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Seagate · Surveillance drive · ST16000VE004

Seagate SkyHawk AI 16TB

Seagate's CCTV line, built for camera recorders (NVRs and DVRs).

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

Good for

  • A CCTV recorder (NVR or DVR)
  • 5 years' warranty

Not for

  • A NAS (Seagate gives it no NAS rating)
  • A desk or bedroom (7,200 rpm is the louder class)

Updated 27 Oct 2026 · Method 2.0

Should you buy the SkyHawk AI 16 TB?

If you're filling a camera recorder, this is what it's made for. It turns up when you sort everything by price per TB, which is why it's labelled here. In a NAS you'd be running it outside what Seagate rates it for, and for an array you want a drive that's rated for one. You also get five years' warranty, two more than the cheapest NAS lines.

Watch out for

It isn't a NAS drive, and Seagate gives it no NAS bay rating. Building an array? Get a NAS or data-centre line, which comes with the rating. At 7,200 rpm it's from the louder, warmer class. Fine in a cupboard, less fun on a desk.

There's no Backblaze data worth quoting here. Seagate's datasheet puts it at 28 dB idle and 32 dB seeking. Power draw is 6.3 W idle and 7.8 W working on Seagate's figures, or 55 kWh a year if it spends the whole year idling.