Western Digital RE4 good?

[computerguy1234]

Hi, I am planning on building a new computer and was wondering if the WD RE4 500gb is good for my needs. I have seen many hard drives with many bad reviews, so i was trying to find the one with the best reviews and seemed like the most reliable. This is my build:

-Intel core i5 3570k
-Corsair CX 430
-Nvidia GTX 660 (NON-TI)
-Cooler master Storm Scout Case
-Corsair vengence red 2X4gb 2133mhz
-Biostar TZ77XE3 Motherboard

I know that the RE4 is made for like 24/7 use and servers. But i am going to use it for gaming and video editing around 5 - 9 hours a day. I don't really want to go with the caviar black because i feel like its to risky and i really want and a really long lasting hard drive, like 5 years +. So should i get the RE4 for what I am using it for?

[Golgatha]

Originally Posted by computerguy1234

Hi, I am planning on building a new computer and was wondering if the WD RE4 500gb is good for my needs. I have seen many hard drives with many bad reviews, so i was trying to find the one with the best reviews and seemed like the most reliable. This is my build:

-Intel core i5 3570k
-Corsair CX 430
-Nvidia GTX 660 (NON-TI)
-Cooler master Storm Scout Case
-Corsair vengence red 2X4gb 2133mhz
-Biostar TZ77XE3 Motherboard

I know that the RE4 is made for like 24/7 use and servers. But i am going to use it for gaming and video editing around 5 - 9 hours a day. I don't really want to go with the caviar black because i feel like its to risky and i really want and a really long lasting hard drive, like 5 years +. So should i get the RE4 for what I am using it for?

The RE4 drives are a solid choice. With Z77 motherboards, you could always add in a 64GB or less sized drive for SSD caching. That would help with the video editing a lot I would think. I personally like the Crucial M4 drives. Nothing be positive experiences with using them. My older G2 80GB Intel drives are still humming along well too.

[kleinkinstein]

You know your data, but 500GB is really small by today's standards. You're also paying a significant premium for RE4's, where a Barracuda would put you way ahead in savings...maybe enough for your first ssd. Are all those other parts already purchased? If not, you can improve.

[996GT2]

For consumer use, a Caviar Black is probably a better option in terms of value for money. You're getting the same 5 year warranty as the RE4.

Regardless of what hard drive you get, there is no guarantee of reliability! You could buy the cheapest, lowest quality hard drive out there and it might just end up lasting 10 years, and you could spend big bucks on an RE4 and it might turn out to be a lemon after 5 months. You should always back up important data.

[computerguy1234]

no, none of these items have been purchased yet. But i was trying to avoid going with Seagate because i heard that Seagate has been going through lots more trouble then WD lately. I currently have a WD drive running my computer that has worked flawlessly for 6 years with no trouble at all.

[996GT2]

Originally Posted by computerguy1234

no, none of these items have been purchased yet. But i was trying to avoid going with Seagate because i heard that Seagate has been going through lots more trouble then WD lately. I currently have a WD drive running my computer that has worked flawlessly for 6 years with no trouble at all.

Don't go buying a RE4 thinking it will never fail. Any hard drive can fail at any time. I've had Seagate drives fail, but also high-end WD drives fail. If you care about your data, get a second drive to back up your data with.

Even 2 Seagates (1 for storage, 1 for backup) will be more reliable than a single RE4.

[blastingcap]

I had a pair of RE3s which were fine. I used them separately, in two PCs, as boot drives.

[COPOHawk]

I have used RE2 and RE3 drives with great success (about 7 total). I would buy them even over a WD Black (which I like). However, I don't trust any HDD or SSD not to fail...ALWAYS have a backup.

I am going to build a new SBS 2011 server for myself...and am going to use 3 of the 1 TB WD RE4 drives in a RAID 1 array (1 hot spare)....chipset RAID. I can already hear the naysayers...but I have had good luck with Intel MOBO RAID-1 in the past. I always migrate to a new server after 3 years...and have multiple backups.

HTH

[Insert_Nickname]

Originally Posted by 996GT2

Regardless of what hard drive you get, there is no guarantee of reliability! You could buy the cheapest, lowest quality hard drive out there and it might just end up lasting 10 years, and you could spend big bucks on an RE4 and it might turn out to be a lemon after 5 months. You should always back up important data.

Spot on. I have had el cheapo drives that have lasted a decade and a Black that died within two months.

The only certainty with HDD's is that they fail sooner or later, therefore BACKUP, BACKUP and BACKUP. You can NEVER be too paranoid with important data...

[beginner99]

My 2 Cent:

- get a 128/256 Gb ssd + green type hdd
- or a caviar black or equivalnet (barracuda,...)

caviar black is just as fast but cheaper.

[docp]

i suggest stay away from wd green.
I had nothing but trouble.

[beginner99]

Originally Posted by docp

i suggest stay away from wd green.
I had nothing but trouble.

Don't use them to put on the OS (especially not linux) but for file storage the are great (cheap).

[computerguy1234]

But the thing is that i don't have enough money in my budget to put in a back up hard drive.

[Emulex]

get the SAS version of the RE4. It is far more stable than sata. (IOEDC + IOECC).

I've used the old 2TB RE4's solid for years D2D2D, they get filled every night, then read all day.

solid. Now that they have SAS - even better.

4TB SAS RE4 w00t.

Then use 3 of them to form a RAID (3 drive raid-1) and you'll have speed and reliability and if you lose one you can rebuild in a safe timely fashion.