Seagate has historically offered multiple SSDs under the BarraCuda name. The following information pertains to the SATA SSD released in 2018, based on the Phison S10 controller and TLC NAND.
Seagate has historically offered multiple SSDs under the BarraCuda name. The following information pertains to the SATA SSD released in 2018, based on the Phison S10 controller and TLC NAND.Specifications
The Seagate Barracuda SATA SSD from 2018 comes in a standard 2.5-inch form factor, measuring 7mm in thickness. Available capacities range from 250 GB to 2 TB.
| Seagate BarraCuda SATA SSD (2018) | 2TB | 1TB | 500GB | 250GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s | |||
| NAND | Toshiba BiCS3 64-layer 3D TLC | |||
| Sequential Read | 560MB/s | 560MB/s | 560MB/s | 560MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 540MB/s | 540MB/s | 535MB/s | 530MB/s |
| Random Read, 4KB QD32 | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS |
| Random Write, 4KB QD32 | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS | 90K IOPS |
| Endurance | 1,067 TBW | 485 TBW | 249 TBW | 120 TBW |
| Warranty | 5-year limited | 5-year limited | 5-year limited | 5-year limited |
| Power | ||||
| Active power, average | 3.1W | 2.8W | 2.6W | 2.6W |
| Idle power, average | 225mW | 221mW | 192mW | 185mW |
| DevSleep | 5mW | 5mW | 5mW | 5mW |
| Environmental | ||||
| Operating temperature | 0°C to 70°C | |||
| Non-operating temperature | -40°C to 85°C | |||
| Shock Non-operating 0.5ms | 1,500Gs |
At the heart of the Barracuda SSD lies a Seagate-branded Phison S10 controller (PS3110-S10-X). This controller has been used by competitors such as the Kingston HyperX Savage and Corsair Neutron XT. However, as it supports multiple generations of NAND flash memory, performance is not necessarily identical. The BarraCuda utilizes Toshiba’s 64-layer 3D TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND.
The interface employed is SATA 6Gb/s, which, while not pushing the boundaries of SSD speed, remains a widely compatible and practical choice for many systems. This interface choice ensures broad compatibility with existing hardware, making the Barracuda an accessible upgrade option for a wide range of computers.
As for performance specifications, these are largely similar for all capacities with 560 MB/s sequential read and 90,000 IOPS random transfer rates. These figures position the Barracuda SSD as one of the more competitive option in the SATA SSD market.
The drive’s endurance ratings in term of Total Bytes Written (TBW) range from 120 TB for the 250 GB model to 1,067 TB for the 2 TB variant. This translates to a durability rating of approximately 0.3 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) over the course of its 5-year warranty period.
Key Competitors
Barracuda vs. Samsung 860 EVO
The Samsung 860 EVO was long considered the gold standard in SATA SSDs. In comparison, the Barracuda SSD holds its ground admirably:
- Performance: The Barracuda matches the 860 EVO closely in sequential read/write performance, with both drives saturating the SATA interface in ideal conditions. While the 860 EVO has a slight edge in sustained random operations, the Barracuda’s peak performance is on par.
- Endurance: Both drives offer similar endurance ratings, with the Barracuda slightly edging out in some capacity tiers.
vs. Crucial MX500
Another popular choice in the SATA SSD market is the Crucial MX500:
- Performance: The Barracuda and MX500 trade blows in various benchmarks, with neither drive consistently outperforming the other across all tests.
- Endurance: The Barracuda is well ahead of the MX500, which tops out at 700 TBW for 2 TB model
Expert Reviews
In order to be a top-tier competitor in the consumer SSD space, Seagate will have to be able to consistently differentiate their products from the competition. A Phison-based product line makes that pretty difficult, since there are dozens of brands selling very similar products.
Looking at performance the Seagate BarraCuda SSD isn’t going to win any awards. While tests reflecting read performance did pretty well, write performance was the weakness of this drive.
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