@marcolopes Thanks for your reply.
It seems that my WD Elements 4TB drive indeed has the SMR technology inside:
Shingled Magnetic Recording, 15mm z-height
Model Outside: WDBU6Y0040BBK-EA (on sticker on the box)
Model Inside: WD40NDZW-11MR8S1
According to [source]
Which is a:
“Not For Resale” (5400RPM, 128MB cache, USB 3.0 interface, Advanced Format, Shingled Magnetic Recording, 15mm z-height)
[source]
Enclosure : WD Elements 2620 USB Device (V=1058, P=2620, sa1)
Model : WDC WD40NDZW-11A8JS1
[CrystalDiskInfo 8]
WD40NDZW-xxMR8Sx/xxA8JSx 4TB (4/8) ::
“Not For Resale” (5400RPM, 128MB cache, USB 3.0 interface, Advanced Format, Shingled Magnetic Recording, 15mm z-height)
[source]
I also checked my other WD Elements SE 2TB HDD and it does NOT have SMR inside (according to CrystalDiskInfo):
PMR/CMR, 15mm z-height
Model Outside: WDBJRT0020BBK-0B (on sticker on the box)
Model Inside: WD20SMZW-11YFCS0
According to [source]
Shingled Magnetic Recording, 7mm z-height
[source]
Enclosure : WD Elements SE 25FE USB Device (V=1058, P=25FE, sa1)
Model : WDC WD20NMVW-11EDZS6
[CrystalDiskInfo 8]
WD20NMVW-xxAV3Sx/xxW68Sx/xxEDZSx 2TB (4/8) ::
“Not For Resale” (5200RPM, 8MB cache, USB 3.0 interface, Advanced Format, 15mm z-height)
[source]
WD Blue USB 3.0
The both sources give conflicting information. Can I trust CrystalDiskInfo better?
I’m taken by surprise by this. Now I need to decide if it’s a problem for my purposes. I did notice that random write performance is not that good (see my other topic). I will use the drive primarily as an external drive to unload my valuable data on for long term (10 year +) storage (my current drives are 15 years old and are failing). Furthermore I’ll use the extra capacity as a backup medium. What would be the ideal use-case for SMR tech? I can still return the drive but need to make a decision ASAP.
Could you bring me up to speed on the benefits and pitfalls of PMR vs SMR technology?
Are there WD Elements 4TB drives with PMR technology inside?
