Price : Too low to display
The LaCie 4big Quadra is the most complete 4-bay RAID solution for small servers, creative pro workstations, or offices that need large storage/backup capacity, superior speed, and advanced security. Offering capacities up to 8TB (8000GB!), the 4big features seven RAID modes, including RAID 0 and RAID 5which is highlighted by a versatile hot-swappable featureto customize its performance and data protection level. With burst transfer rates reaching up to 200-230MB/s* through eSATA 3Gbits, the 4big fits perfectly with most applications that demand high speed, such as photo, pre-press, AV projects, and even HD post-production. Compatible with Time Machine, it also comes with Genie Backup Manager Pro and Intego Backup Manager Pro, for customizable backup and computer recovery. The 4big Quadra not only sets a new standard in RAID technology and performance, but also was designed with the modern professional office in mind. Its stackable and chainable design helps to save space, while it¿s expandable and scalable up to four units (providing up to an amazing 32TB capacity and 700 MB/s transfer rates). The 4big Quadra¿s universal connectivity (with eSATA, Firewire 400/800, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interfaces) helps to ensure maximum compatibility with any Mac or PC. Compared to traditional RAID towers, it saves up to 30-80% more energy, and its revolutionary ultra-reliable cooling system is almost 50% more quiet, making it the perfect choice for creative professionals. The technology, performance, and the design of the 4big Quadra make it an ideal addition to any workspace.
This review is from : LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive 301435U
Amazing Independent RAID . I purchased the LaCie 4big 6TB about a week ago. I am running on OS X 10.5.6. This unit is compact, quiet, and really good looking. Most importantly though, this drive can function in RAID 5 mode completely independent of a computer. No software RAID or RAID card required! Amazing. And did I mention it is about the size of a small sub woofer?
I purchased this drive to have a safe home storage solution. I needed something that was RAID 5, and didn't require a computer to function. I wanted something that I could hook up to my Airport Extreme Base Station, and use as a wireless network Time Machine backup drive for OS X. In addition, I wanted something that could perform really fast over a hard wire connection, if I needed it to. This drive does all that perfectly.
Out of the box the unit is formatted for RAID 0. If you would like to use it as a RAID 5 device, you will need to reset the drive to the new setting. Make sure to read the manual for this process. It requires holding the front button a certain way to make your new settings stick. Keep in mind that you will lose all data on the drive when you do this, including the partition itself.
Once I had the unit formatted for RAID 5, I partitioned it as a single GUID OS X Extended (journaled) disk. This gave me 4.1 usable TB of storage. I chose this format specifically so that I could hook it up to Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS), and use it as a Time Machine backup drive for OS X. This is the only format that works properly with the AEBS, the 4big, and Time Machine. (That said, if you wanted to use this drive for other functions, it is quite versatile, offering a ton of RAID modes, and full PC support.)
After I formatted the drive, I expected there to be a wait time while the RAID 5 built itself. That said, there didn't appear to be any at all! The drive just seemed to be RAID 5, with no build time or degraded read/write speed at all. I could be wrong, but it appears that fresh formats are ready to go instantly. Pretty amazing really.
After that, I tested the drive on all the different connections. I was getting real world speeds that maxed out the throughput of FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and USB 2.0 respectively. Even eSata performed remarkably well, coming in around 125MB a second. No slow Drobo garbage here. This unit is BLAZING FAST.
Since then, I've copied about 1TB of data to the unit. I've also set it up as a Time Machine backup over my AEBS. It seems to function perfectly. I've had no issues at all (knock on wood). It mounts quickly, and runs fast and quiet.
I do have a couple gripes about the drive, but they're really minimal. Honestly, these have more to do with the way RAID functions than with the 4big. That said, I will point them out:
One thing that bugs me is that the unit has a really slow low power sleep mode. The power switch has 3 modes: ON, AUTO, and OFF. When set to AUTO, I was hoping for a fast low power mode, that would allow the unit to rest while not being used, and also allow the drive to awaken quickly from sleep.
When set to AUTO on the power switch: If the Mac get's shut down, or goes to sleep, the drive DOES GO INTO A LOW POWER MODE. BUT, at this point the unit is basically OFF. The problem is that the entire unit has to restart once your Mac turns back on. 4 drives have to spin up, one after the other. So you're looking at 30-45 seconds of down time before the drive comes back online if you use the AUTO mode.
Also, if the drive is connected to your machine in this AUTO mode, the unit will power down if not in use after aprox 3 mins. Again, you will need to wait for it to turn back on when you go to access the drive. This can be annoying, so you will need to weigh the tradoff of how fast you need to access your media vs the low power mode.
