{"id":8303,"date":"2019-04-09T17:20:49","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/G100-staging.web238.c14.webspace-verkauf.de\/?p=8027"},"modified":"2022-05-09T11:14:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T09:14:50","slug":"western-digital-blue-vs-black-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Digital Blue vs. Black Series - Which is best for your needs?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6684432400e89\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6684432400e89\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6684432400e89\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Overview_of_WD_Color-Themed_Hard_Drive_Series\" title=\"Overview of WD Color-Themed Hard Drive Series\">Overview of WD Color-Themed Hard Drive Series<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Why_WD_Blue_vs_WD_Black\" title=\"Why &#8220;WD Blue&#8221; vs. &#8220;WD Black&#8221;?\">Why &#8220;WD Blue&#8221; vs. &#8220;WD Black&#8221;?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#WD_Blue_Overview\" title=\"WD Blue Overview\">WD Blue Overview<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#WD_Black_Overview\" title=\"WD Black Overview\">WD Black Overview<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Comparison_By_Features\" title=\"Comparison By Features\">Comparison By Features<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Form_Factor\" title=\"Form Factor\">Form Factor<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Formatted_Capacity\" title=\"Formatted Capacity\">Formatted Capacity<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Cache\" title=\"Cache\">Cache<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Performance_Class_RPM\" title=\"Performance Class (RPM)\">Performance Class (RPM)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#LoadUnload_Cycles\" title=\"Load\/Unload Cycles\">Load\/Unload Cycles<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Average_Power_Requirements\" title=\"Average Power Requirements\">Average Power Requirements<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Acoustics\" title=\"Acoustics\">Acoustics<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Limited_Warranty\" title=\"Limited Warranty\">Limited Warranty<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#WD_Blue_vs_Black_compared_-_Summary_Table\" title=\"WD Blue vs Black compared - Summary Table\">WD Blue vs Black compared - Summary Table<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/western-digital-blue-vs-black-series\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>When it comes to hard drive brands, it\u2019s difficult to find a more famous and trusted name than <strong>Western Digital Corporation<\/strong> (<em>otherwise known as <\/em><strong>WD<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fool.com\/investing\/2020\/01\/28\/better-buy-seagate-technology-vs-western-digital-c.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>WD competes with Seagate<\/strong><\/a> in the battle for global market share.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For more than 2 decades<\/strong> WD has carved out an enviable reputation for rolling out some of the most <strong>reliable and sought-after<\/strong> drives in the world.<\/p>\n<p>WD not only sells hard drives to computer manufacturers but also <strong>directly to consumers<\/strong> who are looking to replace their current drives or expand their storage.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overview_of_WD_Color-Themed_Hard_Drive_Series\"><\/span>Overview of WD Color-Themed Hard Drive Series<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8194\" title=\"Western Digital Colors Overview\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Western-Digital-Colors-Overview-1.jpg\" alt=\"Western Digital Colors Overview\" width=\"838\" height=\"216\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8194 lazyload\" title=\"Western Digital Colors Overview\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20838%20216%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Western Digital Colors Overview\" width=\"838\" height=\"216\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Western-Digital-Colors-Overview-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>WD's hard drive lineup consists of several series that are distinguished by a <strong>color-based<\/strong> naming scheme.<\/p>\n<p>These are <strong>WD Blue, WD Green, WD Black, WD Red, WD Purple, <\/strong>and <strong>WD Gold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Using colors is intended to simplify the process of hard disk selection while making it easier to remember what each line of hard disks is best suited for.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13260\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black.jpg\" alt=\"Western Digital HDD Colors - Line-up showing all colors including blue and black\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13260 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Western Digital HDD Colors - Line-up showing all colors including blue and black\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black-768x768.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/Western-Digital-HDD-Colors-Line-up-showing-all-colors-including-blue-and-black.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>While most of the different WD hard disks can serve <em>almost<\/em> any hard disk function, it helps to think about the different series as <strong>different types<\/strong> of footwear.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas no one can stop you from wearing sneakers and sandals whenever you choose, each is designed and <strong>optimized for certain<\/strong> <strong>workloads<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, some WD drives will be unable to keep up with user demands while others may be overkill in certain scenarios.