Test Setup, Access Time, Interface Bandwidth
Test Setup
| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processors | Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (45 nm, 3.16 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache) |
| Platform | Gigabyte P45T-Extreme, Rev 1.0, Intel P45 Express Chipset |
| RAM | 4X 1 GB DDR-1066 Crucial BL12864BA1608, 4X 1024 MB, CL5-5-5-15 Timings |
| System Hard Drive | Samsung HD120IJ, 120 GB, 7,200 RPM, 8 MB Cache, SATA / 300 |
| Mass Storage Controller (s) | 82801JIR IC H10 RAID ( ICH10R) |
| Graphic Card | ATI Radeon HD 3850 512 MB |
| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Performance Measurements | HDTach 3.0.1.0 |
| I/O Performance | IOmeter 2003.05.10, Fileserver-Benchmark, Webserver-Benchmark, Database-Benchmark, Workstation-Benchmark |
| System Software&Drivers | |
|---|---|
| OS | Microsoft Windows Ultimate 64 Bit, Service Pack 1 |
| Platform Driver | Intel Chipset Installation Utility 9.0.0.1008 |
| Graphics Driver | Catalyst 8.11 |
Interface Bandwidth
LaCie says that the 4big Quadra reaches up to 230 MB/s throughput via eSATA. We selected a RAID 0 to check the throughput, but we could not see more than 175 MB/s. Although four 7,200 RPM drives can theoretically reach approximately 400 MB/s in an ideal RAID 0 environment, 175 MB/s is still a good result.
As you can see, the maximum throughput clearly depends on the interface. The 175 MB/s we mentioned can only be reached on eSATA. FireWire 800 reached 80 MB/s, which is one of the best results we’ve seen on this interface. 40 MB/s is typical for FireWire 400, as is 35 MB/s for USB 2.0.
Access Time
Access time depends on the RAID level you select: RAID 0 clearly is the fastest, providing a quick 13.9 ms average access across all four drives. RAID 5 takes as much as 18 ms for average access time, while a RAID 10 array or degraded RAID 5 array are slightly faster. These numbers, however, are only important if you intend to run applications off the 4big Quadra, which typically won’t be the case—this is a mass storage product.
Latest Storage Solutions News
- 02/02 – Seagate Quietly Intros GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter
- 02/02 – Seagate Believes HDD Supply Disruption to Continue in 2012
- 01/02 – Other World Computing (OWC) Reveals Two New SSDs
- 28/01 – Cleversafe Announces 10 Exabyte Storage System Configuration
- 26/01 – The 15 Winners of the "Explain a Samsung SSD" Contest
Latest Storage Solutions reviews
- 27/01 – What Does One Petabyte Of Storage (And $500K) Look Like?
- 20/10 – Does The USB 3.0 Controller On Your Motherboard Matter?
- 21/10 – Storage Specialist Starline Interviewed on Business HDDs
- 26/08 – Not All USB 3.0 Implementations Are Created Equal
- 23/04 – Memory Cards, Part 2: SDHC Cards From 8GB To 16GB
Beware of this unit... There's a very nice article in German's CT Magazine that describes some 32-bit limitations and its consequences. Because of 2 TB limit it can overwrite the first sectors and corrupt all data on it just by connecting to a Windows PC alone.... Besides that, not all chipsets will work with this unit.
You said "..Here is one that stores up to 4 GB, is extremely stylish,..."
Do you really mean 4gb or was that a typo?
Keep reading. Further down it say 4TB.
Sorry lads, all changed now. Just this second noticed.
this "stylish" LaCie is no match for the Qnap TS 639 Pro. If you care about safe storage why this Quadro does not support Raid 6?? If you want to keep important data safe, in my case it is 30 years of photography,
use server-drives like WD 1002FBYS which are a bit more expensive but also 24/7 drives and not those seagate barracudas. Also the Quadro is pretty slow. At least compared to the Qnaps. And also not more exoensive. Before I switched to Qnap I bought about 8 TB of LaCie drives. They worked but in case you need a good Raid-system think twice!