# 1 TB HDD Buying Advice Required



## jackal_79 (Nov 1, 2012)

Hi,
  Iam planning to buy a 1 tb within few weeks.I want a fast and reliable drive with good warranty.I had finalised on seagate *ST1000DM003*.But they come with only 1 year warranty and Iam getting mixed reviews on seagate. WD Black is coming at 6500 and above. which is the best one?.How about toshiba or samsung F3?.My budget is 5.5 max.Please suggest.


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## Myth (Nov 1, 2012)

seagate - 1yr
wd blue - 2 yrs
wd black - 5 yrs
wd green - 2 yrs(not recommended)
Try for wd blue or black(costlier)


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## gameranand (Nov 1, 2012)

Well the Black is the best but its out of your budget. Green has reliability issue so better stick with Blue Edition.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 1, 2012)

gameranand said:


> Well the Black is the best but its out of your budget. Green has reliability issue so better stick with Blue Edition.



What exactly is the difference between blue, green and black?.What about Samsung or Toshiba?.Can someone share me the exact model numbers?


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## gameranand (Nov 1, 2012)

Black - Pure performance and reliable.
Green - Power saving (5400rpm).
Blue - A balance between performance and reliability.


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## havoknation (Nov 1, 2012)

Seagate is also 2 years.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 1, 2012)

> HN: Please share the seagate link.
           Can i go for seagate if it's available with 2 years warranty?.Or WD blue is better?.Can some one share the link for WD blue?

It seems WD Blue also comes with 1 year warranty.
*www.flipkart.com/wd-caviar-blue-1-tb-desktop-internal-hard-drive-wd10ealx/p/itmd9zynrumakdkx?pid=IHDD9ZYM4FVHGG4G&ref=691d7d4b-7891-4231-a30f-71e832210c6a


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## jackal_79 (Nov 3, 2012)

Guys! Please respond!


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## gameranand (Nov 3, 2012)

I told you already. Better go for WD Blue as their RMA is also quite good. I have seen it with two of my friends.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 3, 2012)

gameranand said:


> I told you already. Better go for WD Blue as their RMA is also quite good. I have seen it with two of my friends.


 Got that already.Thanks! But from where?.It's out of stock in FK and Itdepot is not listing it.I found it here:

WD Caviar Blue 1 TB Desktop Internal SATA Hard Disk WD10EALX - Buy Online in India for Rs.5,649 as on 3rd November 2012 - Price, Features, Reviews, Specifications, Photos, Videos | BuyThePrice.com

Is this site reliable? Do you have any xperience with this site?


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## Cilus (Nov 4, 2012)

Check this one: WD Caviar Green 1 TB Desktop Internal Hard Drive (WD10EARX) | Internal Hard Drive | Flipkart.com

GamerAnand, not all WD Green models are 5400 rpm. They saves energy by means of other energy saving features and not has couple of technologies present for enhancing the Transfer rate in Blue and Black variants. I have one WD Green 1 TB which is a 7200 rpm one.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 4, 2012)

Just now, found a WD Caviar Black on a lesser price.But it has got only SATA 3.0 gb interface and 32 mb cache.Can some one comment on site and model?

Buy Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive [WD1001FALS] in India at the best price. Screenshots, videos, reviews available.


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## bong (Nov 4, 2012)

HDD are not fully optimised to take full advantage of 6gb/s port. and in 6gb/s port hdd are not as effective as SSD. the performance lift in 6gb/s HDD does not worth the value. better opt out for a SSD in that place. 3gb/s 32 mb cache hdd are pretty decent., i would go for that.

also you need a 6gb/s port in yourmotherboard


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## jackal_79 (Nov 4, 2012)

bong said:


> HDD are not fully optimised to take full advantage of 6gb/s port. and in 6gb/s port hdd are not as effective as SSD. the performance lift in 6gb/s HDD does not worth the value. better opt out for a SSD in that place. 3gb/s 32 mb cache hdd are pretty decent., i would go for that.
> 
> also you need a 6gb/s port in yourmotherboard


ok.So any idea on the site?.or any other site you know where i can get the WD caviar black?
One more thing my mobo doesn't have an SATA 6GB/s interface.So will it not at all support drives with SATA 6 GB/s ?


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## Cilus (Nov 4, 2012)

^^ Sata 6 Gbps might not designed for HDD but why lesser cache is better? In a simple rule of thumb...higher the Cache, better the write speed, if the HDDs are built of using same tech. And frankly, SATA 6 Gbps and SATA 3 Gbps versions are priced almost same


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## drkks (Nov 4, 2012)

jackal_79 said:


> One more thing my mobo doesn't have an SATA 6GB/s interface.So will it not at all support drives with SATA 6 GB/s ?


