Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB Review

Final Score: 91%

Since their inception we have always been a fan of the IronWolf Pro series. Their combination of excellent build quality with excellent performance rarely disappoints. We obviously are not alone in this assessment as it has basically killed both the BarraCuda and BarraCuda Pro line – lines specifically designed for home users and their particular needs. Not really intended for home user systems or not, this new 20TB variant of the IronWolf Pro series offers truly god tier levels of capacity, S-tier levels of performance, and its warranty is so beyond overkill for home users it is surreal. When you mix in zero additional concerns over reliability (a legitimate concern when thinking about first gen HAMR/EAMR) the IronWolf Pro 20TB is about as good as it gets. Be it as a monster ‘D’ drive in a PC, epic levels of ‘Z’ drive storage in a NAS appliance, or even doing duty in a power user’s home NAS server, the IronWolf Pro 20TB is pretty much perfection from a capacity and performance perspective. So much so it eclipses the IronWolf Pro 18TB and that drive has fallen off our personal recommendation list. So, if you want the best combination of performance and capacity… the ‘Wolf Pro 20TB is the one you want.

The same is true for Small Office/Home Office buyers. Need mega-capacity to capture all your streaming content? The ‘Wolf Pro has you covered. Are you a Small or even Medium Business and need to upgrade your NAS appliance or Storage server’s capacity but are at the limits of sanity on RAID array drive numbers? The ‘Wolf is at your door and ready to serve. The only possible exception to that recommendation is if your storage server is a big’un with 32 or more drives being used… as the additional vibration resistance of the Exos X20 may be worth the added cost (and the added performance would just be a bonus).

This brings us to the Achille’s Heel of the IronWolf Pro 20TB – its asking price. At six hundred US dollars a pop (retail) arguably most home, many SOHO, and some SMB buyers may be better served with stepping down a notch or two. Specifically taking a long hard look at the IronWolf Pro 16TB which can be had for about $450 or so per drive. Eighty percent the capacity for 75 percent the cost is right at the bubble and things can go either way on which is more optimal for a given build’s needs (with total drives required vs. overall performance being the deciding factor). Further complicating things for the IronWolf Pro 20TB is the Exos 16TB can be found for $350 and the Exos X18s can be found for $400. Retail. For those who don’t care about total drive numbers in an array that makes the 20TB IronWolf Pro a tough sell. After all, four 16TB IronWolf Pros will outperform (and offer more capacity than) three 20TB IronWolf Pros… yet cost not a cent more. Four X16’s will be cheaper (and once again outperform and out capacity three IronWolf Pro 20TB’ers), and four X18s will still be a less expensive proposition than three 20TB IronWolf Pros while further increasing overall array performance and capacity.

That does put the new 20TB in a slightly precarious position. One where it is not really competing against the Western (Digital) competition. Instead, its main competitors are its older 16TB sibling, the Exos X18 18TB and even Exos X20 20TB. All four are excellent drives. All will serve you well for many years. You just may not be optimizing your budget by blindly picking one over the other(s). Think about your needs, your wants, and your desires. Then see if the IronWolf Pro 20TB’s asking price got another (much needed) nerf or not. Do all that and the choice will become clear. In the meantime, the IronWolf Pro 20TB is a superb successor to the IronWolf Pro 18TB and easily meets our personal criteria for excellence.