When comparing Western Digital Blue vs. Black, there are many features from transfer speed to size and capacity and so on. Metrics such as cache memory, the interface being used, RPM, form factor, pricing factor, and the overall performance help the buyer to make a conscious decision.
In this guide, we will compare the differences and share our insights between the two. Keep reading to get the full picture and make the right buying decision.
Contents
Comparison Table
| Features | WD Blue | WD Black |
| Revolution Per Minute |
|
7200 RPM only |
| HDD Storage Capacity |
|
|
| SSD Storage Capacity | 1 TB to 8 TB | 2 TB to 10 TB |
| Performance | Normal to Good | High to Excellent |
| Interface of HDD |
|
SATA 3 |
| The Interface of the SSD | SATA |
|
What Are the Differences Between Western Digital Blue vs. Black
The main difference between both hard drives is that WD Blue has a capacity of up to 1 TB, whereas WD Black has a capacity of up to 2 TB. Additionally, the random read speed of WD Blue is 100K IOPS meanwhile, for WD Black, it is 550K IOPS.
– Compatibility With the Computer Systems
Both HDD drives are compatible with the latest computer systems and versions of Windows and Mac, respectively. Installing these storage devices on Windows is slightly easier than installing them on Mac. In Mac, it might require reformatting before it starts working properly.
– Lifespan
Upon a comparison of the lifespans of both hard drives, the WD-Blue hard-drive function smoothly – without any problems for three to five years. However, this lifeline can be reduced if used excessively without proper care. Some of the issues that have led to such brief lifespan are due to disk heating, a phenomenon where any slight damage to the metal or plastic design that protects the disk can greatly decrease the lifespan of the hard drive.
In contrast to the WD Blue, the latest WD-Black hard disk has a 10 TB storage capacity and comes with a lifespan of five years for both its HDD and SSD drives. Although the warranty ends after five years, it can still work for more than five years if used properly.
– Reliability
Yes, Western Digital Black is reliable when compared with the WD-Blue drive. WD-Black is superior to WD-Blue in terms of performance. The sustained transfer speed of WD-Blue is 147 MB/s to 180MB/s, while the speed of WD-Black reaches 202MB/s to 227MB/s. Furthermore, WD-Black hard disks also offer more modes and features than WD-Blue.
– Interface
WD-Blue has an interface of SATA III, PATA 100 MB/s in HDDs, whereas in SSDs, the interface is only SATA. SATA III is a third-generation interface that makes the hard disk performance faster. When connected to a SATA 3 port, you can have a read speed of up to 545 MB/s and a write speed of up to 525MB/s.
If your port is SATA 1, the read and write speeds will be slower. Do note that the SATA cable is not included with the WD-Blue hard disk at the time of purchase.
– Performance
Many test runs have been performed on different WD-Blue models, and the results show that it is better for the storage of data and files which do not require a high level of performance. However, the WD-Blue HDD showed slow performance compared to other hard drives such as WD-Black, etc. This performance depends on the model and RPM. For example, 75,000 RPMs perform much better than the drives with 5,400 RPMs.
– Form Factor
One of the most important factors to keep in mind before buying an HDD is the form factor. It determines whether it is compatible with the computer or not. Desktop computers usually require 3.5 inches HDD while laptops have a 2.5 inches HDD. The seeking time for a 2.5 inches HDD is lower. However, both WD Black and Blue provide 2.5 and 3.5 inches HDD, respectively.
– Revolution Per Minute (RPM)
Revolution per minute also influences the read/write speed of the WD Blue HDD. This high-performance drive has an RPM of 7200. However, WD blue also provides an RPM of 5400.
Thus, the 7200 RPM of the WD Blue hard drive is only for PC models. For the laptop systems, WD Blue hard drives have an RPM of 5400. If compared with WD Black – it only has 7200 RPM.
– Noise While Functioning
When the read and write operations are functioning, noise is produced. Comparing both hard drives, the WD Blue hard disk is silent as compared to the WD Black hard disk. While the WD Blue creates a noise level of 30 dBA, the Black produces a noise up to 36 dBA, respectively.
– Warranty
When highlighting the warranty of both hard drives, it is WD-Black that is a clear winner because both the HDD and SSD have higher warranty years than WD-Blue. Hence, it offers five years of warranty, whereas the Blue series offers two and three years of warranty.
– The Use of WD-Blue and WD-Black HDDs
Ideally, the most common uses of the WD-Black and WD-Blue hard drive are:
- For gaming purposes on the PC
- Photos and video editing processes in high-definition (HD)
- Running applications
- Saving Files and database solutions
- Transferring music and videos
Even though all these tasks are performed by both the hard drives, WD-Black performs them quickly without any delay.
What Is WD Blue Drive Best For?
