WD Red Plus 10TB WD101EFBX NAS hard drive: features, specs and uses

The WD Red Plus 10TB (model WD101EFBX) is a 3.5-inch internal hard drive made for network-attached storage, or NAS. A NAS is a small always-on box that stores and shares files across a home or office network. Drives inside one run for long stretches and work together in groups, so the drive is built differently from one in an ordinary desktop.

What a NAS drive is built for

Western Digital positions the Red Plus for small and medium business NAS systems and for home and small-office users with heavier workloads. The brand says it is designed for 24x7 operation, which is the main difference from a desktop drive that spends much of its day idle.

The listing says the drive is built and tested for NAS systems of up to eight bays. A bay is one drive slot in the enclosure. Eight bays is a size common in home and small-office units.

What CMR means

The listing title includes CMR, short for conventional magnetic recording. CMR drives write data in tracks that don't overlap, as opposed to shingled recording (SMR), which overlaps tracks to pack in more data. In general, CMR gives steadier write speeds, and that matters in RAID arrays and when an array is rebuilding after a drive swap. Western Digital names RAID rebuilding and ZFS and other file systems as intended uses.

Speed, cache and workload

• 7200 RPM: the platters spin at 7,200 rotations a minute, which typically gives quicker access than 5,400 RPM drives.
• Transfer rate: up to 215MB/s, the brand's figure for sequential data.
• 256MB cache: a buffer that helps smooth out bursts of reads and writes.
• SATA 6Gb/s: the standard interface, compatible with nearly all NAS enclosures and desktop SATA ports.
• Workload rate: up to 180TB per year. Western Digital defines this as the amount of user data transferred to or from the drive, annualized, and says it varies with your hardware, software and configuration.

Over a home network, the network connection, rather than the drive, is often the limit on speed.

NASware firmware

The listing mentions NASware firmware for compatibility. This is Western Digital's firmware tuning for NAS enclosures and RAID use, meant to help the drive work smoothly in multi-drive systems.

Capacity range and size

The 10TB drive is part of a range from 1TB to 14TB. It measures about 1.0 x 5.8 x 4.0 inches (2.5 x 14.7 x 10.2 cm) and weighs 1.6 lb (about 0.7 kg). Ten terabytes holds a large collection of photos, video, backups and documents. Several drives together in a RAID array can add redundancy, though redundancy does not replace separate backups.

Who it suits

It suits people building or upgrading a home or small-office NAS, those archiving large media libraries, and anyone who shares files between several devices. It isn't intended as a fast boot drive. A solid-state drive is the usual choice for that.

What to check before you buy

• Enclosure compatibility: confirm your NAS accepts 3.5-inch SATA drives and check the manufacturer's list of supported models.
• Bay count and RAID plan: decide how many drives you need and what level of redundancy.
• Matching drives: in a RAID array, similar drives are usually recommended.
• Noise and heat: hard drives make some sound and warmth; check airflow and where the NAS will sit.
• Backups: keep a separate copy of important files.
• Warranty: check the terms with the seller or the brand.

The short version

• A 10TB, 3.5-inch, 7200 RPM CMR hard drive with SATA 6Gb/s and 256MB cache.
• Made for NAS systems of up to eight bays, in 24x7 use.
• Up to 215MB/s transfer rate and up to 180TB per year workload rate, per the brand.
• NASware firmware for compatibility.
• Part of a 1TB to 14TB range.

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