Comparison of WD hard drives of different series. Simple and clear information about Western Digital products. WD hard drives for personal needs

This publication provides detailed review internal SSD drives and HDD drives from the company Western Digital

Manufacturer characteristics Western Digital

Western Digital (WDC) has been developing and manufacturing hard drives and storage devices since 1988. This is a fairly large manufacturing corporation, with about 50 thousand people working in its numerous worldwide representative offices. The countries in which Western Digital's production facilities are located are Thailand and Malaysia, and the design and engineering team meets in various locations in Northern and Southern California. The extensive dealer and distribution network has numerous representatives in many countries around the world.

Since 2010, Western Digital has been a leader in the storage industry and is the largest hard drive manufacturer in the world.

Western Digital Warranty Features

Western Digital is the only manufacturer in the world that provides replacement of a faulty disk or drive under warranty. Even if the distributor representative refuses to replace the buyer, or the warranty period has expired, but the extended WD warranty is still valid, then the failed screw can be exchanged for an identical or better new HDD completely free of charge, if the model presented for replacement is not available .

Western Digital Internal Storage Categories

Varieties of Western Digital drives are presented in the forms of traditional hard HDDs and solid-state SSDs, manufactured in various form factors for both desktop computers and server systems, and for laptops of standard and ultra-thin configurations.

All Western Digital internal drives are conveniently divided into 6 categories of purpose, designated by color:

GREEN– economical SSD drives for individual PCs and laptops with capacities from 120 to 240 GB;

BLUE– SSD drives, HDD drives and hybrid SSHD drives for individual PCs and laptops with capacities from 250 GB to 6 TB, cache memory from 8 to 64 MB;

RED– HDD drives for organizing network storage, for PCs, with a capacity of 2 to 8 TB, cache memory from 64 to 128 MB;

BLACK– HDD drives for storing large amounts of digital data (photos, videos and other media information) for PCs and laptops with a capacity of 1 to 6 TB, cache memory from 16 to 128 MB;

PURPLE– durable HDDs for organizing video surveillance systems, for PCs, with a capacity of 1 to 8 TB; cache memory from 64 to 256 MB;

GOLD– HDD drives of the highest degree of reliability for organizing servers and data centers, for PCs, with a capacity of 2 to 10 TB, cache memory from 64 to 256 MB.

How to Choose the Right Hard Drive or SSD

To choose the most suitable hard drive for your needs, the main task is to determine by whom and for what purposes it will be used, how often and with what intensity.

All WD drives and drives are equipped with:

• high-speed SATA 6 Gb/s interface, providing maximum disk performance;
• the ability to set up automated regular backups;
• NoTouch contactless reading technology, which protects data by mounting the recording heads at a secure location relative to the disc surface.

WD SSDs for personal and business needs

WCD offers two variants of its solid state SSD drives:

• GREEN PC SSD
• BLUE PC SSD.

Both options are suitable for both the personal needs of individual users and businesses. What are their differences?

Read and write speed of SSD WD

The reading speed of BLUE PC SSD and GREEN PC SSD drives differs slightly, for green – up to 540 MB/s, for blue – up to 545 MB/s, so in this parameter they are almost identical.

The recording speed of GREEN PC SSD drives is 430-465 MB/s, and in comparison with them, BLUE PC SSD drives write at a speed of 500-525 MB/s, that is, 15-20% faster

WD SSD Capacity

• The capacity of the green drive is available in 120 or 240 GB;
• The capacity of the blue drive is 250, 500 GB or 1 TB.

WD SSD Resources

For GREEN PC SSD, the resource for 120 GB disks is 40 TB of write operations, and 240 GB is 80 TB of write operations.

For BLUE PC SSD, the resource for 250 GB disks is 100 TB for write operations, which extends the service life of the “blue” model compared to the GREEN model by 20%, the 500 GB configuration will withstand 200 TB of write operations, and the 1 TB version - up to 400 TB write operations.

The average time between failures of WD BLUE SSD drives is 1.75 million hours, which means that the data on them will be protected for many years.