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure you procure the WD disk you need<strong>,<\/strong> and only pay as much as is necessary, it\u2019s essential that you have a good grasp of what each WD series has been <em>made for<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick rundown:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8137\" style=\"width: 272px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8137\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8137 hoverZoomLink\" title=\"WD Blue HDDs\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Blue-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Blue\" width=\"272\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8137\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8137 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" title=\"WD Blue HDDs\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20272%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Blue\" width=\"272\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Blue-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8137\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"WD Blue 2TB PC Hard Drive - 5400 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb\/s, 64 MB Cache, 3.5 - WD20EZRZ\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/wd-blue-2tb-pc-hard-drive-5400-rpm-class-sata-6-gb-s-64-mb-cache-3-5-wd20ezrz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">WD Blue<\/a> <\/strong>is considered an <strong>all-rounder <\/strong>and is popular for <strong>basic, general purpose<\/strong> PC storage.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the series with the <strong>cheapest<\/strong> models but the drives can be relatively noisy compared to some of the other hard drive series.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8139\" style=\"width: 269px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8139\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8139\" title=\"WD Green SSDs\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Green\" width=\"269\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8139\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8139 lazyload\" title=\"WD Green SSDs\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20269%20180%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Green\" width=\"269\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20269%20180%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 269w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital-768x514.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Green-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8139\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WD Green <\/strong>used to consist of hard disk drives with notably lower performance than WD Blue ones, which made up for it by being more <strong>eco friendly<\/strong>, less noisy, while generating less heat.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;Green&#8221; series has now removed mechanical hard drives and replaced them with entry-level SSDs only.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8136\" style=\"width: 271px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8136\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8136 hoverZoomLink\" title=\"WD Black HDDs\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Black-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Black\" width=\"271\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8136\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8136 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" title=\"WD Black HDDs\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20271%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Black\" width=\"271\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Black-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WD Black <\/strong>is one of the <strong>more expensive<\/strong> options due to its <strong>high performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The high speed and large cache have made it the drive of choice for both <strong>home and enterprise<\/strong> desktop applications requiring <strong>heavy<\/strong> <strong>computing<\/strong> such as audiovisual content creation, rendering, and gaming.<\/p>\n<p>It comes with a<strong> 5-year warranty.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8140\" style=\"width: 151px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8140\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8140\" title=\"WD Purple HDD\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Purple-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Purple\" width=\"151\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8140\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8140 lazyload\" title=\"WD Purple HDD\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20151%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Purple\" width=\"151\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Purple-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WD Purple <\/strong>works well with <strong>24\/7 operations<\/strong> such as CCTV surveillance. The drives are built to spend much of their time <strong>writing continuous data streams<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8141\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8141\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8141 hoverZoomLink\" title=\"WD Red HDDs\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Red-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Red\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8141\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8141 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" title=\"WD Red HDDs\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20300%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Red\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Red-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8141\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WD Red <\/strong>is the Network Access Storage (NAS) drive. It is <strong>purpose-built for NAS systems<\/strong> that demand continuous operations, 24\/7.<\/p>\n<p>The WD Red series is <strong>designed to endure the thermal envelope and constant vibrations<\/strong> inherent to multi-drive systems.