WD Red vs Black Drives?

WilliamTM

WilliamTM

WilliamTM

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I'm possibly looking at getting a new 4TB drive in the future, and as I've always stuck to either Samsung or WD drives...I may as well continue that trend and go for WD's 4TB drives.

If/when I get them, they'll be going in my PC and they'll be used for storage - mostly media, such as films, TV shows, DSLR/GoPro photos and videos, and so on - almost exclusively HD content. So speed isn't that much of an issue, at least not enough to warrant the extra cash spent on the WD Black drives.

My question is this - is there any disadvantage to the WD Red series if I'm not using it in a NAS?
 
The red is specifically designed for NAs usage with optimised firmware and vibration handling.

Get a green for storing your media on.
 
Red = 3 year warranty, black 5.
I have four 3TB reds and four 1.5TB greens and the reds are faster,quieter and run much cooler. Not sure how the newer greens compare. Very happy with the reds.
 
The Asgard said:
Red = 3 year warranty, black 5.
I have four 3TB reds and four 1.5TB greens and the reds are faster,quieter and run much cooler. Not sure how the newer greens compare. Very happy with the reds.
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The Asgard said:
4TB reds have just been released.
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My advice would be to get a 4TB Red they have just been released.

I have two 3TB reds and they are excellent the longer warranty and the fact they are designed for 24/7 usage are the reason i chose them.
 
Blacks have high performance at the expense of everything else (power consumption, heat, noise, vibration). Reds optimise those things while still doing a decent job of performance.
 
I'd like a good answer to the OP's post too. Is there any DISADVANTAGE to using a WD-RED in a system that WON'T be on 24/7
 
jrwagh333 said:
I'd like a good answer to the OP's post too. Is there any DISADVANTAGE to using a WD-RED in a system that WON'T be on 24/7
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disadvantage hmm.. seek time
if transfering lots tiny files its slower

i dont think its by a lot anymore tho, i have a seagate nas drive in my pc and sometimes i store games on it i dont play much, they often have lots small files but still only takes about 2mins to move a 20gb game to the ssd

a black would do it in 30seconds less but i would hear it across the room, or when in the bathroom, or walking back from the shop :)

i think the blacks will die out to hybrids pretty soon
 
WilliamTM said:
My question is this - is there any disadvantage to the WD Red series if I'm not using it in a NAS?
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There shouldn't be any, apart from price (if the Red is more expensive than the black), oh and the shorter warranty (assuming the Blacks still have 5 years). I have a couple of 3TB Reds, and I love them. They are super quiet and cool (the opposite of warm).
 
jrwagh333 said:
I'd like a good answer to the OP's post too. Is there any DISADVANTAGE to using a WD-RED in a system that WON'T be on 24/7
Click to expand...

And yes sorry to answer the original question there will be no disadvantage in using a Red drive that is in a system that isnt on 24/7, they are actually a really good drive. They perform quite well and remain cool and quiet at all times.
 
The disadvantage of the Red is the error recovery handling. The Red is designed for NAS usage therefore handles error recovery differently to the Desktop range (Blue, Black, Green) drives. The Red effectively assumes the NAS OS/RAID controller will sort the errors out whereas a desktop drive will attempt correction itself.

I'd take the equivalent spec Green drive over a Red.
 
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