HDD duty cycle

[fffblackmage]

Most consumer HDDs are made for normal use. Basically, the computer is turned on during the day, and turned off at night. So the typical duty cycle of the HDD is only a few to several hours in a given day.

I only just recently noticed that WD makes a series of HDDs for 24/7 use (these).

My question is: in a DVR or NAS (on 24/7), do these 24/7 HDDs last longer than traditional HDDs? Are they more reliable? Or is this just a mere marketing gimmick?

I ask because I've always thought that the greatest enemy for a mechanical device is the heating and cooling phase when turning on or off.

 

[nobb]

Im sure alot of people will comment saying that they've used X brand of consumer drive operating 24/7 and it's lasted Y years so there must not be any difference. Would be interested in hearing some definitive facts or statistics that show enterprise or DVR grade drives are physically more reliable than consumer grade drives. As of now I havent been able to find any data or information which suggests so.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

No they use RAID 1 for NAS setups otherwise servers etc prefer RAID 10 or 0+1