What is the difference between 512e and 4Kn drives?

Both use 4K physical sectors. A 512e drive emulates 512-byte sectors for compatibility; a 4Kn drive presents 4K directly. 4Kn is marginally more efficient but older controllers and some operating systems will not boot from it. Mixing the two in one pool is best avoided. For most homelabs, 512e is the safer default.

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