WD Reds SMART ID 22 "Helium Level"?

[sremick]

So I've now got 2 WD Red drives in my pool. Both come up with the same model # (WDC WD80EFAX although one ends with "-68KNBN0" while the other with "-68LHPN0"). One thing I just noticed tonight is that the "68LHPN0" has an additional line in the SMART data... ID# 22 "Helium level" (value currently 100%). Oddly, the other drive does not.

Any ideas on what might be going on? Cause for concern? Are all WD Red 8TB drives not helium-filled?

 

[Johnnie Black]

Are all WD Red 8TB drives not helium-filled?

The original 8TB Reds were helium filled, the newer models use less platters and are air filled.

 

[sremick]

The original 8TB Reds were helium filled, the newer models use less platters and are air filled.

Ah, interesting! Both were ordered from Amazon pretty close to each other. So it seems vendors still have a mixture of stock.

Wonder why they gave up on helium (besides cost/complication)? My understanding was that it had benefits and they needed that...

 

[rvassar]

The helium technology came from HGST, which WD acquired in 2013 or 2014, but were forced to operate independently by the Chinese ministry of finance for several years. Helium of course has different thermal and acoustic properties, that alter the flight properties of the r/w head over the spinning platter, and it's expensive. But the next big density jump comes from heat or microwave assisted recording, so it may actually be detrimental for those write methods, and if the gains from HAMR cut the platter count... They're commodity parts, it's a penny counting game, they'll always follow the least cost path.

Disclaimer: Former HGST employee (flash, not disks...).

 

[sremick]

Thanks for your insight. I find this stuff interesting.

Another data point: the helium drive runs about 3 deg C cooler than the non-helium one.

 

[Johnnie Black]

Wonder why they gave up on helium (besides cost/complication)? My understanding was that it had benefits and they needed that...

They didn't give up on helium, original 8TB Red used 7 platters, only with helium they could cram that many platters, new 8TB uses 5 platters only due to increased density, so no more helium needed, the newer drive is also faster because of the increased areal density, though it will run hotter and use a little more power because of the increased drag.

They still use helium for 10TB and larger disks.

 

[Jailer]

My white label drives that I shucked show attribute 22 as "Unknown Attribute" and 100%. Makes me wonder if they are in fact helium drives. They run the same temp as the one 8TB red that I got that is a helium drive.

 

[sremick]

original 8TB Red used 7 platters, only with helium they could cram that many platters, new 8TB uses 5 platters only due to increased density, so no more helium needed, the newer drive is also faster because of the increased areal density, though it will run hotter and use a little more power because of the increased drag.

They still use helium for 10TB and larger disks.

It all makes sense now.

 

[Johnnie Black]

My white label drives that I shucked show attribute 22 as "Unkown Attribute" and 100%. Makes me wonder if they are in fact helium drives.

If they have an attribute 22 they are helium filled, it's also very easy to know just by looking at them, helium casing vs normal casing:

 

[Jailer]

Yeah they're all helium filled, they look like the ones on the left.

 

[rvassar]

Also note the "Do not cover this hole" note and arrow.