Technical reference
Seagate IronWolf Pro ST20000NT001 20TB specifications
One 20 TB ST20000NT001 drive · 3.5-inch SATA · CMR · 7200 RPM
Complete specifications with requirements, upgrade limits and sources. For our buying judgment, reviews and prices, return to the buying guide.
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Search all 43 specifications, including conditions and limits.
Identity and capacity
Match the exact model and available storage.
| Exact model | ST20000NT001[1] |
|---|---|
| Marketed capacity | 20 TB[1] Decimal capacity; formatting and RAID reduce available storage. |
| Form factor | 3.5-inch[1] |
| Interface | SATA 6 Gb/s[1] SATA, not SAS; 6 Gb/s is the interface ceiling. |
| Sector format | 512e; 512-byte logical / 4096-byte physical[1][2] |
| Recording technology | CMR[1] |
| Drive design | Helium[1] |
Performance
Drive ratings are separate from whole-NAS throughput.
| Spindle speed | 7200 RPM[1] |
|---|---|
| Cache | 256 MB (datasheet)[1][2] The shared Rev B manual says 512 MB for these models; the exact model datasheet says 256 MB. Confirm a supplied drive revision if cache size is decisive. |
| Maximum sustained transfer rate | 285 MB/s at outer diameter[1][2] Manufacturer rating, not a NAS file-copy measurement. Rev B summary says 272 MB/s and table 4 says 285 MB/s; exact model datasheet is retained here. |
| Average rotational latency | 4.16 ms[2] |
| Power-on / standby to ready | 25 s typical / 30 s maximum[2] Specified clean shutdown and normal startup conditions; recovery may take longer after unexpected power loss. |
NAS operation
Workload and RAID support for shared storage.
| Drive bays supported | Unlimited[1] Manufacturer bay-count rating does not establish compatibility with every NAS. |
|---|---|
| Annual workload limit | 550 TB/year[1][2] Includes reads and writes; annualized by power-on hours. This is not a lifetime TBW allowance. |
| Power-on hours | 8760 hours/year[1] |
| Rotational vibration sensors | Yes[1] |
| RAID features | AgileArray; dual-plane balancing; time-limited error recovery[1] |
| IronWolf Health Management | Supported on compatible NAS platforms[1] Availability depends on the NAS vendor and software. |
| Hot-plug interface support | SATA Revision 3.3[2] Host/controller and enclosure must also support safe hot swap. |
Reliability and support
Understand what ratings and coverage do—and do not—promise.
| MTBF rating | 2.5 million hours[1][2] Population engineering rating under specified conditions; not expected service life of one drive. Manual section 2.9 assumes 8760 power-on hours/year, 10–30°C drive-reported temperature, wet-bulb ambient ≤26°C and specified workload/contamination limits; maximum operating temperature is not the MTBF rating condition. |
|---|---|
| Nonrecoverable read errors | 1 sector per 10^15 bits read[2] Manual specification; not a measured failure rate. |
| Load/unload cycles | 600, 000[2] |
| Limited warranty | 5 years[1][2] Check serial number, seller and purchase country for the supplied drive. |
| Rescue Data Recovery Services | 3 years[1] Not available in every country; recovery is not guaranteed and does not replace a backup. |
Power and acoustics
Plan cooling, startup power and placement.
| Average operating power | 7.7 W[1] Datasheet nominal average. Manual workload-specific power tests differ; do not treat this as maximum PSU demand. |
|---|---|
| Average idle power | 5.7 W[1] Datasheet idle value; firmware background activity can raise power. |
| Typical standby / sleep power | 1.2 W / 1.2 W[1] |
| Typical startup current | 2.0 A at 12 V[1] Allow for simultaneous spin-up across all installed drives. |
| Power rails and tolerance | 5 V ±5%; 12 V ±10%[2] |
| Idle / seek acoustics, datasheet | 20 / 26 dBA typical[1] Datasheet idle is measured in Idle 1. Not a promise of noise at your listening position. The manual reports sound power separately. |
| Sound power, manual | Idle 2.8 / 3.0 bels; performance seek 3.2 / 3.4 bels (typical / maximum)[2] ISO 7779 A-weighted sound-power conditions, cover upwards. Do not equate bel sound power with room sound-pressure readings. |
Environment and physical
Check the enclosure and the applicable operating limits.
