# Bolt Drive Comparisons



## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Probably no real new information here, but it took me some scratching and searching to get this information, so I thought I would put it here for all to easily see. The power ratings (what I was initially looking to find) are all taken directly from the drive labels:

TiVo Stock Drives
Bolt 500GB = WD5000LUCT, 5VDC/0.55A
Bolt 1TB = WD10JUCT, 5VDC/0.55A
Bolt 3TB = WD30NPRZ, 5VDC/0.39A (seems incredibly low!)

Replacement drives
2TB WD Blue = WD20NPVZ, 5VDC/0.75A
3TB Toshiba = MQ03ABB300, 5VDC/1.0A

Comments
More power consumed (the current draw/amp rating) = more heat, so lower power requirements would always be better if all else was equal. Unfortunately, we currently have very few options for 2.5" replacement drives, so we gotta live with what is available. I have only included the two currently "recommended" upgrade drives - no others have a good record of working in this application at this time! The popular Toshiba 3TB drive consumes almost twice the current as the smaller stock drives, so it generates more heat. Good air circulation is important!

I have been running a Toshiba 3TB in one Bolt, installed in an enclosed cabinet with some other equipment, and the ODT for that box stays around 69 degrees (still using the stock fan). Zero problems so far, but just based on the power ratings alone, if the WD 3TB drive ever becomes generally available, I think I would switch to it in a second! I do plan on upgrading the stock fan to improve cooling.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

I put a 1TB WD10JPVX in my 500GB Bolt. Not sure if it's "recommended," but I think it's similar to the WD20NPVZ.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

V7Goose said:


> TiVo Stock Drives
> Bolt 3TB = WD30NPRZ, 5VDC/0.39A (seems incredibly low!)
> 
> Replacement drives
> 3TB Toshiba = MQ03ABB300, 5VDC/1.0A


The WD spec sheet for WD30NPRZ says 2.0W r/w and 0.7W idle
The Toshiba spec sheet for MQ03ABB300 says 1.7W r/w and 0.7W idle

So it seems Toshiba 3TB uses less power than the WD 3TB, which is opposite of the specs you found.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

sfhub said:


> The WD spec sheet for WD30NPRZ says 2.0W r/w and 0.7W idle
> The Toshiba spec sheet for MQ03ABB300 says 1.7W r/w and 0.7W idle
> 
> So it seems Toshiba 3TB uses less power than the WD 3TB, which is opposite of the specs you found.


Yes, drive spec sheets list multiple power states - generally three, not just the two you posted. But those various power states do not mean much unless you have the detailed stats of % time spent in each state for the device in use. There is also additional power consumed during state transitions (especially during spin-up times) that are not listed at all. What about power consumed during head motion (seek and set sector functions)? Many things are not accounted for in the basic spec sheets.

I suspect that the voltage and current numbers listed on the labels are maximum consumption requirements that would be needed for circuit design, but I cannot say that for sure. If I am right, it means that the Toshiba drive sometimes needs more that double the total current consumed by the WD 3TB drive that TiVo uses in this application.

I was very careful to tell you in the very first post that I was showing the power consumption numbers found on the labels directly mounted to the particular drives I listed. I also pointed out that the number seemed surprisingly low for that drive, but it is nonetheless the number that Western Digital puts on the label. Use that information however you like.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

V7Goose said:


> Yes, drive spec sheets list multiple power states - generally three, not just the two you posted. But those various power states do not mean much unless you have the detailed stats of % time spent in each state for the device in use.


My impression is most (TiVo) people are not looking at the power specs to calculate actual power usage.

What they are interested in is comparing relative power usage from original drive to replacement drive. Presumably the detailed stats of % time spent in each state will be similar between drives, especially since the drive is almost always read/write and startup usage is negligible since it is one-time and would comprise an incredibly small amount of the overall power the drive uses over the lifetime of service.

I am not trying to criticize your post, rather clarify the information, I actually thanked your post earlier. I just got the impression the Toshiba drive would use significantly more power than the original drive and I am not sure if that is the case.

I have an impression that most drives that spin at the same speeds and use the same technology are going to have similar steady-state power requirements.

Usually the most power the drive uses is during startup so I am guessing the amp requirements are for peak usage during startup. That is also good information to have because usually many other components also have peak consumption during this period (ie the most overall power requirements on the 2A power supply). That might be enough to cause the voltage to drop and have boot problems.

It is possible TiVo purposely chose a drive with lower startup power usage to fit in with their 2A power supply, rather than go with 3A power supply and have the confusion between older Bolt and newer Bolt+ units.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

sfhub said:


> I have an impression that most drives that spin at the same speeds and use the same technology are going to have similar steady-state power requirements.


The fact that virtually all of us who have actually compared system temps between Bolts using the stock drives and ones that have the Toshiba 3TB drive have found that a box with the Toshiba drive installed runs significantly hotter proves that your "impression" is wrong.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

V7Goose said:


> The fact that virtually all of us who have actually compared system temps between Bolts using the stock drives and ones that have the Toshiba 3TB drive have found that a box with the Toshiba drive installed runs significantly hotter proves that your "impression" is wrong.


If we are talking steady-state power requirements (what you quoted), as a baseline for discussion, what is the external measurement of amperage or watts drawn by the TiVo power brick between wd and toshiba? That should be easy to measure, no?

When talking temperature, you are dealing with potentially an expanded set of issues beyond input power requirements. The drive might be less efficient at using the power it gets. Unaligned 4K advanced format might be forcing more read/write operations. Impeded air flow from drive size differences. As you said, the drive might be pulling more power.


