by 1 reviews.
Seagate Skyhawk 6TB Internal Hard Drive Review: A Reliable Workhorse for Surveillance Systems
The Seagate Skyhawk 6TB Internal Hard Drive is a purpose-built storage solution designed for DVR and NVR surveillance systems. With features like ImagePerfect firmware, Rotational Vibration (RV) sensors, and a 256MB cache, this hard drive ensures smooth video streaming and reliable performance, even under heavy workloads. It’s optimized for 24/7 operation, supporting up to 64 HD cameras simultaneously, making it an excellent choice for both home and small-to-medium business surveillance setups.
But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into the pros and cons based on real customer experiences.
Pros and Cons of the Seagate Skyhawk 6TB
Performance and Speed
One of the standout features of the Seagate Skyhawk 6TB is its impressive performance. Customers have praised its speed and reliability, especially when compared to older or smaller-capacity drives.
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Pros
- Faster than older drives
One user replaced a 1TB drive in their Directv HR54 Genie DVR and noted a significant improvement in speed. They mentioned that the drive boots up in just 2 minutes compared to the previous 5-6 minutes. - Optimized for video
The drive’s ImagePerfect firmware ensures smooth video playback and recording, with minimal dropped frames. - Handles multiple cameras
Users running 4-5 cameras on continuous recording reported no issues with speed or scrubbing through footage.
- Faster than older drives
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Cons
- Noise levels
Some users noted that the drive isn’t silent, which is expected for a high-performance surveillance drive. However, this wasn’t a dealbreaker for most.
- Noise levels
Ease of Installation and Compatibility
The Seagate Skyhawk 6TB is designed to be user-friendly, and many customers found it easy to install and integrate into their existing systems.
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Pros
- Simple installation
A customer shared their experience of cloning an external 4TB drive onto the Skyhawk and installing it in their DVR without any issues. - Compatibility
The drive works seamlessly with various NVR and DVR systems, including Reolink NVR and Directv HR54 Genie.
- Simple installation
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Cons
- Warranty concerns
One user reported a drive failure within months of use and expressed frustration with the warranty process, which required keeping the original packaging.
- Warranty concerns
Durability and Longevity
Durability is a critical factor for surveillance drives, and the Seagate Skyhawk 6TB is built to handle demanding workloads. However, some users had mixed experiences.
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Pros
- Reliable under heavy use
Most users running 24/7 surveillance systems reported no issues with the drive’s performance or durability. - Health monitoring
The SkyHawk Health Management (SHM) feature helps monitor drive health, providing peace of mind for long-term use.
- Reliable under heavy use
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Cons
- Early failures
One customer experienced a drive failure within two months of use, which was disappointing given the drive’s price and intended use.
- Early failures
Value for Money
The Seagate Skyhawk 6TB is competitively priced compared to other surveillance drives, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
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Pros
- Affordable alternative
Users found it cheaper than WD Purple drives, with comparable performance. - Legitimate product
After encountering counterfeit WD Purple drives on Amazon, one customer was relieved to receive a genuine Seagate Skyhawk drive in new manufacturer packaging.
- Affordable alternative
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Cons
- Mixed reliability
While most users had positive experiences, the occasional early failure raised concerns about long-term value.
- Mixed reliability
Conclusion
The Seagate Skyhawk 6TB Internal Hard Drive is a solid choice for anyone looking to upgrade their surveillance system. Its fast performance, ease of installation, and compatibility with various systems make it a reliable workhorse for video storage. However, the occasional early failure and noise levels are worth considering before making a purchase.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a high-capacity, purpose-built hard drive for your DVR or NVR system, the Seagate Skyhawk 6TB is a great option. Just be sure to keep the original packaging for warranty purposes and monitor the drive’s health regularly to ensure long-term reliability.
Specification Seagate Skyhawk 6TB, Interne Harde Schijf, 3.5", voor DVR/NVR-bewakingscamerasysteem, voor Video-opslag, SATA 6 GB/s, 256 MB Cache, FFP, Data Rescue Service (ST6000VXZ09):
Comments from Amazon:
Great drive. I needed a new drive for my Reolink NVR and this drive worked perfect.
Its pretty quiet, works perfectly for my nvr setup.
After two failed fraudulent drives from the WD Purple line ordered from Amazon I finally found one that appears to be both legit and functioning. The first WD Purple I ordered showed 0 power on hours but clearly had been used previously. It was loud, clicked a lot and failed within two weeks. The replacement drive I ordered (That appeared to come from the "Western Digital Store") showed up and wasn't recognized by my system as a WD drive but rather an HGST drive...a model that was manufactured from 2014-2015. The drive had tool marks that had been painted over with black paint and the body also matched HGST drives from that era. You could even see sticker residue where something was removed and a WD Purple label was placed on it. The serial number was fake and also didn't match what SMART reported. WD had no record of either serial. This drive formatted immediately, showed up in new manufacturer packaging and the serial number checks out on the Seagate website. I've used several purple drives in the past with good results but it seems like Amazon has an issue with the resellers on this site so I would 100% avoid buying the WD line on here for now and go with this seagate drive instead.
Works well. Month in using as surveillance system recoding 24/7 for 4 cameras. No problems with speed or scrubbing through videos. Cheaper than the WD purple pros. Makes noise but don’t expect it to be quiet and it’s in a network closet.
I'm using this drive in my NVR for a couple of security cameras I'm using and it works great. I had a previous one that was developing errors, so hopefully this one stands the test of time.
I bought the '24Gb Seagate Skyhawk AI NVR HDD' back in in April 2024. I installed it right away in my NVR. Within 2 months I started receiving warnings from my NVR that the HDD was having sectors fail. I thought maybe my cameras and NVR were just overwhelming the HDD, so I bought another. Fast forward to August or September 2024, I have a full HDD failure, so my NVR was not recording anything. Shame on me for not fully understanding my NVR's poor warnings of HDD full failure. Even more crappy, the fact that such an expensive HDD failed in such short time! Additionally, my NVR was dumb in that it didn't fault over to the other Skyhawk HDD. I started to look into warranty replacement and I have to keep the stupid box that it came in, in order to send the product back for warranty coverage. I plan on contacting Seagate today (15 Nov 2024) to determine if that is in fact the case. I have 9 smart cameras (2k-4k @ 15-30fps) with only 4-5 on continuous record.
Use to replace the 1TB drive that was in my Directv HR54 Genie DVR. Worked great. Fast and reliable. The Drive is optimized for video. It did make a huge difference and improvement. It was easy to install in the HR54. It’s so much faster than the 1TB that was in there. I’m glad I did. I was tired of running out of space. I used to use the Esata port but noticed some slowness issues when recording and trying to watch on a couple of TVs. I cloned my external 4tb on to this one and put it in the DVR. It was easy to open up the hr54. Not like the hr24. I’m glad I did. Runs great. No slowness or lag when scrolling down the list of recordings. Plus it boot up in 2 minutes instead of 5-6. Awesome.