Lacie 2 BIG Raid Enclosure Review: A Noisy but Reliable Archive Solution

If you are into photography, videography, or media production, you know the importance of data redundancy when it comes to safeguarding your precious files. Enter the Lacie 2 BIG USB 3.1 Type C Raid Enclosure – a RAID enclosure that provides reliable data storage.

The Backstory

I used to rely on a stack of 2TB and 4TB portable hard drives and several random SSDs for my file backups. But one fateful day, one of my Passport HDD connectors decided to act up. That was my wake-up call. I needed a more robust system for archiving, and the Lacie 2 BIG helped me accomplish this.

What Makes It Tick?

The Lacie 2 BIG Raid Enclosure utilizes a minimum of two hard drives configured in Raid 1, Raid 0, or JBOD. Raid 0 splits data between the two drives for speed, but it offers no redundancy. Raid 1 presents the enclosure as a single drive with every file duplicated on both drives, ensuring a backup if one drive fails. JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) means both drives are seen separately with no speed increase or redundancy.

What's in the Box?

Enclosure with Dual Hard Drives

USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 cable,

a USB-C to USB-A cable,

Power supply

Five-year warranty. My 16-terabyte setup uses dual 8-terabyte IronWolf Pro SATA HDDs, and after three years, the original cables are still going strong without a hitch.

Speed and Performance

In Raid 1 configuration, using the supplied cable to connect directly to my 2021 MacBook Pro, I'm cruising at around 150 megabytes per second for both read and write operations. While it's not as speedy as modern SSDs, it gets the job done for archiving purposes. I didn't test Raid 0, but with a mostly filled drive, I didn't want to move files

Hot Swapping and Compatibility

The Lacie 2 BIG supports hot swapping, meaning you can replace a failed drive on the fly, and it will start writing files to the new drive immediately. It plays nice with Macs, especially if you format it in Mac OS Extended or APF, making it an excellent choice for Time Machine backups.

The Hiccups

This drive can be a bit noisy. The spinning and whirring of the discs are audible enough to be picked up by a microphone and can be a tad annoying. Recently, getting the drivers to work on the latest macOS has been a bit of a headache, with the setup app requiring some extra time and patience to grant the proper permissions.

Final Verdict

Is the Lacie 2 BIG Raid Enclosure the fastest hard drive on the block? No. But the combination of storage capacity for the price and the redundancy it provides makes it a fantastic buy. It's not your travel companion due to its size, weight, and need for a power supply, but if you're into regular large file transfers or need a reliable archival solution, this raid drive is a winner.

The Lacie 2 BIG Raid comes in various capacities, from 4 to 40 terabytes, catering to different storage needs. Despite the minor hiccups, it's an excellent investment for anyone serious about securing their valuable media files.

If you're in the market for a raid drive, check out these links if you are interested in purchasing!