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8138\" style=\"width: 154px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8138\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8138\" title=\"WD Gold HDD\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Gold-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"WD Gold\" width=\"154\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8138\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8138 lazyload\" title=\"WD Gold HDD\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20154%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Gold\" width=\"154\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Gold-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8138\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WD Gold, <\/strong>as the name suggests, is <strong>the most premium<\/strong> WD drive and is built for a wide range of <strong>enterprise<\/strong> <strong>cold storage and data center operations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Like the WD Black series, WD Gold has a <strong>5-year warranty<\/strong> and is recommended for web servers and virtual machines.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_WD_Blue_vs_WD_Black\"><\/span>Why &#8220;WD Blue&#8221; vs. &#8220;WD Black&#8221;?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Many consumers contemplating buying a WD disk will likely find that their decision comes down to a choice between the <strong>WD Blue<\/strong> and <strong>WD Black<\/strong> series.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Let's take a closer look:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WD_Blue_Overview\"><\/span>WD Blue Overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7960\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/03\/WD-Blue-Desktop-hero.jpg.thumb_.1280.1280.jpg\" alt width=\"836\" height=\"470\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7960 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20836%20470%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"836\" height=\"470\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/03\/WD-Blue-Desktop-hero.jpg.thumb_.1280.1280.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>WD Blue<\/strong> is the series with the <strong>most comprehensive<\/strong> <strong>WD product line-up<\/strong>. It is the go-to series for ordinary PC users looking for average, everyday home PC performance, reliability, and efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Its broad application has made it <strong>WD\u2019s most popular series to date.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The WD Blue series is a balanced mix of affordability, high capacity, and fast speeds.<\/p>\n<p>From storage of spreadsheets and word processing documents to large music, video, and picture files, the WD Blue <strong>scores well on cost and performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t sure what WD drive you require, WD Blue would be a safe bet. It\u2019s a good starting point for the average customer.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8202\" style=\"width: 180px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8202\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8202 hoverZoomLink\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Blue-Box.jpg\" alt=\"WD Blue Box\" width=\"180\" height=\"260\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8202\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8202 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20180%20260%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Blue Box\" width=\"180\" height=\"260\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Blue-Box.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8202\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Advanced seeking algorithms and power management features lower overall power consumption, while the <strong>NoTouch Ramp Load Technology<\/strong> carefully positions the drive-head off the surface of the disk to improve the safety of your data.<\/p>\n<p>The capacity of WD Blue drives varies from <strong>250GB to 6TB<\/strong> and has spindle speeds of either 5,400 RPM or 7,200 RPM.<\/p>\n<p>The WD Blue <em>does lack<\/em> certain advanced features such as vibration protection, but you do get a <strong>2-year warranty.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WD_Black_Overview\"><\/span>WD Black Overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7961\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/03\/WD-Black-Desktop-Hero.jpg.thumb_.1280.1280.jpg\" alt width=\"837\" height=\"470\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7961 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20837%20470%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt width=\"837\" height=\"470\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/03\/WD-Black-Desktop-Hero.jpg.thumb_.1280.1280.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>WD Black<\/strong> series has proven popular for gaming PCs and enterprise workstations. It\u2019s built for <strong>sturdy performance<\/strong> at the consumer-level and comes with a <strong>5-year warranty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you are a gamer, photographer, <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-computer-for-video-editing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>video editor<\/strong><\/a>, or digital artist, WD Black\u2019s <strong>focus on performance will keep your creative juices flowing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Available in <strong>up to 10TB<\/strong> capacity, the WD Black series can realize breathtaking read rates and transfer speeds with a DRAM cache of as much as 256MB on the top-line models.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8201\" style=\"width: 183px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8201\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8201 hoverZoomLink\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Black-Box.jpg\" alt=\"WD Black Box\" width=\"183\" height=\"260\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8201\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8201 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20183%20260%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"WD Black Box\" width=\"183\" height=\"260\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/WD-Black-Box.