To monitor the current status and performance of SSD drives, special software has been developed - the WD SSD monitoring panel, the tools of which allow you to check the operating parameters of the SSD in real time.

Thanks to the low power consumption of this model, the laptop's battery power is significantly saved, which is one of its outstanding advantages over other configurations.

Form factor SSD WD

Both the blue and green WD drive configurations come in two form factors: 2.5 inch (7 mm) and M.2 2280. This means that the drives of these models can easily fit in most modern models compact in size desktop personal computers and thin laptops.

Cost of SSD WD

The GREEN PC SSD model is the most budget-friendly solution for the needs of the average user. It is cheaper than the BLEU PC SSD and is suitable for most everyday tasks.

• GREEN PC SSD - ~ $56 for 120 GB; ~ $86 for 240 GB,
• BLUE PC SSD - ~ $103 for 250 GB, ~ $360 for 1 TB,

WD Hard Drives for Personal Use

Purposes of using hard drives individual users:

• Home archive storage files, videos and photos;
• Creation– processing of texts, images and videos;
• Games and display of high-quality video footage;
• Work and play– surf the net, transfer data and watch video content in high quality.

What type of disk should be purchased for personal use:

• Affordable;
• Capacious enough to store all the necessary files;
• Reliable data keeper;
• Fast;
• Providing regular backups.

The best option for home use is to install a fast SSD drive as a system drive and an HDD drive as storage for files. WD offers both, as well as hybrid drives that combine both types of drives.

The needs of individual users may require resources of varying capacities, and yet, as a rule, this is usually small-capacity hard drives up to 2 TB, as well as high-speed small-capacity SSD drives (up to 120 GB), which is quite enough for fairly fast work with the system .

WD drives for PCs and standard laptops

Western Digital HDD options are designed in a variety of configurations for desktop PCs as well as standard laptops.

Suitable for desktop PCs:

• WD BLUE PC DESKTOP
• WD RED NAS
• WD BLACK PERFOMANCE DESKTPOP
• WD PURPLE SURVEILLANCE

Suitable for standard (not ultra-thin) laptops:

• WD BLUE PC MOBILE
• WD BLUE SSHD PC DESKTPOP – a hybrid of SSD and HDD
• WD BLACK PERFOMANCE MOBILE

Capacity of WD HDDs for personal needs

For an ordinary user who is not particularly active in updating their digital libraries and archives, a basic disk of up to 1 TB will be sufficient.

Mid-level users who actively shoot a lot of videos and photos on their smartphone will need a disk with a capacity of 2 to 4 TB to securely store backup copies of all their data. This volume will be sufficient for all existing and future tasks.

For consumer creative professionals, it is important to consider the future development of their media storage. Photographers, designers, graphics specialists and planners choose high-capacity HDD drives with a capacity of 5-6 TB to reliably store their work.

Available capacities of WD PC drives:

• BLUE series – from 1 to 6 TB
• RED series – from 2 to 6 TB
• PURPLE series – from 1 to 8 TB
• BLACK series – from 1 to 6 TB

Available capacities of WD drives for laptops:

• BLUE series – from 500 to 1 TB
• BLUE SSHD series - from 1 to 4 TB
• BLACK series - from 1 to 6 TB

Home archive storage, work and entertainment

BLUE

To meet individual needs for the safety of files and their backups, as well as to quickly work with data and surf the Internet without freezing on a regular home computer, installing BLUE series drives will be sufficient.

Distinctive features of BLUE series HDDs

• Capacity - from 500 GB
• More affordable price compared to RED series HDDs
• Speed ​​class: 5400 and 7200 rpm options
• Cache: 64 MB
• Tested Reliability - 2 Year Warranty
• Possibility of installing a hybrid SSHD disk, combining the options of a fast SSD and a capacious HDD

Models of BLUE disks for storing home archives, work and entertainment:

Creation

The creative work of a video editor, computer graphics specialist and professional photographer involves individual and collaborative work with data, images and video, editing and sharing files. For such tasks you will need:

• significant disk capacity or network storage;
• Availability of capacities for high-speed transmission and processing of media content;
• as well as the ability to set up regular backups of existing archives and ongoing projects.

