- RAID disk array provides 2TB of disk space
- Supports seven RAID modes including RAID 0/1/3/5/10
- Four connection interfaces include USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and eSATA
- Striking design by Neil Poulton
- Measures 8.66 x 7.67 x 6.88 inches (WxHxD)
Product Description
The LaCie 4big Quadra is the most complete 4-bay RAID solution for professionals who demand exceptional performance from a storage device. Offering up to 6TB of capacity and amazing bandwidth speeds through eSATA 3Gbits and FireWire 800, it also features FireWire 400 and Hi-Speed USB2.0 ports for maximum compatibility with any Mac or PC. Featuring seven RAID modes to customize performance and data protection levels, the 4big Quadra fits most speed-demanding applications and backup needs for today¿s workstations and small servers. Pre-configured in RAID 0 for full speed and capacity, it can reach up to 230MB/s through eSATA 3Gbits. Alternative RAID modes¿such as RAID 5¿can be configured in seconds on startup to manage speed, security, and available capacity. Thanks to the secure RAID modes, including RAID 5, RAID 3 and RAID 10, the 4big Quadra enables you to keep data access even if one disk fails. The hot-swappable disk trays even allow maintenance with… More >>
LaCie 301359U 4TB 4big Quadra eSATA/FireWire 800/Firewire 400/USB 2.0 RAID Hard Drive
I’ve had this drive set-up for about 2 months now and it is a great drive for what I wanted. I wanted to use it as a network drive at home for streaming all my music and movies anywhere in my home. I got the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Simultaneous Dual-Band) (MC340LL/A)as my wireless router and it streams all of the information perfectly. I did need to bring in an apple guy (I only use it for my mac’s) to finnish the set-up to make it perfectly what I wanted. Just took him 5 minutes, he made it a “start-up item” for the computers. The changing of the RAID was simple and was no problem. I love that my information is protected in the situation where one of the drives might fail.
The only problem that I have is that the switch position for auto power (to save power when the unit is not in use) has no adjustment on the idle time it takes to go to sleep. I find myself waiting for it to wake-up when I open iTunes then it going to sleep while scrolling through or pausing a movie for a bathroom break. Then it has to wake-up again to continue. Other than that I’m loving it!
This is by far one of the best purchases I have ever made. I previously had two 1TB drives running in a software RAID 1. I then needed more space and the cost of changing the ARRY to a 2TB software Raid 1 was too expensive. Instead I first purchased a Qx2 from OWC which was the WORST device I have ever owned. It constantly went into rebuild mode, was very loud, and the fan alarm went off once a week in the middle of the night waking me up. STAY AWAY FROM the Qx2. I then did some research and found out about the 4big. I couldn’t find too much info on it but decided anything was better then the junk I had. I connected the 4big and was running in a matter of minutes. IT IS AMAZING. It runs super quiet, I MEAN ALMOST SILENT. It is not constantly spinning the hard drives down and then having to spin them up. It also has a an AUTO mode for low power (which is almost no power) when the computer is off or sleeping. It is more compact and much better looking. I now am running four 1TB drives inside of it with a RAID 5 giving me 3TB of space. It is lightning fast too on reads and writes. Think about this RAID array before a 2TB drive. A drive can fail and you wont be left in the cold. It is also upgradeable to 8TB.
Everything worked great on the 6TB except the eSATA hook up. I bought LaCie eSATA PCI card and installed it on my Mac Pro and coupled it up and have had issues. I believe it is the power level to the eSATA port being low? But most of the time the drive will not show up on the desktop. I ended up not using it which is a pain and waste and switched to Firewire 800 which has been flawless. I don’t know if its the Lacie PCI card’s fault or the 6TB fault? But one of the two is not doing its job and for the price, thats not good enough. Tech support was not able to help other than say send it back which would be more trouble than its worth. Sad overall as the RAID set is good and useful. Makes one wonder about cost effectiveness though. Pretty darn expensive at the end of the day!
So far so good, im using it as a backup unit for an SQL Retrospect MSSQL backup machine, the drive is heavily used, i bought a spare drive just in case.
Pretty happy with the speed, its a nice looking device and mostly, so far its very reliable.
Using it on Raid 5
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…..