LaCie adds USB 3.0 to 2big, 4big desktop storage lines
updated 07:12 pm EDT, Fri September 7, 2012
Reworked storage gives alternative to Thunderbolt-only versions
LaCie has revealed two reworked additions to its desktop storage line. The 2big Quadra and 4big Quadra use a combination of high capacity RAID arrays and USB 3.0 ports, which LaCie has re-engineered to be optimized for computers that support the faster connection, and is a high-speed alternative to the company's Thunderbolt-only equivalents.
Using a combination of the USB-Attached SCSI Protocol (UAS) and 7200rpm hard drives, the 2big with two drives can reach a transfer speed of 210MB/s, while the quad-drive 4big can push 245MB/s, and could theoretically transfer 10GB of data in less than a minute. Two Firewire 800 connections are also included for legacy users and can be daisychained, while USB 2.0 connections are also possible. As well as hot swappable drives, the 2big can also run in both RAID 0 and RAID 1, while the 4big uses RAID 0 and RAID 5.
Both the 2big and 4big Quadra come in two versions with differing capacities. The 2big starts from $500 with 4TB and 6TB capacities, while the 4big will start from $1,100 with both 8TB and 12TB varieties. LaCie expects to start shipping the storage systems in October.
