WD different solutions

[mstation]

Hello all,

 

I have read many posts about the different models of Western Digital drives and even though I understand the key differences between the drives and their specifications my question still remains unanswered.. the question is: are the differences really noticeable?

 

Can the differences been proven by doing any type of analysis or benchmark?

 

What I mean, why doesn't WD just release some LAB analysis showing that their drives have that extra lifespan due to strong anti-vibration mechanisms and others are quicker due to better performance in spin management or whatsoever?

 

Is there any chance that LMG could consider doing a focus video going in dept on technicalities and proof something that really differentiates each WD drive from the other?

 

I don't know, at the end of the day, I simply would like to know why I should RAID WD Reds and not WD Purples, not just because WD is suggesting it but because I can really see the point for why I should do it.

 

If anyone can help me out on this I would be very happy!

 

Thanks!  

[rhyseyness]

@Captain_WD

[Altecice]

They market them for different uses;

Back = Fast and somewhat Loud

Green = 'slower', quieter and more power efficient and uses Intellispin to spin the drive down at low load.

Pruple = 24h use for CCTV

 

Most of the time it is just firmware tweaks that make the difference, blacks have added anti-vibration management code (firmware) to handle it better and perhaps an added shield above the platter acting as a damper. I cant say that I find that much difference in read/write speeds for real world use. My WD Green I use in my home server managed to pull full Gbit read and writes and thats great. Changing it to a WD black would make no difference as I am capping my network bandwith anyway. Granted perhaps on SATA connections a black may have the edge but for real world use the difference is minimal its all marketing to sell it at a higher price.

[mstation]

@Altecice

 

Thanks for your reply.. But if everything at the end is just marketing and I do not gain any specific advantage then something is wrong.

 

For example: 6TB Greens are 216USD on Amazon right now while 6TB Reds are 243USD..

 

With a 10 disk RAID configuration, there is a 270USD difference (which is more than a free additional drive) and for what?

 

Greens only have spin-down cycles which potentially could harm an array setup but those can be overcome with a script and they do not have TLER which in most household environments is not really such a big deal.

 

What I mean, I really need a better justification to why I should be purchasing a +30USD drive instead of the normal greens.

 

Thanks!

[TheMcSame]

@Altecice

 

Thanks for your reply.. But if everything at the end is just marketing and I do not gain any specific advantage then something is wrong.

 

For example: 6TB Greens are 216USD on Amazon right now while 6TB Reds are 243USD..

 

$243? That's 8TB territory right there. Both drives seems like a rip off to me. 

 

Use 5TB or use 8TB drives, 6TB drives are poor in terms of price/GB. 

[mstation]

@TheMcSame

 

Thanks for your suggestion..

I will try to make some new calculations on 5TB drives..

 

On the 8TB drives side I can find Seagates but for some reason I have had a very bad experience with them in the past and I cannot convince myself in buying them again.

 

Do you think they are worth trying again? Are there any other brands that could be a good alternative?

 

Thanks

[scottyseng]

-snip-

 

I think most of it has to do with following what the manufacturer recommends and your peace of mind. I know it's possible that you can script TLER support on the Green drives, but most people don't want to deal with that "it may or may not work". You also should not put 10 of them in a drive bay. The greens don't have the vibration protection systems to handle it.

 

WD does firmware tweaks / hardware tweaks to match the markets they want the drives targeted at. Even if WD did do internal testing with benchmarks, everyone would say it's not worth believing in because WD themselves ran the tests. Most tech reviewers probably don't have the funds or equipment to test the drives' firmware / vibration protection systems.  

 

I run Red drives in my array because with my data, it's just not worth the risk. Especially with how long it takes to build the RAID 10 arrays. I rather have my peace of mind than put my data on a experimental "It's just marketing" test.

 

I also could run recklessly run 24 Red drives (Their safe limit is up to eight drives), but I chose RE drives for my peace of mind (Overkill I know, but my data to me, is worth more than the cost of the drives themselves).

 

You can also check out the HGST NAS drives. Also look at the price per GB for 4TB drives (They're probably as low as they can get...6TB is high all around still).

[TheMcSame]

Do you think they are worth trying again? Are there any other brands that could be a good alternative?

Well their archive drives have a 3 year warranty so they're definitely more confident about these drives than their barracudas. I'd say it's worth a shot.

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey there mstation,

 

I've explained in a more simple way what each WD drive from the consumer line generally is here: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/291871-wd-question-thread-hard-drives-dual-drive-setups-storage-setup-optimization/page-5

 

Although differences can't be noticed at first glance, the firmware of each drive differs from the others to suit the purpose of the drive. Speed and noise is not everything that makes a drive good or bad for a certain type of usage. These changes and features in the drive's hardware and firmware make it better either for an extensive high workload in a more hostile environment, or perform more stable in a case with more drives that work very closely to each other 24/7, or saves energy and has a much lower noise levels, or has its sequential read or write speeds much more improved in expense for the random ones, or has an improved or changed caching system, or something else. This is why each drive is recommended for different reasons and has its own design.

 

Feel free to ask if aI can help with something else

 

Captain_WD.