID rebuild. NAS-class lines such as WD Red Plus, IronWolf, and N300 are CMR at this size.