LaCie 301825U d2 Quadra 500 GB eSATA-FireWire800-FireWire400-USB 2.0 External Hard Disk
Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:08
Binding : Electronics
ProductGroup : CE
Manufacturer : Lacie
Brand : LaCie
Label : Lacie
Publisher : Lacie
Model : 301825U
Studio : Lacie
Color : Aluminum
Lowest Used Price: USD $136.99
Lowest New Price: USD $138.88
Lowest Refurbished Price: USD $129.99
- All-in-one external drive with 500 GB capacity and quadruple interface for full Mac and PC compatibility
- Includes eSATA 3 Gbit port; 2 FireWire 800 ports (9-pin); FireWire 400 port (6-pin); USB 2.0 port; and cables for each connection
- Fanless ridged design by Neil Poulton for cool, quiet operation
- 7200 rpm spin speed and 16 MB caches; ideal of demanding multi-media applications
- Measures 1.7x6.3x6.8 inches (WxHxD); weighs 3.31 pounds; 3-year limited warranty
Fully loaded with all the best interfaces - eSATA 3Gbits, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 - this all-in-one professional hard disk offers universal connectivity for PC and Mac users. For easy setup, the LaCie Setup Assistant helps format according to your needs. The unique, fanless aluminum heat sink design with 60% more surface area for heat dissipation keeps it quiet and safe. With the LaCie Shortcut Button, easily launch any application in one push. Perfect for digital content creation, audio / video editing, DVD authoring, and web animation, etc., the d2 Quadra can handle multiple demanding professional tasks. It can be daisy-chained via FireWire or connected to your DV camera and is even bootable in FireWire for Mac and in eSATA for Mac / PC.
Amazon.com Product Description
With a unique ridged exterior that enhances the enclosure's cooling performance, and a quadruple interface for full Mac and PC compatibility, the LaCie 301825U d2 Quadra External Hard Drive is an all-in-one drive that's built with the professional in mind. Designed by internationally acclaimed designer Neil Poulton, this versatile drive offers extreme performance and an aesthetic touch that will enhance any work space.
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 The minimalist space-saving design will enhance the aesthetics of any work space. View larger. View back. |  The d2 can be racked horizontally and set up in a RAID configuration. View larger. |
The LaCie 301825U d2 Quadra External Hard Drive features one eSATA 3 Gbit port, two FireWire 800 ports (9-pin), one FireWire 400 port (6-pin), and one hi-speed USB 2.0 port that is USB 1.1-compatible. (Cables for each connection are conveniently included with the drive.) This quadruple interface makes the d2 Quadra ideal for demanding multi-media applications that require extreme speed as well as universal connectivity. The USB and FireWire connections ensure that you can transfer or back up your data from your laptop or other computers, while the eSATA interface offers a transfer rate of up to 300 MB per second (3Gbits/sec).
The LaCie d2 is compatible with Windows, including Vista, and Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, including Time Machine, making it an ideal partner for your Mac. Time Machine automatically backs up your Mac's system files, applications, accounts, preferences, music, photos, movies, and documents to an external hard drive and lets you easily go back in time to recover anything.
Superior Drive Performance for Power Users
Built for power users such as video editors, the d2 Quadra features a rotational speed of 7200 rpm and a cache of at least 16 MB. Perfect for digital content creation, audio/video editing, DVD authoring, web animation, and more, the d2 Quadra can handle multiple demanding professional tasks. It can also be daisy-chained via FireWire or connected to your DV camera and is even bootable in FireWire for Mac and in eSATA for Mac/PC.
With a capacity of 500 GB, the d2 Quadra can hold up to 500,000 photos, 175,000 songs, or 35 hours of DV video. If you purchase multiple drives, they can be daisy-chained and set to RAID 1 for data redundancy and protection, or RAID 0 for even greater speed.
The d2 Quadra also offers three power management options: "Auto" for energy efficiency; "On" for instant access; and "Off" for data protection. The drive also lets you back up files or launch any application with a simple push of the front blue button. This "shortcut button" can be configured to launch any document or application, or initiate the included EMC Retrospect Express software that offers automated backups.
Smart, Elegant Design and Loaded with Software
With the d2 Quadra, Neil Poulton has fashioned a unique, attractive and functional drive that offers excellent heat dissipation features and space-saving options for stacking. The fanless aluminum heat sink design features exterior ridges that provide 60 percent more surface area for heat dissipation, keeping the drive quiet and as safe as possible at all times. The d2 Quadra will sit nicely in an upright position alongside your PC or Mac machines, or it can be stacked horizontally with other drives or rack mounted to save desktop space.
Set-up and use is quick and easy, thanks to LaCie's preloaded Setup Assistant that helps format the hard disk according to your needs. For instance, the d2 Quadra lets you easily create a FAT32 partition for use with Macs. With the LaCie 1-Click Backup, you can backup any file into the location of your choice with a simple "click"--either via the desktop icon, or CTRL-S on your keyboard. And LaCie's Shortcut Button lets you easily launch any application with one push.
