CONCLUSION

   Although we don't do power consumption tests on HDDs cause quite frankly it's very hard to be 100% on the spot with such results we did perform our usual temperature and noise level tests both of which showcase that Western Digital has indeed invested time and resources to optimize the Red line of HDDs specifically for NAS Server use. Granted the differences between the Red 3TB and several other 2/3/4TB models in our charts are not massive but that wouldn't be possible to begin with so personally i think that whatever kind of improvement we can get is always a good thing. On the other hand however it seems that in the end these features are more likely a direct result of WD's Intellipower RPM technology (naturally a drive spinning between 5400-7200RPM uses less power and produces less noise than a drive spinning at 7200RPM) which is also why the Red 3TB (WD30EFRX) performed quite slower than most of the drives in our charts (its MTBF although very good is also not nearly as high as the ones some of the models in our charts have). This of course didn't come as a surprise especially since most of the drives in our charts are enterprise-grade models but still for people who want the best possible data transfer speeds (and obviously have a NAS Server model capable to support them) one of those might just be a better solution especially since to date i haven't come across any issues with any of them (all were used with NAS Servers at some time or another).

   Perhaps the best surprise about the Red series of HDDs by Western Digital is their price since currently the 3TB model (WD30EFRX) retails for just USD139.72 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 125Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). That being said the WD30EFRX does not offer stellar levels of performance and is in fact quite slower than most of the HDD models we've tested over the past years but realistically speaking its read/write levels are actually above what most NAS Servers can handle and at the same time the NASware 2.0 technology package does seem to make a difference. Bottom line if you are looking for the ideal HDD for use with your NAS Server and you are not willing to spend much then the Red line of HDDs by Western Digital should be your first and perhaps only stop which is why the WD30EFRX 3TB SATA III HDD gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (MTBF Of 1.000.000 Hours)
- Good Performance Levels
- NASware 2.0 Technology (Low Temperatures/Noise Levels/Power Consumption/Error Protection/3D Active Balance Plus)
- 24/7 Support & 3 Years Warranty
- Price

CONS

- Raw Performance (However More Than Enough For NAS Use)