Inquiry Regarding WD Black HDDs – CMR vs. SMR and Use Case Considerations

[ed]

(CMR vs. SMR)
Got it. The WD Black 10TB (WD102FZBX) and WD101FZBX are both CMR, so no concerns about SMR.

(24/7 Use)
WD Black is built for performance, not continuous operation like NAS drives. It can run 24/7, but for RAID or always-on setups, WD Red or IronWolf would be better.

(Cache Size)
The 512MB cache version offers slightly better performance, but for media storage, system RAM plays a bigger role. If the price is the same, 512MB is the better option, but the difference isn't huge.

I have two follow-up questions for you.

If I use a WD Red drive independently (not in a RAID setup), could its TLER feature, which prevents the hard drive from entering a deep recovery cycle, become an issue in the event of a failure? Would it affect data recovery or error handling differently compared to a drive without TLER, like the WD Black?

Hi there,
Many people successfully use WD Red drives in their PCs, even outside of RAID setups, without encountering issues. The TLER feature is primarily designed for RAID environments to prevent long error recovery times that could disrupt the entire array. However, when used independently in a PC, the TLER feature usually doesn't cause any problems with data recovery or error handling.
For most consumer setups, including personal PCs or NAS configurations, using a WD Red drive independently works just fine, and you'll likely experience no issues related to TLER.
Hope this helps!