Also included with the d2 is EMC Retrospect professional backup software for PC and Mac users. This award-winning software offers several back-up options, including fast backups and scheduled back-up of either a single file or your complete system. With EMC Retrospect Express, you'll never have to worry about losing your data again.
The drive measures a slim 1.7 x 6.3 x 6.8 inches (WxHxD), weighs 3.31 pounds, and is backed by a 3-year limited warranty.
About LaCie
Established in France in 1989, LaCie is a leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for Windows, Apple and Linux users. With offices and plants in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie develops and manufactures external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday people easily manage their digital lives. LaCie has differentiated its products through original designs and leading-edge technology.
What's in the Box
LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk; eSATA-to-eSATA cable; FireWire 800 (9-to-9 pin) cable; FireWire 400 (6-to-6 pin) cable; USB 2.0 cable (USB 1.1 compatible); external power supply; drive stand for upright desktop use; LaCie Utilities (preloaded): LaCie '1-Click' Backup Software for PC or Mac; SilverKeeper Software for automatic backup and file verification (Mac); EMC Retrospect Express 6.1 (Mac); and EMC Retrospect Express HD 2.0 (Windows).
LaCie or not to LaCie? (2008-12-31)
I purchased the D2 Quatra, and it seems to work pretty good, it linked up to my pc (xp) with no problems at all.... the "One Button" software they provide does not work at all and customer support on helping me get the One Button software to work is horrible...
I keep getting errors when I install "One Button" that no one seems to know how to fix. But the LaCie "BACKUP" software works great, that is the main reason I purchased a LaCie.... I am buying another LaCie because it is a good and reliable extra storage unit for the price... In this day and age you need a back up of your back up... The nice thing about this unit is that it is very quiet and lays flat and the only way I know it is working is because it has a very slight warmth to the touch... Like others, I have spent hours researching external hard drives and I also use two external Western Digitals(3 year old units)... I like WD but I wanted something that had a good review for backing up data, with "specific software" that was made to work with the Hard Drive unit... I currently back up my whole computer plus the external WD's data on to my LaCie.. I think it is a wise gamble on this LaCie drive, because nothing is a sure thing when it comes to hard drives!
d2 Quadra 750 GB (2008-12-29)
The LaCie 301826U d2 Quadra 750 GB external hard disk is a beautiful piece of machinery. The aluminum cooling case means silent operation and gives it it's attractive appearance.
The installation for the hard drive is self explanatory; you plug it in, turn it on and click on the device in "My Computer" and it formats and installs itself. (for Windows users)
The device has 3 power options; On, Off and Auto. The auto is beautiful, because the device goes into standby when your computer does, saving energy. When finished using the hard drive, I select "Safely Remove Device" and then just unplug the drive from the computer, the drive shuts itself off.
I have not used the supplied software; auto updating and quick access button.
So far, the drive operates fast and effectively, using the USB connection. (I can only imagine how much faster it would be with a firewire connection) I've just received the device and am in the initial stages of use, and all is well. I will return to update the status after some time.
Enjoy!
Very nice backup storage (2008-12-20)
I have had this LaCie for about a month now and it is working very well as a storage and backup device for my Mac. I am an average user. I have about 80-90 GB to back up and it does this quickly and efficiently. I got it because it has a fire wire 800 connection. I had another USB 2.0 Drive an it kept hanging up and would not back up that much very quickly. So far so good.
3 laCie hard drives wnt down after 1 year of use (2008-12-19)
I work with a lot of images, and about a two years ago purchased three laCie hard drives, 500 gb, 1 tb and 1.5 tb. All three are dead now, and they all died same way - after a long non use period of time (from a week to a couple of months) you turn them on and nothing happens, they are dead, the disk is not spinning and no means can help. If you are looking for something reliable, please find something else.
Great, quiet drive - perfect for Mac Time Machine (2008-12-18)
I bought this review after my Western Digital MyBook hard drive bit the dust and I was dissatisfied with their customer service. (I wonder if part of the problem was that the WD drive is always on. This drive, by contrast has an on/auto/off switch. I prefer to leave the drive off unless I want to do a backup since I'm not a constant user of my computer.) Anyway, this drive is whisper quiet - a top priority for me - since the design doesn't require a fan. It's quick, unobtrusive, and perfect for backing up my iMac with Apple's Time Machine automatic backup program.
When you first plug in and power up the drive, it creates a program on your screen that gives you options of formatting for Mac or Windows, and it has some other software as well. It includes Retrospect Express backup and a one-touch feature to use with Retrospect Express, but since I prefer using Time Machine I just dragged out these folders from the drive and saved them on my computer's drive in case I might want to use them someday.
The triple interface option is good for me - I prefer backing up over FireWire and leaving my USB ports for other purposes.
Anyway, I've used the drive for several days now and am 100% satisfied. I used to own a LaCie hard drive years ago and I remember that that was a quality unit as well.