WD Blue is best for its revolution per minute; 5400 and 7200 RPM. The HDD has a two-year warranty, while the SSD has a five-year warranty. It is compatible with Windows OS, Mac OS High Sierra, and Sierra EI Capitan also. Additionally, it is also available in other size options.
– Pros and Cons
Check WD Blue’s pros below:
- It is a Value for money HDD/SSD.
- HDD is capable of reaching very high RPMs of 7200.
- It does not make much noise for the kind of RPM it generates.
- Offers three years of limited warranty on SSD.
The main disadvantages of the drive are listed below:
- A 1 TB platter restricts the availability of larger capacities like 2 TB, 6 TB, etc.
- It is only covered by a warranty of 2 years for HDD drives.
- Three years of warranty is less for an SSD drive.
– Tasks Performance
WD Blue can handle heavy tasks without the nuisance of heating up. Hence, it can easily handle tasks such as:
- High-resolution photos and 4k videos
- Music collections and edge to edge games experience
- Handling larger files without lags or crashes
People who like photography can use this PC hard drive as it is best suited for providing storage solutions. The main benefit is the price that is affordable and offers powerful features.
– Software and Technology Used
One of the great features used is the Acronis True Image software is the ability to clone the hard disk that includes the operating system applications, settings, and personal files. Thereby, this hard drive is best suited for people who need higher data protection and stability at an affordable price tag.
When analyzing data recovery solutions, this hard drive promises high-safety levels, considering its market price. Furthermore, the hard drive comes with a NoTouch Ramp Load technology that enhances the safety level by providing increased efficiency.
– Lifespan
The latest WD-Blue hard disk has an 8 TB storage capacity and promises a life span of two years for HDD and three years for SSD. However, only the warranty ends, meaning you can still use it for a longer time, considering it is not excessively pressured continuously.
– Cache
The cache memory stores the data that is either being read or written. Its function is to speed up the read/write speeds by storing data that is accessed and transferred frequently. The larger the cache, the faster the hard disk drive or solid-state drive.
When it comes to the 3.5 inch desktop computer HDDs, both WD Black and blue have cache memories of up to 256 MB. However, in the laptop HDDs, the WD blue offers a cache memory of 128 MB. Note that this is more than what WD Black offers. However, depending on model types, the cache memory can change accordingly.
– Interface
Which of the two Western Digital drive series is better can be determined by the interface they use. Do remember that WD-Blue HDD uses two interfaces; SATA III and PATA 100 MB/s. While WD Black HDD only uses SATA III. When it comes to Western Digital SSDs, WD-Blue SSD uses SATA interface while Black uses PCIe 3.0.
– Price
WD-Blue starts with a price tag of $36.99, whereas WD Black starts with a price of $51.99. Although WD-Blue is relatively cheaper, the WD Black has various features that are not included in the WD Blue series. However, there are no great differences between the two drives; thereby WD Blue is just as effective as WD Black.
– Additional Features
Some other important features to check are listed below:
- Comes in a 3.5 inch size.
- Has a cache memory of 64 MB.
- The latest cache memory is 8 MB to 256 MB.
- It is less noisy when performing tasks.
- Its HDD warranty is two years.
- Its SDD warranty is three years.
- Read and write speeds are; 545 MB/s and 525 MB/s, respectively.
- Its random speed is 100K IOPS.
- Form-factors are: 2.5”, M.2 2280 for laptops – 2.5-inch for mobiles and 3.5-inch for PC.
- The time period for the load and unload cycle is 600,000 for mobile and 300,000 for PC.
- Noise when idle is 17-29 dBA – when seeking it is 21-30 dBA,
- It is used residentially for normal work-related and other medium-scale tasks
What Is WD Black Drive Best For?
Western Digital Black is best for heavy tasks as its HDD storage capacity is up to 4 GB, and the warranty is five years long. Its SSD storage capacity is 2 TB, and the Sequential Read Speed is 3400 MB/s; meanwhile, the Sequential Write Speed is 2900 MB/s. These are impressive figures for a hard drive.
– Pros and Cons
The advantages of this drive are listed below:
- High-performance applications run smoothly.
- Gaming Mode further boosts responsiveness and performance.
- Greater shelf-life compared to other HDDs.
- 5-year limited warranty on both HDD and SSD.
Now, let’s move to its disadvantages:
- WD-Black HDD is significantly noisy.
- WD-Black is more expensive than other HDDs and SSDs.
- Warranty is limited.
– Performance Mode Option
WD Black series offers high-speed performance, making any computer experience agile and smooth in terms of its processes while supplementing a large storage space option as well.
The best feature about this hard disk is that it provides various high-performance modes such as a “gaming mode” and so on. So this makes it versatile in both the normal work-related processes as well as in heavy gaming experiences.