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8201\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p>WD\u2019s <strong>Dynamic Cache Technology<\/strong> optimizes cache allocation in real time between reads and writes to <strong>maximize performance<\/strong> in tandem with the needs of a specific workload.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>StableTrac Technology<\/strong> on WD Black models <strong>2TB and higher<\/strong> ensures more accurate tracking and therefore enhances the <strong>efficiency and reliability of read and write operations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The motor shaft is secured which reduces the impact of system-induced vibrations emanating from other drive components.<\/p>\n<p>WD Black hard drives may heat up more than other series and also make significantly more noise. Still, it\u2019s <strong>more than worth<\/strong> <strong>it<\/strong> if you are looking for a drive that performs <strong>better than the typical<\/strong> low-cost PC HDD.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Comparison_By_Features\"><\/span>Comparison By Features<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the basics of each out of the way, we can now dive into the specifics of how the two WD series compare on the major features.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Form_Factor\"><\/span>Form Factor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Form-factor refers to the <strong>size<\/strong> of a hard drive. The <strong>two most common<\/strong> form factors are <strong>3.5-inch<\/strong> for Desktop PC hard drives and <strong>2.5-inch<\/strong> for laptop and mobile hard drives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8181\" title=\"Form Factors\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Form-Factor.jpg\" alt=\"Form Factors\" width=\"289\" height=\"240\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8181 lazyload\" title=\"Form Factors\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20289%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Form Factors\" width=\"289\" height=\"240\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Form-Factor.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>These two form-factors have been a mainstay of the computer industry since 1983 (for the 3.5-inch) and 1988 (for the 2.5-inch).<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.5-inch<\/strong> hard drives can fit in smaller enclosures hence their suitability for laptop and mobile use. They have a lower seek time since the drive head travels a shorter distance.<\/p>\n<p>They also require less power to operate than desktop drives, and are more likely to withstand the rigors of shipping and movement.<\/p>\n<p>2.5-inch drives are nevertheless typically of <strong>lower capacity<\/strong> and are also <strong>more expensive<\/strong> per gigabyte of storage.<\/p>\n<p>Both the WD Blue and WD Black series come in 2.5-inch (mobile) and 3.5-inch (PC) form factors.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Formatted_Capacity\"><\/span>Formatted Capacity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>formatted capacity<\/strong> of a hard drive refers to the <strong>total amount<\/strong> of information in bytes that can theoretically be stored on it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8147\" title=\"Formatted Capacity\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Formatted-Capacity-1.png\" alt=\"Formatted Capacity\" width=\"535\" height=\"63\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8147 lazyload\" title=\"Formatted Capacity\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20535%2063%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Formatted Capacity\" width=\"535\" height=\"63\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Formatted-Capacity-1.png\"><\/p>\n<p>The Western Digital Black Series does come in higher capacities (up to 10TB), so if you are in need of a large quantity of high-performance storage, the Black Series is for you.<\/p>\n<p>WD Blue currently tops out at 6TB maximum capacity.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cache\"><\/span>Cache<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A hard drive\u2019s cache is also referred to as the disk\u2019s <em>buffer<\/em>. It isn\u2019t given as much attention as the headline features of a drive, yet it plays a <strong>substantial<\/strong> role in how fast the drive ultimately is.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8132\" style=\"width: 284px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8132\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8132 hoverZoomLink\" title=\"HDD Cache\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Cache-Western-Digital.jpg\" alt=\"Cache\" width=\"284\" height=\"220\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8132\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8132 hoverZoomLink lazyload\" title=\"HDD Cache\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20284%20220%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Cache\" width=\"284\" height=\"220\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Cache-Western-Digital.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8132\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Western Digital<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The cache serves as a <strong>temporary memory<\/strong> when the drive reads and writes data permanently on the platters.<\/p>\n<p>It is used to hold a copy of the <strong>most frequently used data<\/strong> so that the HDD doesn't have to work hard for smaller operations while finalizing initial writes quickly in order to speed up copying small files into the drive.<\/p>\n<p>This is critical in a computer, as the more cache there is, the faster the system can work.