LaCie breaks off quad-interface 2big Quadra RAID drive

LaCie already delivered two new pieces in its collection yesterday, but apparently the 2big Quadra simply demanded its very own day of promotion. The classically styled (thanks, Neil Poulton) drive arrives with twin bays for up to 3TB of storage and support for four RAID modes including the traditional RAID 0 / 1. Transfer speeds can hit up to 165MB/sec through eSATA (3Gbits/sec in RAID 0), and the quadruple interface -- USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 -- means that whatever machine you happen upon will likely be equipped to handle it. Moreover, it's fully compatible with Apple's Time Machine software and comes bundled with Genie Backup Manager Pro / Intego Backup Manager Pro for those in need. It'll be yours for the taking later this month (in 1TB, 2TB and 3TB sizes) starting at $299.99.

[go seki @ Jan 6th 2009 8:56PM]

Uh .. Gigabit Ethernet and or Wireless N? Did they or the review overlook this? Until then I'll keep my Timecapsule ..

[mike @ Mar 5th 2009 3:34PM]

You're in the wrong isle. It's not a NAS, it's an external HD.

[Knee to the Groin @ Jan 6th 2009 10:50PM]

Quadra huh? For some reason I was hoping for 4 drives...

[MickeyMoo @ Jan 6th 2009 8:58PM]

WTF does LaCie have against proper ventilation with their hard drives? "Let's stick two HUGE honking 7200rpm drives in it and a 20cm fan - should die just after the warranty expires" is NOT a design philosophy.

[Bloo @ Jan 6th 2009 9:05PM]

But, but, just look at all the cooling fins!

[FILA @ Jan 6th 2009 9:15PM]

So I read up a little on RAID since my other post earlier tonite, and it does look like its a bad choice then and reading up on MS Home Server looks pretty sweet. So my best bet would be going with a software backup of a harddrive right? I was looking at HP's media server but i have one question for that, can i save my files to that directly or is it only for backing up other drives already on your network? I want something i can put my files on permanently, a complete backup of all movies on my drive and the ability for my family to watch the movies over internet to a tv. I'm making my own OnDemand, but my biggest thing i must have a backup copy.

Any Advice? Build my own and install MS Home Server on it, or buy one already made and just upgrade the hard drives in them, like the HP

[go seki @ Jan 6th 2009 9:24PM]

seriously man .. a Time Capsule is a great little bit of kit .. gigabit router / wireless N .. it'll do all your backup seamlessly.. there are other solutions but using a complete box with all the licensing/ virus vulnerabilities .. This is one piece of Apple kit I can endorse.

[steph @ Jan 6th 2009 10:41PM]

yeah TimeCapsule is great, but besides being hugely overpriced, keep in mind that it has only one disk. Disk failure = your data gone bye bye.

I have a 2big Triple from LaCie (previous gen), hooked to my AirPort Extreme base station and it's a great (and *safe*) TimeMachine storage for the computers in the house. And whenever I need to use the disk for bigger files I hook it directly to my MacBook Pro through FW800, works like a charm.

I suppose eSata in this versio nwill just make it faster for those who have eSata.

[slw42 @ Mar 9th 2009 1:45PM]

We have a Lacie 2 big Triple attached to our Airport Extreme but Time Machine can't see it as an optional disk for backing up....how did you do it?

[The_Steven @ Jan 6th 2009 11:37PM]

My LaCie 500Gb NAS just packed it in after a year and a half.

Lost data includes years worth of family photos and all of my legally obtained music files....

With data recovery quotes between $900.00 and $3000.00 I don't think I'll be purchasing another product from LaCie.

Yes, I know I should have had a better backup strategy.

[Brian! @ Jan 7th 2009 12:26AM]

Sorry, after 4 LaCie drive failures over the last few years I won't touch them. Every time it has been the LaCie RAID controllers, never the drive itself. I suppose a single LaCie drive would be ok if it was just an enclosure (although you can get better for cheaper) but I would avoid any of their raid stuff unless you want serious pain.

[Richard @ Jan 7th 2009 1:19AM]

A few years ago at our work we lost our LaCie drive (refused to boot) and then within a week unrelated friends with another LaCie had physical smoke come out the back of it. Understand that they did replace both units but that was enough for me to never touch that company.

[Gavin @ Jan 7th 2009 4:29AM]

I've got one (2TB). It actually works very well - we're running it as a data store attached to a Mac Mini using a FW400 connection, with the two drives mirrored (Raid 1?). A classic 'It just works' thing.

Only real issue is the noise of the cooling fan. Runs all the time, and quite audible. Not obtrusive (and quiet compared to fan noise on a standard Windows PC at least) but loud enough to be distracting in the context of users used to near-silent Mac machines. So we've moved mini + disk off into a far away corner...

[zarehgorjian @ Mar 8th 2009 3:49AM]

I have the 3TB version of this drive and couldn't get it to work in Windows XP. If you have Windows XP don't order this drive, I went back and forth with their support and could never format this drove for XP.

[zarehgorjian @ Mar 8th 2009 3:52AM]

I have the 3TB version of this drive and couldn't get it to work in
Windows XP. If you have Windows XP don't order this drive, I went
back and forth with their support and could never format this drove
for XP.