WD Red Plus 1TB 2.5-inch NAS Hard Drive WD10JFCX: specs and who it suits

The Western Digital WD Red Plus 1TB (model WD10JFCX) is a 2.5-inch internal hard drive built for network-attached storage, or NAS. A NAS is a small always-on storage box that shares files across a home or office network. The Red range is designed for that job, as opposed to a drive in a desktop that is switched off every night. Here is what the listing's terms mean.

Why a NAS drive is different

A NAS drive typically runs around the clock, sits beside other drives in a tight enclosure, and has to cope with several users reading and writing at once. Western Digital says this drive is made for small and medium business NAS systems in a 24x7 environment, and for home-office users who share and archive files. It supports NAS enclosures of up to 8 bays, so it suits a small-to-mid-size array.

CMR versus SMR

The most important line on the listing is that this model uses CMR (conventional magnetic recording). Western Digital explains that it is being renamed "WD Red Plus" to tell it apart from the "WD Red" product that uses SMR (shingled magnetic recording).

In general, CMR writes data in separate, non-overlapping tracks. SMR overlaps tracks like roof shingles, which fits more data on the disc but can slow down sustained or random writes, because neighbouring tracks have to be rewritten. For RAID arrays and file systems such as ZFS, steady write behaviour matters, especially when an array rebuilds after a drive swap. The listing says the Red Plus is suited to RAID rebuilds on ZFS and other file systems.

The listing also says that during the transition, a Red Plus drive may arrive with a "WD Red" label, and that the model number confirms it is the CMR version. Check that your drive reads WD10JFCX.

5400 RPM class and workload rate

The drive is in the 5400 RPM performance class. Slower rotation typically means less noise, less heat and lower power use than 7200 RPM drives, which suits an enclosure that is always on. For a NAS, the network is often the limit on speed rather than the drive.

Western Digital also lists support for up to 180TB per year of workload rate, defined as the amount of user data transferred to or from the drive, annualized. This describes how much traffic the drive is designed to handle, not how much data it can hold.

NASware firmware

NASware is Western Digital's firmware tuning for NAS use. The listing says it provides compatibility. In general, that kind of firmware adjusts how the drive handles errors and recovery so that it works smoothly inside a RAID array.

Size and fit

The drive is a 2.5-inch model, about 3.9 x 2.8 inches and 0.4 inches thick (roughly 7mm, as typical for this format), and weighs about 0.3 lb. Western Digital lists a 16MB cache and a SATA 6Gb/s interface. It will only fit enclosures built for 2.5-inch drives.

Who it suits

It suits small NAS enclosures that take 2.5-inch drives, compact home or office file servers, and archives. At 1TB, it's a modest capacity, so larger libraries typically need bigger drives or more of them.

What to check before you buy

• Drive size: confirm your NAS takes 2.5-inch SATA drives, and its drive height limit.
• Compatibility: check your NAS maker's list of supported drives.
• Model number: confirm WD10JFCX on the label, as the listing recommends.
• Capacity plan: work out how much usable space you need after RAID redundancy.
• Backups: a NAS array is not a backup on its own.
• Warranty terms: Western Digital lists a 3-year limited warranty; read the current terms.

The short version

• A 1TB, 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s NAS hard drive, 5400 RPM class, with 16MB cache.
• Uses CMR, the model Western Digital renamed WD Red Plus to separate it from SMR WD Red.
• Designed for NAS systems of up to 8 bays running 24x7.
• NASware firmware and a workload rate of up to 180TB per year.
• 3-year limited warranty, as the listing states.

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