Seagate EXOS 7E10 6TB
Enterprise HDD
Part number ST6000NM020B · EXOS 7E10 series · NL-SAS 12Gb/s. If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.
Part of the Seagate EXOS 7E10 series →
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Specifications are the manufacturer's published ratings for this product series; verify the exact part number before purchase.
Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.
Compatibility verdict
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 7 machines and series — 6 QNAP, 1 Asustor. This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.
Compatible NAS models
Same-capacity alternatives
Other drives listed at 6 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:
Quick answers
Is the ST6000NM020B officially compatible with my NAS?
It appears on the official compatibility lists of 7 machines and series — 6 QNAP, 1 Asustor. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.
Is the ST6000NM020B CMR or SMR?
As a Seagate EXOS 7E10 drive, it is rated CMR. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) is what a RAID array wants: SMR drives slow rebuilds dramatically. See the <a href="/faq/cmr-vs-smr-nas-drives/">CMR vs SMR guide</a> for the full series table.
Is the ST6000NM020B a good NAS drive?
This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.
Can I use the ST6000NM020B for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?
Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.
What are alternatives to the ST6000NM020B?
At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Seagate ST6000NM021A (389 machines), Toshiba MG04ACA600E (382 machines), Seagate ST6000VN0033 (349 machines). The full ranked list is below.