ST30000NM004K - CMR or SMR?

CMR

The Seagate Exos 30TB (ST30000NM004K) uses CMR recording.

Verified against: Seagate Exos data sheet DS2046.1 (Dec 2025), SATA table, read 2026-10-01 · Checked

What this means for you

Conventional recording writes tracks side by side without overlap, so a write never forces the drive to rewrite neighbouring data. That makes the ST30000NM004K safe for every use including RAID, ZFS, a NAS, and anything with sustained random writes. A rebuild or a resilver on this drive behaves the way the array expects, which is the whole reason the distinction matters. There is no recording-technology reason to avoid this drive for any workload.

Specifications

Model numberST30000NM004K
BrandSeagate
FamilyExos
Capacity30TB
Form factor3.5"
Rotational speed—
Cache—
Recording technologyCMR
Workload rate—
Warranty—
StatusCurrent
Replaced by—

A dash means the manufacturer does not state that field for this exact model. We leave it blank rather than filling it from a retailer listing.

Related models

Other Exos capacities
ST20000NM002H20TBCMRST32000NM004K32TBCMR
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Frequently asked questions

Is the ST30000NM004K CMR or SMR?

It is CMR. That comes from Seagate Exos data sheet DS2046.1 (Dec 2025), SATA table, read 2026-10-01, which is Seagate's own documentation for this exact part number rather than a capacity-level summary or a retailer listing.

Can I use the ST30000NM004K in a NAS or RAID array?

Yes. Conventional recording means a write never forces neighbouring tracks to be rewritten, so rebuilds and resilvers behave normally. There is no recording-technology objection to this drive in an array, check the workload rating and warranty for your duty cycle separately.

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