We also used 10gb of small files (from 100kb to 200MB) with a total 12,000 files in 400 subfolders.Īll tests were run 4 times and average results are represented. For data transfer we timed how long a single 10GB rar file took to copy to and then from the devices. ![]() ![]() With the main drive being a Intel DC S3700 800GB Solid State Drive.įor synthetic tests we used a combination of the ATTO Disk Benchmark, HDTach, HD Tune, Crystal Disk Benchmark, IOMeter, AS-SSD and PCMark 7.įor real world benchmarks such as OS startup, Firefox reload and data transfer times. However, except for the Vista load test times we have done our best to eliminate this issue by having the drive tested as a secondary drive. For this reason our standard OS setup is used. As with the hardware end of things, to obtain the absolute best results you do need to tweak your OS setup however, just like with the hardware solution most people are not going to do this. This is to help replicate what you the end user’s experience will be like.Įven when the hardware issues are taken care of the software itself will have a negative or positive impact on the results. For this reason our testbed will be a more standard motherboard with no mods or high end gear added to it. Unfortunately, most people do not have the time, inclination or monetary funds to do this. For best results you really need a dedicated hardware RAID controller w/ dedicated RAM for drives to shine. There is also the SATA controller on your motherboard and how well it works with SSDs & HDDs to think about as well. Rather, there are factors such as read / write speed and data burst speed to take into account. Testing a drive is not as simple as putting together a bunch of files, dragging them onto folder on the drive in Windows and using a stopwatch to time how long the transfer takes. After all, both models offer massive amounts of capacity, make use of a dual core controller, come with a 5-year warranty, use the same 3.5” form-factor, and even look identical. On just a cursory glance these elements along would make anyone wonder why they should purchase the significantly more expensive Black 6TB over the older 4TB edition….besides getting 50% more storage space of course. As with the 4TB model, the 6TB Black offers extremely good capacity, peak performance of well over 200MB/s, and accomplishes both without excess noise. The newer Black 6TB follows down the new path blazed by the 4TB version some time ago, and takes Western Digital’s high performance mass market series further and further into the future. For example, the RE-series has extended MTBF, enhanced data recovery abilities and durability, all elements that will make datacenters happy but are completely unnecessary in a home environment. However, the Reds, Blues, Purples and more datacenter-focused solutions all have various strengths that are tailor-made for their particular market. In plain English this all means the newer Black series drives still offer more overall performance than many of the other series under WD’s wings due to their larger cache buffer, higher 7200RPM rotational speed and other advanced features. Instead of being loud, fast and essentially a perfect alternative to the 10,000RPM drives of yesteryear, the newer generations of Blacks make less noise, used less power, created less heat, and had firmware tuned more towards sequential read/write performance instead of raw IOP/s performance. Meanwhile, the famous Black drives continue to strive towards a combination of leading edge (for spindle-based storage) throughput and massive storage space at a slightly higher price point and without the energy-savings technologies of the Blues. There’s also the Red, Red Pro and RE series which cater to NAS environments and the surveillance system friendly Purples. Lineups like the Blue and Green series have been consolidated into a “mainstream” product offering under the Blue designation that hopes to combine extreme capacities alongside affordable prices and good performance. Western Digital has effectively evolved in the last few years from a company that has focused upon trying to deliver the absolute fastest drives possible (an achievement now reserved to SSDs) to one which offers a broad range of high capacity storage solutions. ![]() Instead the main goals and design priorities of traditional hard drives have simply changed along with the changing market. It may seem counter intuitive to enthusiasts who have migrated entirely over to SSDs, but standard spindle-based media isn’t on its way out the door anytime soon.
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