| Operating temperatures | 0 °C minimum ambient; 65 °C maximum drive-reported (datasheet)[1][2] For these older models Rev B differs: 5–65 °C summary, then 60 °C maximum in section 2.6.1. Confirm the applicable revision before designing near a limit. |
|---|---|
| Non-operating temperature | −40 °C to 70 °C ambient[1] |
| Relative humidity | 5–95%, non-condensing[2] Operating and non-operating; maximum gradient 20% per hour. |
| Operating altitude | −304.8 m to 3048 m[2] |
| Non-operating altitude | −304.8 m to 12, 192 m[2] |
| Operating shock, read/write | 40 / 40 g, 2 ms[1] |
| Non-operating shock | 200 g, 1 and 2 ms[1] |
| Operating linear vibration | 0.70 Grms, 5–500 Hz[2] |
| Operating rotary vibration | 12.5 rad/s², 20–1500 Hz[2] Manual test spectrum; greater than 90% sequential/random-write throughput criterion. |
| Non-operating linear vibration | 2.27 Grms[1][2] Datasheet 10–500 Hz; manual test spectrum 2–500 Hz. These are reported with their source conditions. |
| Dimensions, H × W × D | 26.11 × 101.85 × 146.99 mm[1] |
| Typical weight | 690 g[1][2] Exact model datasheet; the shared manual gives a different mass for some revisions. |
Exact product identity & open questions
- Official specification discrepancies: DS2129.4 exact-model columns and 206815300B shared tables disagree on cache, throughput, acoustics, power and some environmental/physical limits; Rev B also contains internal throughput and temperature differences. Values are labeled by source, not combined into a guaranteed revision specification.
- System-specific compatibility and lifetime: No exact enclosure/firmware qualification or long-term fleet failure study was established by this page. Manufacturer ratings do not establish either.
- Current US offer coverage: The visible Newegg primary pane on the saved 2026-09-11 page is E.O.L. Tech Inc. at $825.10 in stock (new). A separate Newegg-sold alternative is $669.99 out of stock. Older B&H/Adorama/Amazon rows keep their original dates. Confirm seller, new condition and shipping at purchase.
Sources
Research updated Sep 11, 2026. Individual source check dates are listed below. Measurements belong to the named reviewers; tested configurations and software versions may differ from the product you buy.
- [1] Seagate IronWolf Pro model specification table ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · DS2129.4-2311US p.2 ST20000NT001 column: 256 MB cache, 285 MB/s OD, 550 TB/year, 5.7 W idle, 7.7 W operating, 20/26 dBA.
- [2] Seagate IronWolf Pro SATA product manual ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Cover models ST24000NT002 / ST20000NT001 / ST16000NT001 / ST12000NT001; specification summary tables pp. 7–12 and acoustics/power notes. Shared rows are not per-column.
- [3] NASCompares original 20 TB NT test ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Live URL HTTP 403 on 2026-09-11; facts reread from 2024 Wayback snapshot of the same article
- [4] BenchLife original 20 TB NT test ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · NT vs NE 20TB comparison; ATTO NT 267.01/262.83 MB/s; platform i9-12900K / Z790 / Windows 11 22H2
- [5] Hardwareluxx original 20 TB NT test ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · NT 20TB two-sample lab; page 6 power/benchmarks; start=5 measurements retained
- [6] B&H ST20000NT001 product offer ↗
Checked Sep 8, 2026 · Product heading / MFR, selected capacity and quantity; primary purchase area and seller disclosure. Exact MFR and single-drive offer; Temporarily Out of Stock. Display price does not establish current purchase availability.
- [7] Newegg ST20000NT001 product offer ↗
Checked Sep 8, 2026 · Product heading / MFR, selected capacity and quantity; primary purchase area and seller disclosure. Primary Add to cart seller PC Parts Hub; alternate seller prices are not substituted.
- [8] Amazon ST20000NT001 product offer ↗
Checked Sep 8, 2026 · Product heading / MFR, selected capacity and quantity; primary purchase area and seller disclosure. Exact title/seller verified; price hidden behind cart and primary stock not explicit. No cart action taken.
- [9] Adorama ST20000NT001 product offer ↗
Checked Sep 8, 2026 · MFR ST20000NT001, selected 20TB / Single at $799.99; limited-quantity Buy Now banner.
- [10] Amazon: ST20000NT001 current US new listing ↗
Checked Sep 10, 2026 · Exact MPN in title; selected new main buy box provides Add to cart and shows seller QuickDealStore; ships from Amazon; numeric price is hidden behind cart.
- [11] Newegg: ST20000NT001 current US new listing ↗
Checked Sep 10, 2026 · Exact MPN in H1; selected main offer shows Add to cart, seller E.O.L. Tech Inc,., and a visible price of $825.10.
- [14] NASCompares ST20000NT001 review (Wayback Machine copy of live URL) ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Live nascompares.com returned HTTP 403; Wayback copy used to reread mixed-file 174/239 MB/s and noisy-NAS notes
- [15] Newegg ST20000NT001 product page ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Newegg item 22-185-071 FinalPrice 669.99 Instock false; marketplace 9SIAAEEKG95648 825.10 Instock true
- [16] zubilitic: 20TB Seagate IronWolf Pro — real tests, heat (ST20000NT001) ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · ASR 0:00–10:19; Grafana 6:32 ST20000NT001-3MB101 51°C; 8:46 RAIDZ1 write 163 MB/s vs overlay 265.28 MB/s
Research and review record
- Research: Grok 4.6 · Source research and data update
- Self-check: Grok 4.6 · Researcher self-check
- Independent review: GPT-6 (Codex) · Exact-model official table/manual and original article/test-chart verification, retained owner-video ASR/frame limits and dated primary merchant observations.
- Editorial integration: GPT-6 (Codex) · Editorial integration and validation
Independent review completed for the scope recorded in the audit.
Source evidence and review history (JSON)