Known as one of the most popular brands in the world of data storage, Western Digital has been in the industry for over 50 years. With such extensive longevity, it's safe to say that they know a thing or two about data storage. It's also safe to say that they've released many different products throughout the years.
While their earliest data storage devices are completely obsolete at this point, Western Digital continues to update their most famous product lines with new drives and devices. As you might have guessed, it can be difficult to keep everything organized when there are so many different products in use.
In order to make the task a little bit easier on behalf of both their internal manufacturing teams as well as their end-users, Western Digital has devised a clever color code. Primarily designed to give you quick insight into intended usage of each drive, these color codes can also give you information into other aspects and features of the drive - as long as you know what to look for.
WD Green
Designed to be as energy efficient as possible, WD Green drives were officially discontinued in 2015. Instead, the manufacturers with WD simply started implemented the same technologies into their WD Blue line of drives.
WD Blue
Meant for general desktop computing, WD Blue represents the standard line of Western Digital hard drives. If you're unsure what color to choose, or if you just want a drive for everyday use, the WD Blue is likely your best option. New WD Blue drives come with a two-year warranty.
WD Purple
Introduced in 2014, the WD Purple drive represents the newest entry in WD's color-coded drive schema. Primarily meant for use in digital surveillance systems, WD Purple are great in any computer that sees a lot of data writing. Since it's geared toward efficiency while writing data, these drives tend to lag behind some of the others when it comes to data reading speeds. WD Purple drives all include a three-year warranty.
WD Red
Featured in network-attached storage (NAS) devices, WD Red drives are specifically designed for 24/7 usage. Because many of their other drives aren't designed to be used in this manner, stocking your NAS with WD Red drives can save a lot of headaches and hassle in the long run.
WD Black
These drives are meant to showcase the performance side of WD's modern hard drives. Best for gaming rigs, WD Black drives are most commonly used in live streaming and eSports. However, they can provide a significant boost to nearly any consumer system. This high-performance drive comes with a five-year warranty.
WD Gold
To be fair, WD Gold drives aren't really meant for consumers. Instead, they're meant to be used in large-scale data centers with massive needs in storage, resiliency, and efficiency. While this means that they tend to come in larger capacities than some of the other color-coded drives, they're also significantly more expensive. In some cases, they can be difficult to find in consumer markets. Just like their high-performance Black drives, the WD Gold drive includes a five-year warranty.