That is not an issue at all. It all depends on the SATA port speed of your mobo. If your mobo's SATA port speed is 2 GB/sec no matter the speed of HDD, it will work at 2 GB/sec only. I hope you are getting my point.



jackal_79 said:


> Hi,
> Iam planning to buy a 1 tb within few weeks.I want a fast and reliable drive with good warranty.I had finalised on seagate *ST1000DM003*.But they come with only 1 year warranty and Iam getting mixed reviews on seagate. WD Black is coming at 6500 and above. which is the best one?.How about toshiba or samsung F3?.My budget is 5.5 max.Please suggest.



IMO, I will stick with a Seagate HDD (pref. 7200 rpm) any day.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 4, 2012)

Can someone tell me where i can get a WD Caviar Blue 1 TB online?.I have been searching and was not able to find.Most of the sites even if listed they are out of stock.


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## Cilus (Nov 4, 2012)

The 1 TB Blue model is not available probably. It is not present in sites like Theitwares or Smcinternational and probably replaced with the WD Green SATA III 64 MB Cache models.
1 thing, although HDD can't take advantage of SATA 6 Gbps bandwidth, it is observed in most of the scenarios that they provide better performance than their SATA II brothers. I am personally using the WD Green 1TB 64 MB SATA II 3 Gbps version and found out that their performance is better than my Seagate 1 TB version of mine.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 10, 2012)

I have ordered a WD Caviar Black 1 TB from FK for 6038.(Price got reduced this week).It has 5 years warranty.This thread can be closed.


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## Naxal (Nov 10, 2012)

I am having a similar question.

I find WD Green with 64mb cache compare to blue 32mb in 1TB segment.

Now the question is why are so many people referring blue in stead of green ?

I need to buy a 1 TB hence would like to know why not to buy WD Green. Is it slower in performance compare to blue ??

Any review or such links would be appreciable !!


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## gameranand (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes Green Edition is slower. You don't even need to look the reviews, just see the specs. Green runs at 5400RPM and Blue runs at 7200RPM, now decide yourself, which is faster.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 10, 2012)

Naxal said:


> I am having a similar question.
> 
> I find WD Green with 64mb cache compare to blue 32mb in 1TB segment.
> 
> ...




Many forums do not recommend WD Green siting performance issues.Second thing is warranty. Seagate gives only 2 years (Some online sites like ITDepot mentions only 1 year).WD warranty is as follows:
Internal Desktop Hard Drives Overview or for more clarity refer below:

WD Support / Warranty Services / End User / Worldwide Warranty Policy and Limitations 

All this was going through mind when i was searching for my 1 tb. Finally i decided to go for WD black as many recommend it as well as it comes with 5 year warranty.The price also got reduced in FK.


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## Naxal (Nov 10, 2012)

gameranand said:


> Yes Green Edition is slower. You don't even need to look the reviews, just see the specs. Green runs at 5400RPM and Blue runs at 7200RPM, now decide yourself, which is faster.



Websites lists the RPM is variable in Green rather not fixed, and highest possible RPM with WD Green is 7200 RPM and 5400 is the lowest mark so, i dont think Green is fixed at 5400 RPM.

Technology in discussion is called IntelliPower by WD

Correct me if I am wrong !!


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## gameranand (Nov 10, 2012)

Well not sure about that, have to do a bit a reading for that but still many people had issues with this edition and stated that its not reliable so most suggest Blue Edition as its better performing than Green and more reliable and don't cost you a kidney.


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## Naxal (Nov 11, 2012)

gameranand said:


> Well not sure about that, have to do a bit a reading for that but still many people had issues with this edition and stated that its not reliable so most suggest Blue Edition as its better performing than Green and more reliable and don't cost you a kidney.



I have not used any WD Blue drive my self. So I cant compare it with Green but couple of months ago went with a WD Green based system, ( *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-compon...ia-student-80k-no-gaming.html?highlight=naxal ), there I purchased a WD Green.

Now I dont use the system much but what ever little time I spend in that system, I didn't notice any thing slow, again i have not used any blue device yet so cant compare hence was asking as on paper both are same expect the cache size, which is more in WD Green (64mb) compare to Blue (32mb)

So any review or such pointing to the slower one among these two ??


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## gameranand (Nov 11, 2012)

Well I have used both and can tell that WD Blue is faster than Green one. As for review, will search a bit and give you a link.


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## Cilus (Nov 11, 2012)

But Anand, Green is not 5400 rpm, it does have 7200 rpm variant too. The speed is variable to make some power savings. The 64 MB 7200 rpm version of Green is faster than the 32 MB 7200 RPM version of Seagate 1 TB HDD. I do have both and know it. Don't post in other threads that Green is 5400 rpm version only. In Blue and specifically BLACK model, there are other optimization techniques apart from just RPM Value.


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## Naxal (Nov 11, 2012)

> The 64 MB 7200 rpm version of Green is faster than the 32 MB 7200 RPM version of Seagate 1 TB HDD.



WD website has no such information about FIX RPM for any of the green drive rather it lists every model with IntelliPower technology in case of RPM.

