Warning.. WD HC530 14Tb at too good to be true pricing

[newabc]

Dell has firmware for this "WUH721414ALE6L0" model

https://poweredgec.dell.com/latest_poweredge-racks.html

The update on 4/18/2018 of below post, said "WUH721414ALE6L0" is a "512MB Cache Buffer PMR"(post language is Chinese):

零售3.5'' SATA HDD汇总列表 (2018-10-24更新) - 电脑讨论(新) - Chiphell - 分享与交流用户体验

零售3.5'' SATA HDD汇总列表 (2018-10-24更新),数据截止到2018-10-24 , 包括4大HDD制造商现役零售产品线3.5'' SATA标准型号(未包含衍生型号)表格仅统计了1TB及以上容量 , 只包含了512e和4Kn型号除Deskstar NAS外 , HGST ...,电脑讨论(新),讨论区-技术与经验的讨论 ,Chiphell - 分享与交流用户体验

www.chiphell.com

 

[Samir]

I disagree.

I appreciate where you're coming from with your reply. I am familiar with WD's model naming nomenclature and convention. However, my experience / understanding is that doesn't mean all those model variations actually exist. Most manufacturers - including WD - have a nomenclature for how they determine HDD (or other product type) model numbers. However, that does not mean that all such variations exist. They don't.

WD might happen to have produced a "-E6L0" suffix iteration of the DC HC 530, but I have yet to see any specs on it. That's what I'm pushing for. If it's a legit WD manufactured model ID, why doesn't any documentation exist that mentions this model number?

For example, have you ever seen a WD SATA FED-FIPS model (-E6L5)? No. Because they don't exist. Seagate is the only manufacturer to produce FIPS compliant SATA disks.

If you extrapolate the WD naming convention model under its own merit, one would presume such a model does exist, such as WUH721414ALE6L5, but it doesn't. Perhaps WD did manufacture an ISE version (Instant Secure Erase) of the DC HC530. However, if they did, why isn't it mentioned in any WD literature? This is my point. I can find documentation on every legit HDD from any manufacturer. This lends validation. But I can't find any docs for WUH721414ALE6L0, even though I can find lots of them for sale. This is a red flag IMHO.

Sometimes merchants make mistakes and advertise incorrect HDD model IDs, but in this case there are photographs online showing what appears to be a WD HDD with a label clearly showing model ID WUH721414ALE6L0. Yet, there are no documents corroborating its existence.

I'm questioning, why is this the case? Are there loads of unscrupulous or clueless resellers out there? Or is WD lazy? Or something else? I'm trying to understand why this model does not fit the mold.

With all due respect, you have a good point... but, it still does not answer the question: how can these devices exist in the wild when their (supposed) manufacturer has never acknowledged their existence (of this particular model ID)? I'm still very skeptical until someone can prove what's going on. Otherwise, I'd strongly recommend everyone avoid these drives, regardless of who the reseller is.

Example: here's a proper WD manual

I ran across this with an Intel nic at one point. So I called Intel asking what the warranty was on the card--they asked to see pictures of the label and the card. Their conclusion was that the card was a complete fake using information that looked real but didn't make sense in terms of Intel manufacturing identification and part numbers. I have a strong hunch that's what you're running across with these drives (as I believe you do too). What I would suggest is getting in touch with WD with one of these part numbers that should be in warranty and ask them to look up the warranty on it. That should yield us the definitive answer.

 

[DaveInTexas]

I have a strong hunch that's what you're running across with these drives (as I believe you do too). What I would suggest is getting in touch with WD with one of these part numbers that should be in warranty and ask them to look up the warranty on it. That should yield us the definitive answer.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking about that last night as well, and I agree. I'll reach out to WD this coming week and post the result of that conversation.

Another thought also occurred to me last night as I lay in bed pondering this whole thing and wondering if I was paranoid and over-reacting, "Could this be a white label shucked from an external drive enclosure?" However, WD already has this exact thing (I had to go and look-up whether or not there was one... indeed there is...).

Western Digital model WD140EDFZ is a white-label "IU HA 500" which in turn is actually an alternative label for the Ultrastar DC HC530. It is the identical drive. WD slaps a different sticker on it in case someone opens the case and shucks the drive. WD is weird about their external drives. If you shuck some of them, you will find a Purple or Red, etc. Perhaps a Gold. It appears - from the knowledge I've gathered over time - that WD began this practice in 2019-ish. Hard to tell for sure when it started, but once WD realized people were circumventing their marketing prowess and saving 20-40% by shucking external drives on the cheap to get more expensive drives, they started this practice of white labeling them.

 

[DaveInTexas]

Dell has firmware for this "WUH721414ALE6L0" model

https://poweredgec.dell.com/latest_poweredge-racks.html

The update on 4/18/2018 of below post, said "WUH721414ALE6L0" is a "512MB Cache Buffer PMR"(post language is Chinese):

零售3.5'' SATA HDD汇总列表 (2018-10-24更新) - 电脑讨论(新) - Chiphell - 分享与交流用户体验

零售3.5'' SATA HDD汇总列表 (2018-10-24更新),数据截止到2018-10-24 , 包括4大HDD制造商现役零售产品线3.5'' SATA标准型号(未包含衍生型号)表格仅统计了1TB及以上容量 , 只包含了512e和4Kn型号除Deskstar NAS外 , HGST ...,电脑讨论(新),讨论区-技术与经验的讨论 ,Chiphell - 分享与交流用户体验

www.chiphell.com

Thanks for that information. I looked over the Chinese website you mentioned, and followed links to the blog posts it references.

