I’ve searched everywhere and can’t seem to find the info I need. I’m looking for a little help …
What HDD products are in the EX2 Ultra pre-built versions?
Specifically for the 4TB and 8TB models, are they the WD Red (SMR, 5400 rpm), or WD Red Pro (CMR, 7200 rpm)?
On Amazon, I can build the following …
EX2 Diskless (CAD$200)
2 x 2TB WD Red Pro 7200 rpm (CAD$135 ea.)
= CAD$470
Or I can buy this pre-built 4TB model …
CAD$425 #WDBVBZ0040JCH-NESN
Or this pre-built 8TB model …
CAD$448 #WDBVBZ0080JCH-NESN
The 8TB setup seems like a crazy good deal, compared to the price of the 4TB—only $23 extra. So I’m guessing the specs are different, but I can’t find the info anywhere online.
So, bottom line …
If I’m willing to spend up to CAD$500, what should I go for?
(Main use case is back-up. No heavy streaming, just iTunes library.)
The problem is that WD started putting SMR drives into the Red Product line without really telling anyone. Then people started making a stink.
There was a “product clarification” in April, and a revamp of the red product line “branding” in June;
See this:
According to this, all 8TB and above drives are CMR; even if they are 5400RPM drives.
Of course, the 8TB NAS will be coming with 2 x 4TB drives. . . .so who knows what is inside?
But the problem you face is the packaging you are seeing for drives now may predate this rationalization of the product line.
In my mind, if you can’t confirm the drives in the NAS. . . stay away!
Certainly, 5400 rpm is fine. (5400 vs 7200rpm)
I am not as sold on the SMR performance. I would not take marketing/PR spin at face value.
And if you read reviews. . . .one must be careful that the review is not simply regurgitating PR spin.
BTW: WD is not the only drive maker that has gone down this path.
Ha, yeah I just read a bunch more reviews. I had no idea this was a big deal
From my research, what I gather is that SMR is ok for low-level consumer use (e.g. back-ups) because it uses idle time to better organize files. However, it seems to be more vulnerable in RAID setups, particularly during array rebuilds—which seem to take way longer with SMR drives.
Whereas CMR is better for heavier, or constant, use cases. Overall a better drive.
If I can’t get an answer from WD about what’s in the 8TB setup, then I think I’ll just buy the diskless + 2 x 2TB Pro CMR setup I mentioned above.
Just wondering if there’s any way to draw the attention of WD staff to this thread? Is there any way to directly contact WD to ask sales questions? Or tag somebody?
In order to ask a question in their ‘Live Chat’ (ha!) I have to submit private information which they will store on their servers, for some stupid reason.
I’m about to give up on purchasing WD products as it seems so very difficult to find information or ask questions.
WD is not the only company that has been murky on SMR / CMR issues
Ummmmmm. . . .yeah, there are other NAS units out there. . . . . each with their pros and cons. . . .enough said on that. I have been toying with getting a NAS upgrade. . .and I have found the information a bit daunting as well.
Yeah I’ve been reading and watching a bunch of videos lately.
I like Synology, but they tend to be more expensive than similar WD units. There isn’t much that can match the entry-level price point of WD.
Also, I notice if I google NAS reviews, there’s nothing in the last year or so for WD—but a ton of videos about Synology and QNAP. That got me thinking that maybe WD is not as popular as I thought?
So, I just noticed this on the Spec Sheet PDF on Amazon …
"Featuring ultra-reliable WD Red™ NAS drives
My Cloud EX2 Ultra comes preconfigured with WD Red™ hard drives, specifically built for NAS systems to provide improved performance within 24x7 environments. …"
@SBrown can you confirm if this means exactly as it states—that the drives are standard WD Red, and not WD Red Pro?
And it looks like the 8TB deal on Amazon is now back up at the regular price of CAD$560. Annoying that it took me so long to find this info. I wish it was more easily accessible.
WD Red Pro = 7200 RPM CMR (Model number includes FFBX)
WD Red Plus = 5400 RPM CMR (Model number includes EFRX)
WD Red = 5400 RPM SMR (model number includes EFAX)
To make it more confusing. . . . the WD Red Plus 8TB-12TB have EFAX model numbers.
And I am leaving out some details. . . . . .
/ / / this response rules out WD Red Pros. . .but not the perfectly fine Red Plus units.
Maddening.
So at this point I think I would just avoid the prebuilt units. In all sizes. Buy a shell. . . .and put in drives you trust.
And yes. . .if you look at the synology reviews. . .it seems like their software is a bit more advanced than the WD stuff. I dunno. . . .I have very limited needs for my NAS. . . so the WD serves the function for me (two years ago. . . .the future will see what I do)
. . . .
Yes, very confusing! I’m always amazed at how companies survive when they make it so hard to choose a product. But I guess WD has a lot of SKUs so maybe they don’t really think it’s a big deal.
Anyway, same as you, my needs are very basic/limited. So you’re right—I’m just going to avoid the pre-built units and go with a diskless and Pro drives.
I just want to do some more research on the software side of things, particularly with Synology. Being a graphic designer, and using a Mac, the GUI is a big deal for me. I don’t want anything that looks like a Windows program from the 90’s
