by 26 reviews.
Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD 10TB (Helium) Review: A Reliable Powerhouse for Enterprise Storage
When it comes to enterprise-level storage solutions, the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD 10TB (Helium) stands out as a top contender. Designed for hyperscale applications, cloud data centers, and large-scale storage needs, this hard drive combines massive capacity, high-speed performance, and enterprise-class reliability. Whether you're managing a data center or need robust storage for demanding applications, this drive promises to deliver. But how does it hold up in real-world use? Let’s dive into the details based on customer experiences.
Key Features at a Glance
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s a quick rundown of what makes this drive special:
- 10TB Storage Capacity: Perfect for large-scale data storage.
- 7200 RPM Speed: Ensures fast data access and transfer rates.
- SATA 6Gb/s Interface: High-speed connectivity for seamless data transfer.
- 256 MB Cache: Enhances performance by allowing quicker access to frequently used data.
- Helium-Sealed Design: Reduces power consumption and improves reliability.
- Enterprise-Class Reliability: Backed by a 2.5 million-hour MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures).
- Forged Aluminum Base: Ensures durability and longevity.
Now, let’s break down the pros and cons based on real customer feedback.
Pros: What Customers Love
1. Exceptional Performance for the Price
Many customers have praised the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10TB HDD for its outstanding performance, especially considering its price point. One user mentioned using it in their Synology NAS DS216play, replacing older 4TB drives. Despite the NAS being rated for a maximum of 8TB per drive, the 10TB drives worked flawlessly, tripling their storage capacity. The drives handled 1080P HD video playback effortlessly, and users anticipate no issues with 4K or 8K content.
2. Reliability and Durability
The drive’s 2.5 million-hour MTBF rating has been a major selling point for customers. One reviewer compared it to Seagate’s IronWolf drives, which have a 1 million-hour MTBF, and found the Enterprise Capacity drives to be a better deal. Another user shared their experience of using multiple renewed Seagate drives over the years without a single failure, highlighting the brand’s improved reliability.
3. Energy Efficiency
The helium-sealed design not only reduces power consumption but also makes the drive lighter. Customers appreciate the PowerBalance feature, which optimizes IOPS per watt, making it an energy-efficient choice for data centers and home setups alike.
4. Ease of Installation
While some users noted that the drive lacks a second screw hole for Synology NAS mounting brackets, this was a minor inconvenience. Most found the installation process straightforward, with one user describing it as “plug-and-play” after a lengthy RAID rebuild process.
5. Great Value for Renewed Drives
Several customers emphasized the incredible value of these renewed drives. One user called them “rich peoples’ leftovers,” joking that the wealthy must be upgrading to even larger SSDs. For the price, the performance and reliability of these drives are hard to beat.
Cons: Areas for Improvement
1. SMART Data Concerns
One user reported issues with SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data, stating that it was not functioning as expected. While this didn’t affect the drive’s performance, it’s something to keep in mind for those who rely heavily on SMART for drive health monitoring.
2. Compatibility Issues
Although the drives worked well in most setups, they are not officially listed on Synology’s compatibility list. This caused minor installation challenges for some users, particularly with mounting brackets. However, these issues were easily resolved and didn’t impact overall functionality.
3. Long RAID Rebuild Times
Replacing drives in a RAID array can be time-consuming. One user reported RAID rebuild times of 6.5 to 9 hours, which is typical for drives of this capacity but may be a drawback for those seeking faster setups.
Real-World Use Cases
1. NAS Upgrades
Many customers have successfully used these drives to upgrade their NAS systems. One user replaced two 6TB IronWolf drives with the 10TB Enterprise Capacity drives, resulting in a 27.3TB RAID array with no errors. The drives performed flawlessly, even under heavy use.
2. Gaming and Media Storage
Gamers and media enthusiasts have also found these drives to be a great fit. One user stored over 120 games and their photography library on the drive, noting that it handled game loading and texture streaming exceptionally well. Another user praised its performance for hosting a media server, with no issues after six months of continuous use.
3. Enterprise Applications
While most reviews focus on personal use, the drive’s enterprise-class features make it ideal for data centers and large-scale storage solutions. Its helium-sealed design and high MTBF rating ensure it can handle the demands of hyperscale environments.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
The Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD 10TB (Helium) is a powerhouse of storage that delivers exceptional performance, reliability, and value. Its massive capacity, high-speed performance, and energy-efficient design make it a top choice for both enterprise and personal use. While there are minor concerns with SMART data and compatibility, these are outweighed by the drive’s overall performance and durability.
Strengths:
- Outstanding performance for the price.
- High reliability with a 2.5 million-hour MTBF rating.
- Energy-efficient helium-sealed design.
