WD Red 8TB 3.5 Inch NAS Internal Hard Drive - 5400 RPM - WD80EFAX

Price purchased £127.07 The drive information on Amazon the drives are described as only tested for NAS with 1-5 drive bays. However, on a support page it clarifies that the Red series are tested for 1-8 bay NAS and there is also a link to a NAS compatibility list [Amazon won't allow this link]. To find it search for "Compatibility list for the WD Red NAS Hard Drive id=9758" in Google without the quote marks. This appears to have been tested for the latest drives with NASWare 3.0 although I have been using 4 mirrored pairs of NASWare 2.0 drives without any issues. In NAS systems with 24x7 operation vibration is a factor in terms of reliability which is why NASWare 2.0 drives were recommended for drive enclosures of no more than 5 drives. NASWare 3.0 drives improved on the ability to manage the effect of vibration on the drives and this is why they increased rated these newer drives for up 8 drives per NAS enclosure. I had the opportunity to purchase the retail drive at the same price as the OEM drive so I was able t compare what you get in comparison to buying the OEM version of the drive. Looking at reviews of the OEM version of this drive there has been some confusion about whether the extra cost is worth it. To clarify what the differences were I rang Western Digital support. They told me that different countries have different warranty periods. Red series drives in the USA have a 12-month warranty and then you pay a little extra to add the extra warranty. I have bought more than 10 of the Red series of various sizes 3TB, 4TB and 6TB OEM. Each of these drives have registered for 3-year warranties. WD support suggested that Amazon sourced their OEM drives from different countries and that about 50% of them would register as OEM and only have 12 month’s warranty. Amazon identifies that the drives only come with a 12-month warranty unless you pay for more, (not an option for the 4TB drive), so if you register one and it only gives you a 12 -month warranty you have no grounds to complain. So in summary spending the extra £14.00 for the retail version gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you definitely have a three-year warranty. It also comes with drive screws and standard retail packaging. The OEM drives generally come with plastic mounts, on either end, to isolate them from damage to the containing boxes. The retail version plastic support mounts are on the side running the full length of the drive see photos. I think whether you purchase this retail version or opt for the OEM version depends on whether you need a set of screws to mount the drive and more importantly whether you are willing to take the risk that you may end up with a drive which only registers a 12-month warranty. I would suggest that buying OEM drives directly from Amazon, as opposed to buying from a Market Place seller, might increase the chance of getting a three-year warranty and a safely packaged drive. In terms of performance these drives run quietly and quickly. They have a variable speed between 5,400-5,900rpm. So these are not the fastest drives, which are the black series, but seem to perform quickly in everyday use for Desktop (Windows 10 & 8.1), and NAS (Network Attached Storage).

Although I haven't had access to the full range of Western Digital's colour-coded drives, I am able to compare the Caviar Reds to Caviar Greens. Both are aimed to have minimal power draw with good capacity, and both deliver with a tiny 4-5W typical, both are available in 3tb capacities, and both will deliver solid transfer speeds for large files of around 150mb/sec for a continuous transfer of a single large file (no fragmentation). However, the Reds are intended more specifically for NAS use, and while the justification for the extra cost is no immediately apparent when looking at the numbers, the big difference with the Red drives is that they are far more responsive (much lower average seek time) than Greens, making them ideal for accessing lots of small files, or for working in a shared environment, which will bog down the Green drives. Also, unlike the Green drives the Reds are designed to spin continuously and avoid parking the read/write heads, while still retaining the same low power consumption, while the greens will attempt to rest components in order to achieve the same results for lower cost. The result however is that a Green drive will be less efficient if it is actually under heavy load, and will suffer greater wear on its components in such cases. Which brings me neatly to the final factor, and the one that truly convinced me; the three year warranty. If you're going to be using as a backup device then the last thing you want is a drive with a poor warranty, for something so sensitive I believe it's better to spend the small amount of extra cash for the extra peace of mind, even if it's just to know that you won't have to shell out if the drive does fail. So to conclude; even for non NAS use I would probably spring for more Red drives so long as they remain only slightly more expensive, however the difference in price does waver, so your choice may not be as easy, but if it's close enough, or you know you need reliability under heavy use, then the Reds are the drives to get.

