WD Easystore External Discussion

mattchapman said:
Just got my NESN 8TB order in. Both were White Label EMAZ drives :( Seems the true Red's are drying up.
I have Corsair CX 430 PSU which is about 5 years old so I guess I'll need to fix the 3.3v pin.
Anyone have a good tutorial on that? I hear buying a SATA III extension and clipping one of the cable works??

thanks
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Yes, you can do either of those.
 
My price rewind was just accepted and paid on the in store purchase of two of these. I can confirm it does work and was absolutely painless. Purchased two NESN in store for $199 each and received $70 back for each for a final price of $129 each.
 
PapaPhive said:
My price rewind was just accepted and paid on the in store purchase of two of these. I can confirm it does work and was absolutely painless. Purchased two NESN in store for $199 each and received $70 back for each for a final price of $129 each.
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This is not a bad idea. I have a few Citi cards and never knew this. Gonna have to try this now moving forward. Best Buy loves to bring on sales all the way down to 129.99 occasionally.
 
d.v. said:
This is not a bad idea. I have a few Citi cards and never knew this. Gonna have to try this now moving forward. Best Buy loves to bring on sales all the way down to 129.99 occasionally.
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Absolutely. I've already gotten 1500 back this year. Plus the extra 2 year warranty on top of the manufacturer warranty is amazing :)
 
Citi will sometimes make you jump thru a hoop or two, send them a copy of a CC statement or something. I needed some Intel 4 port and 10GbE adapters this year. With all the bootlegs out there, I ordered them from 100% safe vendors and just did price rewind to get the difference back.
 
Just FYI - If you look at Best Buy's 20 days of door busters calendar, they show an external hard drive for tomorrow.
 
I just received my $130 version purchased a few days back during thew whole black friday thing. This is one with the yellow "250gb cloud storage" sticker. On the bottom it shows Made In Thailand which is great, meaning it should be a 256mb cache version instead of the China made 128mb, if I recall correctly. The model number ends with -NEBB which I think is one of the "good" versions? I guess now to open it up and see what we have inside.
 
Xaeos said:
I just received my $130 version purchased a few days back during thew whole black friday thing. This is one with the yellow "250gb cloud storage" sticker. On the bottom it shows Made In Thailand which is great, meaning it should be a 256mb cache version instead of the China made 128mb, if I recall correctly. The model number ends with -NEBB which I think is one of the "good" versions? I guess now to open it up and see what we have inside.
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NESN is the old model that for a while was pretty much guaranteed to have reds, NEBB is the new sku that is a mix and match of reds and white labels, but more recently pretty much all white label.

Besides the cache difference you already picked up on, the current best knowledge is that the only difference besides sticker color on the drives, is the presence of a new sata reset pin, which MAY cause you to be unable to boot up the shucked drive, if you have an old backplane or power supply. There are lots of ways to get around this IF the drive won't spin up for you. You can place tape over the affected pin on the sata connector, you can use a molex to sata power adapter (make sure you use crimped not molded ones!) or you can pull the 3.3v cable out of the connector coming from your power supply to that connector. I would try it out first, it may work fine for you even with the 3.3v reset.

Finally, you can use crystal disk info with the drive plugged in via usb to see what model it is, without shucking it.
 
I'm headed to bb. Will I be able to pick up a couple of these and get a refund / credit if they go on sale tomorrow?
 
Just to recap this long thread - if you end up with a white label that has 256MB cache, if you're putting it into a case with the SATA reset pin power supply, it shouldn't matter if you didn't get a red label with 256MB cache, right? I just bought a new Dell T30 server to put a few of these drives in for an unRAID system. I grabbed one of these drives last week and just ordered another I'll be picking up today.

Second question - what software should I be using to test the drives before I shuck them? It'll be run off a windows 7 rig as I won't have the server up and running yet. I used CrystalDisk to check the drive type in the first HDD but I wasn't sure where to find the bad blocks test.

Thanks
 
Oh dammit, I just bought at $139.99 and am crossing my fingers that it's a red inside. My two 2TB Seagates in my rig (which were actually pulls out of external drives too!) are getting to be about 5 years old now and I worry about them. I'll stick them back in their original enclosures and use them as third tier backups.
 
Red Swingline said:
Just to recap this long thread - if you end up with a white label that has 256MB cache, if you're putting it into a case with the SATA reset pin power supply, it shouldn't matter if you didn't get a red label with 256MB cache, right? I just bought a new Dell T30 server to put a few of these drives in for an unRAID system. I grabbed one of these drives last week and just ordered another I'll be picking up today.

