Seagate Exos X20 Series: A Complete Review

In the competitive world of enterprise storage solutions, Seagate’s Exos series has earned a reputation for performance, reliability, and innovation. The Exos X20 Series, in particular, offers high-capacity storage with enterprise-grade features, making it a top contender for data centers and high-performance applications. In this complete review, we will explore the key features, performance benchmarks, and use cases of the Seagate Exos X20 to help you determine if it’s the right storage solution for your needs.

Overview of the Seagate Exos X20 Series

The Seagate Exos X20 is a high-capacity enterprise hard drive that offers storage capacities of up to 20TB. It’s part of Seagate’s Exos family, which is specifically designed for demanding workloads such as cloud storage, virtualization, big data analytics, and high-density applications. With a focus on reliability and scalability, the Exos X20 is built for continuous operation in data centers and other high-demand environments.

Key Features

Massive Storage Capacity (Up to 20TB)

One of the standout features of the Exos X20 is its 20TB capacity. This enormous storage size makes it ideal for businesses that need to store vast amounts of data without the complexity of managing multiple drives. With such a large capacity, companies can streamline their storage configurations and reduce the number of drives needed for high-density applications.

Helium Sealing Technology

The Exos X20 uses helium-sealed technology, which allows for more platters inside the drive compared to traditional air-sealed drives. Helium is less dense than air, reducing friction and improving energy efficiency. This technology not only allows for larger capacity drives but also results in quieter operation and lower power consumption, making the Exos X20 a more efficient solution for large-scale storage.

7200 RPM Speed

While not as fast as SSDs, the 7200 RPM speed of the Exos X20 is well-suited for sequential data operations. This rotational speed provides reliable performance for workloads that involve large files and high-throughput operations. For data centers, backup solutions, and high-capacity storage needs, this speed is more than adequate, offering a good balance between performance and energy efficiency.

High-End Reliability and Endurance

The Exos X20 is built for 24/7 operation in demanding environments. With a mean time between failures (MTBF) rating of 2.5 million hours, it offers exceptional reliability, ensuring minimal downtime. It is also backed by a 5-year warranty, highlighting Seagate’s confidence in the drive’s durability and longevity. This makes the Exos X20 a solid choice for businesses where reliability is a top priority.

Toughness and Data Security

The Exos X20 features several data security options, including AES 256-bit hardware encryption for data-at-rest protection. Additionally, the drive includes power loss data protection, which helps prevent data corruption during unexpected power failures. These security features are crucial for businesses handling sensitive data and seeking to ensure both data integrity and compliance with industry regulations.

Advanced Write and Read Caching

With advanced write and read caching capabilities, the Exos X20 offers enhanced performance in environments that require frequent data access. This feature helps improve throughput, especially in transactional databases or virtualized environments where data is read and written rapidly. It also supports high-throughput applications with fast and efficient read/write operations.

Low Power Consumption

The Exos X20 is designed with energy efficiency in mind. By utilizing helium and a more efficient design, the drive consumes less power compared to traditional hard drives. This is particularly beneficial in large data centers, where power consumption can be a significant cost factor. Its low energy use not only helps reduce operating costs but also contributes to a greener, more sustainable IT infrastructure.

SATA and SAS Options

The Exos X20 is available in both SATA and SAS interfaces, giving businesses the flexibility to choose the best option for their specific needs. SATA drives are typically used in environments where cost-efficiency is a priority, while SAS drives are preferred for high-reliability, high-performance setups. The availability of both interface options makes the Exos X20 versatile across a wide range of applications.

Performance Benchmarks

When it comes to performance, the Exos X20 delivers solid results for enterprise workloads, though it may not match the lightning-fast speeds of SSDs. Below are some performance metrics for the Exos X20:

• Sequential Read Speed: Expect sequential read speeds around 250 MB/s to 260 MB/s. This makes the drive suitable for large file transfers and workloads where sequential data is the norm, such as media storage and backup solutions.
• Sequential Write Speed: Sequential write speeds are typically 240 MB/s, which is also ideal for archiving and backup scenarios where large files are written in succession.
• Random Read/Write Speed: In terms of random access, the Exos X20 offers 80-100 IOPS. While this is decent for many enterprise applications, it’s important to note that hard drives generally fall short of SSDs when it comes to random read/write performance.
• Power-On Hours and TBW: The Exos X20 is rated for 550TB written (TBW), meaning it can handle heavy data write operations throughout its lifetime. This is important for environments with frequent data updates, such as virtualized systems or large databases.

Use Cases for Seagate Exos X20

The Seagate Exos X20 is a versatile hard drive that fits a wide range of enterprise use cases:

Data Centers

The 20TB capacity, combined with its high reliability and low power consumption, makes the Exos X20 a great choice for data centers. The drive can handle the demands of cloud storage, virtualization, and big data processing, ensuring that large volumes of data are stored and accessed efficiently.

High-Density Storage Applications

For businesses that need to maximize storage density, the Exos X20 is an ideal solution. With its high capacity and efficient design, it can pack a large amount of data into a smaller physical footprint, reducing the need for multiple drives in storage arrays.

Backup and Archiving

The Exos X20 is also well-suited for backup and archiving tasks. Its large capacity means that businesses can store massive amounts of backup data on a single drive, simplifying the backup process and reducing the complexity of managing multiple drives.

Virtualization Environments

In virtualized environments, where many virtual machines need to share storage, the Exos X20’s large capacity and reliable performance make it an excellent choice. The drive can support multiple VMs and large data traffic, ensuring smooth operation and minimal downtime.

Pros and Cons of the Seagate Exos X20

Pros:

• Massive storage capacity (up to 20TB)
• Helium-sealing technology for improved efficiency and quieter operation
• AES 256-bit encryption for data security
• High reliability with 2.5M MTBF and 5-year warranty
• Available in both SATA and SAS interfaces for flexibility

Cons:

• 7200 RPM speed may not be fast enough for ultra-high-performance workloads
• Random read/write speeds are lower compared to SSDs
• Higher initial cost compared to traditional HDDs with smaller capacities

Final Thoughts

The Seagate Exos X20 Series is an excellent choice for businesses and enterprises that need massive storage capacity combined with high reliability. With its helium-sealing technology, enterprise-grade endurance, and low power consumption, the Exos X20 delivers exceptional performance for demanding data center environments, backup, archiving, and virtualization workloads.

While it may not offer the lightning-fast random access speeds of SSDs, the Exos X20 is a fantastic option for enterprises looking to scale their storage without sacrificing reliability or performance. If your business needs high-density storage, robust data security, and the ability to handle large amounts of data, the Seagate Exos X20 is a reliable and cost-effective solution to consider.