The first two examples I purchased were via Amazon but supplied by a third-party retailer. I had previously purchased numerous internal hard drives of various brands and capacities, some supplied directly by a retailer and often in OEM anti-static envelopes, others in various 'Retail' packages but many more on-line. Some were supplied in the same OEM packaging but a few have been nested in similar types of boxes as were those. The packaging used here was certainly fabricated by the retailer and could probably accommodate 4 drive units if each was less well protected. Both individual cartons for the two drive units ordered were contained within a much larger outer and was filled with a reasonable amount of packing paper. The outer carton was slightly damaged on arrival but the inner cartons were well isolated from the point(s) of contact and were completely pristine when extracted. I have seen similar damage to other external packaging used for some hard drives ordered in the past but have yet to have one that was D.O.A. due to transit damage that penetrated to the internal containers and to the drive(s) within. The Western Digital Red drives are intended for any usage that is more intensive than 'normal'. Hence, if employed in any form of server that is 'on' 24/7 and for long periods at a time, in NAS devices or even in a desktop PC where usage demands and expectations are high, they are ideal. They offer an MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) far higher than is offered by WD's other drives which should translate to higher reliability over longer periods of time. Sometimes offered at much higher prices than are currently available, they are currently sold for little more than a comparable lower-spec alternative of the same capacity. Another feature is a claimed improvement to the spindle bearing design which results in a very low noise engagement. However, if employed in an enclosure that is fan-cooled, the fan(s) may themselves be sufficiently noisy to be noticeable in a quiet environment. A direct alternative to other products which they could replace if their higher reliability or lower noise is essential and where the price premium can be overlooked. They have now been in use for about 2 weeks in a NAS enclosure. I have not been aware of any noise emanating from the drives or the enclosure but I have other RAID/JBOD enclosures quite close by which are in simultaneous use and where there is an active fan within each enclosure. Although not completely silent, there is a slightly audible hum from those fans and an occasional mechanical vibration that can also sometimes be heard from one which would mask any sounds that may emanate from these drives. However, placing my ear close to the enclosure, I have yet to hear anything. POSTSCRIPT @ 08-2013 I have since purchased several more directly from Amazon for RAID use. All arrived in WD-branded packaging, with each drive contained in a small carton and nested between two plastic moulded sleeves that hold them safely and securely. The individual cartons were contained within a much larger outer and surrounded by yards of packing paper. Subject to two separate orders, all the drives arrived safely and there was no damage to either of the outers.

I've been running a NAS server with 6 x 1tb green drives and I've been quite pleased with both performance and energy efficiency of these drives. I'm now in the process of building a second array of drives for backup purposes, but wanted extra assurance over the reliability and these seemed to tick the boxes, well mine, being: PERFORMANCE : Slight performance increase over green drive (very slight) EFFICIENCY : Similar energy efficiency as the green drives WARRANTY : three year warranty (most important factor; the extra year over the green) Western Digital, are absolutely brilliant with their warranty service and replace failed drives within a couple of weeks with new drives labelled as re-certified. I've done this for both my business and personal drives and can say the customer service alone is brilliant! I've had dealings with the Samsung warranty service and was so appalled I vowed never to own another Samsung again! On multiple occasions they sent me a second hand drives back with uncorrectable sectors to replace failed drives! So failed for failing! BUYING : I haven't got much else to add to what hasn't been mentioned already, other than to make sure you pick your seller carefully if it isn't Amazon. Fulfilled by Amazon isn't enough. My drives arrived in separate deliveries and each time they were all inadequately packaged. I don't believe that simply placing the drive in a thin coating of bubble wrap is enough (single layer). The other drives came in their own boxes but again a thin coating of bubble wrap and absolutely no air between the outer box and drive (other than what was in the bubbles!). I've always received drives in the proper hard drive cardboard boxes with plastic inserts. !!WARRANTY ISSUES WITH QUANTUM WIRELESS DRIVES!! Amazon were great regarding my complaint over the inadequate packaging but as a precautionary check, in-case I had to warranty any of them, I discovered the drives aren't even registered as European; therefore potentially not warranted! This has happened to me before and it takes a couple of weeks to fix; exchanging receipts with Western Digital, it's just rare and extremely annoying and shouldn't happen with UK drives. You can check the warranty status at any point in time by simply entering in your drives serial number. [...]