RED

For your creative needs, you'll need something more reliable than a standard desktop hard drive, such as network-attached storage, which the RED series drives are specially designed for. Conventional hard drives are not designed to operate in 24/7 operating conditions of NAS systems or RAID arrays, and very often overheat, and system errors can occur that lead to data loss. The reliable and specially tested WD RED Series drives do not have these shortcomings.

Distinctive features of RED series HDDs:

• Speed ​​class: 5400 rpm
• Cache: 64 MB, 128 MB
• Error management system
• Protection from noise, overheating and a balancing control mechanism that protects the disc from vibrations
• Designed for 24/7 home RAID and NAS storage environments
• Increased reliability - 3-year warranty

WD RED Creative Drive Model:

• WD RED NAS - ~ $106 for 1 TB and - ~ $415 for 8 TB

BLACK discs for creativity

For resource-intensive tasks that require high data and media processing speeds in everyday conditions, for example, photo editing, video rendering or playing online games, you will need higher-class WD drives - the BLACK series.

BLACK drives provide these characteristics:

• Double the processing power thanks to the dual-core processor built into WD BLACK models
• high rotation speed class - 7200 rpm
• Dynamic caching technology, which increases system performance, optimally distributes available cache memory - from 16 to 128 MB, eliminates latency and maximizes performance
• large capacity - from 0.5 to 1 TB for laptops, from 1 to 6 TB for PCs
• 5 year warranty
• Anti-vibration protection ensures reliable data storage.

WD BLACK creative disc models:

Games

WD BLUE SSHD

The responsiveness of the WD BLUE SSHD hybrid drive allows games to load and autosave quickly, delivering smoother gameplay and reducing lag between game levels. Traditional hard drives do not support such capabilities.

WD BLUE gaming disc model:

• WD BLUE SSHD PC DESKTOP — ~ $140 for 1 TB and — ~ $240 for 4 TB

WD BLACK

Due to the ever-increasing size of games released, significant storage capacity is required to store them. WD BLACK hard drives satisfy the appetites of gaming enthusiasts thanks to the maximum performance and large amounts of space that the drive provides, as well as a limited 5-year warranty, the period of which is comparable to the warranty period for other components of a gaming PC or laptop.

WD BLACK gaming drive models:

• BLACK PERFOMANCE DESKTOP (for PC) - ~ $182 for 3 TB and - ~ $326 for 6 TB
• BLACK PERFOMANCE MOBILE (for laptops) - ~ $67 for 160 GB and - ~ $82 for 750 GB

WD Business Drives

Business needs for data storage, recording, security and continuity of access to information are growing day by day, and Western Digital has solutions that fully satisfy all existing and emerging business needs.

What are the data storage needs of the business:

• ensuring the operation of individual workstations, as well as the entire local network of the company;
• organization of network data storage NAS and RAID arrays;
• support for continuous 24/7 shared access to company files;
• video surveillance system equipment;
• organization of server systems for storing, managing and processing data.

Disk purchased for business

• Capacious enough to store all the necessary data and their backup copies;
• Providing regular backups;
• Resistant to various weather and temperature conditions;
• Adapted to work in harsh conditions of continuous round-the-clock operation;
• Extra-fast;
• Reliable;
• Compatible with other devices and storage systems.

WD BLUE drives for business

BLUE family drives are ideal for organizing individual workstations of various capacities. BLUE drive models are available for both desktop computers and laptops. By varying the capacity of hard drives and pairing them with fast SSD drives, depending on the requirements for a separate office computer, you can easily build local network required productivity and area.

BLUE drive models for business:

• BLUE PC DESKTOP (for PC) - ~ $111 for 2 TB and - ~ $290 for 6 TB
• BLUE PC MOBILE (for laptops) - ~ $90 for 1 TB and - ~ $144 for 2 TB
• BLUE PC SSHD DESKTOP (for PC) - ~ $140 for 1 TB and - ~ $240 for 4 TB

WD RED Drives for Business

The main purpose of RED category WD drives is to organize data storage. RED drives are designed to operate under increased loads in 24/7 operating conditions.

