LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk 1 TB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive 301442U (Aluminum)

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Product Details

User Manual [2.16mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.7 x 6.3 x 6.8 inches ; 3.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001KFH6K6
• Item model number: 301442U
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Memory Cards & External Storage > External Hard Drives

• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 20, 2008

Product Description

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 301442U 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.

The LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk offers: eSATA 3Gbits, FireWire 400/800, and USB 2.0 for universal compatibility and extreme speed 1 TB of disk space. 7200 RPM spin speed and 16 MB cache. Fanless ridged design for cool, quiet operation. Unique ridged heat sink aluminum design increases surface area by 60% for cooler operation. (Shown here with the Little Big Disk Quadra and the 2big Network.) View larger.

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.

Quadruple Interface for Unmatched Performance and Compatibility
The LaCie 301442U 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 eSATA interface offers a blazing transfer rate of up to 300 MB per second (3Gbits/sec), while FireWire allows you to connect directly to your DV camera.

The LaCie d2 is compatible with Windows, including Vista, and Mac OS X 10.2.8 and above (10.3 for eSATA). If you have Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, the d2 Quadra works with Time Machine, which 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 1 TB (1,000 GB), the d2 Quadra can hold up to 1,000,000 photos, 350,000 songs, or 70 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. If you have different storage needs, you can also choose between the 500 GB or 750 GB version of the d2 Quadra.

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.

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. LaCie's Shortcut Button lets you easily launch any application with one push.

Included with the drive is LaCie's Genie Backup Assistant for Windows and Intego Backup Assistant for Mac. Both make it easy for you to back up your files including your pictures, music, and documents, and let you restore your files to previous versions in case anything happens to them.

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); Genie Backup Assistant for Windows; Intego Backup Assistant for Mac.

Product Description

The LaCie d2 Quadra 1TB Hard Drive handles multiple demanding professional tasks, including digital content creation, audio/video editing, DVD authoring, and web animation. 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. Advanced features include 3-level power management (Auto/On/Off), using USB or Firewire, and software RAID 0/RAID 1 potential when daisy-chained with other drives. Fully loaded with all the best interfaces ¿ eSATA 3Gbits, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ¿ it offers complete universal connectivity for PC and Mac users. Use it to easily store all of your files or back up your computer or small server regularly, whether at home or the office. With fast burst transfer rates of up to 105-115MB/s via eSATA, this industry-leading hard disk delivers superior performance. Setup and use is quick and easy; the preloaded LaCie Setup Assistant helps format the hard disk according to your needs. With the LaCie Shortcut Button (via USB or Firewire), you can easily launch any application with one push such as the included EMC¨ Retrospect¨ professional backup software for PC and Mac users. The d2 Quadra¿s new design is sturdy, compact and versatile, making it ideal for intensive professional use. The unique, fanless aluminum heat sink design with 60% more surface area for heat dissipation keeps it quiet and as safe as possible at all times. The d2 Quadra can stand upright, be stacked horizontally with other drives or rackmounted to save desktop space. System Requirements: Computer with an eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 port, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows VistaTM; 500MHz processor or higher, Mac OS 10.2.8 (Mac OS 10.3 for eSATA) or later; G4, G5, Mac Intel 500MHz processor or higher, Minimum 128MB RAM (512MB or greater recommended).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice external drive, December 17, 2008

By	RCP "Bob" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This is a newer version of an earlier model that is very similar (LaCie 301827U d2 Quadra 1 TB eSATA/FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 External Hard Disk). I talked to a salesman at J&R Computers and he told me the only difference is that this model has 32MB cache and the older model has 16MB cache. The older model has over 100 reviews so you may want to look there as well.

COST:

This costs more than some other external hard drives of the same capacity but there are good reasons: You are paying for the multiple interfaces (eSATA, Firewire 400, Firewire 800 with second daisy-chain port, USB 2.0) and the complete set of cables that come with it. The eSATA support is 3Gbits compared to 1.5Gbits for less expensive drives. The well-constructed case may also add some cost. I'd like to think that the included disk is of a higher quality too, but have no way to judge.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS:

The drive has been working fine for about a month now.

It feels VERY sturdy. It is heavier than other external drives I am familiar with.

