Seagate IronWolf and IronWolf Pro are two popular hard drive series designed for use in network-attached storage (NAS) systems. While both are tailored to meet the demands of NAS devices, there are some key differences between them in terms of features, specifications, and pricing. In this response, I’ll highlight the differences between Seagate IronWolf and IronWolf Pro.
Specifications:
Before we delve into the differences, let’s first take a look at the specifications of both drives side by side:
| Specification | IronWolf | IronWolf Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1TB – 16TB | 2TB – 18TB |
| RPM | 5400 – 7200 | 7200 |
| Cache | 64MB – 256MB | 256MB – 512MB |
| Interface | SATA – 6Gb/s | SATA – 6Gb/s |
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years |
| Workload rate | 180TB/year | 300TB/year |
| MTBF | 1 million hrs | 1.2 million hrs |
| Rescue Services | Optional | Included |
| Rotational Vibration Sensors | No | Yes |
Main Differences between Seagate Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro:
Now that we have seen the specifications, let’s look at the differences between Seagate IronWolf and IronWolf Pro:
- Capacity: IronWolf Pro drives have a higher maximum capacity of 18TB compared to IronWolf’s 16TB.
- RPM: IronWolf Pro drives have a higher rotational speed of 7200 RPM compared to IronWolf’s variable speed of 5400 – 7200 RPM.
- Cache: IronWolf Pro drives have a larger cache size, ranging from 256MB to 512MB, compared to IronWolf’s 64MB to 256MB.
- Workload rate: IronWolf Pro drives are designed to handle a higher workload rate of up to 300TB per year, while IronWolf can handle up to 180TB per year.
- MTBF: IronWolf Pro drives have a higher mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1.2 million hours compared to IronWolf’s 1 million hours.
- Warranty: IronWolf Pro drives come with a longer warranty of 5 years compared to IronWolf’s 3 years.
- Rescue Services: IronWolf Pro drives come with Seagate’s data recovery service included, while IronWolf offers it as an optional add-on.
- Rotational Vibration Sensors: IronWolf Pro drives are equipped with rotational vibration (RV) sensors to detect and compensate for vibrations in multi-drive NAS environments, while IronWolf drives do not have this feature.
Conclusion:
Seagate IronWolf and IronWolf Pro are both high-quality hard drives designed for use in NAS devices. The differences between them come down to the specific needs of the user. If you require higher capacity, faster performance, and greater durability, the IronWolf Pro is the better choice. However, if you have a smaller budget or do not require as much performance, the standard IronWolf is a solid choice.