CONCLUSION

   Just like with the EXOS X16 16TB model the IronWolf and IronWolf Pro 16TB models offer the highest single-drive storage capacities professionals and consumers alike have access to currently and if you’ve been around long enough to have used hard disk drives as small as 20MB (in the early 90’s) this is indeed remarkable. Unfortunately, as drive capacities increase so do our needs and with 8k media content just around the corner even the upcoming 20/22TB models may not be enough for some professionals and consumers alike. As for overall performance all three 16TB models released by Seagate trade blows but the EXOS X16 clearly led the pack in sustained numbers in our 10TB internal tests (we recorded over 220MB/s continuously for the EXOS X16 whereas the IronWolf and IronWolf Pro models sometimes fell beneath 200MB/s) but as mentioned a few days ago it’s clear that mechanical drives as we know them have pretty much reached their maximum throughput. Seagate aims to change that by the end of the year with their MACH2 multi-actuator technology which will offer performance numbers we only see in RAID configurations (up to 500MB/s) but until we actually see and test such solutions, we can’t really comment on their performance (it does sound very promising however).

   It’s been roughly 3 weeks since Seagate announced availability for their three new 16TB 3.5” drives and since we’re talking about the highest capacity drives in the market today prices are not exactly low. To be more specific as I type these lines the IronWolf 16TB model (ST16000VN001) retails for USD545.32 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 599Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) whereas the IronWolf Pro 16TB model (ST16000NE000) retails for USD629.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 659Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). At the end of the day these drives with their massive data storage capacities and impressive performance numbers are not aimed towards casual consumers but people who don’t really care about price and since these are the best 3.5” hard disk drives money can buy today (along of course with the EXOS X16) they certainly also deserve our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality / Durability (180/300TBW, 1/1.2 Million Hours MTBF)
- Top Of The Charts Performance (SATA)
- Technologies Used (AgileArray / RV Sensors / Secure / RAID Rebuild)
- 256MB Cache
- Massive 16TB Capacity
- Temperatures / Noise Levels / Power Consumption
- 5 Year Limited Warranty (IronWolf Pro)
- 2 Year Rescue Data Recovery Plan (IronWolf Pro)

CONS

- Price (For Some)