I'm building a PC for storing and preserving a large collection of videos and music, and I'm deciding between a WD Red Plus and a WD Red Pro. The Pro costs about $30 more, has a faster 7200 RPM speed and a longer warranty, while the Plus runs at 5400 RPM and should be quieter and use less power. Since this will mainly be file storage rather than demanding workloads, I'm unsure whether the Pro's performance and warranty justify the extra cost. The Pro would need to be ordered online, while I can pick up the Plus locally today. I'm also wondering how much louder, hotter, and more power-hungry the Pro is, whether either model is preferable for long-term reliability, and whether WD or Seagate generally offers a better warranty replacement experience. If a drive arrives dead, would buying locally be safer than ordering online?
4 Answers
For a drive that might be dead on arrival, buying locally has a clear convenience advantage. You can test it and exchange it during the store’s return period instead of packaging it up and waiting for shipping. After that return window closes, the retailer usually matters much less because warranty service goes through the drive manufacturer. Online purchases can still be fine if the seller has good packaging, easy returns, and a reliable receipt history.
Whichever model you choose, don’t treat a single drive as a backup. RAID or parity can protect against a drive failure, but it won’t protect against accidental deletion, malware, or other data loss. Keep another copy on a separate external drive or use cloud storage if the amount of data makes that affordable. For a large collection, cloud storage can become expensive quickly, so a second local copy may be more practical.
Cloud storage can get very expensive for larger libraries. A multi-drive setup with parity plus a separate backup may be more realistic, but the important thing is having at least one copy that isn’t dependent on the main storage array.
Manufacturer warranty service is often fairly similar between major hard-drive brands: useful, but not especially fast or generous. The warranty shouldn’t be the only reason to choose the Pro, since a warranty does not recover your data. If you value lower noise and power use, get the Plus locally. If the extra warranty and 7200 RPM performance matter more and the price difference is small, the Pro is a reasonable upgrade.
For basic media storage, the Red Plus is probably fast enough. A 7200 RPM drive will generally have somewhat better transfer speeds and seek times, but the difference is unlikely to matter much when you’re mostly storing and playing large files. The Plus should be quieter and consume a little less power, while the Pro’s longer warranty and higher workload rating are its main advantages. If the Pro is only $30 more and the noise is acceptable, I’d lean toward it; otherwise, the Plus is a perfectly reasonable choice.
That makes sense. I’m mainly weighing the longer warranty against the extra noise, heat, and the hassle of shipping the drive back if it arrives faulty.
The immediate replacement is probably worth more than a small price difference if the local store has another drive in stock. Just make sure the purchase is tied to your account or that you keep the receipt.