SSDs are known to significantly outclass HDDs in terms of performance, but Seagate has been developing a new technology that should reduce the difference. Named Mach.2, this new technology features a dual-actuator and two HDDs working simultaneously to deliver a level of performance similar to a SATA SSD, making it the fastest HDD in the world.
The first HDD to feature this technology is the 14TB Seagate Mach.2 Exos 2X14, which features 2x 7TB HDDs in a 3.5-inch casing filled with helium. This 7200RPM HDD features a multi-segmented 256MB cache and uses a single-port SAS 12Gb/s interface to reach a maximum transfer rate of 524MB/s. With an average latency of 4.16 ms, the Mach.2 Exos 2X14 is capable of executing up to 304/384 random read/write IOPS.