Low power consumption and compatibility with NASware 3.0 technology provide the perfect combination of cost-effectiveness and reliability for NAS storage systems and RAID arrays. It is the reliability of data storage and automated backup that brings this category of disks into a separate category of information storage devices.

RED drives combine network storage with your existing network, making it possible to share files. For small businesses, RED NAS drives are suitable, which are equipped with systems with 1-8 bays, and the data storage needs of larger companies will be satisfied with RED PRO drive configurations for more large systems storage capacity up to 16 compartments.

RED NAS and RED PRO drives also differ from each other in speed class: RED NAS has 5400 rpm, and RED PRO has 7200 rpm.

The reliability of RED series WD drives is backed by a 5-year limited manufacturer's warranty.

RED drive models for business:

• RED NAS (for PC, 1-8 bays) - ~ $106 for 1 TB and - ~ $415 for 8 TB
• RED PRO (for PC, up to 16 bays) - ~ $300 for 5 TB and - ~ $530 for 8 TB

WD BLACK drives for business

Maximum performance and effective solution Business tasks of moderate to high complexity are guaranteed by WD BLACK series drives, which, due to their dual-core processors, guarantee twice the processing power compared to models with single-core processors.

The BLACK Series' integrated dynamic caching technology optimally distributes cache memory between read and write operations, resulting in unprecedented system performance and responsiveness.

Disc speed class BLACK – 7200 rpm. These models are equipped with a vibration reduction system, which increases the reliability of data protection.

High-performance WD BLACK drives ensure trouble-free working together collective with data stored on it large sizes(for example, images and videos), will eliminate delays in autosaving and loading as much as possible, and increase performance.

BLACK drive models for business:

• BLACK PERFOMANCE DESKTOP (for PC) - ~ $182 for 3 TB and - ~ $326 for 6 TB
• BLACK PERFOMANCE MOBILE (for laptops) - ~ $67 for 160 GB and - ~ $82 for 750 GB

WD PURPLE drives: video surveillance for personal needs and business

The PURPLE series of hard drives is a separate, specially designed line of drives for high-definition video surveillance systems.

PURPLE hard drives are adapted for use in sets of up to 8 pieces and up to 32 cameras, and the PURPLE NV model – up to 18 drives and up to 64 cameras, therefore they are able to fully satisfy any private and business needs in the field of video surveillance.

Why a regular hard drive is not suitable for video surveillance

Classic hard drives with standard specifications are not suitable for video surveillance equipment, since they are designed to operate for short periods of time, and not for 24/7 use in the harsh weather and temperature conditions in which high-definition video surveillance systems typically operate.

Why choose PURPLE drives for video surveillance:

• Unique AllFrame technology improves ATA streaming, eliminating errors that can cause image decay and interruptions in recording, sometimes appearing in video surveillance systems, improves playback, eliminating losses and reliably storing every frame;
• Compatible with a wide range of security systems and DVR models;
• Resistance of equipment to work in harsh conditions of round-the-clock operation in the open air at various temperatures and precipitation;
• IntelliSeek technology minimizes environmental noise and vibration;
• Low power consumption due to the fact that PURPLE NV drive models belong to the IntelliPower speed class. This technology optimizes caching algorithms, thereby minimizing performance losses from lower spindle speeds.

PURPLE disk models for business:

• PURPLE SURVEILLANCE (for PC) - ~ $60 for 1 TB and - ~ $360 for 8 TB
• PURPLE NV SURVEILLANCE (for PC) - ~ $168 for 4 TB and - ~ $281 for 6 TB

WD GOLD drives for business

WD GOLD drives are the most reliable storage devices with 24/7 premium support guaranteed by the manufacturer.