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13261\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work.jpg\" alt=\"How Does HDD Cache Work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13261 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"How Does HDD Cache Work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/04\/How-Does-HDD-Cache-Work.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The WD Black PC hard drive models have a cache of between <strong>64MB to 256MB<\/strong>. The WD Black <strong>mobile<\/strong> hard drives range from <strong>32MB to 64MB<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The WD Blue <strong>mobile<\/strong> series is equipped with a cache ranging from <strong>8MB to 128MB<\/strong> while the <strong>PC<\/strong> models of the WD Blue drives feature a cache of between <strong>32MB and 256MB<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, WD Blue and WD Black <strong>both offer up to 256MB<\/strong> of cache in their PC lines.<\/p>\n<p>At the <strong>2.5-inch<\/strong> mobile hard drive <strong>class<\/strong> though, the differences are more nuanced. The WD Blue mobile series has models with <strong>128MB<\/strong> cache which is unavailable for any of the WD Black mobile series.<\/p>\n<p>However, WD Blue also has models at <strong>8MB<\/strong> which is much lower than the minimum <strong>32MB<\/strong> of WD Black mobile series.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Performance_Class_RPM\"><\/span>Performance Class (RPM)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>performance<\/strong> of a hard drive is <strong>heavily dependent<\/strong> <strong>on its spindle speed,<\/strong> in revolutions per minute (RPM).<\/p>\n<p>Whereas you can find hard drives in the market registering at 15,000 RPM, by far the most common hard drives are those at <strong>5,400 RPM<\/strong> or <strong>7,200 RPM.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8134\" style=\"width: 346px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8134\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8134\" title=\"HDD Rotating\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/RPM-randomwire-com.jpg\" alt=\"Performance Class (RPM)\" width=\"346\" height=\"240\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8134\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8134 lazyload\" title=\"HDD Rotating\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20346%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Performance Class (RPM)\" width=\"346\" height=\"240\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/RPM-randomwire-com.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: randomwire.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Drives that operate at <strong>7,200 RPM<\/strong> offer quicker read\/write speeds thus delivering faster execution of programs and transfer of files. On the down side, 7,200 RPM drives will <strong>cost more<\/strong>, all other factors constant.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the higher RPM is accompanied by more power consumption, more heat, move vibration, more noise, and a <strong>shorter lifespan.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A 7,200 RPM drive is about <strong>20 percent faster<\/strong> than a 5,400 RPM drive, which <em>isn\u2019t<\/em> much if you are <em>not<\/em> looking for performance. Higher RPM <em>may<\/em> seem to be the obvious choice, but lower RPM is advantageous if you are storing large files.<\/p>\n<p>With the exception of two PC models that run at 7,200 RPM, all models in the WD Blue mobile and PC series come with <strong>5,400 RPM<\/strong>. For the WD Black series, all mobile and PC drives operate at 7,200 RPM.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LoadUnload_Cycles\"><\/span>Load\/Unload Cycles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A single load\/unload cycle is initiated by the disk drive first readying itself for operation through <strong>spinning up<\/strong> the spindle and thus the disk beginning to rotate.<\/p>\n<p>This action is a necessary precursor for the read\/write heads to be activated and the commencement of capture and creation of data.<\/p>\n<p>Once the read\/write operation is complete, the disk unloads, stops rotation and returns the read\/write heads to their safe position.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8180\" title=\"HDD Load\/Unload Mechanism\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Load-Unload-Mechanism.jpg\" alt=\"Load\/Unload Mechanism\" width=\"340\" height=\"240\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8180 lazyload\" title=\"HDD Load\/Unload Mechanism\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20340%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Load\/Unload Mechanism\" width=\"340\" height=\"240\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Load-Unload-Mechanism.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The higher the load\/unload cycles a hard disk is indicated to have, the longer it is expected to last.<\/p>\n<p>Load\/unload cycles are considered <strong>one of the more important<\/strong> <strong>disk reliability metrics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Both the WD Blue and WD Black <strong>mobile drives<\/strong> are built for <strong>600,000<\/strong> load\/unload cycles while the <strong>PC drives<\/strong> of each series are designed for <strong>300,000<\/strong> cycles.<\/p>\n<p>The higher figure for mobile drives is because smaller form factor hard disks spin down more on average than their desktop counterparts as a means of <strong>saving battery life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Average_Power_Requirements\"><\/span>Average Power Requirements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The average power requirements for the <strong>WD Blue PC<\/strong> <strong>series<\/strong> ranges from <strong>3.3W to 6.8W<\/strong> for read\/write, <strong>2.3W to 6.1W<\/strong> for idle, and <strong>0.24W to 1.2W<\/strong> for standby and sleep.