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Seagate BarraCuda vs Toshiba P300 6TB

There's nothing clear-cut between them on paper, so buy whichever's cheaper on the day.

Compared on 10 specs from the makers' datasheets, and a group only gets a winner when the gap between the two is clear-cut.

Side by side

SpecSeagate BarraCudaToshiba P300
Reliability Backblaze doesn't run either
Backblaze failure rateLifetime, 95% interval in brackets No data No data
Warranty and workload Level
Warranty 2 years 2 years
Workload ratingReads and writes a year 55 TB/yr Not stated
Where it fits Level
Line Desktop Desktop
Rated NAS bays Not stated Not stated
Recording SMR SMR
Noise and speed Level
Spindle speedFaster reads quicker, slower is quieter 5,400 rpm 5,400 rpm
Noise on the datasheetIdle / seeking, the maker's figure 23 / 25 dB 24 dB idle
Power The Toshiba P300 draws less at idle
Power at idleMaker's average 3.4 W 2.68 W (better)
Power in useMaker's average 5.3 W 4.46 W (better)

The Backblaze figures are lifetime annualised failure rates (Source: Backblaze), and we only call reliability when the two 95% intervals don't overlap.