WDWD20EFRX
WDWD1003FZEX
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 305,324 user samples
64,359 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 86% 2TB free
Worst Bench: 45% 2TB free (System drive)
Poor: 45% Great: 86%
SPEED RANK: 150th / 1015
240,965 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 108% 836GB free
Worst Bench: 50% 413GB free (System drive)
Poor: 50% Great: 108%
SPEED RANK: 65th / 1015
Effective Speed
Effective HDD Speed
66.4 % 82.3 % Faster effective speed.
+24%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed
119 MB/s 152 MB/s Faster read speed.
+28%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed
112 MB/s 136 MB/s Faster write speed.
+21%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed
0.8 MB/s 1.23 MB/s Much faster random read.
+54%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed
2.27 MB/s 2.48 MB/s Slightly faster random write.
+9%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed
72.6 MB/s 88 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+21%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
0.89 MB/s 1.09 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+22%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed
112 MB/s 134 MB/s Faster sustained write speed.
+20%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed
155 MB/s 203 MB/s Much faster peak read speed.
+31%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed
144 MB/s 173 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+20%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed
1 MB/s 1.5 MB/s Much faster peak random read.
+50%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed
2.7 MB/s 3 MB/s Faster peak random write.
+11%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed
94.3 MB/s 111 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+18%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
1 MB/s 1.2 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+20%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average
148 MB/s 180 MB/s Faster peak sustained write speed.
+22%
Market Share
Based on 53,299,781 HDDs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.21 % 0.82 % Hugely higher market share.
+290%
Value
Value For Money
32.4 % 34.2 % Slightly better value.
+5%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
52 % 58 % More popular.
+12%
Price
Price (score)
$82 $48 Much cheaper.
+41%
Age
Newest
141 Months 126 Months More recent.
+11%
Capacity
Capacity
2TB 1TB
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The 2TB version of WD's Red NAS range of hard drives has a performance profile that is similar to that of its larger 3TB sibling. Both drives lag behind the group average significantly in terms of overall performance. With an average read speed of 108 MB/s the 2TB Red is 36% slower than the group leaders which manage an average of 147 MB/s. There is a huge amount of hype around the "NAS" aspects of these drives but there is very little substance in terms of specific characteristics that make this drive better suited to a NAS than any other. The obvious factors such as energy efficiency and operating temperature are only marginally improved on these drives. I would personally prefer one of the far better performing Seagate Barracudas as when looking at a direct comparison of the Barracuda vs the Red it's clear that the performance of the Barracuda is better across the board. [Feb '14 HDrivePro]

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This is the most recent version (2013 FZEX) of Western Digital's best performing consumer storage drive, its predecessor was the WD1002FAEX which is now four years old. With average sequential read/write speeds of 150 MB/s this version outperforms its predecessor by a whopping 50%. Small file random 4K speeds have remained broadly unchanged with average read/write rates of 0.9/2.19 MB/s. Overall the 2013 WD Black has a very good performance profile and it also represents reasonable value for money, at least in the 1TB category. There are some good alternatives to the 2013 Black including the 2012 Blue. Looking at the 2013 Black vs 2012 Blue shows that both drives have similar performance. Power consumption (6.8/6.1 Watts active/idle) and noise levels (29.5 dBA) are also identical making it a tough call between the two. There is however, as always, better value amongst the larger capacities. [Feb '14 HDrivePro]

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Hard Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 HDD Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures performance for typical consumers. Effective speed is adjusted by current cost per GB to yield value for money. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top HDDs. [HDrivePro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
How Fast Is Your HDD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $273Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $132Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $186Nvidia RTX 4070 $409Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $34Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $35Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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