ZisaLog: Beginner’s Guide to Building a Custom PC 
Many people who build their own PCs may wonder what kind of HDDs others are choosing and which specifications are considered important.
For this reason, data was compiled from various perspectives based on the parts selected using the “Custom PC Parts Quotation and Compatibility Check Tool” developed and managed by the author.
Graphs are provided to summarize the HDD popularity ranking, price range, manufacturers, and the selection rates by other specifications and features. This information is useful for understanding the overall trends in HDD selection.
In addition to HDDs, analysis of other PC parts and the overall custom PC market is also available, so be sure to check it out for reference.
・The data is based on information from the Custom PC Tool.
・Data period: From 2024/5/9 to 2024/08/09 (about 3 months)
・Number of data samples: About 5,000
・The vertical axis of the graphs shows the selection rate by users
・For better readability, the graphs focus on the main volume zones, so the total may not add up to 100%.
Select PC parts and online stores to instantly generate an estimate, check compatibility, and calculate power requirements. You can save up to five different builds, making it easy to try out multiple configurations.
≫ Tool：PC Parts Estimation & Compatibility Check Tool
Table of Contents
Basic Data on HDDs
First, the most important points such as popularity ranking, manufacturers, and price ranges will be introduced.
HDD Popularity Ranking
| 1 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD80EAAZ |
14.6% | ||
| 2 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD40EZAX |
9.3% | ||
| 3 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD20EARZ |
8.3% | ||
| 4 |  | バッファロー OP-HD18.0WH |
5.2% | ||
| 5 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD60EZAX |
5.1% | ||
| 6 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD10EARZ |
5% | ||
| 7 |  | 東芝 DT02ABA200 |
2.6% | ||
| 8 |  | SEAGATE ST1000DM014 |
2.6% | ||
| 9 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD5000AZLX |
2.5% | ||
| 10 |  | SEAGATE ST24000NT002 |
2.3% | ||
| 11 |  | 東芝 MG10AFA22TE |
2.3% | ||
| 12 |  | SEAGATE ST3000DM007 |
2% | ||
| 13 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WUH722424ALE6L4 |
1.8% | ||
| 14 |  | 東芝 MN06ACA10T/JP |
1.8% | ||
| 15 |  | SEAGATE ST8000DM004 |
1.7% | ||
| 16 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD43PURZ |
1.6% | ||
| 17 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD11PURZ |
1.6% | ||
| 18 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WUH722222ALE6L4 |
1.6% | ||
| 19 |  | SEAGATE ST4000DM004 |
1.4% | ||
| 20 |  | Synology HAT3310-16T |
1.3% | ||
| 21 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD80EFPX |
1.3% | ||
| 22 |  | SEAGATE ST8000DXA01 |
1.3% | ||
| 23 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD20EZBX |
1.2% | ||
| 24 |  | 東芝 MG10ACA20TE |
1.2% | ||
| 25 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD23PURZ |
1% | ||
| 26 |  | SEAGATE ST22000NT001 |
1% | ||
| 27 |  | HGST HUH721212ALE600 |
1% | ||
| 28 |  | 東芝 MG08ADA800E |
0.8% | ||
| 29 |  | SEAGATE ST2000DM008 |
0.8% | ||
| 30 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD241KRYZ |
0.8% | ||
| 31 |  | 東芝 MN08ADA400E/JP |
0.7% | ||
| 32 |  | 東芝 MG10ACA20TE/JP |
0.7% | ||
| 33 |  | SEAGATE ST2000DM005 |
0.7% | ||
| 34 |  | 東芝 MN10ACA20T/JP |
0.7% | ||
| 35 |  | SEAGATE ST1000VX013 |
0.5% | ||
| 36 |  | SEAGATE ST4000VX016 |
0.5% | ||
| 37 |  | Synology HAT3310-8T |
0.5% | ||
| 38 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD142PURP |
0.5% | ||
| 39 |  | 東芝 MN10ACA20T/JP2 2台セット |
0.5% | ||
| 40 |  | 東芝 MG08ADA400E/JP |
0.5% | ||
| 41 |  | SEAGATE ST6000VN006 |
0.4% | ||
| 42 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD60EFZX |
0.4% | ||
| 43 |  | 東芝 MN08ADA800/JP |
0.4% | ||
| 44 |  | バッファロー OP-HD3.0H |
0.4% | ||
| 45 |  | バッファロー OP-HD2.0ZH |
0.4% | ||
| 46 |  | 東芝 DT02ABA400 |
0.4% | ||
| 47 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD142KFGX |
0.4% | ||
| 48 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL HUS726T4TALA6L4/JP |
0.3% | ||
| 49 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD2003FZEX |
0.3% | ||
| 50 |  | WESTERN DIGITAL WD1003FZEX |
0.3% |
Most of the top spots are dominated by Western Digital. Among them, the WD Blue series, which is known for its good cost performance in terms of price, capacity, and quality for general use, is especially popular.
HDD Price Range
The most common price range is between 10,000 and 20,000 yen, with capacities typically around 2 to 8TB.
