IronWolf Pro high-capacity guide · 30TB
Seagate IronWolf Pro 30TB: ST30000NT011 Price, Specs and NAS Guide
The 30TB ST30000NT011 is a middle choice inside the newest IronWolf Pro trio. It adds 7.1% capacity over 28TB and sits 6.7% below 32TB, so small price movements can change its value quickly. Its array math produces clean milestones such as 90TB in four-drive RAID 5 and 120TB in six-drive RAID 6. This guide focuses on those thresholds, procurement and the 275MB/s model profile.
Quick answer
Choose 30TB when it reaches a clean usable-capacity milestone and is priced proportionally between 28TB and 32TB. Four drives provide about 90TB in RAID 5 or 60TB in RAID 6; six drives provide about 120TB in RAID 6. ST30000NT011 is listed at up to 275MB/s with 6.8W idle, 8.3W average operating power and 28/32 dBA acoustics.
Exact model data
Official specification snapshot for ST30000NT011
| Capacity | Model | Design | Cache | Max sustained | Idle / operating | Acoustics idle / seek | Drive-reported max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30TB | ST30000NT011 | Helium | 512MB | 275MB/s | 6.8W / 8.3W | 28 / 32 dBA | 60°C |
Specifications are attached to the exact model shown. Verify the full model number, interface, seller, condition and regional warranty route before ordering.
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30TB is a capacity midpoint, but not automatically a value midpoint
The 30TB label sits exactly between 28TB and 32TB in absolute capacity, yet prices rarely form a straight line. A temporary discount can make 30TB the best raw value; limited supply can make it the most expensive per terabyte. Buyers should calculate the ratio each time rather than assume the middle model is the balanced choice.
Its practical appeal is threshold-based. Thirty terabytes per bay creates round array figures that are easy to align with business requirements. When a six-bay dual-parity system must deliver about 120TB before overhead, 30TB closes the requirement exactly while 28TB falls short and 32TB may add unused headroom.
Clean 30TB RAID milestones
Two-drive mirroring yields roughly 30TB. Four drives provide about 90TB in RAID 5, 60TB in RAID 6 or 60TB in RAID 10. Six drives produce about 150TB, 120TB and 90TB respectively. Eight-drive RAID 6 reaches approximately 180TB.
Round arithmetic can be misleading if it is treated as final usable space. A 120TB decimal RAID 6 volume will be reported differently by the operating system and reduced by formatting, metadata and snapshots. A 15% operational reserve brings the planning target to about 102TB. That may still be ideal, but it is a more honest number for growth planning.
28TB to 30TB is only a 7.1% capacity increase
ST30000NT011 provides about 7.1% more capacity than ST28000NT000. If its price premium is below 7.1%, it has the lower raw cost per terabyte. Above that point, the premium pays for bay density and threshold fit. In an eight-drive array, the step adds 16TB raw.
The difference is small enough that supply and warranty route can decide the purchase. A readily available 28TB model with a reputable seller may be safer than a scarce 30TB listing with ambiguous condition. Compare identical purchase conditions, not just the lowest displayed number.
30TB to 32TB is a 6.7% step
A 32TB drive offers 6.7% more capacity than 30TB. When the price premium is lower than 6.7%, the 32TB model wins raw value. If the premium is substantially higher, 30TB can deliver nearly the same bay density at a lower complete-array cost.
Use usable array capacity to judge the difference. Six-drive RAID 6 moves from roughly 120TB at 30TB per disk to 128TB at 32TB. That additional 8TB may be essential for one workload and irrelevant for another. Forecast growth in terabytes, not percentages alone.
The 275MB/s specification in context
ST30000NT011 is listed at a maximum sustained rate of 275MB/s, between the 270MB/s 28TB and 285MB/s 32TB figures. That ordering is useful for exact-model accuracy but should not dominate the capacity decision. A 1GbE client cannot approach any of those drive-side ceilings, and even a 2.5GbE link may be the primary limit.
Higher-speed networks, sequential media work and rebuild operations make drive throughput more visible. Small-file and multi-user workloads depend on access patterns, queueing, RAID and NAS memory. The correct comparison uses the whole system and representative tasks rather than one synthetic number.
Procurement discipline matters for a less common capacity
Thirty-terabyte drives may not have the same retailer depth as capacities that have been on the market longer. Review seller count, delivery time and replacement availability before selecting the model for a large fleet. A low initial price is less attractive when a matching spare cannot be obtained during a degraded-array event.
For business purchases, standardize the exact model, document serial numbers and retain invoices. Confirm the regional warranty route and Rescue eligibility. Consider one spare per critical array or a shared spare policy for identical systems. Do not rely on an RMA timeline as the only response plan.
The environmental profile matches the 28TB and 32TB group
Seagate lists 6.8W idle, 8.3W average operating power, 28 dBA idle and 32 dBA seek for ST30000NT011. The drive-reported maximum is 60°C with a 10°C ambient minimum. These figures distinguish it from the quieter published profile of ST20000NT001, ST22000NT001 and ST24000NT002.
Use the numbers to plan enclosure placement and airflow, not to predict an exact room measurement. Drive count, trays, chassis panels, fans and furniture can amplify or mask sound. Temperature should be observed during sustained array work. An idle reading after installation does not validate cooling for a scrub or rebuild.
When 30TB is the right answer
Choose 30TB when it is the smallest model that reaches the working-capacity target, especially for six-bay RAID 6 around the 100TB-after-reserve range or four-bay RAID 5 near 75TB after reserve. It can also be the price sweet spot when 32TB commands a premium above its 6.7% capacity gain.
Skip 30TB when 28TB already leaves substantial headroom or 32TB is priced almost identically. Verify ST30000NT011 and reject family or condition ambiguity. Add backup, spare and power costs before declaring a winner. A clean array number is useful, but operational resilience is the real objective.
How Cloudzat evaluates high-capacity IronWolf Pro drives
Cloudzat treats every exact model separately rather than assuming that all IronWolf Pro drives with the same family name or capacity share one operating profile. ST20000NT001, ST22000NT001 and ST24000NT002 form the lower published acoustic group; ST24000NT031 is a distinct 24TB HAMR model; and ST28000NT000, ST30000NT011 and ST32000NT000 share the newer high-capacity profile. Offers are rejected when they appear to be standard IronWolf, Exos, SAS, SSD, renewed, recertified, used, bundled, an enclosure or a NAS appliance.
Price per terabyte is based on the current single-drive purchase price divided by decimal capacity. RAID and energy calculations are planning estimates. File-system overhead, snapshots, spare drives, reserved capacity, rebuild throttling and the NAS implementation can materially change real results. RAID protects service availability against selected failures; it does not replace an independent backup.
Frequently asked questions
IronWolf Pro 30TB questions
How much usable capacity do six 30TB drives provide in RAID 6?
How much larger is 30TB than 28TB?
How much smaller is 30TB than 32TB?
What is the exact 30TB model?
Is 275MB/s enough for a 10GbE NAS?
Should I buy a 30TB spare with the array?
Primary sources
- Seagate IronWolf Pro data sheet covering 30TB and neighboring models
- Seagate IronWolf Pro product page and current capacity range
- Seagate warranty and replacement support
Cloudzat may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Product availability, pricing and specifications can change. Confirm the exact IronWolf Pro model, seller, condition, regional warranty route and NAS compatibility before buying.