The Seagate SkyHawk 2TB (ST2000VX015) uses SMR recording.
Part-number reference: ST2000VX015 — decoded segments, sibling variants and the warranty check. Live rankings this model belongs to: every 2TB hard drive. Product pages for this part number: Seagate SkyHawk 2TB ST2000VX015 · Seagate SkyHawk 2TB ST2000VX015 (no current offer).
Verified against: Seagate SkyHawk SATA product manual 100870481 Rev A · Checked
Seagate's own documents disagree about this family. The SkyHawk datasheet and the SkyHawk SATA product manual both state SMR for this part number, while Seagate's summary CMR/SMR list shows no SMR anywhere in the SkyHawk line. The part-number-level documents decide the verdict.
Shingled recording overlaps tracks like roof tiles to raise density. Reading is unaffected, and for sequential work, archives, media libraries, backup targets, files written once and read many times, this drive is genuinely fine and the saving is real. The problem is sustained random writing, because modifying data under an existing track can force the tracks above it to be rewritten too. A RAID rebuild or a ZFS resilver is hours of exactly that pattern with no idle time to recover, so a 2TB ST2000VX015 in an array can extend a rebuild dramatically, and the rebuild window is precisely when the array has no redundancy left. Do not put this drive in a NAS or a parity array.
| Model number | ST2000VX015 |
| Brand | Seagate |
| Family | SkyHawk |
| Capacity | 2TB |
| Form factor | 3.5" |
| Rotational speed | — |
| Cache | 256 MB |
| Recording technology | SMR |
| Workload rate | 180 TB/year |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Status | Current |
| Replaced by | — |
A dash means we have not found a manufacturer document stating that field for this exact model. We leave it blank rather than filling it from a retailer listing.
If this drive is going into an array, a NAS, or anything that rebuilds, shingled recording is the wrong choice at any price. These are conventionally-recorded drives at this capacity or one step up, in stock right now with live prices.
| Drive | Capacity | Recording | $/TB | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyHawk 6TB ST6000VX001 | 6TB | CMR | $31.67 | $190 | Buy |
| WD Purple 6TB WD63PURZ | 6TB | CMR | $35.83 | $215 | Buy |
| WD Red Pro 6TB WD6003FFBX | 6TB | CMR | $50.00 | $300 | Buy |
Verified CMR model numbers at this size: WD2002FFSX, WD23PURZ, WD20EFPX, ST3000VX009.
It is SMR, per Seagate SkyHawk SATA product manual 100870481 Rev A - Seagate's documentation for this exact part number - which also rates it at 180TB/year workload; the page's cheapest in-stock conventional pick right now is the SkyHawk 6TB ST6000VX001.
We would not: Seagate SkyHawk SATA product manual 100870481 Rev A states SMR for the ST2000VX015, and shingled recording turns a rebuild into hours of the write pattern it handles worst. The page's own in-stock conventional alternative right now is the SkyHawk 6TB ST6000VX001. For sequential and archival use outside an array this drive is fine.
A conventionally-recorded drive at 2TB or one step up - right now the table's top in-stock pick is the SkyHawk 6TB ST6000VX001. Every model number linked in the table has its own verified page with the manufacturer source.