The 6TB WD Red is one of the first 6TB consumer drives. Sporting five large 1.2TB platters the Red is targeted at consumers for use in 1-8 bay NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. The large platters on the 6TB drive enable slightly faster peak read speeds than on the smaller capacity Reds. Comparing performance between the 2TB and 6TB versions shows that the 6TB version is between 10 and 15% faster. At current market prices ($300) the 6TB red isn't a bad value proposition and, considering that the 6TB Red is just a few months old, prices are likely to drop significantly over the coming months. [Oct '14HDrivePro]
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 '14HDrivePro]
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]
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.