Lacie’s Rugged RAID Pro is an external portable RAID-enabled HDD that’s primarily aimed at photo and video editors who often find themselves on-the-go. Donning an unmistakable bright orange shock-resistant rubber sleeve, it fits right in with the Seagate-owned company’s other storage-centric options.
The LaCie 15TB 5big Network 2 5-Bay RAID Server provides professional, reliable, central data storage. Instantly store, share and back up from any PC or Mac on your network. Instantly store, share and back up from any PC or Mac on your network.
On paper, the Lacie Rugged RAID Pro won’t light up the scoreboards. Even in the RAID 0 performance mode, it features a rather pedestrian 250 MB/s max read speed. But where the drive lacks in speed, it makes up for in the sheer amount of storage offered — 4TB — stuffed inside a rugged chassis. It also comes with a feature that sets it apart from other bus-powered external drives on the market: a built-in UHS-II SD Card reader — extremely handy for MacBook Pro users.
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Does the Lacie Rugged RAID offer enough to make it worthy of consideration? Have a look at our hands-on video review for the details.
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Specifications
- 4TB RAID storage
- Pre-configured with RAID 0
- RAID 1 or JBOD configurations optional
- 250MB/s read speeds (RAID 0)
- Protective aluminum outer shell
- Drop, shock, crush, dust, and water resistant
- Bus-powered USB-C connectivity
- UHS-II SD Card reader with quick import
- Power supply with region plug attachments
- IP54 dust and water resistant cover
- Extra dust/water cover included
- Included heavy duty orange USB-C to USB-C cable
- Included USB-C to USB A cable
If you’ve used drives from Lacie’s rugged series before, you’ll notice that the company has omitted its integrated wraparound cable in favor of a detachable USB-C cable. This design decision has pluses and minuses. The upside is that users can easily swap out cables, and even utilize a legacy-friendly USB-C to USB-A cable (included) if necessary. That said, some users will miss the convenience of the cable integration, which means you’ll always have to remember to bring your cable with you when on-the-go.
Although the drive is capable of being bus-powered via USB, Lacie also includes a power adapter with various region plug attachments for powering the drive in case the computer’s bus doesn’t provide enough juice. However, for most Mac users, bus power via a USB-C connection should be a non-issue.
Lacie suggests installing its RAID Manager app and its Toolkit app for maintaining the Rugged RAID drive. Both of these apps feature macOS versions that can be downloaded from the company’s website.
Out of the box, the Rugged RAID Pro is formatted as ExFat for easy Windows and Mac compatibility. For Mac users, the Lacie Toolkit app suggests formatting the drive as HFS+, which I did before testing.
The Toolkit app comes with two primary functions: the ability to mirror specific folders stored on your Mac’s internal drive, and a quick import option for automatically copying SD Cards as soon as they are inserted into the drive.
Overall I found the Toolkit app to be a mixed bag. Some of the automatic imports completed successfully, but on more than one occasion, automatic imports failed. I also noticed that imports via Toolkit could be much slower than manually dragging and dropping the entire SD Card to the Lacie Rugged RAID Pro. Based on this experience, I recommend avoiding the Toolkit automation, and managing SD Card backups manually.
Because the drive lacks any hardware-based option for switching between RAID types, you’ll need to install the RAID Manager app if you wish to switch out of the default RAID 0 configuration. RAID Manager lets you easily switch to a more data secure RAID 1 config or even a JBOD config for utilizing the two internal hard drives as separate 2TB entities. Of course, RAID 1 or JBOD lack striping, which significantly reduces the read performance of the unit. For video workflows, such a change may have a real world effect on performance.
Since a reconfiguration will cause all device data to be deleted, Lacie built in a hardware confirmation switch that requires users to press a button on the front of the drive using a paperclip to confirm the configuration change. It’s an appreciated protection that just might save your data from accidental deletion.
To reach the advertised read performance of 250 MB/s, you’ll need to keep the drive configured as RAID 0. Speed tests with both Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and QuickBench confirm that the drive lives up to its billing. 250 MB/s is far from blazing fast, especially when you have external SSDs with USB 3.1 Gen 2 I/O interfaces, but it’s still fast enough for most 4K workflows using ProRes 422 HQ.
![Reader Reader](https://harddrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/lacie-porsche-design-5tb-usb-c-desktop-hard-drive-silver-stfe5000101-1-4.jpg)
As you will see, RAID 1 configuration, which mirrors data between both internal drives to help keep your data safe, is the slowest of the three configurations. RAID 1 will also reduce the amount of available storage from 4TB to 2TB.
