Lacie introduces 5big Thunderbolt Raid Storage System

The range of high speed storage Thunderbolt storage options has gained another member.

Lacie today introduced the 5big Thunderbolt Raid storage system. The external enclosure houses 5 SATA disks that support hot swap and can build a storage system of up to 25 TeraBytes. The disk supports RAID 0, 1, and JBOD support and can reach speeds of up to 785 MB/s. On the back the 5big disk sports a power connection and 2 Thunderbolt ports that can be used to connect it to your Mac and daisy-chain other devices.

In smaller project studio environments without a machine room, it is very important to have a low noise drive system. The LaCie 5big’s dual cooling system ensures just that plus a long-term reliability by preventing overheating. The system consists of three key components: a heat-dissipating aluminum casing, a large Noctua® cooling fan, and a jumbo heat exhausts. The solid-aluminum heat sink diverts and dissipates heat efficiently. The ultra-quiet Noctua fan pulls heat away from the internal components while producing exceptionally little noise. The speed of the fan is controlled according to the enclosure’s internal temperature. Oversized air holes facilitate airflow from the fan and reduce noise.

The Lacie 5big comes in three sizes 10, 20 and 25 TeraBytes. As far as I can see the enclosure can’t be bought without disks. Hopefully Lacie will offer it without drives in the future. If like me you switch from an old Mac Pro filled with drives, to the new Mac Pro, you need an empty enclosure for all those disks. The 10 TB drive starts at $999 US with the 20 and 25 TB drives costing $ 1.999 and 2,499 respectively.

More information on the 5big Raid disk can be found on Lacie’s website.

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