WUH721814AL5204 Western Digital DC HC550 14TB 7.2K RPM SAS 12GBPS HDD.

Product : Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC550

The Western Digital WUH721814AL5204 Ultrastar DC HC550 is a high-capacity enterprise-grade hard disk drive engineered for reliability, speed, and scalability in demanding data center environments.

General Information

• Brand: Western Digital
• Model Number: WUH721814AL5204
• Category: Hard Disk Drive

Technical Specifications

• Capacity: 14 Terabytes
• Interface: SAS 12Gb/s (Serial Attached SCSI)
• Form Factor: 3.5-inch Large Form Factor (LFF)

Performance Metrics

• Rotational Speed: 7,200 RPM
• Cache Memory: 512MB
• Sustained Transfer Rate: Up to 262 MB/s
• Maximum Interface Bandwidth: 1.2 GB/s (1200 MB/s)

Sector Format Options

• 512e (512-byte emulation)
• 4Kn (4K native)

Reliability & Durability

• MTBF: 2.5 million hours
• Annualized Failure Rate (AFR): 0.35%

Power Consumption

• Active Mode: ~8.8 Watts
• Idle Mode: ~5.8 Watts

Western Digital WUH721814AL5204 DC HC550 14TB 7.2K RPM  HDD Overview

The Western Digital WUH721814AL5204 Ultrastar DC HC550 14TB 7.2K RPM SAS 12Gbps HDD represents a pinnacle of enterprise-grade storage engineering, designed to meet the demanding needs of modern data centers, hyperscale environments, and mission-critical infrastructure. Built with advanced technologies and optimized for high-capacity workloads, this drive delivers exceptional reliability, scalability, and performance. Organizations that rely on massive data storage—ranging from cloud service providers to financial institutions—benefit significantly from the robust architecture and efficiency of this enterprise hard disk drive.

Enterprise-Class Design and Architecture

At the heart of the Ultrastar DC HC550 lies a sophisticated enterprise-class design that prioritizes durability and operational stability. Unlike consumer-grade drives, this model is engineered to handle continuous operation under heavy workloads. It incorporates helium-sealed technology, which reduces internal turbulence and power consumption while allowing for higher platter density. This results in increased storage capacity without compromising thermal efficiency or mechanical reliability.

Helium-Sealed Technology Advantage

Helium-filled drives like the Ultrastar DC HC550 are a significant advancement over traditional air-filled HDDs. Helium is less dense than air, which reduces friction on spinning disks and allows for more platters to be installed within the same enclosure. This not only boosts capacity but also improves energy efficiency and reduces wear and tear on internal components. Over time, this leads to a longer lifespan and lower total cost of ownership for enterprise users.

Impact on Data Center Efficiency

Data centers are constantly seeking ways to optimize energy consumption and cooling requirements. The helium-sealed design directly contributes to these goals by lowering operating temperatures and reducing power draw. This makes the Ultrastar DC HC550 an ideal choice for large-scale deployments where even minor efficiency improvements can translate into significant cost savings across thousands of drives.

Massive Storage Capacity for Data-Intensive Applications

With a massive 14TB storage capacity, this hard drive is tailored for environments where data growth is exponential. Applications such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence workloads, content delivery networks, and cloud storage platforms require high-capacity drives to manage vast datasets efficiently. The Ultrastar DC HC550 meets these requirements by offering a balance between capacity and performance.

Key and Speed Capabilities

Operating at 7,200 RPM, the Ultrastar DC HC550 delivers reliable performance suitable for a wide range of enterprise workloads. While not as fast as solid-state drives, it offers an excellent balance of speed and capacity, making it ideal for bulk storage and sequential data access tasks. The 12Gbps SAS interface further enhances data transfer rates, ensuring that large volumes of data can be accessed and processed efficiently.

SAS 12Gbps Interface Benefits

The SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) interface is a preferred choice in enterprise environments due to its reliability, scalability, and performance advantages. With a 12Gbps data transfer rate, this interface supports faster communication between the drive and the server, reducing latency and improving overall system responsiveness. It also allows for dual-port connectivity, which enhances redundancy and ensures uninterrupted data access in case of a path failure.

Improved Data Throughput

High throughput is essential for applications such as video streaming, database management, and virtualization. The Ultrastar DC HC550 is optimized to handle sequential read and write operations efficiently, making it well-suited for workloads that require consistent data streaming. This capability ensures that enterprise systems can operate smoothly even under heavy data loads.

Enhanced Workload Rating

This drive is engineered to handle high annual workload rates, making it suitable for intensive data processing tasks. Its robust design ensures consistent performance even when subjected to continuous read and write operations. This makes it an excellent choice for applications such as transaction processing systems, enterprise resource planning, and large-scale data warehousing.

Rotational Vibration Safeguards

In multi-drive environments, rotational vibration can negatively impact performance and reliability. The Ultrastar DC HC550 incorporates advanced vibration sensors and compensation technologies to mitigate these effects. This ensures stable operation even in densely packed storage arrays, where multiple drives operate simultaneously.

Cloud Infrastructure and Data Centers

Cloud service providers require storage solutions that can scale efficiently while maintaining high availability. The Ultrastar DC HC550 meets these requirements by offering large storage capacity, reliable performance, and low power consumption. It is ideal for use in cloud storage clusters, backup systems, and archival solutions.

Big Data and Analytics

Big data applications involve processing massive datasets to extract valuable insights. The high capacity and consistent performance of this drive make it well-suited for data lakes and analytics platforms. Organizations can store and analyze large volumes of structured and unstructured data without compromising on efficiency.

Reduced Power Consumption

The helium-sealed design and optimized internal components contribute to lower power usage compared to traditional HDDs. This not only reduces electricity costs but also minimizes heat generation, which in turn lowers cooling requirements. Over time, these savings can significantly reduce the total cost of ownership.

Scalability and Future-Proofing

As data continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, scalability becomes a crucial factor in storage planning. The Ultrastar DC HC550 is designed to support future expansion, allowing organizations to scale their storage infrastructure without significant disruptions.

Compatibility with Modern Systems

This drive is compatible with a wide range of enterprise storage systems and servers, making it easy to integrate into existing infrastructures. Its SAS interface ensures seamless connectivity and interoperability with modern data center architectures.

Support for Emerging Technologies

The increasing adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IoT requires robust storage solutions capable of handling large datasets. The Ultrastar DC HC550 provides the capacity and reliability needed to support these emerging applications, ensuring that organizations are well-prepared for future technological advancements.

Secure Data Handling

The drive supports secure data handling protocols that ensure data integrity and confidentiality. This is particularly important for industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data breaches can have severe consequences.