Average Bench: 66.4% (150th of 1015)

more Based on 64,359 user benchmarks.  Models: WDC WD20EFRX-68AX9N0, WDC WD20EFRX-68E, WDC WD20EFRX-68EUZNO, WDC WD20EFRX-68EUZN0, WD20EFRX-68EUZN, WDC WD20EFRX-60EUZN0, WDC WD20 EFRX-68AX9N0, WDC WD20 EFRX-68EUZN0, WD WD20EFRX-68EUZN0, WDC WD20EFRX-68A, WDC WD20EFRX-68G1SN0

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]

Above average average bench

The WD Red 2TB (2012) averaged 33.6% lower than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This isn't a great result which indicates that there are much faster alternatives on the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 0.89MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 2.27MB/s

Average consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the WD Red 2TB (2012) is 41.1%. This is a relatively wide range which indicates that the WD Red 2TB (2012) performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 72.6MB/s
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 112MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 64,359 samples)
Min Avg Max
72.9 Read 119 155
70.8 Write 112 144
38.6 Mixed 72.6 94.3
67.3 SusWrite 112 148
76.4% 104 MB/s
Min Avg Max
0.6 4K Read 0.8 1
0.8 4K Write 2.27 2.7
0.57 4K Mixed 0.89 1
174% 1.32 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest HDD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
2TB free
Firmware: 82.00A82
SusWrite @10s intervals: 148 149 151 151 150 151 MB/s
Read 169
Write 138
Mixed 99.8
SusWrite 150
102% 139 MB/s
4K Read 0.8
4K Write 2.7
4K Mixed 0.9
183% 1.47 MB/s
2TB free
Firmware: 80.00A80
SusWrite @10s intervals: 145 145 146 146 146 143 MB/s
Read 158
Write 156
Mixed 86.2
SusWrite 145
100% 136 MB/s
4K Read 0.8
4K Write 2.9
4K Mixed 1
198% 1.57 MB/s
465GB free
Firmware: 80.00A80
SusWrite @10s intervals: 102 102 104 103 103 100 MB/s
Read 103
Write 92.6
Mixed 65.9
SusWrite 102
67% 90.9 MB/s
4K Read 0.6
4K Write 2.6
4K Mixed 0.9
173% 1.37 MB/s
595GB free
Firmware: 80.00A80
SusWrite @10s intervals: 89 87 90 86 90 90 MB/s
Read 73.4
Write 72.7
Mixed 63
SusWrite 88.7
55% 74.4 MB/s
4K Read 0.7
4K Write 2.6
4K Mixed 0.8
166% 1.37 MB/s
752GB free
Firmware: 80.00A80
SusWrite @10s intervals: 26 27 42 30 28 37 MB/s
Read 53.4
Write 26.7
Mixed 13
SusWrite 31.7
23% 31.2 MB/s
4K Read 0.1
4K Write 0.4
4K Mixed 0.1
23% 0.2 MB/s
64,359 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 51,616,899 HDDs tested.

 Prices

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MSRP ≈ $116 @ launch in Jul '12
AmazonUS $6912 days
EbayUS $7018 mins
BHPhotoUS $824 years
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Typical Red 2TB (2012) Builds (Compare 21,112 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 78%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 87%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 74%
Battleship

Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING - $135

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 84% - Excellent Total price: $617

Popular Red 2TB (2012) compatible motherboards:

How Fast Is Your HDD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute.

Welcome to our freeware 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 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.
Hard Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) September 2023 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.

 Comments

1015 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list.

See how consistently different HDDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $316Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $30
Intel Core i5-12600K $215Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $397Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $60
Intel Core i5-12400F $140Nvidia RTX 4070-Ti $800Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $50
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $40Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $45SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $30Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $54G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $381SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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