It is only slightly warm to the touch when running. The all-metal construction with the exterior ridges seems to do a good job of keeping it cool.

It is VERY quiet. If not for the blue light I couldn't tell that it was turned on. Even when I put my ear right next to it I can hear very little. Even when it is actively seeking it is basically silent. There is no fan.

It does make a few noises when starting up or shutting down. I THINK one of the noises I hear is the heads parking and unparking.

I am using it as a USB 2.0 device right now. I have an eSATA card on order and will update this review to let you know how that goes. UPDATE: The drive works just fine when connected via eSATA. I have not done any performance experiments.

It does have a slot in the back for one of those Kensington cable locks. I didn't see this mentioned in the sales literature, although other external drive manufacturers make a big deal of it. There are a lot of those locks available, especially if you consider the clones. The following is probably the best: Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Notebook Computer Lock with Keys (PC/Mac).

Oh, yes, one more thing. The blue light reminds me of HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey, except that HAL had a red eye.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Piece of Equipment, January 28, 2009

By	zugzwang - See all my reviews

I finally received my LaCie hard drive. This is a well made piece of equipment - it has a solid, heavy construction and an elegant appearance.

I was relieved that the light is a pleasant shade of blue and is not bright at all, unlike other hard drive lights with blindingly bright LEDs.

This drive is not silent, though it is fairly quiet. I can clearly hear the drive running from several feet away but it's not disturbing. The fellow who said that he can't hear it with his ear right next to it, well the drive must not have been running at that moment.

I'm using this as a Time Machine backup drive. With a Firewire 400 connection to my old G5 iMac, it backed up 270 GBs in under 5 hours. At first the Time Machine backup was dog slow. Then I remembered to turn off my virus software, AND most important, I changed the Spotlight preferences by selecting the Privacy tab and adding my backup drive to prevent Spotlight from indexing/searching it. After that the backup process just flew!

After writing data for 5 hours the drive was warm, but not hot. The aluminum heat-sink case seems to cool the drive very well.

Eventually I will attach it to an Apple Airport Extreme via USB to use it as a network drive for wireless use by my laptop as well. Unfortunately the Airport Extreme wireless router does not provide a Firewire 400/800 connection - just ethernet or the much slower USB 2.0. I'll provide an update on the performance at that time.

All in all, I am quite happy with this purchase.

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where to begin here..., June 8, 2009

By	MattSh (Far off Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: LaCie 301440U d2 Quadra Hard Disk 500GB eSATA/FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (Aluminum) (Electronics)

I would love to give this a better rating. But this is the best I can do.

Bought this LaCie less than 1.5 years ago. Set it up, plugged it in, and worked just fine on my Mac. It was used as a backup drive and a place to store larger files. And everything worked well for 1.5 years.

About 5 weeks ago, my internal HD was showing an imminent failure, so I switched over to the LaCie until a replacement was obtained. In the meantime, life occurred, and it took me four weeks to get a replacement. Got the replacement on a Thursday, but when I went to replace the internal drive on Friday, the LaCie decided it no longer wanted to cooperate. The blue light came on, some disk sounds for a few seconds, but nothing else happens.

Both the local LaCie dealer and LaCie HQ agree it's the power supply (Warning: Power supply problems are not an isolated occurrance with these LaCies). So hopefully I haven't lost anything except some time and patience. And they have agreed to send me a new power supply, under warranty. However, neither the local dealer or LaCie HQ have the power supply in stock. There's a minimum of 2-4 weeks wait. And since I'm currently out of country, shipping is at my expense.

If you currently have this drive or similar, buy yourself a backup power supply. Do it now. The sanity you save might be your own.

~~~~~ Updated review, October 9, 2009 ~~~~~

Obtained a new power supply from LaCie, plugged it in and hoped for the best. And it worked. For about 6 weeks. A different problem, and LaCie again sent me another power supply. AND, I bought another power supply as a backup. (Numbers 3 and 4) But alas, it was not meant to be this time. Power supplies #3 and #4 gave me the same results as the ill-fated power supply #2. So that likely means that it's the internal electronics in the drive enclosure itself. It's likely not the power supplies. To further save my sanity, I'll likely pull the drive from this enclosure and install it in another.

If I could, I'd change the review to a one. But it seems I'm stuck with two stars too.