The new 4TB WD Red Pro is an upgraded version of WD's popular Red NAS (Network Attached Storage). The Pro Reds have a rotation speed of 7200 RPM unlike their regular Red counterparts which are marketed as "IntelliPower" but actually spin at fixed speeds of 5400 or 5700 RPM depending on the exact model. Comparing the regular 3TB Red and the 4TB Pro shows that the pro version is significantly faster across the board. The biggest performance gains are seen in the small file 4K area and are a direct consequence of lower access times due to the higher rotation speed of the Pro Red. As well as offering better performance the Pro Reds have 5 year warranties vs 3 years on the regular Reds. Unfortunately it's not all good news as the Pro Red is priced around 50% higher than its regular Red sibling and thus currently represents average value for money at best. [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.