The Seagate Ironwolf Pro with the type designation ST18000NT001 is a class above the cheaper Ironwolf Pro: lower probability of failure, more speed, higher workload rating and unlimited number of disks per rack. You have to weigh up exactly which disk you need. The drive provides health values beyond the usual SMART values via Ironwolf Health Management, which some NAS manufacturers evaluate.

Due to the helium filling, the power consumption is only just under 8 watts in operation; when the drive is put to sleep, the Ironwolf Pro makes do with just under 1 watt. The drive is designed for NAS systems with up to 24 bays; vibration sensors measure vibrations of neighbouring drives to optimise head control. The warranty is 5 years, but the drive is (still) relatively expensive.

The Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB impresses in many respects in the test. In addition to the gigantic storage capacity of 20,000 GB, the read and write performance is also top-notch. In addition, there are a lot of features for optimised use in network storage (NAS). Thus, the 3.5-inch hard disk is not only interesting for data centres and commercial servers, but also for private users who are looking...