This isn't really a big deal though, since this is a 6TB RAID, and it already is whisper quiet. It's just something to keep in mind if you're using this as a home server.
I leave my unit on all the time, so none of this is an issue for me.
All that said, I give this unit 5/5 stars. There really is nothing like it out there on the market right now.
If you need a fast, reliable, computer independent RAID solution, this is the drive for you!
02-09-09 Update:
I love this unit. In fact, I talked the company I work for into buying two of these drives for backup. As of now, I've setup and tested 3 of these devices, and they have all performed flawlessly. I've already filled both of the work drives (8TB @ raid 5), and can report that there is no loss in performance, even when the raids are almost totally full! Really great work LaCie!
Amazing Independent RAID . I purchased the LaCie 4big 6TB about a week ago. I am running on OS X 10.5.6. This unit is compact, quiet, and really good looking. Most importantly though, this drive can function in RAID 5 mode completely independent of a computer. No software RAID or RAID card required! Amazing. And did I mention it is about the size of a small sub woofer?
I purchased this drive to have a safe home storage solution. I needed something that was RAID 5, and didn't require a computer to function. I wanted something that I could hook up to my Airport Extreme Base Station, and use as a wireless network Time Machine backup drive for OS X. In addition, I wanted something that could perform really fast over a hard wire connection, if I needed it to. This drive does all that perfectly.
Out of the box the unit is formatted for RAID 0. If you would like to use it as a RAID 5 device, you will need to reset the drive to the new setting. Make sure to read the manual for this process. It requires holding the front button a certain way to make your new settings stick. Keep in mind that you will lose all data on the drive when you do this, including the partition itself.
Once I had the unit formatted for RAID 5, I partitioned it as a single GUID OS X Extended (journaled) disk. This gave me 4.1 usable TB of storage. I chose this format specifically so that I could hook it up to Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS), and use it as a Time Machine backup drive for OS X. This is the only format that works properly with the AEBS, the 4big, and Time Machine. (That said, if you wanted to use this drive for other functions, it is quite versatile, offering a ton of RAID modes, and full PC support.)
After I formatted the drive, I expected there to be a wait time while the RAID 5 built itself. That said, there didn't appear to be any at all! The drive just seemed to be RAID 5, with no build time or degraded read/write speed at all. I could be wrong, but it appears that fresh formats are ready to go instantly. Pretty amazing really.
After that, I tested the drive on all the different connections. I was getting real world speeds that maxed out the throughput of FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and USB 2.0 respectively. Even eSata performed remarkably well, coming in around 125MB a second. No slow Drobo garbage here. This unit is BLAZING FAST.
Since then, I've copied about 1TB of data to the unit. I've also set it up as a Time Machine backup over my AEBS. It seems to function perfectly. I've had no issues at all (knock on wood). It mounts quickly, and runs fast and quiet.
I do have a couple gripes about the drive, but they're really minimal. Honestly, these have more to do with the way RAID functions than with the 4big. That said, I will point them out:
One thing that bugs me is that the unit has a really slow low power sleep mode. The power switch has 3 modes: ON, AUTO, and OFF. When set to AUTO, I was hoping for a fast low power mode, that would allow the unit to rest while not being used, and also allow the drive to awaken quickly from sleep.
When set to AUTO on the power switch: If the Mac get's shut down, or goes to sleep, the drive DOES GO INTO A LOW POWER MODE. BUT, at this point the unit is basically OFF. The problem is that the entire unit has to restart once your Mac turns back on. 4 drives have to spin up, one after the other. So you're looking at 30-45 seconds of down time before the drive comes back online if you use the AUTO mode.
Also, if the drive is connected to your machine in this AUTO mode, the unit will power down if not in use after aprox 3 mins. Again, you will need to wait for it to turn back on when you go to access the drive. This can be annoying, so you will need to weigh the tradoff of how fast you need to access your media vs the low power mode.
This isn't really a big deal though, since this is a 6TB RAID, and it already is whisper quiet. It's just something to keep in mind if you're using this as a home server.
I leave my unit on all the time, so none of this is an issue for me.
All that said, I give this unit 5/5 stars. There really is nothing like it out there on the market right now.
If you need a fast, reliable, computer independent RAID solution, this is the drive for you!
02-09-09 Update:
I love this unit. In fact, I talked the company I work for into buying two of these drives for backup. As of now, I've setup and tested 3 of these devices, and they have all performed flawlessly. I've already filled both of the work drives (8TB @ raid 5), and can report that there is no loss in performance, even when the raids are almost totally full! Really great work LaCie!
LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive 301435U Reviews
Large Capacity Fast Transfer Simple Design . If you're looking for an external storage solution with eSata, this is a great solution for home offices and SMB. As a photographer and graphic designer, I've found myself going through hard drive space like cookie monster through chocolate chips (sorry, I have kids). This is also perfect for HD video editing and other video production purposes. If I had to knock the device at all it would be only for the fact that it does not offer RAID 6 (two-drive failure integrity) and there's no management console or anything of the sort. The only control over the device is what hard drives you stick in and what RAID option you choose with the dip switches. Other wise, I've found the array to be quite quiet, speedy, and seamless in operation when going in and out of sleep mode. You may notice a longer delay starting your computer while the device spools up the drives on power-up. The best external storage solution I've had.
Large Capacity Fast Transfer Simple Design . If you're looking for an external storage solution with eSata, this is a great solution for home offices and SMB. As a photographer and graphic designer, I've found myself going through hard drive space like cookie monster through chocolate chips (sorry, I have kids). This is also perfect for HD video editing and other video production purposes. If I had to knock the device at all it would be only for the fact that it does not offer RAID 6 (two-drive failure integrity) and there's no management console or anything of the sort. The only control over the device is what hard drives you stick in and what RAID option you choose with the dip switches. Other wise, I've found the array to be quite quiet, speedy, and seamless in operation when going in and out of sleep mode. You may notice a longer delay starting your computer while the device spools up the drives on power-up. The best external storage solution I've had.
LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive 301435U Opinions
Good report on the Lacie 6TB external RAID enabled drive . I have two of the LaCie 6TB external drives and they appear to be working fine. I am impressed with the fact that they run so cool. I also like the ease of creating various RAID formats for the drives.
My testing has indicated 1442 MB/min for simple file transfer using the USB2 interface and 4903 MB/min using the Lacie eSata adapter. For comparison, the SATA to SATA transfer rate in the same 2 x quad core computer was 4834 MB/min.
Good report on the Lacie 6TB external RAID enabled drive . I have two of the LaCie 6TB external drives and they appear to be working fine. I am impressed with the fact that they run so cool. I also like the ease of creating various RAID formats for the drives.
My testing has indicated 1442 MB/min for simple file transfer using the USB2 interface and 4903 MB/min using the Lacie eSata adapter. For comparison, the SATA to SATA transfer rate in the same 2 x quad core computer was 4834 MB/min.
Great Storage Device . This is a high quality storage device. Comes with all cables and is very easy to install. I read the other reviews about the unit being too loud..... When turned on this unit is very quiet..... Maybe the sound issue depends on which hard drive you end up with. Customer support was excellent..... I have my unit configured for RAID 5 and set up was a breeze. On the downside I had a drive go on me after six months. The issue took 3 weeks to resolve. I have to say Lacie was slow getting back to me with a replacement drive. Also, they sent a refurbished drive and not a new replacement. I suggest anyone purchasing this unit keep a spare drive laying around. If a drive goes on you don't hold your breath getting Lacie to replace. Thats why the rating of 4 rather than 5. Otherwise I love this device....excellent unit.....
RAID made easy . This drive was a breeze to set up. No software to install and the drive has worked flawlessly. Now I have a fault tolerant backup of all my data. The unit is a bit pricey but worth it.
Excellent RAID system . Very easy to configure, very fast, at least over eSATA interface.
Maybe a bit louder than I expected based on the description, but bearable.
Maybe a bit louder than I expected based on the description, but bearable.
Not as quiet as they claim . I bought this array primarily based on it's design and claims of super quiet operation. Performance was good and easy to set up (though figuring out how to switch the raid levels took me a bit - I kept pushing the "button" on the back instead of using the tiny little Lacie key provided).
However I'm mainly posting this to reflect my disappointment in the sound levels. I have a mac pro with a 4870 video card and 4 hard drives inside. From my desk I can BARELY hear a slight whir from it. This unit is noticeably louder than the mac pro and even more annoyingly the fan seemed to vary in speed frequently so the pitch of noise was constantly changing.
In the end I returned mine as it was too loud for my needs. Given the premium price and design specifications, I think they need to work more on sound isolation. A pity because otherwise it was a nice unit.
However I'm mainly posting this to reflect my disappointment in the sound levels. I have a mac pro with a 4870 video card and 4 hard drives inside. From my desk I can BARELY hear a slight whir from it. This unit is noticeably louder than the mac pro and even more annoyingly the fan seemed to vary in speed frequently so the pitch of noise was constantly changing.
In the end I returned mine as it was too loud for my needs. Given the premium price and design specifications, I think they need to work more on sound isolation. A pity because otherwise it was a nice unit.
