ACTi PHDD-2H00 WD Ultrastar 16TB 3.5" Hard Disk Drive
Overview
The ACTi PHDD-2H00 is a 16TB 3.5" WD Ultrastar hard disk drive sourced and validated through ACTi's storage peripheral line specifically for video surveillance applications. If you're specifying storage for an ACTi NVR deployment and need confidence that the drive has been vetted for continuous-write workloads, this is the appropriate path — you're getting a drive that fits within ACTi's video surveillance storage ecosystem rather than selecting a consumer or generic enterprise HDD and hoping for compatibility. The PHDD-2H00 (often searched as PHDD 2H00) spins at 7200 RPM with a 512MB onboard cache, the combination that matters most for multi-camera simultaneous write streams.
Key Features
- 16TB Raw Capacity: At typical H.265 compression rates for 1080p cameras (roughly 60–120GB per camera per day on continuous recording), a single PHDD-2H00 can sustain 30-day retention on 4–8 channels without swapping media. That's meaningful headroom for mid-sized deployments running 24/7 without a tiered archiving strategy.
- 7200 RPM Spindle Speed: Higher RPM directly translates to sustained sequential write throughput — the mode that dominates in NVR workloads. At 7200 RPM you have sufficient headroom to service multiple simultaneous camera streams without the buffer starvation that can cause dropped frames on lower-RPM drives.
- 512MB Onboard Cache: A large write cache smooths bursty ingest from multiple camera channels recording simultaneously, reducing seek-induced latency spikes. This matters most during motion-triggered mass-recording events when every camera fires at once.
- 3.5" Form Factor: Compatible with standard 3.5" drive bays in ACTi rack and desktop NVR enclosures. Verify bay count and chassis compatibility for your specific NVR model before ordering multiple units — some ACTi NVRs support RAID configurations that require matched drives.
- ACTi Storage Peripheral Sourcing: This drive is distributed through ACTi's validated surveillance storage peripheral program, meaning it has been categorized under ACTi's Video Expansion and Storage product hierarchy. This matters for integrators who need to source storage through a single security-focused supply chain rather than splitting POs between surveillance hardware and general IT distributors.
- 2.2 lb Gross Weight: Relevant for rack load planning in dense NVR configurations with multiple drives. Factor weight per drive against your rack weight ratings when populating fully loaded enclosures.
Integration & Compatibility
The PHDD-2H00 is positioned within ACTi's Storage Peripherals and Devices family under the Video Surveillance > Video Expansion and Storage hierarchy. For integrators building out ACTi-based ACTi surveillance systems, sourcing storage through the same channel simplifies warranty coordination and ensures the drive spec aligns with what ACTi has validated for their NVR platforms. If your deployment uses a non-ACTi NVR, verify that the host system's firmware supports 16TB drives — some older NVR firmware versions have capacity recognition ceilings below 16TB that require a firmware update before large drives are seen correctly by the system. Always confirm RAID compatibility with your specific NVR model if deploying in a mirrored or striped configuration, as drive pairing requirements vary by enclosure. For PoE switch and NVR infrastructure planning, consult ACTi's NVR compatibility matrices for validated storage configurations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What RPM and cache does the PHDD-2H00 operate at?
A: The PHDD-2H00 is a 7200 RPM drive with a 512MB onboard cache, making it suitable for sustained multi-stream video write workloads typical in NVR deployments.
Q: What is the warranty on the PHDD-2H00?
A: The PHDD-2H00 carries a 3-year manufacturer warranty per ACTi's storage peripheral program.
Q: What form factor and interface does the PHDD-2H00 use?
A: It is a 3.5" drive. Interface specifics are not published in the available evidence — confirm with your ACTi NVR's bay specification before ordering.
Q: Is the PHDD-2H00 suitable for use in non-ACTi NVR systems?
A: While the underlying WD Ultrastar drive is an enterprise-class HDD, the PHDD-2H00 is sourced and validated through ACTi's peripheral ecosystem. For non-ACTi NVRs, verify 16TB capacity recognition in the host firmware before deployment.
Q: How much continuous recording can 16TB sustain per camera?
A: At typical H.265 1080p continuous recording rates (approximately 60–120GB per camera per day depending on scene complexity and bitrate settings), 16TB supports roughly 30-day retention on 4–8 camera channels simultaneously.
Q: What is the country of origin for the PHDD-2H00?
A: The PHDD-2H00 is manufactured in Taiwan (TW).
When I specify the PHDD-2H00 for an ACTi NVR build, the number that anchors the decision is 512MB of onboard cache combined with 7200 RPM — that combination is what separates drives that hold up under simultaneous multi-channel writes from those that introduce frame drop artifacts during peak recording events. This is not a desktop repurpose; it's a 16TB WD Ultrastar pulled through ACTi's validated storage peripheral line, and that provenance matters when you're commissioning a system and need a single point of accountability on storage.
Technical Highlights:
- 16TB at 7200 RPM: Enough raw capacity for 30-day continuous retention on a mid-sized camera count, with the spindle speed to sustain the sequential write rates that multi-camera NVR workloads demand around the clock.
- 512MB Write Cache: Buffers the ingest spikes that occur when motion events fire across multiple channels simultaneously — the scenario where cheaper cache configs tend to stall.
- 3-Year Manufacturer Warranty: Relevant for lifecycle planning on deployments where storage swap-outs are a service cost item — three years aligns with common NVR maintenance cycles.
Deployment Considerations:
- Before populating multiple PHDD-2H00 units in a RAID configuration, confirm your ACTi NVR firmware version supports 16TB per-drive capacity recognition — NVR firmware capacity ceilings have been a real-world gotcha on older platforms when large drives are introduced.
- At 2.2 lb per unit, rack weight adds up quickly in fully populated multi-bay NVR enclosures — account for this in rack load calculations when specifying high-density storage configurations.
The PHDD-2H00 is the right call for integrators running ACTi NVR platforms at 8–32 channels where 30-day continuous retention is a contract requirement and you need storage sourced through the same channel as the rest of the surveillance infrastructure.
