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Toshiba MG09 vs WD Ultrastar DC HC550 16TB

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 Backblaze's failure data, and a group only gets a winner when the gap between the two is clear-cut.

Side by side

SpecToshiba MG09WD Ultrastar DC HC550
Reliability Level
Backblaze failure rateLifetime, 95% interval in brackets 1.29% (0.47%–2.81%) 0.54% (0.49%–0.59%)
Warranty and workload Level
Warranty 5 years 5 years
Workload ratingReads and writes a year 550 TB/yr 550 TB/yr
Where it fits Level
Line Data-centre Data-centre
Rated NAS bays Not stated Not stated
Recording CMR CMR
Noise and speed Level
Spindle speedFaster reads quicker, slower is quieter 7,200 rpm 7,200 rpm
Noise on the datasheetIdle / seeking, the maker's figure 20 dB idle 20 / 36 dB
Power The Toshiba MG09 draws less at idle
Power at idleMaker's average 4.16 W (better) 5.6 W
Power in useMaker's average 8.35 W 6.5 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.