Testing two 18 TB white label SATA hard drives from datablocks.dev
19 hours ago
- #hard-drives
- #home-server
- #storage
- Author purchased two 18 TB white label SATA hard drives from datablocks.dev for personal use.
- White label drives are unbranded, have low power-on hours, may have minor cosmetic issues, but are fully functional.
- Price comparison showed white label drives are 16.7% cheaper than recertified branded drives with similar specs.
- Chose 18 TB drives for easy replacement availability via WD Elements/My Book drives.
- Drives arrived with adequate packaging, minor scratches/dents, but otherwise in good condition.
- Performance testing with badblocks showed expected write speeds (275 MB/s peak, 123 MB/s at end).
- Noise and power consumption increased, but manageable in a closet setup.
- Storage tiering implemented: SSDs for speed-sensitive tasks, HDDs for bulk storage/backups.
- Drives run cool (38-42°C in use) and are expected to last at least 5 years.