Seagate 30TB IronWolf Pro & Exos M

Seagate delivers enormous hard disk capacities for a range of usage scenarios at very competitive prices

- DAVE MITCHELL

Rapidly growing storage needs across the SMB and enterprise markets are driving intense competition between hard disk manufacturers as they strive to meet this demand. Seagate has stepped up to the plate with two monstrous 30TB hard disks and, in this review, we test both its IronWolf Pro and Exos M models.

A key feature of both SATA drives is that they're based on the well-established conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology. This makes them fully compatible with just about any server, storage array or NAS appliance in which you care to install them.

Both models have ten platters, and Seagate has achieved an impressive 3TB per platter areal density in an industry-standard 3.5in form factor by implementing heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). Part of its Mozaic 3+ technology architecture, HAMR uses laser diodes to heat minute spots on the recording media to make them more amenable to magnetic effects, allowing areal density to be increased significantly - Seagate's HAMR roadmap aims to deliver 4TB and 5TB per platter in the coming years.