DESKTOP 0.5TB 7200 RPM · CMR WD5000AZLX
Western Digital · Desktop drive · WD5000AZLX
WD Blue 0.5TB WD's everyday desktop line, made for the inside of a PC tower.
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Capacity 0.5 TB
Recording CMR
Speed 7,200 rpm
Warranty 2 years
Failure rate No failure data Sizes 0.5 TB 1 TB 2 TB 3 TB 4 TB 6 TB 8 TB 10 TB 12 TB Good for A PC, or a backup copy you plug in now and then Not for A NAS (WD gives it no NAS rating) A desk or bedroom (7,200 rpm is the louder class) Updated 27 Oct 2026 · Method 2.0
Is the WD Blue 0.5 TB right for you? A PC tower suits it, or a dock for backups.
! Watch out forWD doesn't rate it for NAS use at all, which rules it out for an array as far as we're concerned. Being 7,200 rpm, it's in the noisier, warmer class of drive, and you'll want it somewhere you don't sit.
No Backblaze failure rate for this one. They don't run enough of them, if any, for a figure worth quoting. WD's datasheet puts it at 29 dB idle and 30 dB seeking. Power draw is 6.1 W idle and 6.8 W working on WD's figures, or 53 kWh a year if it spends the whole year idling.
WD Blue 0.5TB specifications Drive type Desktop source for Drive type (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Capacity 0.5 TB source for Capacity (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Spindle speed 7,200 rpm source for Spindle speed (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Recording technology CMR source for Recording technology (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Cache 32 MB source for Cache (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Interface SATA 6Gb/s source for Interface (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Form factor 3.5in source for Form factor (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Max sustained transfer 150 MB/s source for Max sustained transfer (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Workload rating Not published Warranty 2 years source for Warranty (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Power at idle 6.1 W source for Power at idle (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Power in use 6.8 W source for Power in use (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Noise at idle 29 dB source for Noise at idle (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab) Noise when seeking 30 dB source for Noise when seeking (documents.westerndigital.com, opens in new tab)
Sources: documents.westerndigital.com