Seagate Firecuda X Vault: a hard drive for those with patience
The Seagate Firecuda X Vault external HDD offers plenty of storage for relatively little money. If you’re looking for speed, you’re better off opting for an external SSD.
70 years ago the first hard disk drive was launched – and the HDD is still going strong. In terms of storage capacity per franc, it beats any SSD. Seagate has been serving this market for years. With the Firecuda X Vault, the manufacturer is now launching a new model: a large hard disk drive in an even larger casing, featuring some RGB lighting and a fast USB connection.
The Firecuda X Vault in detail
Measuring 200 × 130 × 50 millimetres – roughly the area of an A5 sheet – and weighing 1,260 grammes, the Firecuda X Vault is a hefty piece of kit. By way of comparison: a typical external SSD weighs a tenth of that and fits comfortably in your trouser pocket.
The Vault is available with 8 or 20 terabytes (TB) of storage. If you need even more space, go for the equally new One Touch. It offers up to 24 TB, but comes in a simple, office-style design. Performance remains the same – as is generally the case with all external HDDs that aren’t held back by the USB standard.
Inside, a hard drive spins at 5400 revolutions per minute and has 256 megabytes (MB) of cache. It connects via USB 3.2 Gen 2 – up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). So the interface doesn’t slow the hard drive down.
To get started, simply plug the Vault in and wait. It doesn’t always go smoothly: the drive requires at least 15 watts via USB. Many motherboards and laptops do not specify how much power they supply. You’ll only find out whether your device provides enough power when you test it. At least there’s a small LED on the USB port that lights up red if there’s insufficient power.
A USB-C cable is included in the box. It’s a bit on the short side – it’s sufficient for laptops, but a bit tight for desktop PCs. In my tests, the cable was under tension, which could put a strain on the USB port over time.
Seagate includes the Toolkit software. It enables incremental backups and real-time folder mirroring. During the two-year warranty period, you also have access to a data recovery service.
Read: At a snail’s pace
I measure the read speed using Crystal Disk Mark. As I haven’t tested an external HDD for a long time, I’m using two SSDs for comparison: the Samsung T5 Evo, which is rather slow due to its SATA technology, and the Lacie Rugged Pro 5, my fastest SSD to date. As expected, the LaCie clearly outperforms the new Seagate HDD. Compared to the T5 Evo, however, the Firecuda performs respectably.
The first graph below shows sequential read speeds, the second random read speeds. If you work with large files, the former is what counts; for small files, it’s the latter.
In the practical test, I copy a 10-gigabyte (GB) file from the Firecuda X Vault to a RAM disk. The RAM disk ensures that the HDD remains the bottleneck, as it reads and writes much faster itself. The order of the drives remains the same, with the HDD coming closer to its theoretical value from the first test than the competition.
Writing: slow, but consistent
When writing, the picture is the same as for reading. As expected, the Vault lags behind.
Here too: the first graph shows sequential writes, the second random writes. Large files? First graph. Small files? Second graph.
In the practical test, I copy a 10 GB file from the RAM disk to the HDD. As with the read test, the HDD remains the bottleneck. The ranking does not change. The Vault even achieves a higher write speed than in the CrystalDiskMark test.
To test its behaviour during sustained writing, I repeatedly copy the 10 GB test file to the HDD using a batch command. This allows me to see when it throttles. The Firecuda X Vault only starts to slow down after six TB of data has been written. In this respect, it is clearly ahead of SSDs, which usually slow down once the cache is used up – often as early as 50 GB. Whilst the Seagate is slow, it remains consistently slow. Nevertheless, even throttled SSDs are still significantly faster.
Copying: a clear weakness
When copying – i.e. reading and writing simultaneously – I duplicate the 10 GB file. This is where the Seagate reveals its greatest weakness: it only manages 85 MB/s.
Office: surprisingly good result
The result in Office applications is surprising: the Vault outperforms the T5 Evo. Although the lead is small, it does not detract from the respectable result. The HDD therefore performs well in applications with low demands.
Gaming: A data drain
In 3DMark’s gaming benchmark, the picture is reversed: the Vault trails the T5 Evo by one point. This is negligible and almost another victory for the HDD.
This is how the HDD performs when it is 75 per cent full
All previous tests were run with an empty HDD. In everyday use, however, you’ll gradually fill up the drive. At around 75 per cent capacity, the Firecuda X Vault loses around 50 per cent of its performance. That sounds like a lot, but it’s normal for HDDs.
Temperatures: stays cool
Tested under continuous write conditions, the drive reaches 50 degrees Celsius. That’s not a bad result; most SSDs get hotter. However, the Vault is cooled by a fan, whereas SSDs usually manage without one. The fan and the hard drive are always faintly audible. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it’s worth bearing in mind.
In a nutshell
Plenty of space, not much pace
The Firecuda X Vault isn’t an SSD, nor does it set out to be one. It serves its purpose well as cold storage for your Steam library or large video files. The price per gigabyte is very competitive.
If you access your data frequently, you’re better off with an external SSD. If you’re using the Vault on a desktop, you should consider whether it wouldn’t be better to simply buy an internal hard drive. That saves money and a USB port.
The Vault makes the most sense for laptop users with limited internal storage: as an affordable expansion option that requires no modifications, it’s hard to beat – provided the USB port supplies enough power.
Pro
- plenty of storage space for relatively little money
- constant transfer rate
- high-quality workmanship
Contra
- slow compared to external SSDs
- high power requirements via USB
- short cable
From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
