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WD Blue or Red?

I am going to make a personal server for use at home. I intend to use two 3TB hard drives in a RAID 1 array, but I can't decide whether to use two Western Blue HDDs or two Red HDDs.

 

I have heard that red would be the best choice for this since I intend to use it as a file server, but it will be in low demand since I'll be the only one using it. The enthusiast in me says to use red or even black (because why not?), but the budgeting me says the performance and future-proofing is unnecessary. I also have heard that the difference in performance between the drives is minuscule, but I'm still indecisive. If anyone can provide more information this would be great appreciated.

 

I will also consider changing my other hardware if such a change can be adequately justified. 

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well red is better, but more expensive

if money isnt a problem then just get the reds

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How important is the data on these drives? If you're sad about losing the data go with reds if not go with blues.

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4 minutes ago, Enderman said:

well red is better, but more expensive

if money isnt a problem then just get the reds

If money is a problem, then he still shouldn't get blues. You really want TLER support if you're going to run any form of RAID (which blues don't have). 

 

 

@MeticulousSlob definitely Reds. Blacks are an awful idea. The reason you should use reds is because they're designed for 24/7 operation and are designed to run in a RAID array (less vibrations, cooler, TLER support). Plus reds also have an extra year warranty compared to blues. 

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Red's are designed for server applications in mind. They don't get as hot, they don't vibrate as much and are rated for 24/7 operation. It's the better of the two.

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7 minutes ago, PokeCatz said:

How important is the data on these drives? If you're sad about losing the data go with reds if not go with blues.

Haha..that, my friend ,is not the best way to think when buying hard disks.....

Please vote for Donald Trump. I am out of sitcoms to watch.

When lyfe gives you HDDs, make SSDs

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, I am an SSD said:

Haha..that, my friend ,is not the best way to think when buying hard disks.....

If you have like p*** or something on your HDD you can just re-download it.

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11 minutes ago, MeticulousSlob said:

I am going to make a personal server for use at home. I intend to use two 3TB hard drives in a RAID 1 array, but I can't decide whether to use two Western Blue HDDs or two Red HDDs.

 

I have heard that red would be the best choice for this since I intend to use it as a file server, but it will be in low demand since I'll be the only one using it. The enthusiast in me says to use red or even black (because why not?), but the budgeting me says the performance and future-proofing is unnecessary. I also have heard that the difference in performance between the drives is minuscule, but I'm still indecisive. If anyone can provide more information this would be great appreciated.

 

I will also consider changing my other hardware if such a change can be adequately justified. 

Blues would do just fine...i assume this is going to be a media server yes? 

 

Reds are made for servers ,granted...but they are designed to withstand vibrations and the rigours of running under load 24/7.... conditions I am sure you will not simulate with a two disk set up....

 

Storage is the main purpose here, so why no tget more space by opting for blues than going for the expensive reds? 

Please vote for Donald Trump. I am out of sitcoms to watch.

When lyfe gives you HDDs, make SSDs

 

 

 

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You should get Red's when running multiple disks - they have more tolerance to vibration and shocks. They also have error correction for RAID arrays and are a lower power drive than Blues/Blacks so will save you money if you're intending them for 24/7 operation as they are designed.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, I am an SSD said:

Blues would do just fine...i assume this is going to be a media server yes? 

 

Reds are made for servers ,granted...but they are designed to withstand vibrations and the rigours of running under load 24/7.... conditions I am sure you will not simulate with a two disk set up....

 

Storage is the main purpose here, so why no tget more space by opting for blues than going for the expensive reds? 

Because Reds have important RAID features that blues don't. Like TLER.

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You should go with the Reds when you mention you want to use it in RAID. If you want overkill, there's the Red Pros. Then more overkill is the WD Re lineup.

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RED's are designed for NAS use.  They may be a little louder but have vibration protection and can take a little more hammering

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1 hour ago, mikat said:

pr0n?

Pals, pans...it could be anything really

Please vote for Donald Trump. I am out of sitcoms to watch.

When lyfe gives you HDDs, make SSDs

 

 

 

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Thank you all for your input, I will go with the reds.

 

2 hours ago, I am an SSD said:

Blues would do just fine...i assume this is going to be a media server yes? 

Yes it will be a media server

 

 

2 hours ago, Enderman said:

well red is better, but more expensive

if money isnt a problem then just get the reds

Money is not a problem, I am not a cheapskate.

 

 

2 hours ago, PokeCatz said:

How important is the data on these drives? If you're sad about losing the data go with reds if not go with blues.

Not that important. Besides, I intend to backup the data to an external hard drive

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You're only going with 2 drives, I don't think you'll see any real world benefits even when it comes to durability. I'd go with blacks all day before reds in your scenario. Or Red Pros if you want black performance and Red's "feel good" assurance. Doesn't sound like you're going to be putting it in an air tight closet or a room full of servers or in a rack full of other things that add vibration.... So everything the reds are designed for - you won't be exposing them to.

 

Standard WD reds are "slow and steady" so you will get lower than average seek times / read-write speeds / iops / rpm etc... 

 

Feel good: 

WD red pro or HGST NAS drive

 

Reality:

WD Black or SSDs

 

Cheap:

WD Blue / WD red standard

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On 5/2/2016 at 6:22 PM, MeticulousSlob said:

Thank you all for your input, I will go with the reds.

 

Yes it will be a media server

 

 

Money is not a problem, I am not a cheapskate.

 

 

Not that important. Besides, I intend to backup the data to an external hard drive

I have Reds for my NAS and back up to another set of Reds.

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On 02/05/2016 at 6:03 AM, Windows7ge said:

Red's are designed for server applications in mind. They don't get as hot, they don't vibrate as much and are rated for 24/7 operation. It's the better of the two.

 Not really - they're designed for a NAS environment, not a server environment. Vibration is about the same. From memory thermally they're pretty similar too.

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+1 for Red. They are rated for 24/7 operation and optimized for NAS and RAID.

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2 hours ago, Windspeed36 said:

 Not really - they're designed for a NAS environment, not a server environment. Vibration is about the same. From memory thermally they're pretty similar too.

My bad. They're meant for a NAS environment. Although I have to argue that I find they vibrate less than and do not get as hot as WD Greens. I've written large quantities of files to both types (in excess of 500GB) and I find WD Reds vibrate less and don't get as hot to the touch. Although certain Seagate drives comparably vibrate less and don't get as hot as WD Greens. (All under similarly ventilated and anti-vibration mounted conditions for consistency of course.)

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