WD My Cloud 3 TB Network HDD Review
How We Tested
Contents
We tested the WD My Cloud 3 TB using CrystalDiskMark program. We ran the performance tests of the drive under two configurations: first, we connected the My Cloud to a TP-Link TL-WDR3600 router with Gigabit Ethernet ports, connecting our computer also to a Gigabit Ethernet port of the same router. Then, we connected the MY Cloud to a TP-Link TL-RW841N router, which has Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) ports, and connected our computer to the router using a 150 Mbps Wi-Fi interface.
We also tested the performance of an External Hard Disk Drive, the WD My Passport Ultra 2 TB, connected to the My Cloud under the same conditions of the first test (using only cabled Gigabit Ethernet connections). Finally, just for comparison, we tested the My Passport Ultra 2 TB connected directly to a USB 3.0 port of our computer.
Keep in mind, however, that we present all those results together to have an idea how fast is the access at each situation, but the My Passport Ultra is no competitor to the My Cloud, since they are different products with different purposes.
Hardware Configuration
- Processor: Core i7-5960X
- Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer
- Memory: 16 GB G.Skill Ripjaws (DDR4-2400/PC4-19200), configured at 2,400 MHz
- Boot drive: SSD M.2 Kingston SM2280S3 120 GiB
- Video card: Gigabyte GeForce GX 750
- Video resolution: 1920×1080
- Video monitor: Phillips 236VL
- Power supply: Corsair CX750
- Case: NZXT Phantom 530
Operating System Configuration
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1
Software Used
Error Margin
We adopted a 3% error margin in our tests, meaning performance differences of less than 3% can’t be considered meaningful. Therefore, when the performance difference between two products is less than 3%, we consider them to have similar performance.