JBOD performance isn’t much better than RAID 1, but you don’t lose data to drive mirroring. RAID 1 configures each internal hard drive as two separate disks. There is no mirroring performed with a JBOD configuration, but the probability of failure isn’t as high as it is with RAID 0.
No surprises here. A decision must be made by the user to prioritize speed vs the chance that one of the drives in a RAID 0 configuration may fail. Although I’ve had good experiences with RAID 0 setups over the years, having never experienced a catastrophic failure resulting in data loss, I’m more willing to use such a configuration with SSDs, which feature no moving parts. Mechanical spinning disks are more prone to failure, which, in the case of RAID 0, would cause data loss across the whole array.
It’s sort of a catch 22, because the drive in a RAID 1 or JBOD configuration won’t be fast enough for certain video workflows. In the end you’ll have to balance the risk versus reward aspect of the drive. The good news is that Lacie is offering a three-year limited warranty with the Rugged RAID Pro, and also offers three years of rescue data recovery services with your purchase.
The most appreciated feature about this drive is its built-in SD Card reader with automatic card backup ability. If you’re constantly filling up SD Cards, then the Rugged RAID Pro, if nothing else, can be an awesome backup solution for your cards. If you’re not editing video directly off the drive, then it doesn’t really matter how slow RAID 1 is if you’re using it primarily for backups.
If you’re a MacBook user, then the SD Card reader is a great feature, because it eliminates the need to carry around a dedicated SD Card dongle. The SD Card Reader on the Rugged RAID Pro is also UHS-II enabled, allowing for faster data transmission with modern SD Cards like Sony’s G-Series lineup.
The other big appeal of the drive is its sheer ruggedness. Lacie says that the Rugged RAID Pro can withstand being run over by a 1-ton car, and is protected from limited dust ingress and water spray from any direction. If you’re a photographer or videographer that’s constantly out shooting in the elements, then the Lacie Rugged RAID Pro, available from B&H and from Amazon, may be a viable solution for your workflow.
The main downside of the Rugged RAID, besides the obvious fact that it’s still using two spinning mechanical disks, is that the Toolkit software aimed at automating the SD Card backup process can be slow and finicky. You’d be better off manually managing SD Card backups instead of trying to rely on the automated software.
In a world of speedy external SSDs, the Rugged RAID Pro is far from the fastest drive on the block, but it has appealing qualities. Its ruggedness, storage space, and inclusion of a fast SD Card reader are all features that I really like as a video and photo shooter. Does the idea of having a built in SD Card reader on an external USB-C-equipped drive appeal to you? Sound off in the comments with your thoughts.
Other external drives we’ve reviewed
Seagate's LaCie brand is well-known for its line of rugged, durable hard drives that are protected by an iconic orange bumper, and this spring, LaCie unveiled its latest accessory in the rugged lineup, the 4TB USB-C LaCie Rugged RAID Pro.Design
If you've seen a hard drive in LaCie's rugged collection before, the Rugged RAID Pro will look immediately familiar. It features an aluminum-encased hard drive wrapped in durable, shockproof orange rubber.
Compared to the former Rugged RAID hard drive LaCie offered, this new model is thinner and lighter. Size wise, the dimensions aren't hugely different, but it's noticeable. This new model measures in at 1.18 x 3.6 x 5.5 inches, compared to the Rugged RAID's 1.3 x 3.6 x 5.8 inch dimensions, and it weighs just about a pound.
LaCie's previous Rugged hard drives have included built-in cables, but the Rugged RAID Pro uses a separate cable, which is one of the biggest design changes LaCie has introduced here. The other major change is the addition of an SD card slot, which is a fantastic addition for photographers, drone operators, and other people who often need to pull data from an SD card.
I often use an SD card reader to pull photos from my cameras, so I appreciated the addition of the SD card slot. I also prefer the removable cable to the built-in cable of the former LaCie Rugged RAID option because it offers more versatility. It's a bit messier with nowhere to wind the cord, but it overall isn't much more inconvenient.
At the bottom of the Rugged RAID Pro, there's the aforementioned SD card slot and a USB-C port. LaCie has included a USB-C to USB-C cable for use with USB-C devices such as Apple's latest MacBook Pro and iMac models, and a USB-C to USB-A cable for use with older devices.
A rubber cover made out of the same material as the bumper protects these ports while in travel, and because it's a standalone piece that can be lost, LaCie includes an extra in the package. The Rugged RAID Pro hasn't left my office but I've still misplaced that port cover, so it's nice to have a backup.
The hard drive also ships with a power supply and a range of different plug heads for use when traveling. When used with a Thunderbolt device such as Apple's 2016 and later MacBook Pros, the Rugged RAID Pro is bus-powered and does not require the included power supply, but with other devices, such as the 12-inch MacBook, the power supply is necessary.
On devices where the USB ports are not providing enough power to the LaCie Rugged RAID Pro, a light on the front will flash letting you know that it needs to be plugged in to the power supply.
LaCie's Rugged RAID Pro, like all of the rugged hard drives, is designed to be resistant to dust and water, and it is designed to hold up to drops and damage. LaCie's documentation says it has drop resistance up to four feet (one foot less than the prior Rugged RAID), along with IP54 resistance to water and dust.
IP54 translates to protection from water spray from any direction, so it should hold up well in the rain, but you won't want to submerge it. It also means limited ingress protection from dust. According to LaCie, it can also withstand crushing from a 1-ton car.
I did test its drop resistance with about 10 drops from four feet with no damage inflicted (with the drive powered off, of course), but I didn't double check LaCie's crush rating.
Inside of the Rugged RAID Pro, there are two 2TB hard drives for up to 4TB of storage space depending on RAID configuration.
Software
Setting up the Rugged RAID Pro is as simple as plugging it in and opening it up. There's a 'Start Here Mac' and a 'Start Here Windows' file, and you just need to click the appropriate file.
The Mac version of the software installs the LaCie Toolkit software. The Toolkit software lets you see how much storage you have available at a glance, and there's a Mirror feature that lets you set up a Mirror folder where files will sync to the Rugged RAID Pro automatically.
You just need to go through the menus and set up a source folder to enable this feature. Mirror is similar to something like Dropbox and can be handy if you have files that you want to keep safe on a secondary drive without having to worry about it.
If you click on the drive in the Toolkit app, there is an option to 'optimize' it by reformatting it from exFAT to HFS+.
In the settings section of the app, you can also use the Toolkit to toggle on an option to import data from SD cards that are added to the drive automatically, and there's a feature to turn off the app's ability to launch when you start your Mac up.
I preferred to manually import data from my SD cards rather than having it done automatically, but it's a useful option if that's what you plan to primarily use the drive for.
The LaCie Rugged RAID Pro comes configured as RAID 0 for maximum storage space and faster file transfers. If you want to reconfigure it to RAID 1 for data redundancy, you can download the LaCie RAID Manager.
RAID 0 is a setup that's going to give you the fastest file transfer speeds while also taking advantage of the full 4TB of storage space from the two included 2TB drives. RAID 1 is a setup that mirrors the two drives so that you always have a second copy of your data for extra protection.
LaCie includes a 3-year Seagate data rescue program with the Rugged RAID Pro, along with a free month of access to Adobe's Creative Cloud apps. With the rescue program, if the hard drive fails, files are accidentally deleted, or the drive is otherwise damaged, Seagate will provide data recovery services at no additional cost.
Performance
LaCie promises transfer speeds of 240MB/s over USB-C, and that is close to what I saw in my testing of the drive with a 2016 MacBook Pro. Transferring several hundred photos from an SD card in the SD card slot took just a few minutes, and file transfers from my MacBook Pro to the Rugged RAID Pro and vice versa were just as speedy.
In my experience, the Rugged RAID Pro got very hot after about a half hour of usage, so this is something to be aware of.
Bottom Line
If you're looking for more storage space for a modern USB-C Mac or PC and want a RAID configuration for redundancy, the LaCie Rugged RAID Pro is an affordable option from a trusted brand that offers a solid compromise between price point and speed.
The addition of an SD card slot makes it more convenient than ever for photographers, videographers, and others who need backup and file transfers on the go, and with its rugged enclosure, it's ideal for taking along when traveling. Seagate's data rescue program, which is included, offers additional peace of mind.
I wouldn't buy this particular hard drive for a configuration where the external power source will be required, but it's nice that the option is included along with the relevant cables if you need to transfer files to an older machine.
How to Buy
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The LaCie Rugged RAID Pro retails for $350, but it can be purchased from B&H Photo for $291 or from Amazon for $330.Note: LaCie provided MacRumors with a Rugged RAID Pro for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and B&H Photo When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Tags: LaCie, Seagate
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