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Seagate · Data-centre drive · ST28000NM003K

Seagate Exos M 28TB

An enterprise drive. Don't let that put you off, as it's the same 3.5in SATA as a NAS drive and fits the same bays.

Capacity
28 TB
Recording
CMR
Speed
7,200 rpm
Warranty
5 years
Workload
550 TB/yr
Failure rate
No failure data

Good for

  • Busy arrays (550 TB a year)
  • Big media libraries
  • RAID, SHR and ZFS rebuilds
  • 5 years' warranty

Not for

  • A desk or bedroom (7,200 rpm is the louder class)

Updated 27 Oct 2026 · Method 2.0

Is the Exos M 28 TB right for you?

It makes most sense when you're chasing terabytes per pound and the NAS sits somewhere noise doesn't matter. Think garage, or a rack in the cupboard under the stairs. Five years of warranty is the other draw, and on a drive you'll leave spinning for most of a decade that's worth having. CMR, thankfully. SMR and parity rebuilds don't get on.

Watch out for

Being 7,200 rpm, it's in the noisier, warmer class of drive, and you'll want it somewhere you don't sit.

No Backblaze failure rate for this one. They don't run enough of them, if any, for a figure worth quoting. On paper it makes 28 dB at idle and 32 dB seeking. Seagate lists 6.9 W at idle, which comes to 60 kWh a year for a drive that idles around the clock. A 4-bay box full of these gives 84 TB after one drive's worth of parity.