When my NAS volume went "read only'' upon resizing storage pool (could be a software bug, could be just me, doing something dumb and unnescessary), I decided it's time to scap RAID5 and go RAID10 - as I had no means to do a backup of full RAID5 capacity anyway (remembering that RAID is not a backup... and losing 60tb of personal data would hurt a lot). I figured it'd be easier to just have one unified backup - than to salvage my current 18tb of photos and videos with my small collection of 5tb and 2tb external backup drives.
36TB was within best price/performance bracket, as of March 2024. Anything less would not cover my NAS capacity in RAID10, and the 44TB version (which I would have prefered) was unreasonable 300 GBP more.
Design & noise: I like the discreete black box design. But I wouldn't want it on my desk due to noise - same as my NAS. That's why they both live in a corridor's shoe racking... 3.5'' spinners are noisy, and this is no exception. I also wish there was a simple external button to disable the blinking white LED (I think design-wise it looks fine, however...) - I have LED's disabled on my NAS and Wi-fi router, but I can't do it on this one (maybe through wd software?). With everything enabled, it'd look like a Christmas tree down there, and I don't want it.
Speed & reliability: As I'm writing this, my NAS is pulling out - 7 TB, 500 item - chunk of backup with sustained speed of 90-100 MB/s. There are random bursts of 200+ MB/s, followed by dips to 86 MB/S, but 90-100 MB/s is an average. Highest I've seen is 310+ MB/s - but that's isolated file/start of copy (which is a good speed for 3.5'' dinosaurs, imo.). I'm sure there's plenty reviews and benchmarks with speeds out there (that I haven't bothered to check) but this is what I get. I have it connected with the default USB-C-to-A cable provided - in out of box configuration. The NAS in question is TS-464 in RAID10, loaded with 4x WD gold drives, and I have it attached to one of the usb 3.2 gen 2 spec ports (orange one, at the back). Sustained speed is a bit underwhelming, but not unexpected - especially with data integrity check enabled. Thankfully, I'm not in a hurry, and I am more concerned about reliability. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that, after just a few days of usage. It absorbed 18 TB backup without a hickup (though it took days...). I'm hoping, that restore will be the same. From there, only time will tell.
Final thoughts: I see this as a good BULK BACKUP storage unit.
I wouldn't trust it with 36 TB of non-backup data, as it is - in RAID 0 configuration. Marketing says "Free up valuable space on all your computers. Store and back up your photo, video, and music collections, and important documents in one reliable place". Not a good idea, imo. Even if the drives are reliable, failures do happen, and losing so much data would be terrible. More reasonable option for non-essential single copy storage would be RAID 1, but then you're looking at rather slow (in the age of nvme's), rather noisy, and feature-plain storage unit, with annoying white LED, and a price tag of 600+ GBP for 18 TB. In that case, I think even just two bay NAS makes more sense, even if it's a few hundred GBP more.
But as a simple, user-friendly connect-and-backup solution, this is a good value.
| Brand | Western Digital |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 40.64 x 25.4 x 45.72 cm; 2.46 kg |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
| Item model number | WDBFBE0280JBK-EESN |
| Manufacturer | Western Digital |
| Series | WD My Book Duo |
| Colour | Black |
| Form Factor | 3.5-inch |
| Hard Drive Size | 28 TB |
| Hard Disk Description | Mechanical Hard Disk |
| Hard Drive Interface | USB 3.0 |
| Hard Disk Rotational Speed | 5400 RPM |
| Wattage | 3600 |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Lithium Battery Energy Content | 2 Kilowatt Hours |
| Lithium Battery Packaging | Batteries packed with equipment |
| Lithium Battery Weight | 2 g |
| Number Of Lithium Ion Cells | 5 |
| Number of Lithium Metal Cells | 5 |
| Item Weight | 2.46 kg |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
