TOSHIBA HDD Series and Features: Differences Between MN, MG, and N300

Toshiba is known as a global storage solutions company, offering a wide range of products from consumer to enterprise, and for general use, NAS, and server applications.

There are several representative HDD series, including the P300, X300, S300, N300, MN, and MG series. This article will explain the features, uses, and differences of these series.

By reading this, it is possible to find out which series best suits individual needs, making it a useful reference for those considering installing an HDD.

あわせて読みたい

PC Parts Estimation & Compatibility Check Tool

Automatically checks each component you need when selecting parts for a custom-built PC—perfect for beginners.

What is Toshiba?

Before discussing the HDD series, here is an explanation of what kind of company Toshiba is.

A Global Storage Solutions Company

TOSHIBA is a company that provides storage solutions globally, not only for DIY PC users but also for enterprise data centers and surveillance systems, with a strong presence in the B2B market.

Toshiba mainly offers storage products centered on HDDs, and is especially known for high durability and reliability in enterprise and surveillance camera applications.

In the HDD market, Toshiba has leveraged its solid technological capabilities over many years, continuing to innovate and provide products that meet a wide range of needs.

Diverse Product Lineup (Especially Known for HDDs)

TOSHIBA offers a variety of storage products, and is especially highly regarded in the HDD field.

For HDDs, there are models tailored to different uses, with a wide range of choices in capacity and performance to meet the needs of both personal and business users.

For example, the lineup includes general-purpose HDDs for desktop and notebook PCs, high-durability models for NAS and surveillance cameras, and large-capacity, high-performance HDDs for data centers and enterprise use.

Especially for enterprise and NAS models, products with excellent stability and durability are highly rated, establishing a solid position in the HDD market.

Toshiba continues to maintain a steady share in specific market segments, providing reliable storage solutions.

About HDD Market Share

The main HDD manufacturers are the following three:

• Western Digital (WD)
• Seagate
• Toshiba

Western Digital has an overwhelming share, followed by Seagate and Toshiba, which have similar shares.

≫ Related article: Popular HDD Ranking and Selection Rate by Specification [Statistical Data]

*This data is aggregated based on parts selected by users in the DIY PC Tool, which allows users to estimate, check compatibility, and calculate power consumption by simply selecting parts.

Introduction of Advanced Technologies

TOSHIBA adopts next-generation magnetic recording technologies such as FC-MAMR and MAS-MAMR, 9-platter design, and helium filling technology, achieving higher recording density and improved reliability.

Especially for data center and enterprise HDDs, Toshiba continues to develop technologies that achieve both high reliability and large capacity, maintaining a solid position in the market.

FC-MAMR

FC-MAMR (Flux-Controlled Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording) is Toshiba’s proprietary magnetic recording technology developed in 2021. It improves recording density by adding fine vibrations to the magnetic head.

Compared to conventional technologies (such as CMR), it maintains stable recording performance and increases data capacity per area, leading to larger HDD capacities.

The first adoption was in the MG09 series (18TB), and it is also used in other large-capacity HDDs such as 22TB models.

MAS-MAMR

MAS-MAMR (Microwave Assisted Switching MAMR) is a technology developed in 2023, further evolving FC-MAMR.

It enables more efficient magnetic recording and further increases recording density, supporting the large capacity of next-generation HDDs.

The first adoption was in the MG10 series (20TB), and in the future, HDDs over 30TB are expected.

9-Platter Design

In 2018, Toshiba’s enterprise HDDs (MG series) achieved larger capacities by using nine platters.

This allows more data to be recorded in the same HDD size, making it ideal for large-capacity storage in data centers.

By increasing from the conventional 8-platter design to 9, the MG07 series achieved 12TB/14TB HDDs.

Helium Filling Technology

By filling the inside of the platters with helium, air resistance is reduced and rotational stability is improved.

In addition, energy efficiency is improved by reducing power consumption, and durability is enhanced by reducing heat generation, making this an important technology for reliability.

This technology was first adopted in the MG07 series in 2017.

Dual Actuator Technology (Under Research)

This technology uses two actuators for the magnetic heads, allowing parallel reading and writing of data.

Toshiba is still in the research stage, and the specific market launch timing is undecided.

Seagate and Western Digital are ahead, but Toshiba is also advancing its technology development.

