Seagate

Seagate SkyHawk AI 12TB ST12000VE001

ST12000VE001
SkyHawk AICMR12TBSATA-6G3.5-inch
$58.08/TB
$697.00
REFURBIn Stock
Price updated
Price accurate as of Sep 15, 2026, 12:00 AM
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The Seagate SkyHawk AI 12TB ST12000VE001 is a 12TB SATA-6G HDD in used condition. It is in stock at $697.00 - $58.08/TB.

This is a refurbished or recertified listing

Recertified enterprise drives are pulled from datacentre fleets, tested and resold. They are usually the cheapest route to bulk capacity, and the risk is concentrated in the first weeks - so check SMART data the day it arrives rather than the day you need it. What recertified means · Refurbished warranty terms · Verify on arrival

Same capacity, other options
DriveInterfaceCond$/TBPrice
WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE601SATA-6GNew$27.50$329.99Buy
WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE604SATA-6GRefurb$27.50$329.99Buy
WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE604SATA-6GRefurb$27.50$329.99Buy
MDD 12TB SATA 6G 7200RPM EnterpriseSATA-6GRefurb$27.50$329.95Buy

All 12TB drives we track, ranked by cost per terabyte.

Model context

CMRSource: Seagate SkyHawk AI data sheet DS1960-15C Recording technology for this model

Part of the Seagate line we track.

Quick Verdict

The Seagate SkyHawk AI 12TB ST12000VE001 is a 12TB SATA-6G enterprise drive at $58.08/TB - CMR recording makes it safe for all RAID levels and NAS deployments. As a refurbished unit, run SMART diagnostics on arrival and verify power-on hours.

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Specifications

Capacity12TB
Form Factor3.5-inch
InterfaceSATA-6G
Recording TechCMR
RPM
Cache256MB
Sector Size
Workload Rating550TB/yr
Warranty5 years
ASINB0CN88NBDW
Market context

Against every other drive we have an in-stock price for today, this one is cheaper per tb than 12% of them (31 of 251). The cheapest we can currently buy is $14.99/TB; the middle of the market is $38.01/TB.

Where the wider market has moved

These are third-party figures about the retail market as a whole, quoted and dated. They are not our own measurements and they do not describe this specific drive.

Compare against every 12TB drive we track →Cheapest per terabyte, all categories →Category price trends →
How it compares - 12TB SATA-6G
#1MDD 12TB SATA 6G 7200RPM Enterprise
$27.50/TB
#2WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE604
$27.50/TB
#3MDD 12TB SATA 6G 7200RPM NAS
$27.50/TB
#4WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE604
$27.50/TB
#5WD Ultrastar 12TB SATA HUH721212ALE601
$27.50/TB

Works in these NAS machines

UniFi UNAS / UNVR
Fit-verified
Meets Ubiquiti's written 1TB+ CMR requirement; check the 7200RPM clause

Resolved against manufacturer compatibility lists we read and dated, capped at 4. Vendor-listed means the manufacturer names this exact part number; fit-verified is our own check of form factor, interface and recording technology against a published requirement. Neither is a guess, and a drive the registry cannot resolve shows nothing here rather than a maybe. How compatibility actually works

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The SkyHawk AI 12TB ST12000VE001 uses CMR recording which is fully compatible with all RAID levels. It is rated for 550TB/year workload.

5-year manufacturer warranty. This listing is a refurbished/renewed unit - verify seller warranty before purchase.

Compatible with any server, NAS or workstation with a SATA port. Works in Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, UnRAID and all major NAS platforms.

Use Case Scenarios

🏠
Home & SMB NAS
Building a high-capacity NAS for media, backups and file sharing.
✓ Excellent fit
CMR recording is RAID-safe and fully compatible with Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS and UnRAID. Refurb units offer strong value for non-critical NAS.
💾
Backup Server / Veeam Target
Dedicated backup storage for Veeam, Commvault, or NetBackup.
✓ Excellent fit
12TB SATA drives are ideal for backup targets. SATA gives maximum $/TB for backup repositories.
🏗️
Virtualization Host Storage
VM images and snapshots on Proxmox, VMware or Hyper-V.
~ Good fit
Suitable for VM storage where workloads are not IOPS-intensive. SATA is fine for single-host VM storage. Consider NVMe cache for latency-sensitive VMs.

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Maintenance Checklist

On installCheck SMART baseline on arrival
Run smartctl -a /dev/sdX and record: Reallocated_Sector_Ct, Power_On_Hours, Spin_Retry_Count. Critical for refurb drives — refuse any with reallocated sectors > 0.
MonthlyRun SMART short self-test
smartctl -t short /dev/sdX — takes 1-2 minutes, catches most developing issues. Schedule during off-peak.
QuarterlyRun SMART long self-test
smartctl -t long /dev/sdX — full surface scan, takes 6 hours for 12TB. Any test failure is grounds for immediate replacement.
QuarterlyCheck RAID array health
Verify no degraded drives. A degraded array with no hot spare is one failure from data loss. Check mdstat or controller UI.
AnnuallyVerify drive firmware version
Check Seagate support site for firmware updates. Some versions have known bugs affecting integrity.
Every 3-5 yearsPlan proactive replacement
Enterprise HDDs have higher failure rates after year 4-5. At 12TB per drive, budget for replacements before failures occur.

Troubleshooting Guide

Cause: Loose SATA data or power cable, failed port, or drive not spinning up.
Fix: Reseat both cables. Try a different port. Listen for spin-up sound. Test with a known-good cable.