- Great value for renewed drives.
Weaknesses:
- SMART data functionality may be inconsistent.
- Minor compatibility issues with certain NAS systems.
- Long RAID rebuild times.
If you’re looking for a high-capacity, reliable hard drive that won’t break the bank, the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10TB HDD is an excellent choice. Whether you’re upgrading your NAS, building a media server, or managing a data center, this drive delivers the performance and reliability you need.
Specification Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD 10TB (Helium) 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 256 MB Cache Internal Bare Drive (ST10000NM0016) (Renewed):
Comments from Amazon:
OK! I've said it before; I'm saying it again! These drives are a killer deal for the money, as far as I'm concerned. I like to think of these drives as rich peoples' leftovers! (Or maybe the rich guys are all upgrading to 20 TB SSD's we don't even know about, or something...) I have 4 NAS's - 3 Asustors and a Synology. I phased out my Terramaster when I got the second Asustor 4 bay; I didn't like it enough - even though it still works. Over the years, I have slowly gotten Iron Wolf and Exos hard drives. At this point, everything was all set except when I got done, I only had two 10 TB Exos hdd's and two 6 TB Iron Wolf's for the Synology. So I jumped on (two of) these 10 TB Exos' when I found them!! (I'll admit I was looking for them.) The point I'm making is that I've gotten at least 16 Iron Wolf and Exos hdd's over the years - most of them "renewed". I still have two 4 TB Iron Wolf's left over and two 6 TB Iron Wolf's in my computer. I've have NEVER had any trouble with any of them. Either I'm the luckiest guy on the planet or Seagate has turned things around since I was a young man, and is now making good hard drives! Seems like in order for there to be this many of them, renewed, they have to be good drives. I like these Exos' better than the Iron Wolf's. Lighter and less power hungry is always a good thing AFAIC. Helium filled is good. The real killer, though, is that the Iron Wolf's I have, have got a 1 million hour MTBF (Mean Time Between Fails) rating, and the refurbished Exos drives I have, have a 2.5 million hour MTBF rating, for less money! No-Brainer for me! They got here very quickly (from Cal). I let them warm up a little. I yanked a 6 TB drive out of the Synology, waited for it to start beeping and going, "RAID DEGRADED". I slid in one of these 10 TB Exos drives and just let it do its thing. When that was done (hours and hours later), I did the same thing with the other remaining 6 TB drive - slid in the other one of these, and waited a very long time again. Finally DONE! After running for over three days without a single error, I now have a 27.3 Terabyte RAID in the Synology! NO ERRORS; NOT ONE; completely "GOOD"!! All my data (which I'd backed up, just in case) was still there! (It's a Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) with single drive redundancy.) And the company seems to be great! ("goHardDrive") Insured priority mail and all kinds of contact info in the box, stressing how badly they want me to be happy. Very well packed in sealed electrostatic envelopes and bubble wrap. The only way I could be happier is if someone had given them to me for free. (But then I would probably be chewing my nails, expecting them to break any minute...) One of life's few remaining better deals nowadays!
Garbadge, SMART is not well
In terms of cost. It's really good I'm using this to daily drive my video games such as helldiver2 and cyberpunk. It works good for storing all my games from steam 10/10
A few months in of using it, and it's working fine.
I got this to store all my images and video games, and it does exactly that. I have downloaded 120+ games in ny library and store all my photography on it. It's surprisingly good at running games off it, even playing warzone jumping between matches I rarely saw textures loading too slowly.
Works very well, 6 months after installation and no issues. I use it to host my media server.
Purchased two of them to replace old seagate 4tb drives in my Synology NAS DS216play... Time from order date to receipt = 3 days... Had (2) seagate 4tb drives in DS216 in SHR raid config with one of the original drives in "Crashed" status... Replaced the crashed drive first - took about 9 hours to complete. volume repair.. Had no troubles replacing crashed drive with 10tb EXOS drive... raid volume still showed 3.5TB capacity... Replaced second 4tb seagate with 10tb EXOS (took about 6.5 hrs... Raid volume now shows 9.1tb... NAS is running now flawlessly (with no degraded volume) , with almost triple capacity, and all for just over $200... These refurbs are fantastic and will keep close eye on longevity... These EXOS drives are not on Synology compatibility list but only difficulty i had installing was no second screw hole in drive case to to match synology drive mount bracket - for me was not a big deal... Also the ds216 play is only rated for max of 8 tb drive size (total drive size 16tb),,, checked with Synology tech support and they confirmed the 216 play supports max 20tb (Exos 10tb x2)... Drive speed is more than adequate for 1080P HD video playback , haven't tried it with 4k or 8 k but should be no problem...