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm going by memory, but I'd looked at my new Bolt's supply, and I thought I remembered it being 3A. But I'm not home, so I can't check, my apologies if they're 2A. 

A Kill-A-Watt or similar could give some info on average power draw, though I do wonder how accurate it would be, given the small draw. Even a constant 12V, 3A would only be 0.3A at 110V, and the average draw may be lower. 

You could put a multimeter inline to measure DC current, or use something like an oscilloscope with a current shunt, to pick up on very brief events. It's possible that the KAW might miss brief current dips/spikes, while measuring cumulative data. 

But at the end of the day, my guess would be that the area of interest might really be temperature, vs things like different current draw specs. I'm making the assumption that the label power specs don't tell the whole story, and that perhaps those are just worst-case, peak draws, or not representative of power draw during normal operation. 

We don't really know how the different detailed specs would contribute (what % of time each spec applies), but box temperature may be the "end result" that's of more concern. 

I changed my fan at the same time that I changed from 500GB to 3TB Toshiba, so unfortunately I can't offer feedback on temperate changes due only to the drive change. My temperature dropped, but I don't know if that's due to the fan change, drive change, or a combination of the two.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

I agree that the end result is the box temperature. Heat lowers the lifespan of electronics. Secondary consideration is if the power brick has ample power to spin up the drive to operating speed which is produces the largest current draw.

BTW the peak current of the  WD30NPRZ is 1 amp at 5 Volts. There are other values for average read/write, idle, and standby which probably is more representative of the heat generation from the drive during normal operation.


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## TheCryptkeeper (Dec 31, 2009)

I have both a Bolt+ and an upgraded Bolt that I installed a 3TB Toshiba MQ03ABB300 drive in. Both TiVos report identical temperature ranges. Other than the hard drive in my upgraded TiVo, all other components, including the fan, are original.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

V7Goose said:


> The fact that virtually all of us who have actually compared system temps between Bolts using the stock drives and ones that have the Toshiba 3TB drive have found that a box with the Toshiba drive installed runs significantly hotter proves that your "impression" is wrong.





TheCryptkeeper said:


> I have both a Bolt+ and an upgraded Bolt that I installed a 3TB Toshiba MQ03ABB300 drive in. Both TiVos report identical temperature ranges. Other than the hard drive in my upgraded TiVo, all other components, including the fan, are original.


Given TheCryptkeeper's experience what was the original comparison where a box that runs the Toshiba was significantly hotter? Were people comparing a 500GB WD against a 3TB Toshiba? Are the number of heads/platters/etc the same? It seems the better comparison is between 3TB WD vs 3TB Toshiba because we are assuming if you are comparing at all, you are probably going to do the upgrade and you are just deciding which drive to use.


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## TheCryptkeeper (Dec 31, 2009)

The Bolt+ was manufactured in April 2016. The upgraded 500GB Bolt was built on May 5, 2017. Perhaps the newer Bolts use better fans or temperture controls. I'm just going by the ODT reported by the DVRs, one with the stock 3TB drive from WD, the other with an upgraded 3TB drive from Toshiba. It's NOT my impression. Unfortunately, I didn't measure the temperature in the 500 GB Bolt before doing the upgrade, but I admit it probably would run cooler with a smaller drive. With a 3TB Toshiba drive it's not running any hotter than my Bolt+. I'm sorry if these observations don't agree with other findings.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## Redoctobyr (Jun 21, 2008)

I've seen several people mention Bolt+ temperatures being higher than for the Bolt. 

The discussion had been that the 6 tuners vs 4 produce more heat, which is almost certainly true, of course. 

But perhaps the larger drive in the Bolt+ is also a contributor, maybe it runs warmer. Unless someone with a Bolt and a Bolt+ swaps their drives and observes the differences, it may be tough to fully answer that question.


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## TheCryptkeeper (Dec 31, 2009)

Redoctobyr said:


> I've seen several people mention Bolt+ temperatures being higher than for the Bolt.
> 
> The discussion had been that the 6 tuners vs 4 produce more heat, which is almost certainly true, of course.
> 
> But perhaps the larger drive in the Bolt+ is also a contributor, maybe it runs warmer. Unless someone with a Bolt and a Bolt+ swaps their drives and observes the differences, it may be tough to fully answer that question.


Just an observation, but when I place my hand on top of my Bolts, most of the heat seems to emanate from the center of the motherboard, where the heat sink is situated, and NOT by the hard drive. One of these days, when I have some time, I'll put the 500GB drive I removed from my Bolt into my Bolt+ to see if it drops the temperature significantly.


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## TheCryptkeeper (Dec 31, 2009)

ODT in Bolt+ right now is 70. ODT in upgraded Bolt with Toshiba 3TB drive is 68. All other variables the same, except the number of tuners.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Redoctobyr said:


> I've seen several people mention Bolt+ temperatures being higher than for the Bolt.
> 
> The discussion had been that the 6 tuners vs 4 produce more heat, which is almost certainly true, of course.
> 
> But perhaps the larger drive in the Bolt+ is also a contributor, maybe it runs warmer. Unless someone with a Bolt and a Bolt+ swaps their drives and observes the differences, it may be tough to fully answer that question.


With my five platter, 4TB Seagate drives, in Bolts. They run close to the same ODT as with the stock 500GB drive. But I did replace the fans when I got my $99 lifetime transfer Bolts. Since the better replacement fans lowered the temps by a fair amount.


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