Second question - what software should I be using to test the drives before I shuck them? It'll be run off a windows 7 rig as I won't have the server up and running yet. I used CrystalDisk to check the drive type in the first HDD but I wasn't sure where to find the bad blocks test.

Thanks
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First, you most likely will be fine with your enclosure anyway, as this is only going to be a problem for specific enclosures/power supplies anyway. Pop the drive in and see if it works, if not all you have to do is tape the pin or remove 3.3v power to that lead by either pulling the cable or using a molex to sata power adapter (crimped not molded.) See www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/7fx0i0/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_name=57397b8edcb0478eae3ecde9728076cb&utm_source=embedly&utm_term=7fx0i0

Software wise, I personally used Hard Disk Sentinel to test my drives before I shucked them. Be sure to put a fan over them during testing, they can get really toasty with intense use in these enclosures.
 
arnemetis said:
First, you most likely will be fine with your enclosure anyway, as this is only going to be a problem for specific enclosures/power supplies anyway. Pop the drive in and see if it works, if not all you have to do is tape the pin or remove 3.3v power to that lead by either pulling the cable or using a molex to sata power adapter (crimped not molded.) See www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/7fx0i0/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_name=57397b8edcb0478eae3ecde9728076cb&utm_source=embedly&utm_term=7fx0i0

Software wise, I personally used Hard Disk Sentinel to test my drives before I shucked them. Be sure to put a fan over them during testing, they can get really toasty with intense use in these enclosures.
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Thanks! With Hard Disk Sentinel, can I run both drives at the same time or is that not recommended?
 
Red Swingline said:
Thanks! With Hard Disk Sentinel, can I run both drives at the same time or is that not recommended?
Click to expand...
You can run multiple drives testing at the same time fine, as long as you usb controller is good and doesn't slow them both down! My girlfriend's pc could only handle two drives at once before the controller couldn't handle more than 200MB/sec total bandwidth. I did mine in batches, because I was limited from usb 3.0 ports (I bought 9 easystores.)
 
talked to online chat and got a price match to the new price of 139.99. Originally purchased on Cyber monday. Only thing that sucks is i only got a price match for one...

"As per our price match policy, we cannot price match for identical products in same order." which is lame...
 
It paid off to be patient this time.... I figured it would rop again once before Christmas. Done deal.
 
I haven't open mine yet, but aren't the NESN drives all Red Labels? I thought only the NEBB drives had white label (not that it really matters).
 
FWIW, mine is made in Thailand, but it's an EFZX (so I assume that means 128mb of cache). I haven't shucked it yet, just ran it through Crystal to get the model. Haven't opened the other box at all yet.

EDIT: not sure why it said EFZX, but it's an EFAX/256MB.

Also a reminder to go to the first message in the thread and read the PDF it links to. Follow those instructions and you won't break any clips.
 
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nilepez said:
I haven't open mine yet, but aren't the NESN drives all Red Labels? I thought only the NEBB drives had white label (not that it really matters).
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depends on the store.. if you live in a high traffic area where it's more likely for people to buy them then most have been replaced by white label drives.. where as my location most people don't know dick about computers so they still have WD red labels.
 
Just confirming what others have said earlier - my Thailand 256mb cache one did turn out to be a white label. I checked it out with CrystalDiskInfo and it is a WD80EMAZ, which I expect is a white label. Firmware is 83.H0A83 which I read is the exact same firmware as many WD Red 8gb drives. I also used GSmartControl ( which has a nice GUI and is easier to use on windows compared to smartctl) to check for TLER by the presence of "SCT Error Recovery Control - Read 70 Write 70 " which is apparently the standard 7 second duration for TLER! I am guessing that between this being active even as the disk is in the enclosure and the firmware is as reported, that this white label drive is for all intents and purposes a Red?

I've not yet popped it out of the enclosure yet, but I figure unless there's a reason NOT to do so at this point it looks like its worth keeping, even though it was a NEBB model; after all, I hear even NESNs are just as likely to be white label these days.

