Lacie Big Disk Extreme 500GB

[scottbergerphoto]

I started running out of room on my Dell hard drive (almost all program files!) and decided to go with the Lacie 500GB Big Disk Extreme for storage. I already have a Maxtor One Touch 160 GB, soley for backing up my system. I installed the Lacie disk last night. I just had to connect the cables and format it to NTFS. I'm no expert and I didn't use a stopwatch, but I didn't notice any difference between accessing files on it and my Dell internal HDD. It has Firewire 800 and 400 ports. I'm using the 400. It actually has two drives inside connected as a RAID Level 0. I'm sure someone reading this will know what that means. I do kind of. :D
I bought it at Newegg.com.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-154-030&depa=0

[tim]

What are you going to back it up onto?

[scottbergerphoto]

I hope you're kidding. :(
I only plan to use that drive for data, mp3 files, image files, etc. Those files are all copied incrementally to DVD's.
I am using my Dell HDD for all my apps. That is backed up to the Maxtor 160GB.

[tim]

You're only using it for data? No point backing it up then! :rolleyes:

I'm dead serious about backups. I keep my images and important on at least two hard drives at all times, each in a different building. As it happens I have 2 drives in my PC, program and data, and I keep a backup copy of the data on the program drive too. The data also happens to be on a portable hard drive, which I use for carrying the backups to my work machine.

Am I paranoid? Maybe. Am I going to lose any data? Very unlikely ;) My current backup solution is a bit of an overkill, i'd be happy with 2 hard drives in different buildings, and a copy on DVD.

I don't trust optical media for important data.

[CyberDyneSystems]

RAID 0 = two or more Hard drives with the same data being split between them at the binary level. Half the data on one,. half on the other.. this means that you combine the capacity of th two drives in this case,. so you have a pair of 250GB drives to get you that 500. It also means that you can in most cases effectively combine the throuput speeds of the two drives,.. essentially doubling your speed. In this case I would guess the Firewire would be the limitation?

The drawback is that with half the binary info on each drive,. if one fails all data is lossed. Period.

LaCie makes good stuff :)

[tim]

Don't forget to include theft or complete destruction by fire in your backup plans.

[Redbird_xo]

Dual-Layer DVD +R is another option and it's already here.

Blu Ray will hit the market not too long from now as it has already been launched in Japan. Interesting development in how much a disc can store.

[scottbergerphoto]

You're only using it for data? No point backing it up then! :rolleyes:


"Those files are all copied incrementally to DVD's."
Personally, I didn't think the sarcasm was necessary, but then again I'm not a personality coach.

[boomerang]

Sorry but any form of optical disc as the only back up is a huge mistake. One single scratch can make a cd/dvd disc unusable. Have a HD back up and disc if you are in anyway concerned about your work and protecting it.

[tim]

I was pointing out that not backing it up because it was "only data" was a bad idea. Sarcasm is a form of humour, perhaps it doesn't travel well across international boundries.

If you back up to CD/DVD, i'd suggest copying them all to hard drive every 5 years and writing them again. Keep both copies.

[Mills]

Back to the Lacie. I have had a Big Disk Extreme 200 G for nearly a year and it has been great. They make a nice product.

[chris.bailey]

The LaCie drives are very good. I have a synced pair of the 500's for all my pictures running Firewire 800 and they are very very fast. I would seriously think about using pairs so you have a backup (no sarcasm here :-) ). Karens Replicator as Freeware makes a very cheap and easy solution to keep the two in sync.

[tim]

I'm going to repeat myself a little : two hard drive arrays will burn as easily as one if your house captures fire. I've lost data in the past, and if me being a pain in the arse here can prevent others losing data it's worth the bother.