WD 8TB Easystores are 150$ again

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Thanks for throwing this link up again! I wonder what sort of drives they'll have inside this time - WD Red, HGST, or white labels of each kind? I am curious if Amazon and other vendors will offer their own version of a deal like this....
 
Thanks for throwing this link up again! I wonder what sort of drives they'll have inside this time - WD Red, HGST, or white labels of each kind? I am curious if Amazon and other vendors will offer their own version of a deal like this....
Unless you get a backstock or old inventory somehow I think 99% likelyhood it is now the white label drives.
 
Ahh I see well, thery're still nearly identical correct? Same amount of cache (256 mostly; I know some early china built ones had 128 or less, whereas thailand built had 256 if I recall) Do they still require the pin/connector mod for 3.3v power and if so, under what circumstances?

In any event still likely a very good deal for those building a new NAS or other storage array. I'm highly tempted to just go with these as I'm not sure I can justify the expense of WD Gold / HGST / Toshiba drives using Helium. By the way, if anyone has the HDDs shucked from these 8TB easystores for sale, personally used and/or refurb, feel free to PM me. I listed it in my FS/WTB thread but thought I'd post here as well.
 
Ahh I see well, thery're still nearly identical correct? Same amount of cache (256 mostly; I know some early china built ones had 128 or less, whereas thailand built had 256 if I recall) Do they still require the pin/connector mod for 3.3v power and if so, under what circumstances?

In any event still likely a very good deal for those building a new NAS or other storage array. I'm highly tempted to just go with these as I'm not sure I can justify the expense of WD Gold / HGST / Toshiba drives using Helium. By the way, if anyone has the HDDs shucked from these 8TB easystores for sale, personally used and/or refurb, feel free to PM me. I listed it in my FS/WTB thread but thought I'd post here as well.
- There is little doubt that the white label WD80EMAZ are the same as the red label WD80EFAX. Its identical down to the firmware used, its the same specs, FW revision, and 7 sec TLER. ~ There is evidence they may be rebranded HGST helium drives, which would be just as good if not better for reliability (and would explain the 3.3v power issue).
- Yes the white label are the 256gb cache and 5400 rpm.
- Yes the 3.3v is a newly applied standard in enterprise drives, the pin set used to be for power, but is now used for sleep communication. So if using an old system applying power to that port would cause the drive to sleep. Most modern backplanes/ports don't have any issue, there are several non-destructive methods to getting around it including tape/removable glue, as well as using a molex to sata adapter (some choose to clip the pins destructively though).
- I found it very easy to shuck them myself using this method with no damage to the shell at all.
 
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FYI, new production 8TB drives are air rather than helium. They use the same EFAX/EMAZ names so that is no longer sufficient to identify the drive.

Also, Amazon has been selling the WD Elements 8TB for $150 so I think that's going to be the standard "sale" price from now on.
 
I don’t think the elements have the same drives in them do they? I haven't shucked any of those to know.
 
I don’t think the elements have the same drives in them do they? I haven't shucked any of those to know.

They have the new (air) drive. If they are still making new Easystores, it's a safe assumption they will use the new drive also.
 
I bought and shucked 1 drive when they first hit this price and got a WD red EFAX. Tempted to buy 3 more and a 4 bay synology and finally have a proper NAS solution but the 3.3v thing has me shy. Would the white labels be plug and play in a synology and with the WD red?
 
I bought and shucked 1 drive when they first hit this price and got a WD red EFAX. Tempted to buy 3 more and a 4 bay synology and finally have a proper NAS solution but the 3.3v thing has me shy. Would the white labels be plug and play in a synology and with the WD red?

Most NASes don't have a problem because they don't supply 3.3V (no drive needs it). It's ATX power supplies that are affected.
 
Every Synology tested by users has worked so far, check the model list in the compendium page and see if the one you want is listed.

The 4 bay confirmed by users are: DS415+, DS416, DS418
 
Every Synology tested by users has worked so far, check the model list in the compendium page and see if the one you want is listed.

The 4 bay confirmed by users are: DS415+, DS416, DS418

DS1817+ works with them too
 
Wait a moment... so its possible some of these white labels are are HGST Ultrastar He 10s (265mb cache) or He 8s (128mb cache), modded down (via firmware? Hardware etc..?) to 5400rpm?

Also, according to Luke M they're no longer using helium for 8TB models? Any idea why this would be? I was under the impression that He drives had some benefits and was the primary reason that larger and more expensive drive types used it, as well as being an overall better process. Thus, I expected to see more drives using it as time went on and the process became cheaper etc.. instead of the opposite? Then again I've done researched deeply into the specific benefits of helium or its costs so I may be missing something. Is there a way to detect if the drive is a helium using mode? EFAX/EMAZ may not be enough by themselves but I wonder if there's some other model number somewhere? From the Reddit link Sparticus69 provided above,the datasheets for Ultrastar helium drives have a breakdown on how a model number is put together around which features etc... and though I'm sure it won't be that easy for a white label, perhaps there are some clues?

Considering the lineup of WD Externals, I didn't know Elements were "shuckable" and had the same sort of drive in them compared to the Easystores; I'm pretty sure MyBook models are not, but I hadn't heard much discussion of Elements being shucked for high quality internal drives the same way Easystores seem to have been.