Our testing of WD GOLD 4 TB

We tested the Western Digital Gold 4TB 7200rpm 128MB hard drive in our laboratory. You can view the test results

Purpose of GOLD series disks:

• equipping data processing centers (DPC);
• installation in complex systems NAS/SAN of any complexity;
• organization of multi-level corporate video surveillance systems;
• equipment for high-speed server systems of various capacities, from entry-level to multi-level corporate data storage systems.

Why you should choose GOLD series drives for server systems:

• The load capacity of GOLD disks is up to 550 TB of processed data per year, which is 9 times higher than the loads withstandable by standard disk configurations for conventional desktop PCs;
• Speed ​​class – 7200 rpm;
• High degree of proven reliability – trouble-free operation guaranteed continuous operation and support for GOLD disks any day of the year, without weekends or holidays;
• The average mean time between failures is 2.5 million hours;
• WD disks have been tested for integration into NAS systems of various configurations and various sets of equipment, after which the compatibility of GOLD disks with most types of computer and digital equipment has been established;
• These models are resistant to failure at various extreme temperatures;
• The positioning system for non-contact (and therefore low-wear) heads that read data is equipped with two drives that mutually correct the position of the head above the track, preventing it from coming into contact with the disk surface;
• GOLD drives use error recovery technology that reduces the frequency of drives disconnecting from RAID arrays, which happens quite often with regular desktop drives;
• Anti-vibration intelligent RAFF technology quickly monitors and corrects linear and angular vibrations, and also improves performance;
• Features a multi-axis shock sensor that automatically detects subtle shocks and compensates for them while maintaining data integrity.

Models of GOLD disks for business:

• GOLD DATACENTER — ~$140 for 1 TB and ~$730 for 10 TB
• GOLD RE DATACENTER — ~$240 for 4 TB and ~$335 for 6 TB

Differences between these two models:

• Energy consumption: The DATACENTER model consumes an average of 8 W when reading, while the RE DATACENTER consumes a little more - 9.5 W.
• Amount of available cache memory: the DATACENTER model in almost all capacities is presented in a volume of 128 MB (except for 10 TB - 256 MB), and the RE DATACENTER in a 4 TB capacity is 64 MB, and in the 5 and 6 TB variants it provides 128 MB.

Follow the recommendations presented in the material, and you will select the most efficient and productive internal HDD, SSD drive or SSHD hybrid for your computer, laptop or data storage system of any configuration and complexity based on your needs and financial capabilities.

Eight years ago, in the fall of 2007, Western Digital Corporation came up with color differentiation of hard drives. More precisely, she came up with a hard drive with Green Power technology, where relatively low speed spindle rotation (5400 rpm +/- several revolutions) was combined with a cool disposition and silent operation. This made the drive the best option for storing various digital junk, which each of us has in abundance. WD GP differed from its analogues by its characteristic green label. And its instant recognition gave WD marketers the idea to paint the rest of the models as well. Soon everything became very convenient and transparent: a green label means slow and cool drives, a blue label means vigorous average ones, and a black label means maximum performance. Simple and clear even for those who are not very versed in these computers of yours.

The idea turned out to be so successful that “green” drives soon appeared among competitors. Their pride did not allow them to completely copy the color division, but since then they at least began to write on disks - for what needs the latter were intended. Not as simple as label color, but still more convenient than a long, faceless model index.

Years passed. The number of smart devices grew, and, accordingly, it was necessary to introduce additional colors for them. Have NAS become fashionable? WD has released the WD Red line of red-labeled drives that are certified for 24/7 operation. Have video surveillance systems proliferated? And they released WD Purple with a purple label.

Everything seems simple and logical, but in practice it became somehow confusing. For example, should I choose WD Red or WD Green for storage in a regular computer? Or – which color has more associations with coolness and silence, blue or green?

There are too many flowers. People started to get confused again. And WD decided to abandon green.

Here, of course, you can feel sad. What to store it on? system unit Terabytes of watched and forgotten films and TV series? Where to set up a photo warehouse? Do you really have to install Reds in your computer, which seem to be for NAS (even if, according to rumors, they differ only in firmware)?

