WD Red for RAID -- makes a difference?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Omga4000

Omga4000

Honorable
Jul 13, 2013
211
0
10,710
Hey fellas :)

I plan to purchase the D-Link DNS-320L with x2 HDDs and have them work at RAID 1.
My question is, does it really matter if I buy the WD Red or just any other regular HDD (like Seagate)?
What exactly is the difference between the Red and the Green/Purple?
How will it serve me better?

Thank you!
 
Solution
SuperSoph_WD
Hey there, Omga4000!

To answer your question: Frankly, yes, it really does matter what you put in your NAS!
WD Red drives are specifically designed for NAS/RAID environments. What makes them different from all the rest drives is that they have the specific TLER feature (time-limited error recovery) which prevents HDDs from being dropped off the array due to extended error recovery.
This is something that regular HDDs that are not equipped to do and generally fail in such environments.
This also provides more availability and less down time rebuilding the RAID/NAS.
They have the NASware 3.0 firmware which also differentiates WD Reds from regular desktop drives. With this you get SMART command transport support (SCT), power management...
Sort by date Sort by votes
SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

Glorious
Jul 30, 2014
6,758
3
45,960
Hey there, Omga4000!

To answer your question: Frankly, yes, it really does matter what you put in your NAS!
WD Red drives are specifically designed for NAS/RAID environments. What makes them different from all the rest drives is that they have the specific TLER feature (time-limited error recovery) which prevents HDDs from being dropped off the array due to extended error recovery.
This is something that regular HDDs that are not equipped to do and generally fail in such environments.
This also provides more availability and less down time rebuilding the RAID/NAS.
They have the NASware 3.0 firmware which also differentiates WD Reds from regular desktop drives. With this you get SMART command transport support (SCT), power management support, lower power consumption, etc. WD Red drives are also tested to run 24/7.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810

You mentioned WD Green drives, so I will do my best to draw the differences. WD Greens are a reliable secondary storage solution. They also have lower power consumption and they run cooler and quieter than most drives. But not really designed for NAS environments. They are recommended for secondary storage, as I already mentioned as well as a reliable back-up in external enclosures and not really to be accessed regularly.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=780

WD Purple drives are specifically for surveillance storage and security systems up to 8 bays and optimized for 32 HD cameras. They can run 24/7 indeed, but their purpose is totally different.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1210

The purposes of the drives are there for a reason. Basically, if you don't use them accordingly, you won't be able to experience their advantages and features. Not to mention that sometimes unsupported usage can void their warranty.

Hope I was able to clear things out for you!
If you have more questions, feel free to ask!
SuperSoph_WD :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom