Question 1

OK to use on a desktop system (64 bit Win 7 Pro)?

Accepted Answer

Jim,  it would be OK to use but you may find a more economical priced drive with the Green WD 5TB than using the WD Red.  The WD Red is designed for NAS servers for better error correction with the NAS OS which I bought 6 of these drives for my server and it works great.  Your best bet would be to check out the WD Green drive specially designed for OS systems such as 64 bit Win 7 Pro and other desktop OS's.  It would also save you money going with the Green WD.

Question 2

Has IntelliPower rotation which is comparable to a 7,200 RPM drive. Rather slow for a NAS storage solution. It needs to be at least 15,000 RPM for that much data. What do you think?

Accepted Answer

A 7.200 RPM drive has an average read speed of 100-120 MB/s. A gigabit connection can pull roughly 120 MB/s. If you're using this at your home you will most likely not have any limitations unless you're a power user. If you're a power user you probably have this an a RAID 10 array and these drives will be superb.

Question 3

I want to use four of these together.  Are these good drives for a Raid 10 setup?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely ! WD Red drives are designed for RAID setup weather it be a NAS or a server.

I have a set of 3 in my server and they are set on RAID 5, running Windows Home Server 2011 (the O/S is installed in my SSD and the data is in my RAID array) no problems what so ever.

Question 4

drive does not pick up in my pc what could be wrong?

Accepted Answer

How old is the computer? Can it handle a 5TB device? Try updating the BIOS and then trying the drive again.

Question 5

I’m considering using two of these to replace a pair of 3TB reds setup as RAID1 in a WD EX4. I’ve two concerns:
1)Will the WD EX4 recognize this size drive properly?
2)Can I upgrade by simply replacing one drive at a time. Will it automatically rebuild when it detects a new drive?

I don’t want to lose any data and am not keen on needing to use my desktop to format or copy.

Accepted Answer

You would be looking at more effort to swap out drives one at a time. I would suggest doing both drives at the same time to prevent issues. since this is a 4TB array, can you simply add the additional drives, format, and then copy over data? Currently the specs on this array are for 6TB max drives. that being said, maybe double checking your latest firmware before you start would be a good idea.

Question 6

Can this SATA hard drive (WD Red WD50EFRX 5TB) support video recording of security surveillance DVR?

Accepted Answer

Not sure as I haven't tried it.

Question 7

Can anyone post the Firmware of their 5TB drive(s) they got and roughly when they bought it?  I'm wondering if WD applied a firmware update to these like they did for their 6TB reds recently that fixed a throughput issue that was reported by pcper.  Thank you!

Accepted Answer

I picked up a bunch of them a couple weeks ago, ordered them on the 12th of October. Current firmware on all the drives I got is listed as:
Firmware Version: 82.00A82

Brand	WD
Series	Red
Model	WD50EFRX
Packaging	Bare Drive

Interface	SATA 6.0Gb/s
Capacity	5TB
RPM	5400 RPM
Cache	64MB

Features	Storage for 1 to 8 bay NAS solutions - WD Red is designed specifically for NAS systems that have 1 to 8 drive bays in both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch form factors. The drives are designed and extensively tested for compatibility in the unique 24x7 operating environment and for the demanding system requirements of home and small office NAS. NASware grows to 3.0 - WD Red now supports small NAS systems from 1 to 8 bays thanks to NASware 3.0, which further improves drive compatibility and reliability. At 48 TB of total capacity in an 8 bay system, WD Red expands your NAS experience. 3D Active Balance Plus - Our enhanced dual-plane balance control technology significantly improves the overall drive performance and reliability. Hard drives that are not properly balanced may cause excessive vibration and noise in a multi-drive system, reduce the hard drive life span, and degrade the performance over time. (EFRX models only) Longer warranty coverage - The WD Red drive is backed by a 3-year limited warranty for greater peace of mind and a longer warranty coverage that matches most NAS system manufacturers. Need help? We offer premium support - Every WD Red hard drive comes with our world-class professional support services including a premium dedicated 24/7 support line (available in English, other regional support hours vary) and a 3-year limited warranty.
Usage	For NAS systems

Form Factor	3.5"
Height (maximum)	26.1mm
Width (maximum)	101.6mm
Length (maximum)	147.00mm

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