Hi all,
I picked up a base Mac mini and am now looking for a DAS+RAID solution. This will only be for storage/archival purpose. I might pick an additional 1TB of Samsung X5 or the likes as an 'active storage' for programs such as Lightroom to work from. I don't work on videos, only large RAW files are what I work with.
Of all the ones I researched and found, I find the Lacie 2big Dock TB3 the right fit. But it is $800 for 2x4TB 7200rpm. What are your thoughts for it at this cost?
I don't need portability and DAS fits my needs.
Pros:
- It has a built in dock which provides a additional ports (1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1), Display Port, SD and CF card reader
- 5 year warranty
- Hot swappable disks for future upgrades
- Out of the box RAID solution for someone (like me) that is not technically proficient.
- Current promo of a complimentary Lacie 4TB rugged mini
- Daisy chain possibility (although I am very less likely to go down this route)
Cons:
- Cost - is it too expensive for what it is?
- Transfer speeds
If this is too expensive for what it is, what are the alternatives (if any)? Even if they are not as out of the box solution as this one, anything else with a better cost/value benefit?
Thanks in advance for your inputs.
4TB expansion external drives are generally $99 a pop.
Get 2 for redundancy and an online cloud storage backup too (iCloud 2TB maybe or others).
This suits your storage/archive needs.
Get a fast 1TB SSD for Lightroom work/applications as required or just get upgrade the Mac Mini with a decent sized SSD.
You don't have the need for a pricey Thunderbolt solution based on above.