HDD · SATA · 12TB
HGST Ultrastar He12 vs Seagate IronWolf 12TB
The price verdict
Seagate IronWolf 12TB has the lower cost per TB.
Price comparison, including shipping; not an overall reliability rating.
Compared drive
HGST Ultrastar He12 12TB →$339.99
$28.33 / TB
Refurbprices last checked 2026-10-14 06:07 UTC
Buy on eBay →↓ Lower cost / TB
Seagate IronWolf 12TB →$260.00
$21.67 / TB
Usedprices last checked 2026-10-14 06:07 UTC
Buy on eBay →Some “Buy” links earn us a commission. Who pays us.
the short version
- ▸On today's best listings the Seagate IronWolf 12TB is 24% cheaper per terabyte ($21.67/TB vs $28.33/TB). Prices move — check the live table below.
- ▸The HGST Ultrastar He12 12TB is rated for 550 TB/yr of workload against 180 TB/yr for the Seagate IronWolf 12TB — the difference between a nearline drive built for constant duty and one meant for lighter NAS cycles.
- ▸Warranty runs 3 years on the Seagate IronWolf 12TB versus seller warranty only on the HGST Ultrastar He12 12TB.
spec by spec
✓ marks the better value for each comparable specification.
| Spec | HGST Ultrastar He12 | Seagate IronWolf |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per TB (today) | $28.33/TB | ✓$21.67/TB |
| Best total price | $339.99 | ✓$260.00 |
| Workload rating | ✓550 TB/yr | 180 TB/yr |
| Warranty | EOL / seller only | ✓3 years |
| MTBF | ✓2.5M hours | 1.0M hours |
| Cache | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Spindle speed | ✓7,200 RPM | 5,400 RPM |
| Recording | CMR | CMR |
| Form factor | 3.5" | 3.5" |
Specs are manufacturer figures for each family; prices are the cheapest in-stock listing found on the last ingest, including shipping. Used and refurbished listings may differ in firmware, sector size and remaining warranty — verify with the seller.
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