Choosing NAS storage & drives starts with a component question: do you need the enclosure that houses the setup, or the internal drive that provides storage? An enclosure and a hard drive may sit in the same shopping category, but they are not interchangeable. For a home NAS or small-office build, identify the missing piece first, then compare price and the listed attributes.
Quick verdict
Choose the 5-Bay Black NAS Enclosure if the missing part of your setup is the chassis. Choose the MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive if the missing part is internal storage and you already have a place to install it. This is a role-first decision: the listed prices are $339.95 apart, so the higher-priced drive only makes sense when a drive-not an enclosure-is what your setup requires.
At a glance
| Product | Listed price | Primary role |
|---|---|---|
| 5-Bay Black NAS Enclosure | $170.00 | Network-attached-storage enclosure |
| MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive | $509.95 | Internal NAS hard drive |
Where each product wins
- 5-Bay Black NAS Enclosure: wins when the enclosure side of a network-attached-storage setup is missing. Its title also specifies drive trays, making the intended hardware role clear.
- MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive: wins when internal storage media is the priority. The named 24TB capacity and listed hot-swap feature give it a distinct job from the enclosure.
Product notes
5-Bay Black NAS Enclosure
The reason to choose this enclosure is its role and layout: the title specifies a five-bay unit with drive trays, giving a home NAS or small-office build a defined chassis component. That makes it a direct match for someone assembling the enclosure side of a storage setup rather than adding another drive. Its limitation is condition and testing. It is marked used, while the description says the power indicator turns on but no additional testing has been done. That distinction matters if you want the operating condition characterized beyond the indicator. Choose the 5-Bay Black Network Attached Storage NAS Enclosure w/ Drive Trays when bays and trays are the priority; choose the MDD drive when the missing component is internal storage.
MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive
The MDD drive is the storage-media choice here. It specifies 7200RPM, 512MB cache, and SATA 6Gbs, while its attributes add a 3.5-in form factor, hot-swap feature, and PC compatibility. These are concrete matching points for a setup that needs an internal drive, without treating the numbers as a performance ranking. Its limitation is role as well as condition: it is an internal hard drive, not the enclosure that houses the drive, and it is marked used. Choose the MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive when those drive attributes fit the job; choose the five-bay enclosure when the chassis is what is missing.
Final choice by use case
- Building the chassis side of a home NAS: choose the 5-Bay Black NAS Enclosure for its network-attached-storage enclosure format and drive-tray role.
- Adding internal storage to a PC-compatible setup: choose the MDD 24TB NAS Hard Drive for its internal-drive format and listed drive attributes.
- Making the price-gap decision: the $339.95 difference reinforces the need to buy the component your setup lacks. The enclosure is the correct choice for bays; the MDD drive is the correct choice for internal storage.
