Seagate and Western Digital are two of the most successful computer storage providers. They manufacture various types of storage solutions including mainstream hard disks, SSDs, network storage, storage for CCTV / Security system, etc. Today, we will be talking about conventional enterprise level hard drives, and figure out which of them provides the best solution (HGST ULTRASTAR HE12 vs Seagate Exos).
For this comparison, we have selected the following products from both Seagate and western digital:
HGST ULTRASTAR HE12 vs Seagate Exos
We will go through every small technical detail and specifications, which will help us understand what and how something makes one better from the other. Note that both of these products are enterprise level storage solutions and we have opted the same storage capacity models so that the comparison would be fair and square.
So without any more delay, here is our comparison:
General
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12 |
| Device Type | Hard drive – internal | Hard drive – internal |
| Bytes per Sector | 512 | 512 |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s | SATA 6Gb/s |
| Buffer Size | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Weight | 23.28 oz | 22.93 oz |
| Manufacturer | Western Digital Corp. | Seagate Technology |
Let’s begin with a general introduction to both products. As you may already know, EXOX X12 is manufactured by Seagate storage solutions while HGST Ultrastar HE12 is a western digital product. Both models used in this comparison deliver 12 GB of storage capacity and thus having the same amount of buffer size, which is 256 MB.
The buffer cache merely is embedded memory on a standard hard disk drive which helps it to buffer data between the storage drive and rest of the computer system. The buffer cache, the faster a hard disk drive will perform. 256 MB is the maximum buffer cache for modern hard disk drives; you cannot get better than that. Here, you should note SSDs hold up to 1 GB of the buffer, that’s why they perform comparatively faster.
Both Ultrastar HE12 and EXOS X12 feature SATA interface, with up to 6 GB/s transfer rate support. You might have noticed that Seagate is a bit lighter than HGST. However, it matters the least or not at all.
Miscellaneous
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| MTBF | 2500000 sec | 2500000 sec |
MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failure. This unit is used to scale the reliability and durability of a storage device. It indicates the average time between ones internal failure/error and the next one during the device’s lifespan. Here, you can see that both storage drives have the same MTBF. However, these numbers are unreliable and unrealistic sometimes.
Interface Provide
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
||||
| Qty | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Storage Interface | Serial ATA-600 | Serial ATA-600 | ||||
Hard Drive
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Form Factor | 3.5″ | 3.5″ |
| Spindle Speed | 7200 rpm | 7200 rpm |
| Features: | 24×7 availability, Enterprise, Instant Secure Erase (ISE), Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) | 24×7 availability, Advanced Write Caching, Seagate Secure, Super Parity, Superior Wide-Weld Hermetically Sealed-Drive enclosure, advanced format 512e, pressure sensor, Helium technology, Hot-Plug Support, Low Halogen, Multi-Step Forged Helium Sealed-Drive design, Organic Solderability Preservative, Power Balance technology, PowerChoice, Seagate RAID Rebuild |
| Hard Drive Type | internal hard drive | internal hard drive |
| Form Factor (Short) | 3.5″ | 3.5″ |
| Form Factor (metric) | 8.9 cm | 8.9 cm |
| Form Factor (Short) (metric) | 8.9 cm | 8.9 cm |
| Storage Interface | Serial ATA-600 | Serial ATA-600 |
| Interface | Serial ATA-600 | Serial ATA-600 |
| Average Seek Time | 8 ms | 4.16 ms |
| Data Transfer Rate | 600 MBps | 600 MBps |
| Buffer Size | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Bytes per Sector | 512 Hz | 512 Hz |
| Non-Recoverable Errors | 1 per 10^15 | 1 per 10^15 |
Both HGST Ultrastar HE12 and Seagate EXOS X12 support standard 3.5″ bays and deliver spindle speed of 7200 RPM. Both provide the same data transfer rate of 600 MB/s (Theoretical Peak Interface Speeds).
Moreover, their bytes per sector, buffer size, and nonrecoverable error values are the same as well. The non-recoverable error indicates the occurrence of an error which cannot be recovered later on. The only difference here is of average seek time. HGST has a seek time of 8 milliseconds, for Seagate, it is only 4.16 milliseconds. This difference seems tiny but makes a significant impact on real-time performance. The less seek time; the faster data will be loaded into main system memory.
If you put it in figures, Seagate delivers almost double speed in seek time, compare to HGST, so its clear winner here. Moreover, it throws many additional security and performance features while HGST offers a few only.
Environmental Parameters
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Min Operating Temperature | 41 °F | 41 °F |
| Max Operating Temperature | 140 °F | 140 °F |
There is zero difference in minimum and maximum operating temperature range for both HGST Ultrastar HE12 and Seagate EXOX X12.
Dimensions & Weight
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Width | 4 in | 4 in |
| Depth | 5.8 in | 5.8 in |
| Height | 1 in | 1 in |
| Weight | 23.28 oz | 22.93 oz |
As both HGST Ultrastar HE12 and Seagate EXOS X12 possess same form factor, their dimensional elements are the same. However, there is a slight difference in weight, which is the novice. We are pretty sure it won’t affect the build at all.
Power Consumption
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Mode | active, idle | active, idle |
| Value | 5.3 Watt, 7.2 Watt | 5 Watt, 7.8 Watt |
Both the models have two states only, active and idle. It is quite surprising they are not offering sleep mode. Without it, the device will stay in the idle situation rather than turning itself off while your system is hibernating. In the active state, HGST Ultrastar HE12 consumes 0.3 Watts more than Seagate EXOS X12.
However, in the idle state, Seagate EXOS X12 consumes 0.6 Watts more compared to HGST Ultrastar HE12. HGST consumes a bit less power compared to Seagate. However, it is quite considerable since Seagate is offering more features and reduces the average seek time.
Service & Support Details
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Type | limited warranty | limited warranty |
| Full Contract Period | 5 years | 5 years |
Shock & Vibration Tolerance
| Specification |
HGST Ultra-Star HE12
|
Seagate EXOS X12
|
| Shock Acceleration (Operating) | 70 g | – |
| Shock Duration (Operating) | 2 ms half sine wave | – |
| Shock Acceleration (Non-operating) | 300 g | – |
| Shock Duration (Non-operating) | 2 ms half sine wave | – |
| Vibration Acceleration (Operating) | 0.67 g | – |
| Vibration Frequency Range (Operating) | 5-500 Hz | – |
| Vibration Acceleration (Non-operating) | 1.04 g | 2.27 g |
| Vibration Frequency Range (Non-operating) | 2-200 Hz | 10-500 Hz |
As described above, both manufacturer’s are offering five years of limited warranty on these products, which is tremendous and assuring. For more details on their warranty policies, you can visit the links below or refer to the manufacturer’s website and search for the particular product.
As the table above indicates, HGST offers much more features when it comes to shock and vibration tolerance. Here, it knocks out the Seagate completely. When building a full-fledged rig, there are high chances of vibrations and shocks on peak moments. These factors would surely make a difference in such conditions.
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Conclusion:
In the end, all we can say is that Seagate is better when it comes to faster data access and security features. However, HGST offers more durability and sturdiness.
It is up to you what you require more. We hope this post helped you to understand the fundamental differences between these two products so that you can choose the right one for yourself.
Use the comment box below for any queries or suggestions, Thank You!