Sunday, June 12, 2011

Cavalry Storage CADA-SA2 Series 1.5 TB USB / eSATA 2-bay RAID Personal Disk Array CADA01ASA2 - Includes eSATA Kit


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The CADA-SA2 Series offers an unbeatable combination of RAID data protection, 3.0Gbit/sec eSATA speed and a vast storage capacity of 1.5 TB (750 GB mirrored). This dual-bay disk array features swappable hard disks and a built-in RAID controller. The unit arrives preconfigured in RAID 1 to protect your important data—if one drive fails, replace it with an identical drive and the data will automatically rebuild. Leave it in RAID 1 mode for automatic background rebuilding and optimum security for your files, or configure to RAID 0 for increased data reading and writing speeds. Factory default is RAID 1 GUI mode, but also supports RAID levels 0, 1 and 0+1(safe 33/safe 50). Its SATA interface provides a faster boot process and quicker loading of programs and data. Ideal for saving hefty files, video, music, protecting databases or working directly on the drive, it delivers high-capacity performance and data security. The unit is factory pre-configured in RAID 1 and ready to use out of the box. Install the easy-to-use RAID configuration software and the included SATA to eSATA bracket kit to take full advantage of the incredible set of features.

This review is from : Cavalry Storage CADA-SA2 Series 1.5 TB USB / eSATA 2-bay RAID Personal Disk Array CADA01ASA2 - Includes eSATA Kit
Great Components . I bought this drive array based on overall reviews for Calvary arrays, and the fact that it was pretty inexpensive. After getting it I was able to determine what chipset and drive manufacturers were used and I'm very happy with the components.

The chipset is Silicon Image Sil5744 and the drives are new Western Digital Caviar Green drives with a 16MB buffer.

I did see a review for the 1 TB model where the reviewer complained about the fact that the drive came configured in a stripe instead of a mirror. Their website and product specs all state that it's configured for RAID 1 (mirror)... but mine was also configured for RAID 0 (stripe) when I got it.

Their manual recommends using GUI mode for RAID configuration and I sent an email to support asking why. The response was that with GUI support you can use the Steelvine software to monitor the drive. However, Silicon Image documentation states that Steelvine will work in a Status-Only mode when RAID is configured using the rotary dial. I definitely wanted RAID 1, configured it using the rotary dial, installed the Steelvine software, and found that I still have the ability to monitor the array and even configure notifications and verification tests.

Other than the fact that the drive came configured for RAID 0 instead of RAID 1 the only other nit-pick I had was that the opening for the rotary dial is small and it's difficult to see the actual numbers. The ones on the case don't match up to the actual numbers on the dial. I found that the only number I could see was the one selected because of the groove in the dial. As a result, I had to try and see what it was on and then count the clicks to set the configuration I wanted. It was set for GUI (7) and they do seem to discourage you from changing that.

Overall I consider these minor issues and decided to give the array 5-stars based on the quality of components used.

Product Image


Feature Cavalry Storage CADA-SA2 Series 1.5 TB USB / eSATA 2-bay RAID Personal Disk Array CADA01ASA2 - Includes eSATA Kit

  • USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 backwards compatible) and eSATA interface
  • Plug and play for Windows 2000 and newer (pre-formatted to NTFS), preconfigured to RAID 1 (mirrored, total usable capacity is halved)
  • Reconfigurable to RAID 0, 0+1 and 1
  • Unit Includes - One (1) year manufacturer's warranty, two (2) 750 GB 3.5-inch hard drives installed in a dual bay enclosure, USB cable, eSATA cable, eSATA bracket, AC adapter, Resources CD and Quick Start Guide
  • System Requirements - Available USB port or eSATA port, Windows 98SE / Me / 2000 / XP / Vista


Product Details

EAN : 0094922820556
UPC : 094922820556
MPN : CADA01ASA2
Brand : Cavalry
Color : Silver
Weight : 7 pounds
Height : 6 inches
Length : 11 inches
Width : 9 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : Bason Computer, Inc.
Model : CADA01ASA2
Publisher : Bason Computer, Inc.
Size : 1.5 TB
SKU : 01APGJ-000
Studio : Bason Computer, Inc.

Where To Buy


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