Number of platters in WD Red Plus drives

The number of platters (and thus heads) in WD Red Plus drives varies by capacity. Here's a breakdown for the commonly used 3.5″ NAS models based on detailed info from Western Digital and community verification:

🧩 WD Red Plus Platter Counts by Capacity

Capacity RPM Platters (Heads)

2 TB (WD20EFPX) 5400 2 platters (2 heads)

3 TB (WD30EFPX) 5400 3 platters (3 heads)**

4 TB (WD40EFPX) 5400 4 platters (4 heads)**

6 TB (WD60EFPX) 5400 6 platters (6 heads)**

8 TB (WD80EFPX) 5640 8 platters (8 heads)**

WD40EFPX (4 TB), WD60EFPX (6 TB), and WD80EFPX (8 TB) explicitly list 4, 6, and 8 heads in WD’s warranty/spec lookup – i.e., one head per platter

A comment from r/DataHoarder confirms: “newer model has higher platter density (3 or 4 platters on WD40EFRX and 2 platters on WD40EFPX)” – this aligns with WD40EFPX having fewer but denser platters

What This Means

More platters = greater storage capacity, but can mean slightly higher power draw, heat, and vibration.

Higher-density platters (like 8 TB drives) typically spin slightly faster (5640 RPM vs 5400 RPM), improving performance .

WD Red Plus drives use CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) for reliability in multi-drive NAS environments

Why Platter Counts Matter

Performance

Drives with more platters can achieve higher data throughput because they have multiple heads working simultaneously. The 8 TB model especially offers improved transfer rates (~196 MB/s)

Power & Heat

Each additional platter requires spinning and cooling—higher platter counts produce more heat and consume more power. WD’s tiered RPM strategy balances this.

Reliability & Failure Risk

More platters mean more potential points of failure. However, WD ensures long-term durability: WD Red Plus drives with high workloads (180 TB/year) and MTBF of 1 million hours

Summary

2 TB → 2 platters

3 TB → ~3 platters (model WD30EFPX)

4 TB → 4 platters (WD40EFPX)

6 TB → 6 platters (WD60EFPX)

8 TB → 8 platters (WD80EFPX)

These counts are confirmed through WD’s technical data and community measurements. WD Red Plus drives strike a balanced design—fewer, denser platters for efficiency, yet engineered for NAS reliability and endurance. If you're choosing a drive based on speed, power, or failure points, platter count is a key factor to consider.