Seagate Barracuda 4TB (ST4000DM004): Specs, Prices & Review (2026)

The Seagate Barracuda 4TB (ST4000DM004) represents the best value proposition in the Barracuda lineup for users who need substantial storage without breaking the bank. At around $92, you get four terabytes of reliable desktop storage — enough to hold 50+ modern games, thousands of movies, or years of photos and documents.

However, understanding what this drive can and cannot do is essential before buying. The 5400 RPM speed and SMR technology make it perfect for certain workloads while being completely unsuitable for others.

Why the 4TB Capacity Makes Sense

The 4TB Barracuda occupies a strategic position in the market:

• Budget-friendly entry point — Under $100 for meaningful storage
• Enough for most users — 50+ games, hundreds of movies, years of photos
• Better $/TB than 2TB — $23/TB vs $25-38/TB for the 2TB
• Lower commitment than 8TB — Half the price if you’re unsure about needs

For users stepping up from a 1TB or 2TB drive, the 4TB represents a meaningful capacity upgrade without a massive price jump.

Seagate Barracuda 4TB Pricing

Browse current Seagate Barracuda 4TB prices:

Seagate Barracuda 4TB Full Specifications

5400 RPM vs 7200 RPM: Does It Matter?

The Barracuda 4TB runs at 5400 RPM, unlike the 2TB model which runs at 7200 RPM. Here’s what this means in practice:

Bottom line: For storage-focused workloads (games, media, backups), the 5400 RPM speed is perfectly adequate. The lower noise and heat are actually advantages in many setups. You’ll only notice the speed difference during large file transfers or if using the drive for active work.

SMR Technology: What You Need to Know

The Barracuda 4TB uses SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording). This is crucial to understand before buying.

✅ SMR Works Well For:

• Game storage — Installing and loading games (read-heavy)
• Media libraries — Movies, music, photos
• Document archives — Files you write once and read many times
• Backup destination — Periodic large backups
• Secondary PC storage — Paired with an SSD boot drive

❌ SMR Causes Problems For:

• NAS/RAID — Rebuild times can be 10x longer
• Boot drives — OS writes constantly
• Video editing — Sustained write workloads
• Virtual machines — Heavy random writes
• Databases — Constant small writes

Barracuda 4TB vs Alternatives

Barracuda 4TB vs Barracuda 2TB

Verdict: The 4TB offers better value per TB. Choose the 2TB only if you need the faster 7200 RPM speed or don’t need 4TB of space.

Barracuda 4TB vs Barracuda 8TB

Verdict: The 8TB offers slightly better $/TB, but requires nearly double the upfront cost. Choose 4TB if budget is tight or you don’t need 8TB yet.

Barracuda 4TB vs IronWolf 4TB

Verdict: For desktop storage, Barracuda saves money. For NAS/RAID, IronWolf is essential — the $10-40 premium avoids SMR rebuild disasters.

Barracuda 4TB vs WD Blue 4TB

Verdict: Nearly identical specs — buy whichever is cheaper. Currently Barracuda wins on price.

Best Use Cases for Barracuda 4TB

🎮 Gaming Library Storage

The 4TB Barracuda is the perfect gaming storage drive. Modern games are 50-150GB each:

• Call of Duty Modern Warfare: ~150GB
• Baldur’s Gate 3: ~120GB
• Cyberpunk 2077: ~70GB
• Elden Ring: ~50GB

A 4TB drive can hold 30-50+ games depending on sizes. Keep your current 2-3 games on your NVMe SSD for fast loading, and store the rest on the Barracuda.

📺 Media Server Storage

For Plex or media libraries:

• ~400 HD movies (10GB average)
• ~100 4K movies (40GB average)
• ~8,000 FLAC albums (500MB average)
• ~400,000 photos (10MB average)

💾 Backup & Archive

Excellent for Time Machine backups, system images, or cold storage archives. The SMR technology handles large sequential backup writes efficiently.

