[RED 3TB] Has a high start_stop_count a negative impact on the drive's lifespan?

WD Internal Drives Desktop & Mobile Drives
1

Hello!

I own several RED 3 TB drives (WD30EFRX) which are installed in a NAS. Due to the fact that I use the NAS rather sparely and I want to save energy, the drives are set to suspend after 20 minutes. However, every time I power on my TV, it wakes up the drives due to the DLNA server running on the NAS.

I wonder if the thereof resulting high start_stop_count has a negative impact on the drives’ lifespan and thus it is advisable to let the drives suspend only after several hours of inactivity or even letting them run permanently?

Regards,

hanappol

2

Hi, the wd reds are made for 24/7 use, but I don’t think it will make a really big difference on how long they will last if you prefer to not let them be active all the time. 

3

I don’t agree. The MTBF of a disc that shall run 24x7 without power down is independant from the number of power cycles, because the mechanic that brings it to park position has a limit. I would let it run all time to get the maximum lifetime.