Hard-disk Buying Guide in 2024: Which HDD is best for your needs

by | May 29, 2021 | Tech Tips | 2 comments

In the era of solid-state drives, the conventional mechanical hard disk might seem obsolete but it is not the case. If you want massive storage with a great price-to-performance ratio, hard disk is still #1 in terms of that. Even if SSDs go any cheaper, they can’t ever compare themselves to the price HDDs come in. Still while thinking to buy any HDDs, you find yourself with a bunch of options to choose from. It might be somewhat confusing, as the names in which it comes in often seem irrelevant to what it serves. Sometimes you need a hard disk buying guide before you plan to buy one.

Although there are many companies to choose from, Seagate is still one of the most reliable and popular options available out there. The following are some of the options that Seagate offers in their hard disk lineups:

Different types of Hard Disks

1. Seagate IronWolf Pro

Seagate IronWolf Pro is a Network Attached Storage that has 7200 rpm rotational speed and up to 256MB cache. It comes with 8 platers and 16 headers. It has a SATA3 interface and has AgileArray with CMR technology NAS Optimisation. IronWolf comes with a 5-year warranty. At the time of writing this post, it comes with a maximum capacity of 18TB.

Ironwolf Pro is better than IronWolf because it comes with a toughened body and it has better software and hardware support. It is also structured in such a way that it has vibration reduction even when stacked with multiple hard disks in a NAS.

IronWolf Pro is significantly heavier than the other counterparts as it does have additional hardware to provide extra functionality. It is generally the highest in price due to its added durability.

Seagate IronWolf Pro Now Includes 3-Year Rescue Data Recovery Service Plan.

It is best fit for:

  • 1- to 24-bay business network-attached storage (NAS)
  • Backup, archiving, and disaster recovery
  • On-premise private cloud
  • Virtual storage

2. Seagate IronWolf

Seagate IronWolf is also a Network Attached Storage disk and has a 7200, 5900, and 5400 rpm rotational speed, depending on the model and size selected. It comes in various sizes starting from 1TB all the way up to 12TB. It is a bit less rugged when compared to IronWolf Pro but it is ideal for up to 8 bay NAS Storage.

IronWolf has a cache of up to 256MB and comes with 3 years warranty along with an additional rescue service of 3 years.

Features like IronWolf Health Management and Rotational Vibration Sensors are absent in 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB variants.

Seagate IronWolf is ideal for:

  • Connected Home NAS
  • Small Office NAS
  • Home Office NAS

3. Seagate Barracuda

Seagate Barracuda is one of the most purchased products that the company offers. It is often called the “bread and butter” of Seagate as a major part of the company’s revenue comes from this product. It has a 5400 rpm 64 MB Cache and comes in 7200 rpm in select models. Its key feature is versatile storage and multi-tier caching technology. Seagate Barracuda comes with 2 years of warranty.

Seagate Barracuda comes in 500GB all the way up to 8TB. It is perfect for:

  • Desktop
  • All-in-one storage
  • Home Servers
  • DAS devices

It also has a variant, Seagate Barracuda Pro which gives additional benefits like high performance, 7200 rpm, and storage options starting from 2TB all the way up to 14TB. It comes with 5 years of warranty along with it.

Although Barracuda Pro comes with an extra set of features, if you’re tight on budget, Seagate Barracuda will also work just fine. Seagate is well known for quality products and some people even have used Barracuda for more than 10 years without a single problem.

4. Seagate Firecuda

Seagate Firecuda is an SSHD and is often known as a hybrid drive. It is a flash accelerated hard drive and the company claim that it has the fastest hard drive gaming speeds. It is available at 5 times faster speeds than traditional hard drives. Firecuda comes in 2 storage options, 1TB, and 2TB. Its key feature is faster boot times and comes with 5 years of warranty.

It is suitable for:

  • Pro-level Gaming
  • Creative Professionals
  • Business Professionals

4. Seagate SkyHawk

Seagate SkyHawk is a hard drive that is designed to be used in surveillance systems. Its hardware and software are designed for DVR and NVR systems in such a way that it can read and write 24×7  for a long period of time without any error. It comes in up to 8TB storage with Health Management on 4TB, 6TB, and 8 TB. SkyHawk also has RV Sensors built inside them.

Seagate SkyHawk supports up to 64 HD cameras with a workload rating of 180TB/yr. It has a 3-year limited warranty along with 3 years of Rescue Data Recovery Service included.

Seagate SkyHawk also has a variant named Seagate SkyHawk AI which has furthermore enhancements like 32 AI Streaming Optimization, up to 18TB storage, and a workload rating of 550TB/yr.

Both the storage is used in surveillance systems as they’re made reliable enough and specifically for the purpose.

Seagate also makes several storage options like Expansion Cards for Xbox Series X/S, Game Drive for PS4™ Systems, and External Hard Disk Drives.

Hard-disk buying guide

Although there are many options available on hard disks, all have their specific use and purpose. Also the more durability in addition to HDDs, the more expensive they get. So there will be no sense in buying a rugged hard disk built for gaming or a server when all you’ll be doing is watching some videos or surfing the internet.

So if you have a specific demand for the computer build, like if it is meant for server build for example, then only you should choose hard disks like IronWolf Pro or IronWolf. If you’re using a hard disk for a basic build, then you should be fine with the entry-level hard disks available, using some precautions. A typical HDD of some good manufacturers like Seagate, Western Digital, or Transcend can typically last between 5-10 years, or more, depending on how well you take care of it.

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2 Comments

  1. Athena

    Very informative. Looking forward for more.

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