Technical reference
Western Digital WD Red Pro WD161KFGX 16TB specifications
One 16TB 3.5-inch SATA HDD, CMR / Helium, OptiNAND No, 512 MB cache, 7200 rpm. Enclosure sold separately.
Complete specifications with requirements, upgrade limits and sources. For our buying judgment, reviews and prices, return to the buying guide.
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Search all 33 specifications, including conditions and limits.
Exact identity & capacity
Connection & sector format
Recording & NAS firmware
These rows distinguish recording method, vibration controls and vendor integration.
| Recording / drive technology | CMR / Helium[1] |
|---|---|
| Rotational-vibration sensors | Yes[1] |
| Native command queuing | Yes[1] |
| OptiNAND | No[1] |
| NASware / TLER | US product page: NASware tuning and Time-Limited Error Recovery for RAID NAS. Not a per-column numeric in the data sheet.[12] |
Rated performance
NAS class & bay guidance
Bay-class statements do not replace the host vendor's compatibility list.
| Rated bay class | Current January 2025 data-sheet highlight and US product-page Compatibility field: RAID-optimized NAS systems with unlimited / any bay count. Older briefs and some reviews still say up to 24 bays.[1][12] Highlight/product page vs older 24-bay language; not a host HCL. |
|---|---|
| Intended operation | 24×7 commercial and enterprise NAS[1] |
Workload & reliability ratings
Population and workload ratings do not predict one unit's life.
| Annual workload rating | 550TB/year transferred[1] January 2025 footnote 6: Annualized Workload Rate = TB transferred × (8760 / recorded power-on hours); maximum rated at typical 40°C. This 550 TB/year ceiling is not the 220 TB/year condition used for the MTBF projection in footnote 5. |
|---|---|
| MTBF | 2,500,000 hours[1] January 2025 footnote 5: projected population statistic at typical 220 TB/year and 40°C; derating occurs above those parameters up to 550 TB writes/year. Does not predict an individual drive or constitute a warranty. 2021–2022 reviews often still print 1,000,000 h / 300 TB/year — keep those as the article's then-current brief, not this column. |
| Load/unload cycles | 600,000[1] |
| Unrecoverable read error rating | Less than 1 in 10^15 bits read[1] |
Warranty & support
Confirm regional coverage and proof-of-purchase requirements.
| Limited warranty | 5 years[1] |
|---|
Power & spin-up planning
Temperature, vibration & shock
Stay within the documented installation and handling limits.
| Operating temperature | 0 to 65°C[1] |
|---|---|
| Non-operating temperature | −40 to 70°C[1] |
| Shock (2ms) | 50G read/write; 50G read; 250G non-operating[1] |
| Vibration limits | Unknown; not stated in the January 2025 data sheet[1] |
Published acoustics
Drive ratings do not predict sound from an assembled NAS.
| Idle / seek acoustics | 20 / 36 dBA[1] Manufacturer ratings; measurement method is not stated in this brief. |
|---|
Dimensions & mounting
Compliance
Regulatory statements apply to the documented revision.
| RoHS compliance | Yes[1] |
|---|
Exact product identity & open questions
- Manufacturer part number
- WD161KFGX[1]
- Product
- One 16TB internal 3.5-inch SATA HDD from the Western Digital WD Red Pro family; enclosure and additional drives sold separately.[1]
- Revision rule
- Match the complete WD161KFGX suffix on the listing and delivered label; another 16TB family member is not interchangeable evidence.[1]
- Long-term reliability: No controlled exact-MPN field failure-rate study is adopted. Workload, MTBF and warranty ratings do not predict the delivered unit.
- Host compatibility list: WD claims vendor testing and unlimited/any bay count. Synology and QNAP compatibility URLs did not yield a usable per-MPN dump this round (JS shell / generic portal). Confirm the exact NAS.
- Current US offer coverage: 2026-09-10 Newegg price/seller kept. 2026-09-11 primary .product-seller-sold-by confirms Sold by Newegg, IsNew, Instock, FinalPrice 704.99, ShippingCharge 0.01. Other-seller popover names were not used. Unknown-seller Newegg duplicate of this PDP archived. B&H 403 and Amazon bot wall unchanged; those older timestamps were not edited.
- Unpublished exact-model specifications: Vibration limits remain Unknown in the January 2025 table. Logical/physical sector sizes are still not stated in that brief.
- Video: Hardwareluxx soundcheck cACsVfazkcc listing retrieved; ASR/frames not obtained. Do not infer dBA from audio.
Sources
Research updated Sep 11, 2026. Individual source check dates are listed below. Measurements belong to the named reviewers; tested configurations and software versions may differ from the product you buy.
- [1] Western Digital WD Red Pro data sheet — January 2025 ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · January 2025 family PDF, WD161KFGX column plus footnotes 1–8; highlights 'unlimited # of bays'
- [2] Western Digital Red Pro WD161KFGX review ↗
Checked Sep 10, 2026 · Exact-MPN original test; configuration, findings, measurements and limitations preserved in the matching review record.
- [3] B&H: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 30, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-30: exact MPN, new condition, seller status retailer, availability in-stock. Historical catalog reference price $749.99. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [4] Adorama: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status retailer, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [5] Amazon: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status marketplace-unverified, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [6] Best Buy: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status marketplace-unverified, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [7] MemoryC: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status retailer, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [8] Newegg: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status marketplace-unverified, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [9] Western Digital: WD161KFGX historical US listing ↗
Checked Aug 31, 2026 · Catalog record dated 2026-08-31: exact MPN, new condition, seller status manufacturer, availability listed. No historical price adopted for this URL. Any usable 2026-09-10 main offer is recorded separately rather than overwriting this historical observation.
- [10] Amazon: WD161KFGX current US new listing ↗
Checked Sep 10, 2026 · Exact MPN in title; selected new main buy box provides Add to cart and shows seller Amazon.com; numeric price is hidden behind cart.
- [11] Newegg: WD161KFGX current US new listing ↗
Checked Sep 10, 2026 · Exact MPN in H1; selected main offer shows Add to cart, seller Newegg, and a visible price of $704.99.
- [12] WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drive — 16TB US product page ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Key features, Specifications (Capacity/Model Number/Transfer Rate/Compatibility), FAQ comparing Red Pro vs Red Plus
Research and review record
- Research: Grok 4.6 · Source research and data update
- Self-check: Grok 4.6 · Researcher self-check
- Independent review: GPT-6 (Codex) · Exact January2025 official column and footnotes; complete Hardwareluxx original six-page test and target table rows; primary Newegg pane and dated historical offers.
- Editorial integration: GPT-6 (Codex) · Editorial integration and validation
Independent review completed for the scope recorded in the audit.
Source evidence and review history (JSON)