WD Blue vs Black - Which for gaming and which for recording?

[AusQB]

So I know this topic is thrown around a lot, but it usually just involves someone asking if they should buy Blue or Black, typically resulting in the advice to go Black, but I'm still not clear on some details that might significantly influence my decision.

I currently have a 250GB SSD for Windows and most applications, and a 1TB WD Blue for games and documents. I'm considering adding another drive specifically for recording game footage, and since a 1TB SSD is still a bit pricey for what would just be a minor hobby, I'm at this juncture between the WD Blue and Black.

I know the 1TB Blue is 7200RPM, but how much does the speed affect write performance if all it's doing is recording game footage? We're talking ideally 1080p@60 with a Lagarith Lossless codec. Could I get away with a 2TB 5400RPM Blue?

If I were to spring for a Black, so I would then have a 1TB Blue and a 1TB Black, would it be best to transfer everything over to the Black and record to the Blue?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, AusQB!

It's possible that THIS is the advice you get from others due to the fact that the WD Black HDD is tuned for performance, whereas the WD Blue is simply an everyday computing solution for any standard user.
Yes, the 7,200 RPM WD Blue model may seem to overlap in specs with the WD Black, but it doesn't incorporate its ability to withstand the workload of the gaming and recording environment. The WD Black has the advantage here due to its dual-core processor that allows it to maximize the HDD performance even more.

The 2 TB 5,400 RPM Blue drive is something else entirely. It's designed to be used as a secondary storage solution for your massive data and it's rather slow for your intended purpose of gaming and gameplay recording. However, it's a good storage solution for all the massive video files.

I'd recommend you to take a look at the product pages of both drives on our website and read through all their specs and features.
WD Black
WD Bluehttp://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=u6YiF3

Either way, if you decide to go with a WD Black 1 TB and a WD Blue 1 TB. I'd suggest you record to the Black and keep/transfer the massive data on the Blue. Keep in mind that you should still consider an off-site backup solution for your precious files. Having only one copy of your data inside the system is not a safe storage solution.

Hope this was helpful. Keep me posted if you have further questions regarding the drives!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[AusQB]

Either way, if you decide to go with a WD Black 1 TB and a WD Blue 1 TB. I'd suggest you record to the Black and keep/transfer the massive data on the Blue.

Thanks Soph, this is what I was after. I think I'll grab a 1TB Black, and even if I don't end up regularly recording footage I'll still have a really nice hard drive for whatever else.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Glad I was able to help out, @AusQB!
Indeed, the WD Black is definitely a good HDD to hold onto. Besides, the 5-year limited warranty on it also gives some peace of mind.
However, I'd still recommend you to always keep backups stored in different locations. This is the best way to prevent any potential data loss.
Better safe than sorry, right? 😀

Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD