We wrote about the Exos The Linux-compatible drive was created exclusively for Seagate's largest enterprise customers and has always been difficult for anyone else to obtain.
In fact, when Storage Review I got one to test out, but the site had to go through eBay as it wasn't available to buy directly from Seagate or any of their official partners.
That has changed now, as you can buy the Exos X26z online through Server Parts DealsAnd it won't cost you a fortune. The 3.5-inch 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 25TB drive currently sells for $319.99 (with discounts available for bulk orders).
Stop, HAMR time!
The units for sale are “manufacturer recertified” and have a two-year warranty. “New” and “seller refurbished” units are offered (for $359.99 and $299.99 respectively), but they are currently out of stock and it is unknown when stock will be renewed.
The Exos X26z is only really useful for larger hyperscalers and increases capacity per slot by 25% compared to conventional hard drives. In tests that Storage Review Running on the hard drive, going head-to-head with Seagate's 20TB IonWolf Pro drive, the Exos X26z performed well, but it's important to remember that Seagate has since released drives that use advanced hard disk recording (HAMR) technology.
Seagate has said its future drives, powered by HAMR, will be able to break data capacity barriers. The company is ultimately looking at 50TB, and unlike the Exos X26Z HDD, those drives won't be as hard to come by when they finally arrive.
