The main difference between WD Green and WD Blue hard drives is that WD Green drives are designed for everyday use, while WD Blue drives are designed for performance and reliability.
WD Green drives are more affordable and use less power than WD Blue drives, but they also have slower performance and a shorter lifespan. WD Blue drives are more expensive and use more power, but they also offer faster performance and a longer lifespan.
From the house of WD (Western Digital), you get various types of hard drives, which are named Green, Gold, Blue, Black, Purple, and more. However, before you choose one among them, you must know its working capabilities.
Western Digital has been designing and manufacturing storage devices and is primarily known for its mechanical drives – (mostly) Green and Blue. So, let’s get to understand what is the difference between these two colored labels before you make an informed decision and buy them.
WD Green – Explained
WD Green hard drives focus on your daily computing needs. It is an SSD series that provides reliability and value to customers who are home users or students. Owing to its SATA SSD, you get to play games, browse through the web, or even boot the system.
It is lightweight shock resistant and is counted among the lowest Power drives in the industry. It also uses less power so that your laptop can run for a longer period of time. However, it does not have any moving parts to protect the data during accidents.
It has a capacity of 120 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB. The form factor is 2.5 inches, and it comes with a warranty period of 3 years. The interface is SATA III and provides a maximum work hours of 1 million. You can accomplish all your basic daily requirements using the WD Green SSD.
WD Blue – Explained
WD Blue is a series of HDD and SSDs that are made for all-in-one PCs. This hard drive can be integrated into desktops and laptops and helps in a variety of storage capacities. The SATA SSD and internal hard drive storage solution is meant to provide extra capacity to your extremely demanding computing tasks. It helps to boost performance and is also reliable in terms of the creative requirements of software developers, architects, designers, etc.
WD Blue has a capacity of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, and the form factor is 2.5 inches. It also comes with a warranty of 3 years, and the interface is 3D NAND, which provides a reliable working hour of 1.75 million. This hard drive is meant for carrying out extensive usage.
Comparison Between – WD Green & WD Blue
| WD Green SSD | WD Blue SSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 120GB, 240GB, 480GB | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Form Factor | 2.5 inch | 2.5 inch |
| Warranty Period | 3 years | 3 years |
| Interface | SATA III | 3D NAND |
| Reliability (in hours) | Up to 1.0 Million hours | Up to 1.75 Million hours |
| Usage | Basic | Extensive |
Get a detailed comparison between WD Green versus WD Blue based on various factors:
Performance
If we consider high performance, both WD Green and WD Blue are equally reliable. However, in terms of figures, WD Green offers a read speed of 540 MB per second and a write speed of 520 MB per second. WD Blue provides you with a higher read and write speed, but if you want to get something for general use, then a WD Green drive would be better. However, in terms of gaming, you should always go for the blue
Reliability
Both the drives, WD Green and WD Blue, are designed to serve daily purposes and are highly reliable. The prime focus of the WD Green SSD is to meet general use and energy efficiency. Usually, they have a short life span and are not durable, but in these terms, a WD Blue SSD gets the upper edge and is also reliable in terms of value for money.
Usage
The WD Green SSDs are meant for primary work and can be equated with desktops and laptops. You get a fast boot time, and the applications load faster. Overall, you get satisfactory performance through this hard drive, but if you need something for your high-demand application, opt for the WD Blue SSDs.
WD Blue is considered to be a better performer than WD Green. You can use it as a versatile drive to help in enhancing the performance and speed of the computer. You can also use it as a storage drive to access your data quickly. Also, the WD Blue drive can be used as a scratch disc in terms of video editing or improving editing speed and quality.
Price
When compared to features provided by WD Green and WD Blue, the WD Blue drive proves to be a winner, and so it has a higher price tag. However, if you are looking for a little boost in your everyday usage, then go for WD Green, which has a lower price.
Which One Should You Choose – WD Green or WD Blue?
If you are looking for a storage drive that would serve your daily purposes and you do not work with highly processor or graphics intuitive games, then you can go for WD Green SSD. It provides you with an eco-friendly storage device, uses less power, generates less heat, and is easy to pair with portable devices. It takes limited space and is quite durable. On the other hand, WD Blue SSDs are meant for gamers or users who depend on applications that require a high amount of speed and quick access to files. So, even if the WD Blue seems to be more expensive than the WD Green, you must get the one based on your requirements.
How to Migrate Windows OS to WD Green or WD Blue?
Irrespective of WD Green or WD Blue, you can use it as a primary disc, which is meant for gaming or daily usage. Let’s get to understand how to migrate Windows OS’s original hard drive to WD Green or WD Blue without losing data.
You can make use of the Windows backup software and keep a backup of all your important files, including Windows systems, partitions, or disks. Otherwise, you can also create a clone of the entire system disc, including HDD or SSD.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
- First, you have to migrate all the Windows OS from the original to the WD Green or WD Blue drive.
- Connect the WD Green or WD Blue to your computer, download the backup software, run the .exe file, and enter the main interface.
- Now, choose the Clone Disk feature from the Tools tab, and under the Source part, select the original disc.
- Next, as a Target Disk, you have to select the WD Green or Blue hard drive.
- Finally, click on OK, and you might receive a message: “Data on the target will be destroyed. Are you sure you want to start cloning now?”. Click on Yes to continue the process.
- Wait for the process to initiate, and then the Process page will appear, where you get all the information about cloning. You will find the source disk, destination disk, remaining time, etc., being listed on the page.
- Finally, when you are done, click on the “Shut down the computer when the operation is completed” button. You will again receive a message “Please remember to disconnect either the original hard drive or the target hard drive”.
If you connect both discs, then Windows will decide and mark any one of them as offline.
How to Test the Disk Performance for – WD Green & WD Blue?
If you want to check the disk performance after installation of the new SSD, then you need a Partition Wizard, which can help you optimize the partition as well as the disk. These tools have Disk Benchmark features, where you get to measure storage performance and also go through the sequential and random read/write speeds.
Here are the steps that you need to follow:
- Download the Partition Wizard and follow the on-screen prompts to download it.
- Get to the main interface and open the Disk Benchmark feature.
- You have to select the disk that you want to test on this page.
- Next, click on the Start button to initiate the Test.
- Do not interrupt the process and allow it to come to an end with a graphical representation.
What is the Purpose of the WD Red, WD Black, and WD Purple Drives?
The WD Red drive is manufactured to support the NAS and RAID system. The WD black is designed for high-performing gaming sessions, and the WD Purple is meant for security camera recording sessions, which continue 24 x 7.
Which is Better – WD or Seagate?
Most of the users prefer WD over Seagate as they have proven to undergo fewer failure or error issues, but the situation might vary based on the error encountered.