I was deeply perturbed by the recent bad reports of Amazon's frustration free packaging, and of the apparently high incidence of drive failures. Decided to risk it anyway, and all has gone well so far. I bought two drives from Amazon (not a reseller), and am pleased to say Amazon appears to be learning. The package was delivered in an Amazon box by Royal Mail Parcelforce, although it lacked the old "shrink-wrap" internal containment, and used scrunched up brown paper to secure the drives in the big box. The drives themselves were still in WD's boxes, with their plastic supports isolating them from damage. So perhaps Amazon has learned about jiffy bags not working. The drives themselves are simply the best I've ever had. Fast, responsive, very little waiting time, even when the drives are "parked". And best of all, they are so quiet, I have to strain to hear them spin up. They've been running for two weeks now, so no sudden death experiences either. They are used as regular drives in a PC, but as the PC is often on for 12 hours a day, I figured these would be a better bet than WD "green" drives (my 3 year old 1Tb green drives were still running fine, but I needed the extra space). I'm cautiously optimistic they will run for many years, but as always, backups of important data is the only way to guarantee not losing it. EDIT: almost 18 months later, and both drives are still running perfectly. No glitches, no errors, no failure to respond. These remain the best drives I have ever bought. 2nd EDIT: OK, it's getting on for 3 years now, with my PC in use eight hours a day, every day, on AVERAGE. That's 8,000 hours-ish. And all is well. Relieved to have bought a good pair. Touch wood...

This is a really good hard drive. Western Digital make really good hard drives. We use it for one of our NAS. Actually, we have more than one. More than one hard drive and more than one NAS. Some of our hard drives are still going strong nearly 10 years on! We bought those from a shop. They are very good. Yes. They come in lots of different colours - Red, Purple, Blue, Black, Gold and they used to even have Green, would you believe!! But I choose this one because it was Silver. My favourite colour!. This arrived really fast - in this wonderful box.. Amazon are very good at packaging computer components. Yes, they are. The box was nice and big and the hard drive even had a nice piece of paper laid on top of it to keep it warm during transit. The photo shows the hard drive upon opening the box. It looked so pretty in there with all that room. It's a very very good hard drive you know! But such a shame. This component box version had to be sent back. I now realise I prefer getting the retail boxed version. Much better than the component box. But don't let the packaging put you off, that's just my preference. Wish I'd bought the retail boxed version.

Firstly, to address the warranty issue raised by many reviews/questions: I ordered this drive in the "Standard" packaging which is listed as an OEM drive but also listed as having a 3-year warranty. Unlike many other reviewers however, on registering the product's serial number (with the drive being bought in October 2015) with Western Digital they have quite happily labelled the drive as "IN WARRANTY" and remaining in warranty until October 2018, ie the full 3 years. Given that other reviews which are also fairly recent are stating that their drives can't be warranty registered this doesn't seem to be so much that Amazon have sorted out the warranty issue properly, as different batches of drives presumably being sourced from different places and with different warranty statuses. This is obviously appalling service from Amazon if true, however this review and rating is based on the drive I received, which does correctly have the 3 year warranty that was advertised. On to the drive itself, it is excellent. I've been using WD Reds for a number of years (we have dozens of them at work) and the failure rate has been very low so I expect this disk will have the legs to keep going - Performance-wise they're strictly middle-of-the-road but this leaves them more than ample for most NAS uses which is the intended purpose of the drive, and for that use-case you're getting large disks at a relatively low price which are generally robust and reliable, so the halfway decent performance they provide is also a nice bonus.

