WD 22TB Purple Pro 7200 rpm SATA III 3.5" Internal Surveillance Hard Drive (OEM) Review

The Western Digital WD 22TB Purple Pro is a high-capacity internal hard drive specifically engineered for surveillance applications. Its primary design focus is integration with AI-enabled recorders and video analytics systems, highlighted by its AllFrame AI technology for frame loss reduction. The drive's specifications, including support for numerous camera streams and AI streams, position it for demanding 24/7 recording environments.

With a substantial 22 TB of storage and a 7200 rpm spindle speed, this SATA III drive offers competitive read and write speeds of up to 265 MB/s. Key reliability metrics, such as a 550 TB endurance rating and a 2.5 million hour Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), underscore its suitability for continuous operation in critical surveillance infrastructure. Its operational temperature range further supports its use in varied environmental conditions.

While tailored for surveillance, its lack of encryption support may be a consideration for installations requiring data security measures at the drive level. Overall, for those building or upgrading advanced AI-driven surveillance platforms, the Purple Pro line, exemplified by this 22TB model, provides a specialized storage solution with high capacity and durability.