WD Red Pro and Expanded Capacities of WD Red HDDs Released

[BabaBooey]

WD has announced the expansion of WD Red line of SATA hard drives for home and small office NAS systems with the release of a 5TB and first-to-market 6TB capacity for NAS-specific storage as well as the introduction of WD Red Pro hard drives, which are designed specifically for the medium to large business NAS market. The WD Red 3.5-inch hard drives are now shipping in 1TB to 6TB capacities, while the new WD Red Pro 3.5-inch hard drives are available in 2TB to 4TB capacities.

 

 

WD Red NASware 3.0

WD Red hard drives are architected specifically for the distinct environment of NAS as well as the increasing demand for affordable, reliable, and compatible storage that strive to reduce customer total cost of ownership. The 5TB and 6TB models allow for greater storage capacity and increased performance with NASware 3.0, which is an enhanced version of WD’s original NASware technology that is designed to improve reliability and system performance, reduce customer downtime, and to simplify the integration process. In addition, the WD Red line of HDDs feature 3D Active Balance Plus, an enhanced balance control technology that substantially improves overall drive performance and reliability.

Features:

• WD Red is designed for SOHO and Consumer NAS systems that require compatible and efficient storage
• 3.5 Inch, 1.2TB; 5-platter design (6TB)
• Support  1-8 bay NAS systems with NASWare 3.0
• Capacities offered: 5TB, 6TB
• 64MB buffer, 6Gb/sec, Intellipower
• Low acoustics, low power
• Advanced format technology
• 3-year limited warranty

​WD Red Pro

The WD Red pro line is designed for medium to large businesses, supporting eight to 16 bay NAS systems either in tower or rack form factors. The enhanced functionality provides reliable, high performance storage powered by NASware 3.0.

Features:

• WD Red Pro is designed for medium to large-scale business NAS storage systems that require robust and highly reliable storage
• 3.5 Inch, 800GB; 5-platter design (4TB)
• Supports up to 16 bay NAS systems with NASWare 3.0
• Capacities offered: 2TB – 4TB capacities
• 64MB buffer, 6Gb/s, 7200 rpm
• Supports up to 16 bay NAS systems
• Extended thermal cycle burn-in testing
• Hardware-based vibration compensation
• Advanced format technology
• 5-year limited warranty

WD Green

Also announced is the expansion of the WD Green line of cool and quiet hard drives, which are now available in 5TB and 6TB models for high capacity consumer storage.

All high capacity WD 6TB hard drives integrate easily with WD’s My Cloud, My Cloud EX2, My Cloud EX4, My Cloud Mirror personal cloud storage in addition to the My Book and My Book Duo external drive solutions. Additionally, they support a wide array of WD OEM NAS partners.

 

Availability and Pricing

WD Red and WD Red Pro are now available at select U.S. retailers and distributors and come with three- and five-year limited regional warranties, respectively. WD offers free premium 24x7 dedicated support for WD Red customers.

The following are the MSRPs:

• WD Red 5TB (model #: WD50EFRX) $249.00
• WD Red 6TB (model #: WD60EFRX) $299.00
• WD Red Pro 2TB (model #: WD2001FFSX) $159.00
• WD Red Pro 3TB (model #: WD3001FFSX) $199.00
• WD Red Pro 4TB (model #: WD4001FFSX) $259.00

 

 

Source: http://www.storagereview.com/wd_red_pro_and_expanded_capacities_of_wd_red_hdds_released

[Askew]

Shiver me timbers 6TB how much is it possible to fit into a 3.5'' internal enclosure?

 

I remember when 120GB was impressive in old IDE Maxtor spinners. (Still have one in my PS2 console)

[That Norwegian Guy]

SOLD!

 

I'll take 5x 6TB drives please.

[terrytek]

Ew.

[DildorTheDecent]

5TB sounds stupid. 

[terrytek]

No thank you, I'll stick with Seagate. Your products suck.

[flibberdipper]

Make a 6TB Barracuda, then we shall talk.

[terrytek]

Make a 6TB Barracuda, then we shall talk.

Yes, somebody who finally speaks my language!

[wpirobotbuilder]

Glad to see they're introducing 6TB capacities...

 

But what the heck is the difference between the Red Pro and the SE series? They're almost identical for almost the same price.

[GMdavidson]

would someone be able to give me a quick run down on what the "red" and "green" and "blue" lines mean, respectively? and even though these are "NAS" Hard drives, will they do the same thing in a regular desktop being used as storage?

[spartin503]

Make a 6TB Barracuda, then we shall talk.

Seagate ready released 6TB hard drives last week.

Source: http://www.wordtechreviews.com/2014/07/16/seagates-6tb-hard-drives-are-finally-here/

[Snickerzz]

No thank you, I'll stick with Seagate. Your products suck.

whats wrong with wd?

[terrytek]

whats wrong with wd?

Warranty sucks, quality is bad, and their customer support is terrible IMO. I had 6 WD SATA drives die, all were under warranty, but never got replaced. After the experience, I would never buy one again. Plus, my dad works for Seagate, so he gets discounts on their products.

[LAwLz]

would someone be able to give me a quick run down on what the "red" and "green" and "blue" lines mean, respectively? and even though these are "NAS" Hard drives, will they do the same thing in a regular desktop being used as storage?

Green - "Low power" (aka slow) and cheap.

