what would you recommend for power efficient hdds (when idle)?
I have recently built a truenas box with 2x4TB ssd's. But I think I will want to expand it. Currently it runs at 14W idle. If I add 2hdd I expect it to increase to 40W(?). How can I optimize this?
To answer your question: You could buy WD Red, to save a little noise and power.
BUT:
You should always consider, that optimizing Power Consumption would mean to buy new hardware. I hardly ever do this. Buying new hardware in many cases is vastly more expensive than keeping your old hw, even if it consumes more power.
I'll try to give you an example:
- My Dell T20 consumes 33W Idle
- There is HW out there, that consumes 14W - diff (19W)
- Let's say my Dell costs 150$ vs 600$ (for new hardware) - diff: 450$
- How long can I run my Dell T20 for 450$, without investing in new hardware
Calculation:
- Dell additional power per year: 0,019kW * 24h * 365 = 166kWh
- Estimated cost per year (in germany): 166kWh * 0,30$ = 49,80$
- Means I can run it about 9 years to the break even point
Advice: Buy a newer cheap used server consuming 12W in 5 years, and you save a ton of money. AND buying used hardware is better for the environment...
I have recently built a truenas box with 2x4TB ssd's. But I think I will want to expand it. Currently it runs at 14W idle. If I add 2hdd I expect it to increase to 40W(?). How can I optimize this?