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Seagate’s Exos 28TB HDD: The Leader in High-Capacity Storage
Potential Value in Recertified Models, but Caution is Advised
For those in need of substantial data storage, Seagate’s Exos series offers an impressive solution. The Exos 28TB HDD, launched recently, surpasses the previous market record held by the Western Digital Gold, which maxed out at 24TB.
While Seagate does not publicly share specific pricing for the Exos 28TB, refurbished versions have become available at much lower prices compared to new models. This trend is not new for these CMR drives, and buyers should remain cautious as the same considerations apply as in previous sales.
Online listings from retailers like Amazon ($379.99), ServerPartDeals ($364.99), and eBay (£578) feature these recertified units. They typically consist of previously utilized or returned drives that have undergone testing and restoration to ensure they function properly, although they are not brand new.
Possible Links to Past Controversies
Purchasing a recertified Exos 28TB HDD means acquiring a refurbished enterprise-grade hard drive at a reduced rate; however, this often comes with diminished warranty options. Drives labeled as “Factory Recertified” are tested and may carry warranties of up to two years, even though Seagate’s official documentation suggests a mere six-month warranty for the recertified units.
Despite the appealing pricing of these recertified drives, concern regarding reliability may lead many to consider opting for brand new models instead.
The origins of these recertified drives remain uncertain. Reports indicate that a significant number of these drives may have been sourced from previous uses in Chinese cryptocurrency mining farms, raising alarms about their prior exposure and wear.
Recent findings reported by Heise.de highlighted instances where consumers acquired Seagate drives marketed as new, but which had a history of extensive prior use, possibly linked to extensive mining operations. While it can’t be definitively concluded that the recertified Exos 28TB drives have the same backstory, there remains a risk of prior overuse.
Refurbished drives are meant to have their Field Accessible Reliability Metrics (FARM) reset to zero. Nevertheless, anecdotal evidence indicates that many recertified units might still carry a surprising amount of operational hours, with some users observing upwards of 15,000 hours of previous use after purchasing.
For those considering a recertified Exos 28TB HDD, it is critical to buy from trustworthy sources, even if that means spending slightly more.
In January 2025, Seagate introduced its 36TB Exos M model, establishing it as the largest commercially available HDD, although it currently isn’t available for public purchase. Seagate’s CEO announced that successful tests had been conducted on platter capacities exceeding 6TB, signaling potential advancements towards 60TB drives in the future.
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