I’m considering purchasing some refurbished white label hard drives, but I’m concerned about receiving SMR drives instead of PMR ones. The specifications are often not clearly stated, and manufacturers don’t always clarify the recording technology used.
I understand that SMR drives can lead to performance problems, particularly in scenarios like NAS deployments or when dealing with frequent random writes. PMR drives are typically preferred for various applications, although they tend to be more expensive.
What effective ways can I confirm whether a refurbished white label drive utilizes SMR or PMR technology before making a purchase? Are there certain model numbers I should be cautious of or specifically seek out? Additionally, are there any software options available that can help detect this after I have bought the drive?
Run a sustained write test right when you get the drive. PMR drives keep consistent write speeds during large transfers, but SMR drives tank hard after filling their CMR cache - usually around 20-30GB of continuous writing. Use dd on Linux or HDTune on Windows to write a 100GB+ file and watch the transfer rates. SMR drives start fast then crash to 10-20MB/s once the cache fills. This method’s never failed me for spotting SMR drives, even when model numbers are unclear or missing from databases. Takes about an hour but beats finding out about performance issues later when you’re actually using it.
Got burned by this exact issue building a storage array last year. Here’s what works:
Grab CrystalDiskInfo for software detection - shows drive model and specs once connected. Cross-reference the model number against manufacturer databases.
Before buying, ask for the full model number with all suffix letters. They matter. For WD whites, avoid EFAX or EFRX endings - those are SMR. Look for EFAHX instead.
Seagate’s trickier. Barracuda 2TB+ models went SMR around 2019. 1TB versions mostly stayed PMR.
If you’re doing NAS or RAID, just get enterprise drives like WD Red Pro or Seagate IronWolf Pro. Learned this the hard way after endless rebuild times on SMR drives.
Last tip - check drive thickness. SMR drives are often thinner to pack more platters in the same space.