WD announced their WD Red line getting 6TB capacities just a months ago and we’re lucky enough to get them in our labs. Up for review today is a pair of WD Red 6TB (WD60EFRX) and we’re pairing them up with our QNAP TS-451 (review incoming). We’ll check out some raw performance stats and power figures to see what we’re getting in our NAS with these drives.
As some of you may know, WD has branched out its traditional HDD branches into more variants. Joining the WD Blue, WD Green and WD Black family of hard drives are the WD Red and WD Purple drive series. Both of which receive 6TB capacities just recently along with the WD Green which we also have for review. WD Red are targeted at network-attached storage (NAS) systems owner who want to a fully-dedicated storage solution intended for their platform of choice. WD Red drives feature technologies unique to the product line specifically aimed at NAS systems and their unique demands.
Related: How To Choose the Best WD Hard Drive
WD Red hard drives still come in the 3.5″ HDD form factor. The majority of NAS systems, if not all, all support this form factor and the WD Red achieves maintaining this form by using the densest 1.2TB platters out right now.
We’re using the QNAP TS-451 4-bay NAS in our test setup and we’ll be using this primarily for the heavy lifting tests. The WD Red HDDs feature technologies optimizing the drives for multi-drive setups specifically 1-8 drive configurations.
PERFORMANCE
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K
Motherboard:Â ECS Z97-PK
Memory: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400 16GB
Storage: WD Red 6TB, 2x Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB RAID0
PSU:Â BitFenix Fury 650W
Note that our board does not recognize 6TB HDDs so we’re using the drives limited capacity. Still, performance is still the same as rated so this is a non-issue for testing purposes.
Maximum Potential Performance
Write Performance
Crystal DiskMark
Real World Copy Tests
Final Thoughts
We’re saving up our full overview with our NAS review. Given our initial review, our impressions of the WD Red 6TB NAS hard drive is very positive. This is a 5400RPM and it still manages to bring relative performance to mid-level 7200RPM drives. The small file performance also looks good and doesn’t really veer much away from the mainstream HDDs.
We’ve actually been asked before about the WD Reds and this is our first time reviewing them. The question was are the WD Red series good for desktop use and given the performance we’re seeing right now, we’re more than inclined to say yes. The limitations though is that if you are a power user who demand some performance, then it might just be a bit held back for you but for the case of bulk media storage or just average use then yes, the WD Red are a good choice for HDDs. Do know that you are missing out on utilizing the benefits of this drive that you paid for like 24/7 support and multi-drive optimization.
Ultimately, the WD Red is aimed at people looking for high-reliability solutions for their remote storage applications. Performance is good but something we cannot measure is quality and resilience, this is something that only long-term, actual use can produce. That said, we will try and set something up to test the qualities of the WD Red line but for now, our view remains the same as the opening of this closing segment: the WD Red NAS HDDs are excellent-performing drives and are backed by 3 years warranty and an assured MTBF of 1 million hours. WD is also confident about the drives that they offer 24/7 phone support for owners of the WD Red.
Priced at $299, the drives are a touch under the older 4TB WD Blacks who offer maximum performance benefits but know that WD is most likely working on 6TB WD Blacks as we speak and that will either offset or go above the existing product line. The cost may or may not be displaced. That said, WD’s product stack might not be influenced by the appearance of the flagship drives but as of this writing, only the WD Green, Red and Purple have been announced to bear 6TB capacities. You’re paying for capacity here and that already offsets the performance lead of the higher-specced models. In our opinion, the price is well worth it given the support and quality assurance the drive offers. Still, for maximum data integrity you still need a backup protocol to guarantee your data is safe. All NAS offer RAID support so multiple of these drives will help give you peace of mind when you need mission-critical data storage for the home.
If you are looking for high-resilience, low-maintenance, and efficient storage for your network then the WD Red NAS HDDs now come in 5TB to 6TB capacities for your bulk-storage needs. Backed by a 3-year warranty and 24/7 support, we give the WD Red NAS HDDs our B2G Recommended Award.
Red 6tb
10 Comments
imagine… games and porn files… imagine
imagine… games and porn files… imagine
imagine… games and porn files… imagine
imagine… games and porn files… imagine
Boss picture ka rin carrying it with one hand hahaha
Awfuq wala na dito eh…. ung WD green na lang