Blue - Just your standard drive basically. Not the cheapest and not the highest performer.

Black - Highest performance (except for 10K RPM drives like the VelociRaptor)

Red - NAS optimized drive. Made for 24/7 operations, things for reducing vibrations (which can harm drives, especially if you got a bunch close together like in a NAS) or better error recovery.

 

They also got purple but I don't really get the point of those. They are supposedly made for surveillance but I don't get why they are so special.

 

All of them will do the same as any other hard drive, storage data. The difference is how fast they will read/write and also what kind of conditions they are meant to handle. if you just want mass storage on your desktop then get a green drive.

 

 

Glad to see they're introducing 6TB capacities...

 

But what the heck is the difference between the Red Pro and the SE series? They're almost identical for almost the same price.

My guess is that the SE line supports SAS and probably has slightly higher performance or ratings.

[Snickerzz]

Warranty sucks, quality is bad, and their customer support is terrible IMO. I had 6 WD SATA drives die, all were under warranty, but never got replaced. After the experience, I would never buy one again. Plus, my dad works for Seagate, so he gets discounts on their products.

ah, my blue hasnt had issues x3

[steffen_anywhere]

Warranty sucks, quality is bad, and their customer support is terrible IMO. I had 6 WD SATA drives die, all were under warranty, but never got replaced. After the experience, I would never buy one again. Plus, my dad works for Seagate, so he gets discounts on their products.

 

Never had problems... Always been reliable and great for me...

[ericlee30]

Hell yeah, 6TB drives are finally popping up.

[PokémonTrainerFour]

Warranty sucks, quality is bad, and their customer support is terrible IMO. I had 6 WD SATA drives die, all were under warranty, but never got replaced. After the experience, I would never buy one again. Plus, my dad works for Seagate, so he gets discounts on their products.

 

Must be your terrible luck again.

[terrytek]

ah, my blue hasnt had issues x3

Those were the drives that were giving me issues. Seagate drives were totally superior to WD.

 

Must be your terrible luck again.

Yep, after my experience in Japan.

[PokémonTrainerFour]

Seagate drives were totally superior to WD.

 

 

I usually hear the opposite. But it doesn't really matter, as long as the brand is decent it's usually ok.

 

Except for those 10000 drives, I don't trust them.

[terrytek]

I usually hear the opposite. But it doesn't really matter, as long as the brand is decent it's usually ok.

 

Except for those 10000 drives, I don't trust them.

I trust every single Seagate drive. I don't trust even WD's 5400 RPM drives. They allllllll suck.

[GMdavidson]

Green - "Low power" (aka slow) and cheap.

Blue - Just your standard drive basically. Not the cheapest and not the highest performer.

Black - Highest performance (except for 10K RPM drives like the VelociRaptor)

Red - NAS optimized drive. Made for 24/7 operations, things for reducing vibrations (which can harm drives, especially if you got a bunch close together like in a NAS) or better error recovery.

 

They also got purple but I don't really get the point of those. They are supposedly made for surveillance but I don't get why they are so special.

 

All of them will do the same as any other hard drive, storage data. The difference is how fast they will read/write and also what kind of conditions they are meant to handle. if you just want mass storage on your desktop then get a green drive.

 

 

My guess is that the SE line supports SAS and probably has slightly higher performance or ratings.

 

 

Ah, thanks a ton.

And in regards to the WD customer service thing, I too had a terrible time with them trying to return a drive. I had an external 2tb "Passport" (I think) dropped it maybe 6 inches onto a desk and it broke. Tried to return it, but sat on the phone for hours waiting to speak with someone, and the packaging instructions for returning a hard drive is ridiculous! They make it damn near impossible to return a HDD. Currently using a seagate and I love it (and ive dropped it from a little over 7 feet and it still works).

[YusD_WD]

Green - "Low power" (aka slow) and cheap.

Blue - Just your standard drive basically. Not the cheapest and not the highest performer.

Black - Highest performance (except for 10K RPM drives like the VelociRaptor)

Red - NAS optimized drive. Made for 24/7 operations, things for reducing vibrations (which can harm drives, especially if you got a bunch close together like in a NAS) or better error recovery.

 

They also got purple but I don't really get the point of those. They are supposedly made for surveillance but I don't get why they are so special.

 

All of them will do the same as any other hard drive, storage data. The difference is how fast they will read/write and also what kind of conditions they are meant to handle. if you just want mass storage on your desktop then get a green drive.

 

 

My guess is that the SE line supports SAS and probably has slightly higher performance or ratings.

 

Hi LAwLz, as to my knowledge, WD Purple is designed for surveillance because it equipped with AllFrame technology. It works to reduce video interruptions during recording unlike the other desktop HDD. Hope you grab the gist of it.

[Priller]

6TB reds for $299? Sign me up!

 

 

And I was in the process of upgrading to 3TB reds..... 

[rashdanml]

Warranty sucks, quality is bad, and their customer support is terrible IMO. I had 6 WD SATA drives die, all were under warranty, but never got replaced. After the experience, I would never buy one again. Plus, my dad works for Seagate, so he gets discounts on their products.

HDDs are always hit or miss. Everyone has their own anecdotal evidence for which brand sucks or doesn't suck. 

 

6TB is pretty nicely priced though, considering a 3TB Seagate drive is slightly less than half that in Canada. (before rebates and taxes)