– Potential Tasks
The WD Black hard drive is built for performance-intensive applications. It is not just for gamers but also is compatible with professionals such as graphic designers, accountants, and people who need high workload power stations requiring abundant power.
Be mindful that depending on WD-Black as a sole backup or storage drive would not be a sound choice and would return little value for money.
– Cache
Cache memory stores the data that is being read and written. It helps to speed up read/write speeds by storing data that is being accessed frequently. The larger the cache—the faster the HDD will be.
In some models of WD Black, the cache memory is more than offered in WD-Blue. The 32 MB to 256 MB models of WD-Black are now selling in the market. These are better options than those being offered by the WD Blue.
– Average Power Requirements
The average power consumption is directly dependent on the RPM and performance of a hard drive. High-performance HDDs and SSDs require greater power consumption.
WD-Black PC series has an average power consumption ranging up to 9.5W during reading/write cycles. The power consumption drops to 8.1W when idle and 1.3 W during sleep. In contrast, for the WD-Blue, it is 6.8W during read/write cycles, and power consumption drops to 6.1 W during idle and during sleep to 1.2 W.
For mobile HDDs, the WD-Black series requires 2.0W, 0.85W, and 0.25W during the read/write operations, idle, and sleep modes, respectively.
– Storage Capacity
In WD-Black HDDs, the storage capacity is up to 4 GB. It is faster than other hard drives and gives a swift performance. When looking at SSDs, the storage capacity is up to 2 TB.
Once again, that is more than what WD-Blue offers. However, in the latest models, WD-Black highest storage capacity is up to 10 TB, whereas the WD-Blue hard disk’s storage capacity is up to 8 TB.
– Speed
When buying a hard disk, people should check its read and write speed carefully. WD-Black hard disk has a write speed of 2900 MB/s and a read speed of 3400 MB/s.
The random read speed of WD-Black is 550K IOPS. Since all the speeds are greater than the speeds of WD-Blue – the hard disk’s speed is greater respectively.
– Additional Features
Check other significant features below:
- It also comes in 3.5 inch sizes.
- This hard drive also has a cache memory of 64 MB.
- The latest cache memory consists of 32 MB to 256 MB.
- It is a bit noisy when performing computer tasks.
- Its HDD has a warranty of five years, and its SSD warranty also provides five years.
- This hard disk has read and write speeds of 3400 MB/s and 2900 MB/s, respectively.
- Its random speed is 550K IOPS.
- For-factors are M.2 2280 in laptops – 2.5-inch in mobiles and 3.5-inch in PC.
- The time limit for the load and unload cycle is 600,000 in mobile and 300,000 on PC.
- This hard-disk’s sustained transfer rate is up to 256MB/s, which is 6TB.
- Buffer to host transfer rate is 6 GB/s.
- Its noise when idle is 23-29 dBA, and noise when seeking is 25-36 dBA.
- It is used for both normal work and gaming purposes.
FAQ
1. Is It Better To Buy Western Digital Blue or Black?
WD Black is clearly better to buy if you want to purchase it for gaming purposes as it enhances gaming performance and even promises efficient normal working tasks.
WD-Black is recommended because of its read speed, write speed, and random speed, which is greater than that of the WD-Blue hard disk. Even the warranty is five years for this hard drive; an added benefit.
2. Is WD-Blue HDD Good for Gaming?
WD-Blue is not really meant for gaming purposes. However, you can buy it if the games are not heavy-duty. Considering the price, it is a decent hard disk and is considered the best budget option.
It has a rotation speed of 7200 RPM and a cache size of 8 MB (it varies from model to model); this drive will still be able to provide a decent load and access time.
3. Are WD Hard-Drives Good To Use?
Yes. The Western Digital hard drive series are recommended because they’re built to increase the storage capacity, making computers and laptops perform smooth and faster operations, promising various gaming experiences and special gaming modes. Also, HD Videos and photos are some of the other offerings of this series.
4. What Are Some Latest Interfaces of WD-Blue and WD-Black Hard Disks?
WD-Blue HDD has an interface of SATA III only, and the SSD has PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 interface – it is a third-generation interface. As we can see in HDDs, WD-Blue has an efficient interface. However, in SSDs, WD-Black has a slightly better interface in comparison. The read and write speed of the WD-Black hard disk is 3400 MB/s and 2900MB/s, respectively.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you will have a detailed understanding of both hard disks: WD-Blue and WD-Black. The key point to be noted from this guide is that WD-Blue is used for normal PC work, whereas WD-Black can perform a high-powered workload and is suited for both PC and gaming purposes. As WD-Black hard disks are better in performance, they are slightly more expensive than their counterparts.
In case you want to increase your computer’s storage capacity, you can use WD-Blue as it is an affordable and efficient hard disk that can provide similar performance. Thereby, you should decide which one is better for your system accordingly.