The next most common is under 10,000 yen, which is usually around 500GB to 1TB.
However, for about 1TB, SSDs are also available in the same price range, so from the perspective of data transfer speed, SSDs are often a better choice.
For HDDs priced over 20,000 yen, these are often models with larger capacities or specialized series designed for NAS, gaming, high-performance PCs, or enterprise use, rather than general-purpose series like WD Blue.
HDD Capacity
The main capacity zones for HDDs are 1, 2, 4, and 8TB, with 8TB being the most common.
Recently, it is possible to purchase an 8TB HDD for around 10,000 yen, which is a standard price for storage.
Also, for 1 or 2TB, the price per capacity is actually higher, so in terms of cost performance, it is natural that more people are choosing 8TB models.
HDD Manufacturers
The main HDD manufacturers are the following three:
- Western Digital (WD)
- Seagate
- Toshiba
Among these, WD has a much larger share than the second place.
The author also uses WD when adding HDDs.
Having purchased about 5 or 6 units so far, there have been no initial defects or early failures within 1 or 2 years. Most drives lasted as long as their expected lifespan or even longer, so WD is a highly trusted and recommended manufacturer.
HDD Series
Looking at the data by series, WD’s Blue series is overwhelmingly dominant.
As mentioned in the popularity ranking, WD Blue is the clear leader.
HDD Series (Western Digital)
Focusing on WD, WD Blue is by far the most selected, followed by WD Purple and WD Red series.
WD Blue is for general use, while WD Purple is designed for surveillance camera systems, offering durability and reliability for 24/7 continuous recording of large amounts of data.
WD Red series is optimized for NAS environments that run 24/7.
It is highly durable and used for data backup and sharing.
The features and differences of these manufacturers and series are also explained.
≫ Related article: Differences and Features of Western Digital (WD) HDD Colors
HDD Series (Seagate)
For Seagate, BarraCuda is the most popular, followed by IronWolf (Pro), SkyHawk, and FireCuda.
BarraCuda is for general use, while FireCuda is for gaming and high-performance PCs, offering high performance.
IronWolf is for NAS, providing durability and reliability for 24/7 operation, and SkyHawk is for surveillance camera systems.
The features and differences of these manufacturers and series are also explained.
≫ Related article: Differences and Features of Seagate HDD Series
HDD Series (Toshiba)
Rather than being concentrated in one series, Toshiba HDDs are selected across a wide range of series.
The DT series is a cost-effective series for general use, while the DT(ABA) series is for surveillance camera systems.
The MN series is for NAS, and the MG series is for enterprise use, offering large capacity and high reliability.
The features and differences of these manufacturers and series are also explained.
≫ Related article: Differences and Features of TOSHIBA HDD Series
HDD Data by Specifications and Features
Next, the data is compiled by specifications and features.
However, when choosing an HDD, capacity, price range, and manufacturer are usually the main criteria. Therefore, it is likely that the selected specifications or features are a result of choosing by capacity or other main criteria, rather than specifically seeking those features.
In other words, it is difficult to distinguish whether a part was chosen for its specific specification or feature, or if it was just a result of choosing by the main criteria. Please keep this in mind when reviewing the data.
HDD Cache
HDD cache is high-speed memory built into the HDD, used to improve data read and write performance.
It reduces the frequency of access to the HDD’s disks (platters) and improves overall processing speed.
It is rare to choose an HDD based on cache size, so most likely, the selected HDDs just happened to have 64, 256, or 512MB of cache based on capacity or cost performance.
HDD Rotation Speed
Higher rotation speed means faster data read and write speeds, but the difference is minor compared to the difference between HDDs and SSDs.
However, if high read and write speed is required and SSD capacity is sufficient, SSDs are definitely recommended.
HDD Recording Method
The CMR recording method prevents data tracks from overlapping, while SMR increases recording density by partially overlapping tracks.
Since there are few products that support SMR and most use CMR, the share of CMR is naturally higher.
HDD Idle Power Consumption
Idle power consumption for HDDs is around 2 to 8W, with 2 to 4W being the most common.
However, compared to the total power consumption of a PC, this is a very small amount, so it is rare to choose an HDD based on lower power consumption for energy saving.
Summary: HDD Statistical Data
Graphs were provided to summarize the HDD popularity ranking, price range, manufacturers, and the selection rates by other specifications and features.
The main HDD manufacturers are Western Digital (WD), Seagate, and Toshiba, each offering HDDs for various uses.
Among them, the most popular manufacturer and series is the “WD Blue” series from WD, which is for general use.
As shown in the popularity ranking and series selection rate graphs, it has an overwhelming market share.
In addition to HDDs, analysis of other PC parts and the overall custom PC market is also available, so be sure to check it out for reference.
Select PC parts and online stores to instantly generate an estimate, check compatibility, and calculate power requirements. You can save up to five different builds, making it easy to try out multiple configurations.
≫ Tool：PC Parts Estimation & Compatibility Check Tool
