The Seagate Barracuda 8TB and the Seagate FireCuda 540 1TB represent a tie in this objective comparison, as each component secures two spec wins with one tie. The Seagate Barracuda 8TB offers a significant advantage in storage capacity, which is 700% greater than its counterpart. Conversely, the Seagate FireCuda 540 1TB provides a massive performance lead in sequential read speeds, which are 5163% faster than the capacity-focused drive.

Choose the Seagate Barracuda 8TB if your primary requirement is maximizing total storage space for large archives or media libraries. Select the Seagate FireCuda 540 1TB if your workflow demands high-speed data access and rapid sequential read performance. These two drives serve fundamentally different purposes, so your decision should rely entirely on whether you prioritize the sheer volume of data you can store or the speed at which you can retrieve it.