Seagate-owned LaCie announced on Monday three new storage solutions that feature Intel's Thunderbolt 2 technology: the LaCie 8big Rack Thunderbolt 2, the 5big Thunderbolt 2 and the 2big Thunderbolt 2. Ideal for 4K workflows, these three models also feature parent company Seagate's new 6 TB hard drive, which was also announced on Monday.
According to the company, the 8big Rack is the company's first Thunderbolt 2 rackmount storage solution. The appliance features up to eight 6 TB drives, totaling 48 TB of storage in a 1U form factor. The device also delivers speeds up to 1330 MB/s, and features two Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy chaining, allowing users to daisy chain up to six Thunderbolt rack units together, and then connect them with a single cable to a computer.
The LaCie 8big Rack with Thunderbolt 2 will be available this quarter in 4-disk (12 TB) or 8-disk (24 TB and 48 TB) configurations through the LaCie online store and LaCie resellers.
As for the LaCie 5big, the company indicated that this new version is nearly two times faster than the previous model, delivering speeds up to 1050 MB/s. And thanks to Seagate's new 6 TB hard drives, the 5big boasts a 20 percent capacity increase, which, according to LaCie, makes it the most compact 30 TB storage device on the market. This model also features a cooling system to prevent overheating, consisting of a heat-dissipating aluminum casing, a Noctua cooling fan, and jumbo heat exhausts.
The new LaCie 5big, featuring Thunderbolt 2, will be available this quarter in 10, 20 or 30 TB capacities through the LaCie online store and LaCie resellers.
Finally, we have the dual-bay LaCie 2big with two Thunderbolt 2 ports, hardware RAID and a new industrial design. This solution provides transfer speeds of up to 420 MB/s, and up to two 6 TB 7200 RPM hard drives from Seagate, making it what LaCie considers to be the fastest, highest capacity dual-bay external storage on the market. The device also includes USB 3.0, making it compatible with most computers, and a re-designed cooling system featuring an ultra-quiet Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX thermo-regulated fan.
"I designed the new LaCie 2big as pure desktop architecture – a deceptively simple aesthetic to house the highest tech on the market," said award-winning industrial designer Neil Poulton. "Like a marble Carlo Scarpa staircase, the details are precise and honed. The new LaCie 2big is a Bauhaus building for your desk. On rubber treads."
The LaCie 2big, featuring Thunderbolt 2, will be available this quarter in 6, 8 or 12 TB capacities through the LaCie online store and LaCie resellers.
