4 ms·

last I checked they still make you hunt for the CMR/SMR info on their webpage by having to match model numbers. Talk about scummy. Not to mention they did this

last I checked they still make you hunt for the CMR/SMR info on their webpage by having to match model numbers. Talk about scummy. Not to mention they did this with their NAS lineup, which is like hitting a hornet nest with a stick. The other thing HDD manufacturers apparently lie about is RPM. WD claims their WD Red are 5400 RPM when they are actually 7200[1]. Which just seems like a ridiculous thing to obfuscate if you ask me. Most consumers still think 7200 RPM is faster/better, and those shopping for 5400 for quiet are just going to get annoyed. [1] https://www.pcmag.com/news/western-digital-confuses-everyone-with-5400-rpm-class-hard-drives https://www.pcmag.com/news/western-digital-confuses-everyone...

willis936 5y ago
5400 RPM is also significantly lower power/heat and more reliable.
- bhj 5y ago
  Sadly some WD drives specced as 5400RPM are actually 7200RPM. Luckily, acoustics don't lie: https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/ikk0rv/psa_multiple_wd_5400rpm_drives_are_actually/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/ikk0rv/psa_mul...
- dragontamer 5y ago
  Unfortunately... it turns out WD is lying to you about 5400 RPM as well. A lot of those 5400 RPM drives are just lower-performance 7200 RPM drives. So you end up eating the power-costs and noise for no actual benefit. This company has consistently screwed its customers over for short-term gain over and over again.
livueta 5y ago
A little while ago I accidentally bought a couple SMR drives, despite knowing about the whole shitshow, despite checking the SNs, by mentally transposing one character at the end of a long SN. It's totally intentional and they can eat shit for it. I guess it was my just desserts for continuing to buy from them at all, though it's not like we're drowning in alternatives.
cptskippy 5y ago
Well rather than removing SMR from the Red line, they introduced the Red Plus line which they pinkie promise won't have SMR. WD built brand loyalty and trust around the easy branding the created with the Blue, Green, Black, Purple, and Red lines. People knew what they were getting when they bought a particular color. Now WD is leveraging that trust to trick people into purchasing a lesser product. When they were called on it their response was "Oh well here's what you really wanted but now it's a different product line". This benefits them because customers oblivious to the controversy will still buy the inferior product thinking it's something else and not knowing better.
908B64B197 5y ago
I still don't get why they lied about SMR. SMR drives aren't bad; you just need them for different applications and they require different software support. They knew that it was going to end up badly with storage arrays that were not SMR-aware.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- scns 5y ago
  To make more money?

willis936 5y ago

5400 RPM is also significantly lower power/heat and more reliable.

bhj 5y ago
Sadly some WD drives specced as 5400RPM are actually 7200RPM. Luckily, acoustics don't lie: https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/ikk0rv/psa_multiple_wd_5400rpm_drives_are_actually/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/ikk0rv/psa_mul...
dragontamer 5y ago
Unfortunately... it turns out WD is lying to you about 5400 RPM as well. A lot of those 5400 RPM drives are just lower-performance 7200 RPM drives. So you end up eating the power-costs and noise for no actual benefit. This company has consistently screwed its customers over for short-term gain over and over again.

livueta 5y ago

A little while ago I accidentally bought a couple SMR drives, despite knowing about the whole shitshow, despite checking the SNs, by mentally transposing one character at the end of a long SN. It's totally intentional and they can eat shit for it. I guess it was my just desserts for continuing to buy from them at all, though it's not like we're drowning in alternatives.

cptskippy 5y ago

Well rather than removing SMR from the Red line, they introduced the Red Plus line which they pinkie promise won't have SMR. WD built brand loyalty and trust around the easy branding the created with the Blue, Green, Black, Purple, and Red lines. People knew what they were getting when they bought a particular color. Now WD is leveraging that trust to trick people into purchasing a lesser product. When they were called on it their response was "Oh well here's what you really wanted but now it's a different product line". This benefits them because customers oblivious to the controversy will still buy the inferior product thinking it's something else and not knowing better.

908B64B197 5y ago

I still don't get why they lied about SMR. SMR drives aren't bad; you just need them for different applications and they require different software support. They knew that it was going to end up badly with storage arrays that were not SMR-aware.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
scns 5y ago
To make more money?