Nothing of the kind. Yes, the green label is becoming a thing of the past. But all WD Green models are moving to the WD Blue family. And they will live and develop there.

Is such a move logical? I think so. For two reasons.

Firstly, there really were too many flowers, and good idea could get lost in the riot of colors.

Secondly, a lot has changed in HDD technologies over the past 8 years. There is no longer a gap in energy consumption, noise and heating between models with different spindle speeds. 7200 rpm can be quite cool and silent. And in terms of speed it differs little from models with 5400, which have a higher recording density. Therefore, the division into blues and greens became quite a stretch.

And now everything has fallen into place again:

WD Blue– this is acceptable speed and reliability.

WD Black– maximum productivity. Everything that can be squeezed out of modern HDDs, and this, I assure you, is quite a lot.

WD Red– drives for NAS of various levels, certified for 24/7 operation.
The purple series can also, of course, be installed on a computer, but there is little point in this, there are too many overlaps with WD Red.

Inside WD Blue there are now hard drives with spindle speeds of 7200 and 5400 rpm. How to identify them? Very simple. All 7200 models have an X at the end of their name. All 5400 models have a Z. That is, if the disk is called WD60EZRZ, then it is a 5400, former Green. And if WD10EZEX, then 7200.

Thanks to the merger, the maximum capacity in the WD Blue family has increased sixfold, from one terabyte to six. This is currently the maximum volume for all WD lines, but I think not for long, there will be more.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the WD Blue mobile line. There, too, a similar merger took place, but the spindle speed is the same for all, 5400 rpm, and the differences between the models are in the area of ​​​​the thickness and volume of the buffer. If you buy one, you should evaluate the space inside the case in advance. Those who choose 2.5-inch models usually advocate miniature, but a 15mm two-terabyte device may not fit into something very compact. I recently had this experience and didn’t like it.

The summary is simple. For us, advanced guys who know what we have hard drive there is a buffer, and without laughing at the word “spindle”, nothing changes at all. The beloved green models simply turned blue, and that's the only thing that happened to them.

It will become a little easier for normal people in a store (whether online or offline) to choose an HDD, because they won’t see double.

In general, I must say that, despite the popularity of various types of cloud services, the need for home storage is not decreasing at all. And as cloud startups cut out free space on their servers, you can’t help but think about your own cloud. Fortunately, there are enough solutions. I will write about this separately.

P.S. My . I will update it soon according to the new WD labeling.

Western Digital Caviar Green (WD30EZRS)

Western Digital is the first manufacturer to introduce a 3 TB drive. Along with the WD30EZRS model we tested, the company is currently offering a newer WD30EZRX model that has the same capacity. The only difference between these two drives is the interface. WD30EZRS has a SATA 3 Gbit/s interface, the new model has a 6 Gbit/s interface. Despite the fact that the interface bandwidth has doubled, this fact is unlikely to be reflected in test results or actual usage conditions. The fact is that the maximum data transfer speed of magnetic platter drives is very far from these figures, and the interface bandwidth is not the “bottleneck” of HDD technology (unlike SSD drives, where a more modern data transfer interface actually has a very important meaning).

Both drives belong to the Caviar Green line, which includes, along with drives with a capacity of 3 TB, drives with a capacity of 2.5; 2; 1.5; 1 and 0.75 TB.

Once again, we see yet another hard drive manufacturer playing a familiar game. Western Digital doesn't say anything about spindle speed, just like Hitachi does with the Deskstar 5K3000. Hitachi talks about the CoolSpin feature, and Western Digital mentions IntelliPower technology. Both technologies mean that the optimal spindle speed is selected to provide the best balance between performance, noise level and energy consumption. Since the manufacturer promises that the IntelliPower feature in no way reduces the drive's performance, we can assume that the actual spindle speed is either 5400 or 6000 rpm (exactly the same as with the Hitachi drive).

