Enterprise Storage Solutions Compared

Choosing the right enterprise storage solution requires careful consideration of performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. In this comprehensive comparison, we’ll examine the leading enterprise storage options available in 2025.

Evaluation Criteria

Our comparison focuses on these key aspects:

• Performance metrics
• Reliability and durability
• Cost per terabyte
• Power efficiency
• Management features
• Total cost of ownership (TCO)

Enterprise HDDs

High-Capacity HDDs (16TB+)

1. Seagate Exos X16

   • Capacity: 16TB
   • Performance: 261 MB/s sustained
   • Reliability: 2.5M hours MTBF
   • Power: 6.4W idle
   • Cost/TB: £15.50

2. Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC580

   • Capacity: 18TB
   • Performance: 273 MB/s sustained
   • Reliability: 2.5M hours MTBF
   • Power: 6.8W idle
   • Cost/TB: £16.20

3. Toshiba MG09

   • Capacity: 18TB
   • Performance: 268 MB/s sustained
   • Reliability: 2.5M hours MTBF
   • Power: 6.7W idle
   • Cost/TB: £15.90

Enterprise SSDs

High-Performance NVMe

1. Samsung PM9A3

   • Capacity: 7.68TB
   • Performance: 6,950/4,000 MB/s (R/W)
   • Endurance: 3 DWPD
   • Power: 5.9W active
   • Cost/TB: £95.00

2. Intel P5510

   • Capacity: 7.68TB
   • Performance: 7,000/4,200 MB/s (R/W)
   • Endurance: 3 DWPD
   • Power: 5.8W active
   • Cost/TB: £98.00

Mixed-Use SSDs

1. Micron 7450 PRO
   • Capacity: 15.36TB
   • Performance: 6,800/3,800 MB/s (R/W)
   • Endurance: 1 DWPD
   • Power: 5.5W active
   • Cost/TB: £82.00

Performance Analysis

Sequential Workloads

Device              Read (MB/s)    Write (MB/s)
Exos X16           261            261
Ultrastar HC580    273            273
PM9A3              6,950          4,000
P5510              7,000          4,200
7450 PRO           6,800          3,800

Random 4K IOPS

Device              Read IOPS      Write IOPS
Exos X16           480            550
Ultrastar HC580    490            560
PM9A3              1,100,000      260,000
P5510              1,150,000      270,000
7450 PRO           1,000,000      250,000

Reliability Metrics

Enterprise HDDs

• MTBF: 2.5M hours
• AFR: < 0.35%
• Workload: 550TB/year
• Warranty: 5 years

Enterprise SSDs

• MTBF: 2M hours
• AFR: < 0.2%
• Endurance: 1-3 DWPD
• Warranty: 5 years

Cost Analysis

Total Cost of Ownership (3-year)

Factors considered:

• Initial purchase price
• Power consumption
• Cooling requirements
• Management overhead
• Replacement costs

Results per PB:

1. HDDs: £18,000-22,000
2. Mixed-Use SSDs: £85,000-95,000
3. High-Performance SSDs: £98,000-110,000

Use Case Recommendations

Capacity-Optimized Storage

• Best Choice: Enterprise HDDs (Exos X16, Ultrastar HC580)
• Ideal for: Archive, backup, cold storage
• Key benefit: Lowest cost per TB

Performance-Critical Applications

• Best Choice: High-Performance NVMe SSDs (PM9A3, P5510)
• Ideal for: Databases, OLTP, AI/ML
• Key benefit: Maximum IOPS and bandwidth

Mixed Workloads

• Best Choice: Mixed-Use SSDs (7450 PRO)
• Ideal for: Virtual environments, email servers
• Key benefit: Balance of performance and capacity

Conclusion

The choice of enterprise storage depends heavily on specific workload requirements and budget constraints. While HDDs continue to offer the best value for capacity-intensive workloads, SSDs are becoming increasingly attractive for performance-critical applications as prices continue to decrease.