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WD Red

Got problems with your B2 or B3? Share and get helped!
GodfatherB
Posts: 56
Joined: 03 Jan 2012, 18:17

WD Red

Post by GodfatherB »

Hi,

I am looking into replacing existing 2TB disk on my B3, with a new 3TB disk, and this WD Red series looks very interesting... http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810

These disks are meant for NAS devices and I would like to ask for some opinion here. There are also some thermal images posted on their site, where it shows that temperature is concentrated away from actual disk plates.

Another question on the matter... Current WD Green 2TB that is installed in my B3 is SATA2 compliant (3GB/s), but these disks are SATA3 compliant (6GB/s). Can I still put it to my B3 or is this not possible?
alon
Posts: 3
Joined: 06 Nov 2011, 03:31

Re: WD Red

Post by alon »

I am using WD Red 3 GB on my B3 for a couple of months now.
The WD Red is working fine on my B3, it is quiet as the WD Green and the disk temperature is 1-2 degrees lower...

So... Yes it compatible
GodfatherB
Posts: 56
Joined: 03 Jan 2012, 18:17

Re: WD Red

Post by GodfatherB »

Thanks, this is exactly what I wanted to hear...
philgaskin
Posts: 55
Joined: 12 Oct 2010, 12:18
Location: United Kingdom

Re: WD Red

Post by philgaskin »

Wow, I'm really impressed with the WD Red drives.
I just replaced a failed 2TB Green with a 3TB Red and it seems much quieter and is running under full load (restoring backups) at 4C lower temperature. It's down at 36-37C idle.
It's supposed to have a 35% increase in MTBF too and has a 3 year warranty.
It also seems to be using slightly less power too.
nobody
Posts: 226
Joined: 10 Mar 2012, 14:46

Re: WD Red

Post by nobody »

what's so green about the wd green then? They market it as being low power
DanielM
Posts: 637
Joined: 28 Mar 2008, 06:37
Location: Sweden

Re: WD Red

Post by DanielM »

nobody wrote:what's so green about the wd green then? They market it as being low power
If I'm not misremembering they have a flexible rpm, so they spin at a quite slow speed normally and increase the spin when needed. And I guess slower speed means lower power consumption.

/Daniel
nobody
Posts: 226
Joined: 10 Mar 2012, 14:46

Re: WD Red

Post by nobody »

Yeah, except that everone reports it doesnt actually use less power, but more :?
DanielM
Posts: 637
Joined: 28 Mar 2008, 06:37
Location: Sweden

Re: WD Red

Post by DanielM »

nobody wrote:Yeah, except that everone reports it doesnt actually use less power, but more :?
Maybe it never gets to spin down? Without doing some time tweaking the system it writes stuff to the disk most of the time. Or maybe it spins up and down a lot, I guess that could make it actually use more power than if it rotated at the higher speed all the time.

But obviously I'm only speculating here :D

/Daniel
johannes
Posts: 1470
Joined: 31 Dec 2006, 07:12
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: WD Red

Post by johannes »

we spoke to WD about this and WD Red is mostly a WD Green but more optimized for NAS operations (24/7 runtime etc.). Also it's a few years newer technology which means lower power is a bonus. We have also qualified the Red and are shipping it for some disk sizes now.
/Johannes (Excito co-founder a long time ago, but now I'm just Johannes)
jomcty
Posts: 2
Joined: 01 May 2013, 17:33

Re: WD Red

Post by jomcty »

Running a 2TB WD Red in my B2 w/o issue. It is cooler and quieter than the WD Green it replaced.
GodfatherB
Posts: 56
Joined: 03 Jan 2012, 18:17

Re: WD Red

Post by GodfatherB »

WD anounced new green and red drives to come out later this year. 4TB by the end of Q3 2013, and 5TB by the end of Q4 2013. Needless to say that sounds extremely interesting for my B3.

Now, can B3 normally handle (and recognize) more than 3TB drives, or are there any limitations? So for B3 Red is actually better than Green?
Gordon
Posts: 1461
Joined: 10 Aug 2011, 03:18

Re: WD Red

Post by Gordon »

AFAIK, if it can handle more than 127GB it can handle harddisk sizes up to petabytes. The next limit lies with the OS - whether it supports using LBA, because MBR can only go to 2TB. Given that the B3 is fit to handle 3TB disks, it will also handle 4TB and 5TB disks.

However :!: A bigger size disk will usually mean more platters inside the disk, meaning more mass for the rotor to spin around, meaning more heat production. So at some point you will cross the limit, but I've been informed that the Mobo can handle up to 80⁰C. You wouldn't want to touch your B3 then though.
GodfatherB
Posts: 56
Joined: 03 Jan 2012, 18:17

Re: WD Red

Post by GodfatherB »

Apparently, the number of plates will be the same, only the density will increase... from current 750GB per plate (3TB) to 1TB and 1,25TB per plate (for 4TB and 5TB disks respectively). At least it is rummored so. And I have to correct myself... this was not officially anounced by WD but was reported by 3rd party who attended some WD thing where they presented the timeline. It does make sense, since Seagate introduced 4TB NAS disks not so long ago.

So, if I understand you correctly, as long as the number of plates remain the same, the heating should more or less remain the same. This Red series surely looks promising.
Gordon
Posts: 1461
Joined: 10 Aug 2011, 03:18

Re: WD Red

Post by Gordon »

Probably. I do think that the B3 is already running hot at around 50°C though, so currently I'm trying to cut on unnecessary disk usage. Essentially there should be no reason to have the disks constantly spinning during the night and probably also not throughout every single hour of daytime. I want that thing to go into standby when I'm not using it and from that point I do not see any benefit in using Red over Green.
GodfatherB
Posts: 56
Joined: 03 Jan 2012, 18:17

Re: WD Red

Post by GodfatherB »

I use my B3 frequently for DLNA and up/downloads... I guess disks are in use quite a lot, right? I've read through the post "Finding out what's using disk" and I saw you made a significant progress, but since disk will be spining in my case, I am better of with Red, right?
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