Seagate Exos X16 16TB
16TB
Model ST16000NM001G
- rpm
- 7,200
- MB cache
- 256
- TB/yr
- 550
- yr warranty
- 5
Exos X16 range, also in 12 TB, 14 TB
Should you buy the Exos X16 16 TB?
It's at home in a rack or a garage, where 7,200 rpm of spinning rust can whirr away all day without bothering anyone. You also get five years' warranty, two more than the cheapest NAS lines. It's also one of the better performers in Backblaze's data, with a lifetime AFR of 0.68% and an interval that stays under the 1.40% median.
Watch out for
At 7,200 rpm it's from the louder, warmer class. Fine in a cupboard, less fun on a desk. CMR or SMR? Seagate's page we cite doesn't say.
Four of them in SHR or RAID 5 give 48 TB usable, or 43.7 TB once Windows has done its binary maths on it.
Specifications
Each value links to the Seagate page or datasheet it came from, and "Not published" means the maker doesn't list it there.
| Capacity | 16 TB | source for Capacity (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
|---|---|---|
| Spindle speed | 7,200 rpm | source for Spindle speed (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| Recording technology | Not published | |
| Cache | 256 MB | source for Cache (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s | source for Interface (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| Form factor | 3.5in | source for Form factor (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| Workload rating | 550 TB/yr | source for Workload rating (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| MTBF / MTTF | 2,500,000 hours | source for MTBF / MTTF (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
| Warranty | 5 years | source for Warranty (seagate.com, opens in new tab) |
Sources: seagate.com, seagate.com
Failure rate
Backblaze has 34,998 of them in service as ST16000NM001G. They've clocked up 129,390 drive-years between them and 877 have died, which puts the lifetime AFR at 0.68% (95% interval 0.63% to 0.72%, the whole of that sits below the 1.40% median).
Lifetime129,390 drive-yrs 0.68%0.63–0.72
2025 Q334,068 drives 0.67%0.50–0.86
2025 Q434,305 drives 0.41%0.28–0.56
2026 Q134,589 drives 0.52%0.38–0.70
2026 Q234,998 drives 0.66%0.50–0.85
Median lifetime AFR across Backblaze drive models: 1.40%
Source: Backblaze Drive Stats, lifetime to 2026 Q2. Bear in mind that's data-centre use, which is a lot harder on a drive than a home NAS will ever be.
Seagate Exos X16 16TBST16000NM001G