Performance

The ED30EZRS doesn't claim to be the fastest drive, but it does deliver on the mission of being a quiet storage drive. However, this drive should by no means be considered slow. Average speed reading reaches 94 MB/s, which is very close to the results of its main competitor - Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 (97 MB/s). On the other hand, we see a fairly high average access time - above 20 ms - and a relatively low throughput interface (211.6 MB/s). This speaks for itself. Drives with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm provide almost 2 times better speed performance. It is quite expected that the Western Digital WD30EZRS drive will also be inferior to its competitors in application tests.

Whether you need a large drive for data storage or multiple drives for network attached storage (NAS), the Western Digital WD30EZRS is perfect for these tasks. However, its closest competitor, Hitachi, is worth its slightly higher price if you plan to use it in large storage arrays. Providing a power consumption of 6.2W in standby mode, it uses almost 1W less, leading the way in terms of performance per watt.

New environmentally friendly 2.5-inch drives with a 15mm case thickness demonstrate an impressive capacity of up to 2 TB, as well as the lowest operating temperature and noiselessness in their segment.

IRVINE, Calif. – August 14, 2012 – Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), the world's largest storage solutions company, today announced the availability of its new line of compact hard drives, WD Green™. These drives have the maximum capacity in the 2.5” hard drive segment – ​​up to 2TB. WD Green has been tested and recommended for use in PCs as additional drives, in external drives and in devices that require large volumes, quiet operation and low operating temperatures.

WD Green drives are available in 2 TB and 1.5 TB capacities, with a SATA 3 Gb/s interface and a 15mm case thickness. The new line uses inserts with maximum current time recording density for 2.5” drives is 500GB per platter. This high recording density reduces the time required to read data, allowing WD Green to offer a combination of decent performance and high capacity.

The WD Green line is perfect for anyone who cares about sustainable energy consumption and preserving the environment. These drives consume less electricity both in operating condition and during startup, which can significantly reduce the peak load of the system. In addition, the production of drives fully complies with modern environmental legislation, in particular, WD Green drives do not contain lead, halogens and other pollutants environment materials.

“According to our statistics, as of March 2012, more than 90 million drives with WD GreenPower Technology™ were sold worldwide,” said Alexander Alekseev, head of the Russian representative office of WD, “Considering that each green drive consumes up to 40% less electricity than standard devices, this has saved about 466,000,000 kWh of electricity globally, which is approximately equal to the annual capacity of one coal-fired power plant!”

Key features of the new WD Green drives include:

• Reduced power consumption
• Best-in-class power management technology delivers significant energy savings and outstanding performance.
• Cool and silent
• WD GreenPower Technology™ lowers operating temperatures for more reliable, virtually silent PCs and external drives.
• NoTouch™ head parking technology
• The recording head does not come into contact with the disc surface under any circumstances, which significantly reduces wear on heads and discs, as well as more reliable protection storage devices during their transportation.
• IntelliSeek™. Calculates optimal search time, which helps reduce power consumption, noise and vibration.
• Proven Compatibility

Our FIT Lab™ tests WD drives on hundreds of systems and a wide variety of platforms. Therefore, our customers can be confident that our drives will work in their systems. Models WD20NPVT and WD15NPVT, produced in the WD Green line, are not intended for use in laptops, since they have a case thickness of 15mm

Western Digital colors indicate product range. Each color has its own characteristics, advantages, disadvantages and purpose.

We are all accustomed to choosing such devices based on two criteria - capacity and price. That is, if we have enough money in our pocket for an element with a certain capacity, we buy it.

In fact, everything is much more complicated and the concept under consideration directly relates to the choice of railway.

Contents:

Classification

Everything is much simpler than it might seem at first glance. The fact is that there are quite a few hard drive manufacturers and Western Digital is one of them.

But the management of this company decided to take a non-standard approach to the naming of its product lines.

There are no words used here, just different colors. So there are such lines as WD Blue (that is, blue), WD Green (green), WD Black (black) and others.

The physical devices themselves have stickers in corresponding colors.

Just based on these characteristics, you can say a lot about these devices, but we will try to consider them in more detail.

Blue

As stated above, this is a universal category that is suitable for all ordinary users. They are relatively inexpensive and fast.

