Table of Contents
Data access and storage requirements differ across all industries and even among the many personal use cases that exist. Because of this came the necessity to produce many different types of internal hard drive solutions to meet the different user needs and requirements. Here we break down the Western Digital WD red vs gold internal hard drives to see which one is the best fit for your needs.
WD Family of Hard Drives and the Red series Videos
A good place to start is by viewing these two Western Digital videos for a quick overview of the WD family of hard drives and the red series.
The total run time is around two minutes to view both informative videos.
WD Red vs Gold – Similarities
Quick Glance
Storage Capacity and Compatibility
Both the and the come with a range of capacities. We will be focusing on the 4TB for PCs. They will work with Windows and with Mac, however, you may have to reformat them when using Mac.
For those needing a WD, the WD Pro drives and the hold up to 18TB.
Interface
With the SATA 6.0 Gb/s interface supporting a bandwidth of up to 600MB, the WD Red and the WD Gold have the latest technology for connecting your hard drive to the motherboard of your computer. The SATA cable is not included.
Form Factor
The form factor is the size of the space that is required inside the PC. The WD Red and the WD Gold both have a form factor of 3.5 inches.
The Cache
The cache for the WD Red and the WD Gold is 256MB. This is an excellent size that will help with a smoother, faster transfer of data from your devices.
RoHS Compliant
The WD Red drive and the WD Gold drive are both ROHS compliant, meaning they have restricted use of hazardous substances. They are safer to use and better for the environment.
Now, we will turn to how the WD Red and the WD Gold are different.
Differences Between WD Red and WD Gold
Appearance
Although this is not the most significant difference, and the difference is slight, it is still worth a mention.
WD Red
We are very grateful to WD for keeping the names of their internal hard drives simple. This hard drive is red with 4TB clearly labeled. It measures 5.75 x 4 x 1.03 inches and weighs 1.30lbs.
WD Gold
Again, it’s a bold gold color with the 4TB well labeled. It measures the same at 5.75 x 4 x 1.03 inches but weighs a bit more at 1.76lbs.
The Winner Is- A Tie
Read next – WD Blue vs Black: Which Western Digital is Better?
Uses
They are interchangeable, so can be used for any situation where you need additional storage. But each hard drive has been designed to function in better environments.
WD Red
This is an internal hard drive for NAS environments. It is ideal for use in homes and in small businesses. It is designed to be used with up to 8 bays.
WD Gold
This hard drive is more suited for enterprise use. It can also be used in NAS and data center environments.
The Winner Is- The WD Gold Hard Drives!
RPM
Inside the hard drives, there is a disc that spins. RPM is the number of revolutions per minute. The higher the number, the faster the hard drive.
WD Red
This has an RPM of 5,400.
WD Gold
Here, you can benefit from a higher RPM of 7,200.
Winner Is- The WD Gold Series!
Read Next – WD Red vs Black: Which Western Digital is Better?
Reliability
Reliability can be measured in a number of ways, in particular, the workload rate and the MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure).
WD Red
This has a fairly average workload rate of 180TB per year. It has a 1 million-hour MTBF.
WD Gold
The numbers say a lot here. The workload rate is far higher at 550TB per year. The MTBF is also a lot longer at 2.5-million hours.
The Winner Is- The WD Gold
Read next – WD Elements vs My Book: Which Western Digital is Better?
Vibrations
Inside your PC, components tend to vibrate which can cause damage over time. It also contributes to the noise an internal hard drive makes.
WD Red
This comes with 3D Active Balance Plus, a dual-plane balance that reduces degradation over time by protecting the hard drive from excessive vibration and noise.
WD Gold
It has impressive monitoring electronics for enhanced vibration protection by correcting linear and rotational vibrations.
The Winner Is- A Tie
Pros and Cons
Just before our final verdict, we have some pros and cons of the WD Red and the WD Gold.
WD Red
Pros:
- The NASware 3.0 technology makes it easy to share and connect with other devices
- Great heavy-duty hard drives
- Installation is easy and doesn’t take long
Cons:
- It doesn’t come with anything for the installation
WD Gold
- Transfer speeds are excellent
- The hard drive doesn’t overheat at all
- Excellent value for money, especially with the 5-year limited warranty
Cons:
- It’s louder than the WD Red
WD Red vs Gold Infographic: Similarities and Differences
Choosing the right hard drive is not simply a question of which hard drive is better, but which hard drive is best for your needs and budget. This infographic boils it down so that you can quickly make the decision that is best for you.
The Final Verdict
Today’s winner is WD Gold. That being said, if you are looking for an internal hard drive for a serious NAS system, the WD Red is the better choice as it is still a fantastic hard drive. Both of these hard drives have good technology to protect them from vibrations and both have SATA 6.0Gb/s. The cache of these hard drives is brilliant to improve your data transfer.
It shouldn’t matter, but the design is very attractive, and the gold does make it look like a high-class hard drive. The installation was just as straightforward as the WD Red, but it is more powerful. The higher RPM and workload make a serious difference for businesses. This isn’t just on paper either. You will notice the higher performance of the WD Gold. It is actually a little cheaper than the WD Red too, which adds to its value for money.
Important Warranty Information
Warranties can change and may become void under certain conditions. The best way to be properly informed is to submit a warranty question to Amazon customer service.
Click here.
This will always supersede the information that is displayed here.
Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API