Seagate has two lines of NAS devices that are designed for different purposes. The most recent and potent line is Seagate Exos, whereas Ironwolf Pro is made to be economical without significantly reducing performance. The Ironwolf Pro is designed to be more economical for individuals who don’t require as many extras. Still, the Seagate Exos is a higher-end drive with several features not available on other models. Various people want to know which one is the best between these Seagate Exos vs IronWolf Pro. So, in this article, Memoright is going to reveal the same by doing some straight comparisons.
Overview of Seagate Exos and IronWolf Pro
IronWolf Pro
The premium level of Seagate’s IronWolf series is called IronWolf Pro. The entry-level solutions in the IronWolf line are pretty acceptable for small business NAS requirements at the high end and are good for home networking and even home computing use at the low end.
However, Seagate has enhanced its IronWolf Pro series with unique characteristics to make it more suitable for applications in small and medium-sized businesses. For instance, the IronWolf Pro drives include state-of-the-art helium filling technology for storage capacities of 10TB and higher. Read more information about Ironwolf here…
Seagate Exos
The IronWolf Pro series has been upgraded into the Exos series. However, every drive in the Exos series is filled with helium instead of just a few drives in the IronWolf Pro line.
A high-performance, helium-based hard disk called the Seagate Exos is created for creative workers. It can therefore store more data and access it more quickly than a conventional disk.
Seagate Exos vs IronWolf Pro
Major Differences
It’s vital to note that the IronWolf Pro and Exos drive lines both come with five-year warranties before discussing the variations between them. There are, however, several significant distinctions between these HDD lines:
- Workload optimization: Also referred to as multi-user optimization, workload optimization refers to the annual data capacity of a disk. The IronWolf Pro series is only rated for 300TB of reading and writing every year, in contrast to the drives in the Exos line that can take up to 550TB.
- Seagate provides services for data recovery. They will try their utmost to restore the data on your drive if it fails within the warranty term. Although data recovery protection is included by default with IronWolf Pro drives, it is an optional feature for drives in the Exos series.
- The Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) metric calculates how long a drive lasts on average before failing. The IronWolf Pro series’ MTBF is 1.2 million hours, while the Exos line’s MTBF is 2.5 million hours.
- Support: You can use up to 24 IronWolf Pro drives in a single NAS box if you invest in these drives. For the Exos series, however, the maximum ct cánh support is unrestricted.
- Technology for NAS optimization: Seagate provides its disks with firmware that enables smooth operation within NAS systems. Although the Exos series has the revised enterprise-optimized foundation, the IronWolf Pro series is equipped with AgileArray technology.
- RAID Optimization: The Exos series is better suited for RAID applications than the IronWolf Pro series, which can only coexist with 24 other drives. However, either drive type would be appropriate for your RAID system as long as the total number of drives doesn’t exceed 24.
- Manufacturing Variations: The drives of the IronWolf Pro and Exos series have eight platters and 16 heads, but the recording heads differ. Both of them make use of perpendicular magnetic recording platters, although the most recent Exos drives contain two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) heads that enable quick reads on thin platters. Unlike the new TDMR heads, the drives in the IronWolf Pro series use shingled magnetic recording (SMR) charges, which are less effective and efficient.
- Types of Caches: The write-back caching strategy used by the IronWolf Pro series is an antiquated and ineffective method of caching. Contrarily, the Exos series implements a write-through policy, which is more effective and guarantees that the cache line is always clean. In contrast to the IronWolf Pro series, the Exos series can read and write data more quickly while preserving drive health.
Hardware Specifications
Seagate Exos
Due to its server architecture and deployment, the Seagate EXOS series is frequently compared and similar to Seagate Ironwolf. However, it is a drive that is more geared toward extremely intense workloads. The Seagate Exos offers 2.5 million hours of MTBF, a 7200 PMR (Perpendicular Magnetic Recording) capacity, a 550TB workload limit (TBC), and a choice of a SATA or SAS interface (Mean Time Between Failure). Alternatively, you can select the Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) variant with FIPS support (government-grade encryption).
IronWolf Pro
An enterprise-class data center hard drive is the IronWolf Pro. These drives are made for high-capacity SATA, SAS, or NVMe applications in data centers where reliability, endurance, and performance are essential requirements. The largest IronWolf Pro model spins at about 15,000 PMR and has a maximum capacity of 16TB.
Pros and Cons
Seagate Exos
Advantages:
Unlimited Potential: The only restriction on the number of Seagate Exos drives you can combine in a single NAS is the number of bays in the server because the Seagate Exos series is compatible with any number of disks.
Excellent Response: Seagate Exos drives are among the quickest on the market and are built to last a long time.
Disadvantages:
Cost: The Seagate Exos is a bit expensive. However, the benefits offered by the Exos series drives outweigh the price.
IronWolf Pro
Advantages:
Flexibility: The IronWolf Pro series hard drives may be out of the price range of the typical consumer, but they are ideal for the needs of data enthusiasts who collect data as a hobby. They are the perfect option for NAS applications in small- to medium-sized businesses.
Data recovery: You won’t need to worry about spending extra money on additional data recovery services when you buy one or more IronWolf Pro drives.
Hard Drive Health: The pre-configured hard drive health application on IronWolf Pro hard drives automatically detects and fixes potential hard drive issues before they become significant issues.
Disadvantages:
Application restrictions: You might wish to avoid the IronWolf Pro Series if you believe that your company will develop significantly before your drives fail. You must purchase a new NAS system if you want to have more than 24 bays because these drives can only work with that many.
Which One to Choose: Seagate Exos or IronWolf Pro?
Now that you know more about Seagate Exos and IronWolf Pro, you might wonder which one to pick.
The Seagate Exos would be a great option if you needed more storage. Compared to the Ironwolf Pro, it provides greater protection and has a five-year warranty. The Ironwolf Pro, on the other hand, is the best choice if you require versatility, especially in terms of speed, since it can easily manage heavy workloads and provide excellent performance when performing streaming operations like viewing movies or listening to music.
FAQs
Is Exos suitable for NAS?
Bay Support: If you purchase IronWolf Pro drives, you can use up to 24 of these drives in a single NAS unit. On the other hand, the maximum bay support for the Exos series is unlimited. NAS Optimization Technology: Seagate equips its drives with firmware that enables them to run smoothly in NAS systems.
What is the most reliable NAS drive?
- Seagate IronWolf. The best overall hard drive designed for NAS. …
- Western Digital Red Plus. A close runner-up NAS. …
- Seagate Exos (1TB) Best for serious storage. …
- Seagate IronWolf Pro. Best for pros who need a more powerful NAS. …
- Western Digital Red Pro. Another quality NAS option for pros. …
- Synology SAT 5200
Is Seagate Ironwolf quiet?
The 10TB drives are quite a bit lighter than the 8TB drives with the same outer dimensions. The 10TB drives are also quiet and low vibration.
Conclusion
Although these are not the only distinctions between the two drives, they highlight some crucial ones you should be aware of before making a purchase. Seagate Exos is the preferable choice if you need additional storage capacity. It provides greater protection than Ironwolf Pro and comes with a five-year warranty. Seagate Exos, on the other hand, offers good performance for streaming jobs and can manage big workloads with ease if you need flexibility, especially in terms of speed.