The speed of work is achieved due to. In this case, options with 16 or more MB of memory are possible (there are also less, but today there is simply no point in such a small amount).

As for noise, it uses WhisperDrive technology to reduce it. They are best suited for simple everyday tasks, perhaps light office work.

For games and, as well as all kinds of computing, it is better to choose something more powerful.

The classic example of this line is WD10EZEX. Such a device costs just 72 dollars and cents. His The characteristics are as follows:

• volume – 1 TB;
• interface – SATA;
• rotation – 7200 rpm;
• buffer volume – 64 MB;
• form factor – 3.5 inches.

Green

The main difference from all others is reduced energy consumption (40% lower according to company representatives).

Users also write that such drives are quite reliable in use.

It’s definitely worth saying that IntelliPower technology is used here, which, in fact, reduces power consumption.

Its purpose is to achieve an ideal ratio of rotation speeds and data transfer.

They are one of the coolest of their kind. This means that their operating temperature is relatively low.

They also have very. But the speed of work often suffers greatly because of all this.

As an example of “green” wheels, we can recall the WD20EZRX. Peculiarities of this sample such:

• volume – 2 TB;
• interface – SATA;
• buffer volume – 64 MB;
• form factor – 3.5 inches.

The manufacturer does not indicate the rotation speed and simply writes “IntelliPower”. In practice, it is 5400 rpm.

Black

These devices are quite suitable for performing all sorts of heavy duty tasks such as, mathematical modeling, and so on.

They can be used at home, but they are even too powerful for working on office tasks. on one of the HDDs WD Black will simply fly, like other similar programs.

7200 rpm is the minimum, sometimes more. In addition, such devices have excellent random access times.

Also their distinctive feature is low operating temperature and excellent vibration protection.

Thanks to this and others interesting features maximum operating speed is achieved.

The volume here can reach 64 MB, which, again, increases performance.

It is also worth paying attention to the dual-drive system for determining the location of the drive heads.

Due to this, very high accuracy of head placement is achieved, which is very important when working with data.

An example of this line is the WD10JPLX model, priced at $95. You can buy it in some stores for $50, but usually more (100 bucks or more). Here its features:

• volume – 1 TB;
• interface – SATA;
• rotation – 7200 rpm;
• buffer volume – 32 MB;
• form factor – 2.5 inches.

WD Black WD10JPLX

Red

Designed to work with even greater loads than “black” ones. They are usually used in large offices, servers and similar devices.

They are unlikely to be suitable for home use, unless we are talking about NAS systems. Then WD Red can be used in small offices.

If you don’t know what systems we are talking about, then you don’t need such devices.

Among the advantages: increased reliability, as well as protection against damage, vibration and excessive temperature. Interestingly, the rotation speed is usually lower than what the manufacturer claims.

Let's take the WD60EFRX model as an example. It is specifically intended for servers or network storage.

Price: $250 (may be more or less depending on the store). Her characteristics:

• volume – 6 TB;
• interface – SATA;
• buffer volume – 64 MB;
• form factor – 3.5 inches.

Here, next to the rotation, it also says “IntelliPower”.

Purple

The main and for some the only feature of the devices from this section is the use of special AllFrame technology.

It provides high reliability in systems and security in premises.

Image decay, which usually leads to loss of quality or complete erasure of recordings, is virtually eliminated on these drives.

This was made possible thanks to the use large quantity software solutions from the manufacturer

They can work around the clock without any interruptions. This is eloquently confirmed by the recently released 100PURZ model, which costs about $500. Here it is peculiarities:

• volume – 10 TB;
• interface – SATA;
• rotation – 5400 rpm;
• buffer volume – 256 MB;
• form factor – 3.5 inches.

SE, RE and VelociRaptor

In addition to the “color” lines of hard drives, there are three more categories. Their characteristics can be seen in Table 2.

Table 2. Characteristics of WD SE, RE and VelociRaptor

WD VelociRaptor WD5000HHTZ 500 GB

Below you can see an overview of two models from the categories described above.