If realized, this will improve data access speeds compared to conventional HDDs and contribute to faster processing in data center applications.

Toshiba HDD Series

TOSHIBA’s HDDs include the P300, XN300, S300, MN, and MG series.

Let’s explain the features, uses, and differences of each series in detail.

First, here is a simple table summarizing each series:

When explaining each series, it is important to note that HDD data transfer speeds are slower compared to NVMe SSDs or SATA SSDs.

Therefore, most current storage configurations use NVMe SSDs as the main storage, and HDDs are often used for storing or backing up data where speed is not as important.

There may be references to speed differences within the series, but this is only within Toshiba’s HDD series. Even the fastest HDD cannot exceed the data transfer speed of SSDs due to their specifications and nature, so please keep this in mind.

P300

The TOSHIBA P300 series is a 3.5-inch HDD for desktop PCs, suitable for general computer use.

It is mainly used for data storage, gaming, and video editing, and is compatible with a wide range of home and business PCs.

This series features both 5400rpm and 7200rpm models, allowing selection according to use.

If quiet operation and low power consumption are important, the 5400rpm model is suitable, while the 7200rpm model is better for faster data access.

It uses CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording), providing stable write performance and reliability.

Maximum capacity is up to 6TB, making it suitable for storing large amounts of data.

Cache size varies by model, with some models equipped with up to 256MB cache to improve read/write speeds.

The P300 series offers excellent cost performance, balancing price and performance, making it a standard model for desktop PC HDDs.

X300

The TOSHIBA X300 series is a high-performance 3.5-inch HDD for desktop PCs, especially designed for gamers and creators.

Compared to the general desktop P300 series, it has higher data processing capabilities, making it suitable for storing large amounts of data and environments requiring fast read/write speeds.

The main features of the X300 series are:

• High-performance design with 7200rpm rotation speed
• Large cache (up to 512MB)

This shortens game load times and provides stable performance for heavy tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering.

It also offers large-capacity models up to 22TB, making it suitable for storing large amounts of game data and high-resolution video/image files.

However, this is only within the context of HDDs, so NVMe SSDs, which have faster data transfer speeds, are more comfortable for gaming and video editing if capacity and budget allow.

S300

The TOSHIBA S300 series is a 3.5-inch HDD designed for surveillance camera systems and security applications.

Unlike general desktop PC HDDs, it features a high-durability design for 24/7 continuous operation, making it suitable for long-term video recording and simultaneous data writing from multiple cameras.

The S300 series is equipped with firmware optimized for streaming recording to process surveillance camera recording data stably.

This prevents frame drops during recording, allowing smooth recording without video interruptions.

It also has vibration sensors, enabling stable operation even in recording systems with multiple HDDs.

It can store large amounts of surveillance camera footage for long periods, making it suitable for large-scale security systems and corporate surveillance systems.

It supports recording data from up to 64 HD cameras, making it widely usable from home security camera systems to commercial facilities and office surveillance.

In addition to the standard model, the S300 series also has a more durable S300 Pro series.

S300 Pro offers even higher enterprise-level durability, designed for long-term continuous operation and large data processing.

The standard S300 is also highly durable, but for more demanding large-scale surveillance systems or professional use, S300 Pro is recommended.

N300

The TOSHIBA N300 series is a 3.5-inch HDD designed for NAS, featuring high durability for RAID environments and 24/7 operation.

Unlike general desktop PC HDDs, it is optimized for continuous operation in NAS, and is used in a wide range of applications, from business file servers to personal home NAS.

The main features of the N300 series are its high durability and stability.

It has enhanced vibration resistance compared to general HDDs, and with vibration sensors, it operates stably even in RAID configurations with multiple HDDs.

The head control technology is optimized to minimize errors even in environments with long-term data access.

It uses CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording), enabling stable writing of large amounts of data.

This ensures fast and stable operation even in NAS environments where large files such as videos and backup data are frequently written.

The rotation speed is 7200rpm, providing excellent performance compared to other NAS HDDs in the same class.

Maximum capacity is up to 22TB, making it suitable for a wide range of uses from home NAS to small and medium business data servers.

Especially when combined with NAS devices such as Plex, Synology, and QNAP, it is ideal for video streaming and backup storage.

The N300 series supports up to 8 bays (N300 Pro up to 24 bays) in NAS environments, making it flexible for small NAS systems to large RAID configurations.