The Chinese forum site portion of interest reads, "WUH721414ALE6L0/4" and the link to the blog with a password-protected access point (pw is provided in the forum post) shows a fairly comprehensive list of HDD product numbers, but for this drive in question it is also vague and simply says, "WUH721414ALE6Lz"

I also can't find links on any of those 3 sites to WD literature mentioning the mysterious product ID that I'm concerned about.

Regarding the Dell site, thank you for taking the time to dig that up and for sharing that information. What a useful web page!

Now, that makes sense. Since WD owns the HGST brand. I still can't find any docs on "HGST WUH721414ALE6L0" either, however it does indeed seem as if that's a Dell branded product. Server Supply is also selling them brand new, and mentions the disk is Dell OEM. I have purchased drives from Server Supply before (refurbished Re models), and as far as I know they are reputable.

I'm glad to be corrected that apparently this is legit, even though it's still a bit odd. But, given Dell's merger with EMC a few years back, I can see this happening as Dell is known for contracting directly with manufacturers to get custom products built en masse. It certainly seems conceivable WD would be interested in that practice to move a bunch of HDDs all at once.

I am still wondering if the WD labeled version is legit. Since WD purchased Hitachi's storage division, there's always been confusion between some models of WD, Hitachi, and HGST, especially WD vs. HGST. For example, there are numerous examples of identical model numbers branded as WD or HGST products which are legitimate. In those cases, the names of the product lines are different (e.g. HGST Enterprise Capacity 3.5 14 TB versus Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC 530 14 TB). Identical drive. Identical regulation number, etc. Different labels. Different marketing materials, etc.

So, in this case I do still wonder, is there a "WD" labeled product that Dell also has? I can't find any reference to a WD WUH721414ALE6L0. Just the HGST variety. However, who knows? The HDD world is so confusing that now knowing Dell is apparently the only vendor of this HGST model and that it is legit (at least in HGST form), it now seems plausible the WD variety could be legitimate. Tough to say. I'll still call WD this week and inquire.

 

[DaveInTexas]

Just realized I got myself mixed up a bit ^^^. This is what I get for hopping on a forum prior to being fully caffeinated.

HGST WUH721414ALE6L0 appears to be a model Dell either had custom made for them, or perhaps WD made a production error and Dell bought all of the goods. It can be found as a "Dell OEM" model. The model number maps to: data center drive + SATA + 14 TB + basic secure erase function + legacy power pin configuration. I wasn't aware that existed before, and appreciate the info @newabc found.

Western Digital WUH721414ALE604 is still a mystery. I cannot find any official docs or reputable reference for it.

Western Digital WUH721414ALE604 product ID would indicate data center drive + SATA + 14 TB + basic secure erase function + power disable pin, which is an odd configuration.

Interestingly, WD did make some versions of their DC HC 510 and DC HC 520 drives with this combination. However, to my knowledge they stopped that practice with the DC HC 530 line and all of their DC SATA drives since HC 530 have used the legacy power pin config and not PDP.

IMHO the information available still raises a red flag. Aside from the absence of official documentation on this product ID anywhere, the model configuration is not congruent with WD's other DC releases (although model families prior to the 530 did have that combo available). Is this some kind of a fluke or error on WDs part they don't want to publicize, or is it a clever person masquerading a fake drive as ostensibly a legit product ID?

I'll reach out to WD this coming week and see if they can validate the model number. It still seems plausible to me that someone is pushing a fake WD drive with a model ID that appears legit.

 

[Samir]

Is this some kind of a fluke or error on WDs part they don't want to publicize, or is it a clever person masquerading a fake drive as ostensibly a legit product ID?

I'll reach out to WD this coming week and see if they can validate the model number. It still seems plausible to me that someone is pushing a fake WD drive with a model ID that appears legit.

With the scammers and fakers becoming more and more sophisticated, the fake theory is what I'm leaning towards, but if it's not a fake then it will be a potential great deal--either way we will win.

 

[newabc]

If searching with ""WUH721414ALE604" pdf", we can find the below documents:

https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/product/platforms/ultrastar-data102-hybrid-platform/installation-guide-ultrastar-data102.pdf

https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/product/platforms/ultrastar-data60-hybrid-platform/installation-guide-ultrastar-data60.pdf

 

[DaveInTexas]

Awesome! Nice find!

It looks like the WUH721414ALE604 was likely released in 2021 or 2022, based on the dates of the documents where it's mentioned. It only seems to be referenced in WD docs pertaining to WD's new storage platforms.

 

[Nom]

how can these devices exist in the wild when their (supposed) manufacturer has never acknowledged their existence (of this particular model ID)?

Because the drive makers can and do make special "one off" models for large customers. It's entirely likely that someone once needed a large number of 14TB 512e drives with 6Gb/s SATA interface (E6), power disable 3 pin support (0), no encryption support (4). And so they got them !

It only seems to be referenced in WD docs pertaining to WD's new storage platforms.

They were probably never available in the retail market...