No problems with 4 units for over 1 year . So far so good. After more than a year, I find myself wishing I had more of these drives to serve scientific data and results in a small university research group. Currently we operate three 8-TB and one 4-TB 4big Quadras. One is used to serve results via a public webpage (not a high demand site by any measure!) and rarely do we ever have more than one or two data processing jobs beating on a drive at one time. So, it is fair to say that we are not using them very intensively. However, they are critical to the mission of our group. Three are used with Windows 7 PCs and one with a Mac XServe---all via eSATA. (Note, I recommend using a Lacie eSATA controller card on an Xserve as we were not able to get a High Point eSATA controller card to talk to the Quadra.) In summary, the 4big Quadras have been a very cost effective solution for multi-terabyte disk space with the benefits of RAID in essentially a plug-and-play device. My only criticisms are: (1) The power supply is external and plugs into the unit with a simple barrel type connector. It is a very loose connection and can easily be accidentally pulled out if someone is moving items (like the cables) near the drive. Similarly, the power switch is a rocker type switch that can accidentally be turned off if someone bumps it. I recommend that Lacie improve these by adding a safety clip or a protective cover to prevent power disruption during operation. (2) The whole "designed by Neil Poulton" and the big blue eye-ball is really silly. Ditch the designer and the eye-ball (which is inconveniently located on the side opposite where all the important items are) and add a clearer diagnostic display on the side that really needs accessibility and visibility. I'm looking forward to seeing these improvements in a 5big Quadra configuration and 6 GB/s eSATA or USB 3.0 connectivity someday.
Cons Review
RAID HW failed and LaCie support was terrible . I bought a 6GB LaCie 1 year ago. Recently it stopped functioning. From what I can tell the RAID HW failed as the big light in the front is RED and non of the drive lights in the back come on at all.
LaCie support is very poor. I'm pretty much out in the cold with no drive and no data.
I made it clear that the drives appear to be fine and their solution was to send me to a data recovery house that pulls data off of bad drives for $1,000s. A fools errand if your drives are fine and you just have bad LaCie RAID HW.
All I need is a new enclosure (RAID HW), but they dont consider that to be an option. Considering the enclosure (RAID HW) is the only value LaCie provides to the product and it is what failed I'm obviously not a very happy customer.
Hey, they did send me a new power brick! Unfortunatley, that wasn't the problem...
I will say the drive worked fine for 12 months. So, if you only need your data safe for 12 months I highly recomend this product.
LaCie support is very poor. I'm pretty much out in the cold with no drive and no data.
I made it clear that the drives appear to be fine and their solution was to send me to a data recovery house that pulls data off of bad drives for $1,000s. A fools errand if your drives are fine and you just have bad LaCie RAID HW.
All I need is a new enclosure (RAID HW), but they dont consider that to be an option. Considering the enclosure (RAID HW) is the only value LaCie provides to the product and it is what failed I'm obviously not a very happy customer.
Hey, they did send me a new power brick! Unfortunatley, that wasn't the problem...
I will say the drive worked fine for 12 months. So, if you only need your data safe for 12 months I highly recomend this product.
Bummer product . I'm on my third FAILED Lacie 4tb. Support has sent two units after red lights on drives and now the third unit keeps disconnecting from my Apple desktop. Running OS 10.6.8 and it's so frustrating to have NO back up with all my video files. When I recently received the third unit, I pulled all the drives to re seat after shipping to discover ALL 4 drives are Hitachi dated from July 2008. This is after, I specifically asked them not to send another Refurbished unit. Shady! Stay away from LACIE till they get their act together.
Product Image
Feature LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive 301435U
- RAID disk array provides 8 TB of disk space
- Supports seven RAID modes to match your needs and preferences
- Four connection interfaces include USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and eSATA
- Compatible with both Mac and PC; designed by Neil Poulton
- Measures 8.66 x 7.67 x 6.88 inches (WxHxD); 3-year limited warranty
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Enclosure (NST-200S3-BK)
Product Details
EAN : 0102646103586UPC : 093053761332
MPN : 301435U
Brand : LaCie
Weight : 22 pounds
Height : 11 inches
Length : 14 inches
Width : 13 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Format : CD
Hardware Platform : Pc
Manufacturer : Lacie
Model : 301435U
Operating System : Windows
Platform : Windows
Publisher : Lacie
Size : 8 TB
SKU : SYN-4449544
Studio : Lacie
Where To Buy
You can buy LaCie 4big Quadra 8 TB eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive 301435U on Amazon . Click here to Read More