Oh now the only question I have about the 3.3v pin issue, specifically related to my proposed use. I'm planning to use it in a a SATA backplane - its an older Corsair Sata III 6.0gbps backplane (upgraded from the default) in the Corsair 800D - at least to start. What exact pieces of the setup have to be compatible for this to work? For instance, I read that lots of people are having no problem with their backplanes and whatnot so long as they're using a reasonably recently made PSU that is compliant with the new feature. I expect I will be picking up a newer PSU, so this shouldn't be a problem. Does the backplane itself (output/connection to the drive) and/or SATA power input on the backplane have to be electrically different to be compliant here as well? If nothing else I'll do the 'tape mod" I figure, but I just want to gauge my chance of it working without modification.
 
Updated the OP with the following information on serial #s.

Someone started a list of serial #s and the type of drive they are.

RED (WD80EFAX/WD80EFZX):

7SGHD***
7SGD2***
7SGD4***
7SGG3***
7SGGH***
7SGGP***
7SGH9***
7SGHJ***
7SGHX***
7SGLX***
7SGL7***
7SGJ1***
7SGJN***
7SGJR***
7SGJV***
7SGJP***
7SGJT***
7SGJY***
7SGJZ***
7SGKA***
7SGKP***
7SGLA***
7SGLN***
7SGLY***
7SGLZ***
7SGME***
7SGMP***
7SGMT***
7SGN3***
7SGN8***
7SGND***
7SGNJ***
7SGNM***
7SGNR***
7SGNS***
7SGNY***
7SGN7***
7SGPA***
7SGPX***
7SGR3***
7SGR9***
7SGT0***
7SGT8***
7SGTB***


WHITE (WD80EMAZ): New

7SGEP***
7SGLO***
7SGNV***
7SGPZ***
7SGR8***
7SGRB***
7SGRG***
7SGRN***
7SGRP***
7SGRV***
7SGSA***
7SGSJ***
7SGY6***
7SH0M***
7SGLS***
7SGGN***
7SGNX***
7SGPV***
7SGUL***
7SH1A***
7SGWE***
7SGYU***
 
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Who cares. The white drives also have TLER 7 seconds. It's the same / newer drive
 
all 6 of mine from the same store are 7SGGSP all confirmed WD red drives. but based on that list i wouldn't use it to determine if something is a red or white label.. the variance and lack of clear pattern in the serial numbers doesn't help.

okashira said:
Who cares. The white drives also have TLER 7 seconds. It's the same / newer drive
Click to expand...

it's not their performance that matters. it's that the white label's have the 3.3v issue that the red drives don't have.
 
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Just picked up mine today. Ordered on-line with same-day in-store pick-up. $152 out-the-door w/tax. Made in Thailand. UPC 718037856124. This is a "high-volume" BestBuy so I doubt it's been sitting on shelf for months.

Info reported by CrystalDiskInfo 7.5.0 x64:

Serial 7SGJE***
WD80EFAX-68LHPN0
 
got lucky ordered 2 online and picked up 4 in store and got all 256 reds.. these were the 149.99 version from cyber monday. This was in OC at a relatively busy store so doubt it was old stock. Seems lots of reds still out there just have to be lucky.

All made in Thailand.
 
Is the "complete drive test" in wd utilities through enough? It seems to be moving kinda fast for 8TB
 
So I'm assuming once the drives are removed from the enclosures they have no warranty? Has anyone checked?

Common sense would say no, but then again a lot of Seagate drives I've pulled from externals had a full valid warranty on the bare drive itself.
 
NoxTek said:
So I'm assuming once the drives are removed from the enclosures they have no warranty? Has anyone checked?

Common sense would say no, but then again a lot of Seagate drives I've pulled from externals had a full valid warranty on the bare drive itself.
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No warranty, there is probably a warranty void sticker you stab through.
 
There is no void sticker on the 2 I got. Both are red. I shucked one last night after confirming a red drive. Be aware that I did not find a void sticker on the enclosure. I haven't looked at how the drive is mounted in the enclosure.

Dan...
 
I ordered 5 more. Going to pick up after the snow clears. Now to find a good deal on a NAS.
 
scobar said:
No warranty, there is probably a warranty void sticker you stab through.
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Untrue, there is no sticker. If you follow the guide posted here and all across the net, you just use four thin pieces of plastic to prop open the tabs, then separate the two halves of the enclosure. The drive is supported by four rubber grommets which are screwed to the drive, and the usb and power ports connect to the drive via a small adapter board that is secured to the drive with one screw. I saved all my enclosures with the intent of putting a drive back together in the event I have a failure. These are not the kind of enclosures in which it's destructive to open or have seals.
 
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