This allows it to be used in various scenarios, from small home NAS to business file servers and cloud storage environments.

MN

The TOSHIBA MN series is a 3.5-inch HDD designed for NAS, similar to the N300 series.

It was widely used as a high-durability NAS HDD, but the N300 series has now taken over its role as the effective successor.

The MN series was available from around 2017 to 2023, but since then, the N300 series has become the main NAS HDD.

MG

The TOSHIBA MG series is a 3.5-inch HDD designed for enterprise use, providing highly reliable storage for data centers, business servers, and large-scale storage systems.

It is intended for environments requiring long-term continuous operation and large data processing, offering high durability, high performance, and large capacity.

The main feature of the MG series is its enterprise-level durability and reliability.

To support 24/7 operation in environments such as data centers and cloud storage, it is equipped with error recovery control technology, vibration compensation, and enterprise firmware.

It also uses CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording), providing stable data writing performance.

There are two interface options: SATA 6Gbps and SAS 12Gbps models, allowing selection according to use.

SATA models are for general storage servers, while SAS models are optimized for enterprise environments requiring faster data processing.

SAS models also support dual ports, improving system reliability through redundancy.

The MG series has a high rotation speed of 7,200rpm, enabling fast processing of large data reads and writes.

Especially from the MG07 series onward, helium filling technology is used, reducing disk friction while achieving larger capacity and lower power consumption.

This has resulted in models up to 22TB, improving storage efficiency in data centers.

The MG series is mainly intended for use in data centers, cloud storage, large RAID systems, and virtualization environments, and is not suitable for general PCs or NAS use.

In particular, it is equipped with enterprise error recovery functions to enhance reliability in RAID environments, making it suitable for business applications where data protection is critical.

On the other hand, for general NAS or personal use, the N300 series (for NAS) offers better cost performance and is a more appropriate choice.

However, when building large-scale data storage or cloud environments, the high reliability and large capacity of the MG series are major advantages.

Frequently Asked Questions about Toshiba HDDs

Here are some frequently asked questions about Toshiba HDDs.

Difference between N300 Series and MN Series

Both the N300 and MN series are designed for NAS, and the N300 series is effectively the successor to the MN series.

The MN series was released around 2017–2023, and from 2024 onward, the N300 series has taken over.

Although not officially called a successor, the timing of releases and the lack of new MN series models suggest that the N300 is the effective successor.

Difference between MN Series and MG Series

The main difference is that the MN series is for NAS, while the MG series is for enterprise use.

The MN series is a 3.5-inch HDD designed for NAS, intended for 24/7 operation.

On the other hand, the MG series is a highly reliable 3.5-inch HDD for enterprise use, such as data centers, business servers, and large storage systems.

Difference between N300 Series and MG Series

The main difference is that the N300 series is for NAS, while the MG series is for enterprise use.

Since the N300 series is the successor to the MN series, the difference is the same as explained above.

Difference between MG08 Series and MG09 Series

The MG series is an enterprise 3.5-inch HDD, and within it are the MG08 and MG09 series.

As the numbering suggests, MG09 is the successor to MG08, with MG08 released around 2019 and MG09 around 2021.

The main difference between MG08 and MG09 is the increased maximum capacity due to improved recording technology.

The recording method is CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording), but MG09 also adopts FC-MAMR (Flux-Controlled Microwave-Assisted Recording), increasing the maximum capacity from 16TB to 18TB.

Summary: Know the Features and Uses to Choose the Right One!

This article explained Toshiba’s features, technologies, the characteristics, uses, and differences of each series.

Here is a summary of the key points:

Currently, the most popular storage configuration is a single NVMe SSD, so opportunities to use HDDs are decreasing.

It is best to use an SSD as the main storage, and then use an HDD when large capacity is needed for data that does not require high transfer speeds.

In terms of market share, Toshiba is third after Western Digital and Seagate, so it is a viable option.

There are various series such as P300, X300, S300, N300, MN, and MG. If simply increasing data capacity, the P300 is sufficient, but Toshiba also offers options for NAS, surveillance cameras, and enterprise use, so choose the one that best fits the application.

あわせて読みたい

PC Parts Estimation & Compatibility Check Tool

Automatically checks each component you need when selecting parts for a custom-built PC—perfect for beginners.