Regarding the 3.3v issues, when it comes to SATA backplanes and/or just plain connecting it to an ATX power supply via a SATA power connector, what is "modern" enough that it shouldn't be an issue without modding?
 
Wait a moment... so its possible some of these white labels are are HGST Ultrastar He 10s (265mb cache) or He 8s (128mb cache), modded down (via firmware? Hardware etc..?) to 5400rpm?
Thats the speculation but nothing confirmed.
From the Reddit link Sparticus69 provided above,the datasheets for Ultrastar helium drives have a breakdown on how a model number is put together around which features etc... and though I'm sure it won't be that easy for a white label, perhaps there are some clues?
Only the details in the link and its all assumptions, also kek on my forum name.
Considering the lineup of WD Externals, I didn't know Elements were "shuckable" and had the same sort of drive in them compared to the Easystores; I'm pretty sure MyBook models are not, but I hadn't heard much discussion of Elements being shucked for high quality internal drives the same way Easystores seem to have been.
Some are shuckable some have the usb controller board soldered to the drive/in place of a sata connector.
Regarding the 3.3v issues, when it comes to SATA backplanes and/or just plain connecting it to an ATX power supply via a SATA power connector, what is "modern" enough that it shouldn't be an issue without modding?
It varies on manufactur so unless you test the port with a multimeter or use one of the actual drives not sure there is an easy way to tell.
 
Also, according to Luke M they're no longer using helium for 8TB models? Any idea why this would be? I was under the impression that He drives had some benefits and was the primary reason that larger and more expensive drive types used it, as well as being an overall better process. Thus, I expected to see more drives using it as time went on and the process became cheaper etc.. instead of the opposite? Then again I've done researched deeply into the specific benefits of helium or its costs so I may be missing something. Is there a way to detect if the drive is a helium using mode? EFAX/EMAZ may not be enough by themselves but I wonder if there's some other model number somewhere? From the Reddit link Sparticus69 provided above,the datasheets for Ultrastar helium drives have a breakdown on how a model number is put together around which features etc... and though I'm sure it won't be that easy for a white label, perhaps there are some clues?/

They only use helium when forced to, since it adds cost. The new 8TB is a 5 platter drive, so it manages to work with air.

The helium version is WD80EMAZ-00WJTA0. The air version is WD80EMAZ-00M9AA0.

Considering the lineup of WD Externals, I didn't know Elements were "shuckable" and had the same sort of drive in them compared to the Easystores; I'm pretty sure MyBook models are not, but I hadn't heard much discussion of Elements being shucked for high quality internal drives the same way Easystores seem to have been.

The Elements drive is new, it just came out a month ago. It uses the same case as the Easystore. People do shuck the My Books as well, but they haven't got as cheap as the Easystore.
 
Thanks very much for the heads up. Scored four EMAZ drives today. Ordering a NAS after doing a bit more research but leaning towards a QNAP T451
 
Please stop posting these deals, my wallet is begging for Mercy, I lost my house, my child was taken from me, I live in a box.

But at least my unraid server is happy
 
damn got a white label WD80EMAZ and it wont spin up.... regular electrical tape work on that 3.3v pin trick?
 
Or ducktape, there is specialized tape thats dark yellow (but mostly translucent) made for electronics, non conducting, and handles high heat thats the most recommended. I cant remember the name, I’ll see if I can find it.

Edit: Kapton tape
 
I am glad my NAS only holds two drives. While this is a good deal, storage can quickly burn a hole through your wallet.
 
That's a good video. Is there anyway to tell by the external box what drive you'll get? I know the last time you could tell based on where it was made. Either way, I'm buying 3 to add to my 1 and buying a NAS. Now just to find what NAS to get, as I literally only need back up and file serving, no plex or anything.
 
The only thing you can confirm is the made in country on the box, if its thailand its the 256 cache model, China is the 128.

Other than that its speculation based off the batch number. Plugging in and checking cystal disk info will confirm.
 
You can order them shipped to store, or direct to your house as long as they have stock online.
 
46! My local Best Buy had zero. A store farther away had 1 on the shelves.

sometimes you have to ask, i went to buy 2 more yesterday and low and behold there were none on the shelf, talked to a manager, he went to the back and pulled out all 10 that should of been on the shelf and put them back.. guess some employee(s) were trying to hide them. luckily the stores here still have WD red drives and not white labels.
 
Austin area must be dry then, everything I pickup around town is the whites (not a big deal to me though).
 
Red or white label, can't be arsed to look until Saturday. Decided to bite on this one this afternoon.
 
sometimes you have to ask, i went to buy 2 more yesterday and low and behold there were none on the shelf, talked to a manager, he went to the back and pulled out all 10 that should of been on the shelf and put them back.. guess some employee(s) were trying to hide them. luckily the stores here still have WD red drives and not white labels.

I did ask, the local store definitely had zero, but they told me that another store had 5 (only 1 on the shelf though, and it was encased in an anti-theft box!)

In the future, I'll just order online. I was expecting to see piles of boxes, and it wasn't like that at all.
 
As long as you have the right hardware it doesnt matter whether they're red or white drives. I'll take either
 
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