Performance: 40 out of 40
Blazing fast sequential performance combined with a cool 1 million IOPS means that, at this time, the Seagate FireCuda 530 series is about as good as you can get outside of large, enterprise grade, Add In Card models.
Technological Innovation: 19 out of 20
When you combine cutting edge NAND with a custom firmware running E18 controller the end results are impressive. So impressive the only innovative feature Seagate did not include was actual heat spreaders. Maybe next generation they will get a perfect score.
Build Quality & Warranty: 16 out of 20
On the one hand it is obvious that Seagate did not cut any major corners on the hardware components. They literally are all about as good as you can find… if you overlook the lack of any true heat spreaders. That missing feature is disappointing. On the other hand, they also still only include Rescue Services for the first 3 years / 60 percent of the 5-year warranty period. As such there is still room for improvement in both categories.
Value: 17 out of 20
For enthusiasts, the overall value of the Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB is going to be excellent (20 out of 20). You are getting best in class performance, excellent capacity, a very good warranty, and getting all that for only about 22 cents a Gigabyte. With that said, for mainstream buyers the value is only going to be decent (14 out of 20)… as for only 18.4 cents a Gigabyte you can get equally good capacity, nearly as good a warranty, and still very good performance via the competition. As such you will have to ask yourself if you have a real need for speed or is simply being ‘wow that is fast’ going to befast enough for you. We have split the difference and called it a 17. Adjust your final score accordingly.
Final Score: 92 out of 100
Apart from the price, the Seagate FireCuda 530 is an excellent replacement to the award winning FireCuda 520 series. The only sticking points is the fact that is a bit on the costly side… and the Seagate FireCuda 520 is still a viable choice for many. As such, we do not expect the FireCuda 530 to be a slam dunk success for all potential buyers… and certainly will not be a ‘no-brainer’ decision for some. For most though it is hard to go wrong with the overkill route, and the Seagate FireCuda 530 is pretty much the epitome of overkill. Just the way it should be.
