LaCie Hard Disk Max review

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Verdict:

Review Date: 21 May 2009

Price when reviewed: £219

Buy it now for: £170
(see more store prices)

Supplier: http://www.oyyy.co.uk

Reviewed By: Alan Lu

Our Rating 5 stars out of 5

ExpertReviews Award

Review
Specs

LaCie's Hard Disk Max is a USB drive with two 1TB hard disks.

These can be configured as either a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array via a switch on the rear. 2TB of storage is available in RAID 0 mode, but if one disk fails you'll lose all your data. 1TB of storage is available in RAID 1 mode, but your data is protected against a single disk failing. In either mode, it's one of the quickest USB disks we've seen.

The two-year warranty means you won't need to replace a disk yourself in the near future. Annoyingly, however, you'll have to return the whole unit to LaCie if you do have any problems. Making a disk replacement beyond that period is relatively straightforward. A small notch allows you to prise open the glossy black plastic case using a screwdriver, and the disks are then simply screwed into place.

Unusually for an external USB hard disk, the Max has a one-port USB hub. This could be handy, as you won't take up a USB port when you plug the drive into your laptop. Surprisingly, there are no handy extras associated with this port, such as the ability to use another USB disk as part of a RAID array.

LaCie's Hard Disk Max is inexpensive at 11p per gigabyte. Thanks to its fast transfer speeds, it's one of the best RAID-capable external hard disks we've seen. Combine this with its stylish design, and it fully deserves our Best Buy award.

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