Seagate IronWolf Pro 18TB (ST18000NE000) HDD Review

1. Introduction2. Seagate IronWolf 18TB3. Testing Methodology4. CrystalDiskMark5. ATTO Disk Benchmark6. IOMeter 4K Random Performance7. Throughput8. Workload Scenarios9. RAID 0 performance10. Real Life File Testing11. Closing Thoughts12. View All Pages

The demands for data storage are growing at an ever-faster pace and showing no signs of slowing down, especially when it comes to cloud-based services, content serving and digital archiving and that was before Covid-19 hit with the resulting huge and unexpected rise in demands for remote working.

While Flash-based storage now holds sway over solutions that were once the stronghold of mechanical drives, the one area where good old spinning disks still reign supreme is in the storage of “cold” and archival data where cost per GB is a more important factor than ultimate performance. This is going to be an even more important factor as companies plan for life after the pandemic.

While everyone's really waiting for drives to hit the market using HAMR (heat-assisted magnetic recording) technology, companies continue to squeeze every last drop of capacity from Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) technology including Seagate whose latest flagship drive in the NAS focussed IronWolf Pro range is a whopping 18TB.

The IronWolf Pro drives have been built from the ground up as NAS drives and to this end feature some useful technologies for supporting their life in drive enclosures including Seagate’s AgileArray Technology, AcuTrac Technology and IHM (IronWolf Health Management). AgileArray is a combination of software, hardware and firmware features including Error Recovery Control that prevents RAID drop-offs.

The effects of drive vibration in large multi-drive NAS enclosures have to potential to cause real problems.  Seagate’s AcuTrac Technology which allows the drive to still function properly even if it’s being impacted from vibration from a neighbouring drive. The drive is also fitted with Rotational Vibration (RV) Sensors to reduce vibration in the multi-bay enclosures while Dual Plane Balance ensures the drive is vibration-free and quiet during operation.

IronWolf Health Management (IHM) technology adds another layer of protection by interacting with the NAS OS to display actionable prevention, intervention or recovery options for whatever is affecting the drive’s health. The technology is supported by most of the main NAS vendors including; Synology, QNAP, Asustor, Qsan and Thecus and a quick tour of their websites will show which models support IHM.

Added to all this technology is the peace of mind from a 3-year subscription to Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Plan and a 5-year warranty.

We found the 18TB Seagate IronWolf Pro on Span.com for £507.60 (inc VAT) HERE.

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Pros

• Huge capacity.
• Overall performance.
• Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Plan.

Cons

• Pricey.

KitGuru says: Seagate’s 18TB IronWolf Pro brings a serious chunk of storage capacity to NAS users. It's the fastest IronWolf Pro drive to date and brings with it a good package of features to help it survive the rigours of a multi-drive environment.

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