Installation & Setup Guide

Physical installation:

1. Power off PC and unplug power cable
2. Ground yourself by touching the metal case
3. Mount in 3.5″ drive bay using screws or tool-less brackets
4. Connect SATA data cable to motherboard (use SATA III port)
5. Connect SATA power from PSU
6. Close case and power on

Windows initialization:

1. Right-click Start → Disk Management
2. Initialize as GPT (recommended) or MBR
3. Create New Simple Volume
4. Format as NTFS, default allocation size
5. Assign drive letter

Capacity note: 4TB = 3.63 TiB usable in Windows (manufacturers use decimal, Windows uses binary).

Performance Optimization Tips

• Don’t fill past 80% — SMR performance degrades significantly when nearly full
• Defragment monthly — Helps maintain sequential read performance
• Keep cool — Ensure adequate airflow; ideal operating temp below 45°C
• Use for storage only — Let your SSD handle active work
• Large file transfers — Transfer big batches rather than many small files

Reliability & Longevity

Health monitoring: Use CrystalDiskInfo or Seagate SeaTools to monitor S.M.A.R.T. data. Watch for reallocated sectors, pending sectors, or uncorrectable errors.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Slow Write Speeds

If sustained writes drop to 20-50 MB/s, the SMR cache is full. Solutions:

• Let the drive idle for 15-30 minutes to reorganize data
• Avoid filling past 80% capacity
• Transfer large files in batches rather than continuously

Drive Not Detected

• Check SATA data and power connections
• Try a different SATA port
• Verify drive appears in BIOS/UEFI
• Test with different SATA cable

Clicking Sounds

• Soft periodic clicks: Normal head parking
• Loud repetitive clicking: Potential failure — back up immediately

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Slow Write Speeds

If sustained writes drop to 20-50 MB/s, the SMR cache is full. Solutions:

• Let the drive idle for 15-30 minutes to reorganize data
• Avoid filling past 80% capacity
• Transfer large files in batches rather than continuously

Drive Not Detected

• Check SATA data and power connections
• Try a different SATA port
• Verify drive appears in BIOS/UEFI
• Test with different SATA cable

Clicking Sounds

• Soft periodic clicks: Normal head parking
• Loud repetitive clicking: Potential failure — back up immediately

Model Number Variations

You may encounter different model numbers:

Note: If you specifically need CMR at 4TB, the old ST4000DM000 used CMR but is discontinued. Your best options are IronWolf 4TB or Toshiba X300 4TB.

Barracuda 4TB Price History

The ST4000DM004 has maintained stable pricing:

• 2018: $90-100 (launch)
• 2020: $85-95
• 2022: $80-90
• 2024: $85-95
• 2026: $91.99 (current)

HDD prices have remained relatively flat while SSD prices have dropped dramatically. The value proposition of HDDs is increasingly about capacity-per-dollar rather than performance.

Seagate Barracuda 4TB vs External Drives

Shucking tip: Seagate Expansion 4TB externals often contain Barracuda drives inside. Sometimes the external is cheaper than the bare drive — worth checking prices.

Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Barracuda 4TB?

The Seagate Barracuda 4TB (ST4000DM004) remains an excellent choice for its intended purpose: affordable mass storage for desktop PCs.

Buy it if:

• You need a secondary data drive for games, media, or backups
• Budget is a priority and you want the best $/TB under $100
• You understand SMR limitations and your use case fits

Skip it if:

• You’re building a NAS or RAID array (get IronWolf)
• You need a boot drive (get an SSD)
• You can afford the 20TB HAMR model for better technology

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Guides

Seagate Barracuda by Capacity:

• Seagate Barracuda Overview
• Seagate Barracuda 1TB (CMR)
• Seagate Barracuda 2TB
• Seagate Barracuda 8TB
• Seagate Barracuda 20TB (HAMR)

Compare & Alternatives:

• All 4TB Drives
• Barracuda vs WD Blue
• CMR vs SMR Explained
• Best HDDs for Gaming

For NAS (Don’t Use Barracuda):

• Seagate IronWolf
• WD Red Plus
• Best NAS Drives

Last updated: February 2026. Prices subject to change. Check our Price Per TB calculator for current deals.