Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB vs Toshiba P300 2TB
On the measures that settle this, Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB never comes out behind, and on at least one it comes out ahead.
| Specification | SeagateBarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB | ToshibaP300 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity (GB) | 2000 | 2000 |
| Current best price | £71.00betterat Amazon.co.uk · captured 2026-09-13 | £150.05at Amazon.co.uk · captured 2026-09-13 |
| Price per TB | £35.50better | £75.03 |
| RPM | 7200 | 7200 |
| Cache (MB) | 256 | 256 |
| Form factor | 3.5-inch | 3.5-inch |
| Warranty (years) | 2 | 2 |
How these two compare
Sequential throughput
Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB holds the higher sequential rate. Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB is rated 220 MB/s read and 220 MB/s write, Toshiba P300 2TB 200 MB/s read and 200 MB/s write; a spinning disk's throughput rises with platter speed and density and barely differs between reading and writing.
Price
Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB lists at £71.00, or £35.50 per TB; Toshiba P300 2TB at £150.05, or £75.03 per TB.
Spindle speed
Both turn at 7200 RPM. Spindle speed sets how quickly the head reaches data and how much power and noise the drive makes, and at an identical RPM the two land in the same place on all of it.
Cache
Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB carries 256 MB of onboard cache and Toshiba P300 2TB carries 256 MB — the buffer the drive uses to absorb bursts of writes and hold recently read data, smoothing over the mechanical delay of moving the head. More cache helps most under bursty, mixed workloads; for one long sequential transfer it barely matters.
Warranty
Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB carries a 2-year warranty and Toshiba P300 2TB a 2-year one — how long the maker will replace a failed drive, and a rough read on the confidence it has in the mechanism.
Which to buy
Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB. It gives up nothing to the other on the measures the site tracks and leads on at least one, so there is no trade to weigh — the sections above show where the margin is.
Common questions about this pair
- Which is faster, Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB or Toshiba P300 2TB?
- Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB holds the higher sequential rate. Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB is rated 220 MB/s read and 220 MB/s write, Toshiba P300 2TB 200 MB/s read and 200 MB/s write; a spinning disk's throughput rises with platter speed and density and barely differs between reading and writing.
- Which costs less per terabyte, Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB or Toshiba P300 2TB?
- Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB lists at £71.00, or £35.50 per TB; Toshiba P300 2TB at £150.05, or £75.03 per TB.
- Should you buy Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB or Toshiba P300 2TB?
- Seagate BarraCuda 3.5-inch HDD 2TB. It gives up nothing to the other on the measures the site tracks and leads on at least one, so there is no trade to weigh — the sections above show where the margin is.