A more granular examination of the most widely used hard drive models over the last three years indicates an upward trajectory in AFRs, signaling a decline in reliability. Seagate's 14 TB model was pinpointed as the least reliable, whereas Western Digital's 16 TB variant demonstrated the lowest failure rate.

The analysis further delves into AFR trends from Q1 2021 through Q4 2023, taking into account the drives' capacities and operational hours. Findings suggest that 6 TB drives are the most robust, whereas 10 TB models are more prone to failures.

Additionally, the report assesses failure rates based on the age of the drives, with data encompassing brands such as HGST, Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital. Over a span of 36 months, only Seagate drives exhibited failure rates exceeding 1.5%. Backblaze cautions that the dataset, while extensive, may not fully encapsulate the broader quality spectrum of hard drives, as the findings are confined to the models actively employed by the company.