HDD Western Digital 14 TB 3.5" Serial ATA III Ultrastar DC HC555

The Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC555 is a 3.5" internal hard drive offering 14 TB of raw storage on a Serial ATA III interface. Designed for enterprise and data center environments, this 7200 RPM drive features a 512 MB buffer and a platform optimized for continuous 24×7 multi-user workloads. The drive uses technologies such as energy-assisted perpendicular magnetic recording and a helium-sealed enclosure to increase areal density while reducing power consumption and operating costs.

Advantages

The Ultrastar DC HC555 combines large capacity with sustained rotational speed and a substantial cache to support heavy read/write demands. HelioSeal technology reduces drag and enables higher capacity per platter while delivering a lower power profile. Built-in rotation vibration sensors and multi-axis shock detection help maintain performance in rack-dense, multi-drive systems. The design leverages field-proven hardware and platform continuity to simplify qualification and integration into existing enterprise installations.

Suitable for

• Enterprise data center storage arrays and servers
• Cold and warm storage tiers for large-scale archival and backup
• High-density storage enclosures and rack-mounted systems
• Environments requiring continuous 24×7 multi-user access

When it may not be suitable

This drive is intended for enterprise-class infrastructure and may be excessive for typical consumer or desktop use where such capacity, thermal characteristics, and 24×7 reliability are not required. It is not a removable or portable storage solution and may not be ideal for laptops, compact desktop builds, or systems with strict low-vibration or acoustic limits if those systems are not designed for enterprise drives.

Key specifications

• Form factor: 3.5-inch
• Capacity: 14,000 GB (14 TB)
• Interface: Serial ATA III (SATA 6 Gb/s)
• Rotational speed: 7200 RPM
• Cache buffer: 512 MB
• Mean time between failures (MTBF): 2,500,000 hours
• Weight: 0.679 kg

How to use

Install the Ultrastar DC HC555 into a compatible 3.5" drive bay or sled in a server, storage array, or NAS that supports SATA 6 Gb/s. Securely mount the drive following the system manufacturer’s guidelines, connect power and SATA data cables, and initialize the disk at the OS or RAID controller level as required. For optimal reliability, operate the drive within the host system’s recommended temperature, vibration and airflow specifications and follow typical enterprise maintenance practices such as monitoring SMART attributes and scheduling regular backups.

What to consider before purchase

• Ensure your server, RAID controller or enclosure supports 3.5" SATA enterprise drives and 7200 RPM operation.
• Confirm available drive bays, cooling capacity and power budget for a high-density deployment.
• Evaluate whether a helium-sealed, high-capacity drive aligns with your performance, capacity and acoustics requirements.
• Plan for backup, RAID configuration and compatibility with your storage stack and firmware policies.

Usage recommendations

Use this drive in purpose-built data center or enterprise storage systems where high capacity, continuous operation and low total cost of ownership per TB are priorities. Monitor drive health via SMART and integrate the drive into redundant storage configurations to protect against hardware failure.