Final thoughts, HEXUS.right2reply and HEXUS.where2buy
It's always a good idea to start the final page on a positive note, so let's go over what we like about the Two Big.
First up, it's pretty rugged. More so than the all plastic N2050, giving it a distinct advantage in this respect. Further, you can leave that screwdriver in the drawer... you won't need one to install a disk into the TwoBig. Setting up a RAID mode is simple, but cannot be done accidentally. Data rates in RAID-0 are pretty good and they're also good in RAID-1, both capable of handling random access rather well. It's sounding good for the TwoBig, isn't it?
Now, for the bits we didn't like. The cooling solution could be a little better. The entire unit gets pretty warm and while we don't think it puts the hard disks within in any immediate danger, it's not likely to help their life span. Unlike the N2050, Two Big has no USB connectivity, but seeing as it comes bundled with an eSATA card, we don't see the problem there.
We're not too keen on LaCie's warranty policy either. LaCie's manual for the Two Big advises that drives only be replaced by those available from LaCie. The manual then goes on to warn that the warranty may be void if this isn't followed and the device fails. We doubt LaCie would actually pull anyone up on this, but the wording of the manual does still give us cause for concern.
Finally, burst rates don't seem to be quite what SATA 3Gbps should be capable of, and the difference between PCIc and PCIe is negligible. If the PCIe card has little advantage over PCIc, then what benefit will be seen when the PCI-X card we had is plugged into a full PCI-X compatible slot? We guess if you are planning on hooking up a second eSATA device then it might be useful, but we can't see how a single Two Big would benefit from it.
Our reservations considered, Two Big is still a product that performs competitively and is built well. If we were going to buy one we'd buy the PCIe version. It's cheaper and as we've already stated, the interface used by the eSATA card doesn't seem to make much difference to its performance. TwoBig is listed at £599 inc. VAT on LaCie's site, which we think is a bit too expensive. A bit of Froogling doesn't show up any UK retailers for Two Big. If any do appear, we'd like to see the price at or below £500 when equipped with a pair of 500GB drives. That way it'll square up against the Thecus N2050, and we reckon that'll make Two Big the more favourable product.
HEXUS.certifications
Two Big performs well and is built well, so it passes the HEXUS.labs testing.
HEXUS Awards
As an external storage device, it's very nippy, just as nippy as the N2050. So, we're giving the Two Big 1TB a HEXUS.award for speed.
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Two Big is available direct from LaCie.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any representatives of LaCie choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