I cannot fault WD Red drives - superb performance and quality. Perfect for my Synology backup system, safe in the knowledge that the data is in safe hands. ... UPDATE: So I have a 4 bay NAS by Synology and finally filled it with my 4th 4TB Red drive. But over a period of a few months this last drive started to show some problems. Synology reported some I/O errors and bad sectors (even though the drive's bad sector count remained at 0 at the beginning). Perhaps just a firmware issue, maybe? So I left it as it was... Eventually that 4th drive just gave too many problems. The logs were full of I/O errors and reallocated sectors. It was now 6 months since buying it. A quick chat with Amazon online had a new drive with me within days, and Synology's excellent OS had my RAID system back to normal within about 18 hours. The moral of this story? Actually, there are two. Always go for a RAID system (or a manufacturer's equivalent), so if a drive fails you can easily replace it. And always buy direct from Amazon - so when the worst happens you have a hassle-free route to sorting it out, which in my case was an advanced replacement. Drive failures DO happen, to all manufacturers. So the review keeps its 5 stars.

Long story short, Amazon for some reason limits the purchases of these drives to 1 per customer, which confuses the hell out of me because NAS drives (the type these are) are designed specifically to be purchased in sets of 2, 4, 5, 8, 10? Why do they have this limit. After talking to customer service about it I was told that I could make additional orders as long as they were outside 7days, so these means to replace my NAS (4 Bay QNAP system) with these drives It will take my 4 weeks to order them. Well at least I can get the drives now, unfortunately the time it took me to work this out caused be to miss a slight reduction (sale $13 ish) on the price. As for the drives, well they are very quiet and replacing the drive (one at a time because of issue above) was a snap. They seem to run substantially cooler than the WD Green drives I was originally using. Many told me not to use them (green) but they've lasted 3 years (3 years UPTIME) with absolutely no issues until a week ago when one of the drives dropped out. Hopefully these new RED drives will give me years of prolonged service. Amazon.ca - please change the maximum order number on these drives.

It’s a solid unit, but it needs some extra air flow to keep it cool.

HD funcionando bem, baixo ruído durante sua operação.

Lo he utilizado para ampliar un NAS Synology 1813+ y el resultado es excelente. Anteriormente usaba discos de la serie Green, los cuales son algo ruidosos, pero la serie red no solo hace menos ruido, sino que se mantiene entre 2 y 4 grados menos que los Green, lo que se traduce en una vida mas larga. Ademas de eso el tiempo de spin up es muy pequeño, por lo que pueden pasar de stand by a on casi de inmediato. Teniendo en cuenta que la diferencia de precio con la serie Green no llega a los 20€ creo que merece mucho la pena. Con el formateo se queda en 3726 GB.

J'ai acheté ce disque en remplacement d'un Western Digital Caviar Green de 1To, devenu trop juste pour mon NAS. Mon principal critère de choix était le silence : je suis très pointilleux sur ce sujet, le Caviar Green était très correct de ce point de vue, mais je trouvais qu'on entendait un peu trop le grattement des tetes de lecture. Je suis depuis quelques années fidèle aux produits WD, je n'ai pas eu de mauvaise surprise. Tout ce qui concerne les performances et la consommation ne rentrait pas en ligne de compte : c'est pour du stockage, pas pour du montage video.... Bilan après une semaine : c'est parfait. Installation et configuration très simple dans mon NAS Qnap TS119, dont la particularité est de ne pas avoir de ventilateur (je vous avais dit que j'étais pointilleux sur le silence...). A l'utilisation : on entend un léger souffle dû au disque qui tourne (inévitable), mais ce qui est impressionnant c'est que je n'entends que très peu les tetes de lecture lors des accès disque. Avant d'écrire ce commentaire j'ai approché mon oreille à moins de 20cms du NAS, tout en lancant une lecture de video. Résultat : aucun bruit de grattement. Seul le léger souffle... Sur une copie e d'environ 200 fichiers de petite taille, toujours à l'oreille à 20cms, j'entend le grattement des tetes.. A plus d'un mètre de distance je n'entends rien. Toutes utilisations confondues, cela doit être mon 20eme disque dur, c'est de loin le plus silencieux. En résumé je le conseille aux personnes exigeantes sur le bruit !