<\/p>\n<p>For the <strong>WD Black PC<\/strong> <strong>series<\/strong>, the power requirements are <strong>6.8W to 9.5W<\/strong> for read\/write, <strong>5.8W to 8.1W<\/strong> for idle, and <strong>0.8W to 1.3W<\/strong> standby and sleep.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8157\" style=\"width: 346px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8157\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8157\" title=\"HDD Power\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Power-ericbye.com_.jpg\" alt=\"Average Power Requirements\" width=\"346\" height=\"240\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8157\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8157 lazyload\" title=\"HDD Power\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20346%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Average Power Requirements\" width=\"346\" height=\"240\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Power-ericbye.com_.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8157\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: ericbye.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The <strong>WD Black mobile series<\/strong> requires <strong>2.0W<\/strong> for read\/write, <strong>0.85W<\/strong> for idle, and <strong>0.25W<\/strong> during standby and sleep.<\/p>\n<p>For the <strong>2.5-inch WD Blue series<\/strong>, we are talking <strong>1.4W to 1.7W<\/strong> for read\/write, <strong>0.5W to 0.8W<\/strong> when idle and <strong>0.1W<\/strong> <strong>to<\/strong> <strong>0.2W<\/strong> when on standby\/sleep.<\/p>\n<p>From these measurements, for the PC hard drives, we notice that the <strong>WD Black<\/strong> <strong>series requires<\/strong> <strong>more power<\/strong> than the WD Blue series.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This is flipped<\/strong> <strong>for the mobile<\/strong> <strong>models<\/strong> of each series where the WD Blue disks will consume more power on average than the WD Black models.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Acoustics\"><\/span>Acoustics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Noise levels<\/strong> are a key measure in determining the environmental impact of a hard drive. How do the WD Blue and WD Black series compare?<em><br>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7138\" title=\"Noise Measuring\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement.jpg\" alt=\"Case Fan Noise Measurement\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7138 lazyload\" title=\"Noise Measuring\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20360%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Case Fan Noise Measurement\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20360%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement-768x512.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/10\/Case-Fan-Noise-Measurement.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Well, <strong>WD Blue desktop <\/strong>hard drives (3.5&#8243;) have a noise level of <strong>21-29 dBA<\/strong> when idle and <strong>24-30 dBA<\/strong> on average when seeking. <strong>WD Blue mobile<\/strong> hard drives feature noise levels of <strong>17-24 dBA<\/strong> when idle and <strong>21-25 dBA<\/strong> on average when seeking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WD Black PC<\/strong> hard drives have noise levels of <strong>29 dBA<\/strong> when idle and <strong>30-36 dBA<\/strong> when seeking. <strong>WD Black mobile<\/strong> hard drives generate <strong>23-24 dBA<\/strong> when idle and <strong>25-35 dBA<\/strong> on average when seeking.<\/p>\n<p>T<strong>he WD Blue series is less noisy<\/strong>. This comes at the cost of having a lower overall performance when compared to the WD Black series.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limited_Warranty\"><\/span>Limited Warranty<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As electro-mechanical equipment, a hard drive will sometimes run into hardware and firmware problems long before it reaches the projected end of useful life.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8135\" style=\"width: 453px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8135\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8135\" title=\"Broken HDD\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Warranty-prosofteng-com.jpg\" alt=\"Limited Warranty\" width=\"453\" height=\"240\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8135\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8135 lazyload\" title=\"Broken HDD\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20453%20240%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Limited Warranty\" width=\"453\" height=\"240\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/04\/Warranty-prosofteng-com.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-8135\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: prosofteng.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A warranty is geared to cover this cost as part of the after-sales customer service. WD provides a <strong>limited warranty for both<\/strong> <strong>its WD Blue and WD Black series<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a limited warranty because not just any problem with the hard drive will be covered and not under all circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>WD Blue<\/strong> series is covered by a<strong> 2-year warranty,<\/strong> while the <strong>WD Black<\/strong> is under a <strong>5-year warranty<\/strong>. So if you are comparing the two series on the basis of warranty alone, the WD Black series would clearly have the edge.<\/p>\n<p><em>Note<\/em> that for the warranty to be executed, the product must have been purchased from an authorized reseller or authorized distributor. It must be returned to an authorized warranty region return center.<\/p>\n<p>Unless otherwise indicated, no limited warranty is provided if the WD Blue or WD Black hard disk was bought as a component integrated with a third-party system by the system manufacturer.<\/p>\n<p>This should not be confused with component drives (i.e. internal drives sold by WD) as these are by default covered by the warranty.