Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1trdihu/will_a_hdd_die_faster_when_put_in_a_nas_vs_used/

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The original was posted on /r/datahoarder by /u/CurryLikesGaming on 2026-05-29 19:48:43+00:00.

Been looking for answer to this but found several nearly identical but different questions so I had to post about this.

Lets say I have a 4tb WD red and a 1 bay nas. If I want to use the HDD as cold storage, I'd have it on the shelf, in a case, for 3-4 months, then plug it in for a write when my videos and photos fill up my phone. If I want to use it as a nas, I'd have it plugged into my nas 24/7, probaly will view files from it every other week, but ultimately only write on it after 3-4 months too. Which do you think have a higher chance of lasting longer ? I know it largely depends on the something like silicone lottery, RNG and such. I'm not following the rule 3-2-1 here as I don't have the money for it. Do you think it's any beneficial to only use a drive every 3 months vs just put it in a nas running 24/7 and write on it the same amount of data ?