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Surveillance drives

Seagate SkyHawk 4 TB (ST4000VXZ16)

A drive built for the one workload desktop drives handle worst: being written to continuously, for years, without pause. Seagate states three times the workload rating of a desktop drive.

Seagate SkyHawk 4 TB surveillance hard drive

Seagate SkyHawk 4 TB (ST4000VXZ16)

A drive built for the one workload desktop drives handle worst: being written to continuously, for years, without pause. Seagate states three times the workload rating of a desktop drive.

Capacity
4 TB
Format
3.5-inch, SATA
Cache
256 MB
Camera support
Up to 64 streams, stated by Seagate
Workload
3× desktop drive rate, stated by Seagate
Firmware
ImagePerfect, for continuous recording
Amazon reference
B0B1JPYH2Z
EAN
0763649175903
  • Workload rate stated at three times that of a desktop drive
  • ImagePerfect firmware, tuned for continuous write rather than random access
  • 4 TB at 4K continuous is weeks rather than months

Best for: A four to eight camera recorder that runs continuously.

≈ $160
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Capacity
4 TB
Format
3.5-inch, SATA
Cache
256 MB
Camera support
Up to 64 streams, stated by Seagate
Workload
3× desktop drive rate, stated by Seagate
Firmware
ImagePerfect, for continuous recording
Amazon reference
B0B1JPYH2Z
EAN
0763649175903

A recorder writes to its drive every second of every day, for years. That is the workload desktop drives are least suited to, and it is the whole reason surveillance drives exist.

What the rating means

Seagate states three times the workload rate of a desktop drive, plus ImagePerfect firmware tuned for sustained sequential writing rather than the random access a computer does.

The consequence is not speed. It is that the drive lasts. A desktop drive in a recorder fails early, and it fails by losing the footage that was on it.

Sizing it honestly

There is no honest single figure for how many days 4 TB holds. It depends on how many cameras, at what resolution, at what frame rate, with what compression, seeing how much movement. Your recorder will estimate it; that estimate is worth more than any rule of thumb.

The useful shape: four 4K cameras recording continuously measure retention in weeks. The same cameras on event recording measure it in months.

One drive is one point of failure

A surveillance drive is rated for this work and it is still a mechanical disk. If the footage genuinely matters, a second destination — an FTP server, a second drive — is the only thing that survives its failure.

Availability

On sale at $160 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.

Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.

Prices quoted in this text were read on September 2, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

The questions we are asked

Why not use an ordinary desktop drive?

Because the workload is different in kind. A desktop drive is rated for a few hundred terabytes written per year and spends most of its life idle; a recorder writes every second of every day. Seagate states three times the workload rate for this drive, and the difference shows up as a failure two years early rather than as a slow disk.

How many days will 4 TB hold?

That depends on resolution, frame rate, compression and how much movement the cameras see, so no single figure is honest. As a shape: four 4K cameras recording continuously fill it in weeks, and the same cameras on event recording fill it in months. Work it out from your own recorder's estimate rather than from a rule of thumb.

Elsewhere in the spares drawer

  • Amazon Basics 256 GB microSDXC card

    Amazon Basics 256 GB microSDXC

    The same capacity as the SanDisk Extreme at the same price. Choose on availability and on which brand you would rather trust in a camera you will not check for months.

    Capacity
    256 GB
    Read speed
    Up to 200 MB/s, stated by the manufacturer
    Supplied
    SD adapter
    Endurance
    General purpose
    Amazon reference
    B0DB54VLNC
    EAN
    0195515054874
    • 256 GB at a price that tracks the SanDisk closely
    • 200 MB/s read stated
    • General purpose, not endurance rated

    Best for: Anyone comparing the two 256 GB cards on this page and finding the SanDisk out of stock.

    ≈ $72
    Check price on Amazon
  • Lexar Blue 512 GB microSDXC memory card for security cameras

    Lexar Blue microSDXC 512 GB

    The only 512 GB card on this shelf, for the cameras that state 512 GB as their limit. Lexar lists up to 160 MB/s read, A2 and IPX7; it had no US seller when we checked.

    Capacity
    512 GB
    Read speed
    Up to 160 MB/s, stated by Lexar
    Write speed
    Not stated on the listing
    Bus
    UHS-I
    Class
    A2
    Durability
    IPX7 waterproof, temperature-, X-ray- and shock-resistant (1.5 m drop), stated by Lexar
    Endurance rating
    None stated, general purpose
    Amazon reference
    B0DSVTSTY4
    EAN
    4895217918493
    • 512 GB, the highest limit cameras in this catalog publish
    • The longest recording window you can fit in one of those cameras
    • No US seller on Amazon.com when we last checked

    Best for: A camera whose maker states 512 GB support, recording continuously, where a long recording window is the point.

    Check price on Amazon
  • SanDisk Extreme 128 GB microSDXC card with adapter

    SanDisk Extreme microSDXC 128 GB

    A fast, widely available 128 GB card that most cameras accept. It is sold for action cameras rather than for continuous surveillance, and the distinction matters more than the speed figure does.

    Capacity
    128 GB
    Read speed
    Up to 190 MB/s, stated by SanDisk
    Write speed
    Up to 90 MB/s, rated V30, stated by SanDisk
    Class
    A2 application performance
    Supplied
    SD adapter
    Endurance
    Standard — not a high-endurance card
    Amazon reference
    B09X7BK27V
    EAN
    0619659188450
    • 190 MB/s read stated by SanDisk: footage copies to a computer quickly
    • 128 GB is accepted by almost every camera, including older ones
    • Not a high-endurance card — it is built for bursts, not for being overwritten daily

    Best for: A camera recording on events rather than continuously, where the card is written to a few times a day.

    ≈ $41
    Check price on Amazon

All surveillance hard drives