<\/p>\n<p><em>Nevertheless,<\/em> the nature and extent of the product warranty will differ depending on the warranty region as well as the type of purchase transaction.<\/p>\n<p>You can use <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/support-en.wd.com\/app\/warrantystatus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WD\u2019s Warranty Status Check<\/a><\/strong> service to confirm the status of your warranty.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WD_Blue_vs_Black_compared_-_Summary_Table\"><\/span>WD Blue vs Black compared - Summary Table<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The following table sums up the key differences between the <strong>WD Blue<\/strong> and <strong>WD Black<\/strong> series:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-53\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-53 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\"><strong>Feature\/Attribute<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-2\"><strong>WD Blue<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"column-3\"><strong>WD Black<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Form Factor<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">2.5-inch (mobile)<br>\n<br>\n3.5-inch (PC)<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">2.5-inch (mobile)<br>\n<br>\n3.5-inch (PC)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Capacity<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">320GB to 6TB<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">250GB to 6TB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Load\/Unload Cycles<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">600,000 (mobile)<br>\n<br>\n300,000 (PC)<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">600,000 (mobile)<br>\n<br>\n300,000 (PC)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Interface<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">SATA III<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">SATA III<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Spindle Speed<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">5,400 RPM (mobile)<br>\n<br>\n5,400 - 7,200 RPM (PC)<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">7,200 RPM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Host to\/from drive transfer rate (Sustained)<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Up to 175MB\/s (6TB)<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Up to 256MB\/s (6TB)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Buffer to host transfer rate<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">6 Gb\/s<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">6 Gb\/s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Cache<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">8MB to 256MB<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">32MB to 256MB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Acoustics\/Noise When Idle (dBA)<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">17-29<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">23-29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Acoustics\/Noise When Seeking (dBA) on average<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">21-30<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">25-36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Price<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">From $36.99<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">From $51.99<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-13 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Warranty<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Two years<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Five years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-14 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Use<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Home<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Work and Gaming<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-53 from cache -->\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The WD <strong>series<\/strong> and <strong>model<\/strong> that will be most suitable for your need <strong>depends on your workloads<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Although, with <strong>SSDs<\/strong> ruling the operating system storage role, <strong>HDDs'<\/strong> role in the PC market is now rather focused on its use as <strong>secondary storage for archiving and backups but not necessarily as an <em>active<\/em> work drive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The average home user that uses HDDs for backups and archiving, will not need the performance or want the extra cost involved with purchasing a Black Series HDD.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Blue Series HDD will suffice for these workloads in combination with an SSD for use as an active work drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While this article has covered the two series in quite some detail, if you are <em>still<\/em> having difficulty making a choice or would like additional clarification, you can <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/support-en.wd.com\/app\/answers\/list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out WD\u2019s Knowledge Base<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>That's about it from our side. What Hard Drive are you thinking of buying? Let us know in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to hard drive brands, it\u2019s difficult to find a more famous and trusted name than Western Digital Corporation (otherwise known as WD). WD competes with Seagate in the battle for global market share. For more than 2 decades WD has carved out an enviable reputation for rolling out some of the most...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":8286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[184,201],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8303"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17233,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8303\/revisions\/17233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}