Can you please point to any specific model of WD Green which is said to be having 7200 mentioned as RPM ?


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## jackal_79 (Nov 11, 2012)

WD Caviar blue review:

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB Review (WD10EALX) | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews


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## gameranand (Nov 11, 2012)

Cilus said:


> But Anand, Green is not 5400 rpm, it does have 7200 rpm variant too. The speed is variable to make some power savings. The 64 MB 7200 rpm version of Green is faster than the 32 MB 7200 RPM version of Seagate 1 TB HDD. I do have both and know it. Don't post in other threads that Green is 5400 rpm version only. In Blue and specifically BLACK model, there are other optimization techniques apart from just RPM Value.



Sorry didn't knew about the newer variant of Green Edition. I knew that it runs on 5400RPM only. Thanks for the update.


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## Naxal (Nov 11, 2012)

gameranand said:


> Sorry didn't knew about the newer variant of Green Edition. I knew that it runs on 5400RPM only. Thanks for the update.



The source above, Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB Review (WD10EALX) | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews says green is limited to 5200 RPM.

Confusing


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## gameranand (Nov 11, 2012)

Well that might be old, if Cilus says Green comes in 7200 RPM then it does its that simple.


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## Naxal (Nov 12, 2012)

gameranand said:


> Well that might be old, if Cilus says Green comes in 7200 RPM then it does its that simple.



No. I think you are right.

@Clius

It seems Greens are 5400 only.

WD Green drives are stuck with 5400 RPM and there is NO higher RPM Green product available as of now.

*Source*

1. WD Green Power drives comparisons vs. traditional 7,200 RPM drives
2. Model No. Explanation for WD products -> *wdc.com/wdproducts/library/other/2579-001028.pdf

Please refer to the PDF for details,

WD Product identification..

*i46.tinypic.com/15pn0u8.jpg

Models of WD Green desktop

*i48.tinypic.com/1zfolyv.jpg

See, the value *5* is R for all WD Green product meaning 64mb buffer for 5400 RPM only.

*i49.tinypic.com/pq2qu.jpg

This is what i can digg up from WD website.

So the as per WD, fastest 1TB model would be the,

*WD Blue WD10EZEX*

and Flipkart is not having it, any other trusted source having it online ??


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## jackal_79 (Nov 12, 2012)

Naxal said:


> No. I think you are right.
> 
> @Clius
> 
> ...



Refer my post 10 for a WD blue with lesser cache.But not sure about the reliability of site.


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## gameranand (Nov 12, 2012)

What. The fastest one should be Black Edition not Blue Edition. Seems like WD site is not that reliable.


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## Cilus (Nov 12, 2012)

I did a little bit digging and found out that my information is partially incorrect. Western Digital Green HDD, rated at 7200 rpm are having maximum speed up to 7200 rpm and theoritically the can run between 5400 RPM to 7200 RPM as per the requirements and for this uses a technology called IntelliPower. However, it is noticed they hardly run at 7200 RPM and most of the cases the speed is limited to 6400 RPM. But the current drives compensate that by using higher Cache size.

The 7200 RPM (up to) Green with 64 MB cache offers almost the same level of performance of a normal Seagate 7200 rpm HDD with 32 MB Cache at a lesser price point. I am sure because I do have both of 'em and talking from my experience. So they are good for storage drive and I'll suggest that if you're having an extra 7200 rpm HDD, use that for OS and use this one for storage.


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## Naxal (Nov 12, 2012)

jackal_79 said:


> Refer my post 10 for a WD blue with lesser cache.But not sure about the reliability of site.



There are 32mb based blues are available widely.

I was looking for a 64mb cache based blue.

The WD Black is priced at Rs. 6k compare to 4/4.5k max type pricing of Blue and green

Honestly speaking, 5 year warranty for me is welcome but at the price of 1.5k extra is not quite acceptable.

If the drive dies after a couple of years, main problem is not getting it replaced but facing the massive data lose.


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## jackal_79 (Nov 13, 2012)

Naxal said:


> There are 32mb based blues are available widely.
> 
> I was looking for a 64mb cache based blue.
> 
> ...



Agreed.But here in kerala it's difficult to get WD any version locally.Dealers push only seagate.Also, i was unable to find a wd blue online from any popular site.The only option left was WD Black which had more warranty and performance. Ofcourse, on extra price.Good luck on search for WD blue.


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## gameranand (Nov 13, 2012)

Naxal said:


> There are 32mb based blues are available widely.
> 
> I was looking for a 64mb cache based blue.
> 
> ...


Well performance comes at price so.....


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## jackal_79 (Nov 18, 2012)

I have received my new 1 tb HDD 
*www.flipkart.com/wd-1-tb-desktop-i...Z4YB&ref=5fac7319-13b6-46d5-aa5c-06ab663a817c

This thread may be closed. Thanks for all the help.


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## gameranand (Nov 18, 2012)

So you got the Cavier Black. Thats good, congrats.


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