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On paper, the IronWolf Pro outperforms the base IronWolf series in sequential transfers with the difference being 40 MB/s.
The first thing you will clearly notice is the Exos walking away from the two IronWolf models and in some workloads double and tripling random read performance. A strong roadmap featuring dual independent actuator arms and even lasers mounted to heads that heat the platters prior to writing data show Seagate doesn't plan to slow innovation. The base IronWolf slightly overtakes the IronWolf Pro in our eight-drive array, but if we used a larger array, the two would reverse with the Pro extending the lead with each drive we add to the system. FWIW, I also have 8 Exos 16TB drives in my NAS, and it's been in service (as my home NAS) since early 2020, with no drive failures (they're currently hanging off an LSI 9211-8i SAS HBA flashed with P20 IT firmware). Seagate doesn't publish every specification in public datasheets, so we had to pick and piece a chart together with the available data.The Exos X delivers superior random performance for cloud and rack-scale deployments but can also benefit smaller install bases. It's also similar to my own NAS workload, although my family doesn't hit the system with the same intensity. Current pricing makes the Exos X series more attractive in performance-focused deployments, but you do lose some consumer/prosumer features like two years of free data recovery found on the IronWolf Pro, and advanced disk health monitoring found on both IronWolf and IronWolf Pro series.
This is a free feature for the IronWolf Pro series for two years and an optional add-on for IronWolf and Exos X.More advanced users with an eye on personal privacy continue to invest in in-house NAS products that hold the data closer to home and provide faster access. Hard disk drives deliver inconsistent performance under heavy workloads compared to enterprise solid state drives. There are many data points to go over in the specifications that explain why Seagate offers three NAS-optimized models.
The IronWolf design supports up to eight drive bay systems, and the IronWolf Pro supports up to twenty-four (recently upgraded from sixteen). I'm currently running mostly 8TB WD Reds which according to their data sheet run 27 dBA idle and 29 dBA seek (average). As with most of the Exos product range, the X16 is available with either 6Gb/s SATA or 12Gb/s SAS interfaces. This series comes from Seagate's enterprise product line designed for hyperscale and cloud datacenters.The Exos X uses different firmware optimization to support the increased vibration, has industry-leading 550-terabyte endurance and a massive 2.
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