Lacie 5big Pro 10TB review

Surprisingly, iSCSI speeds for large files were significantly slower, with a write speed of 42.3MB/s, read of 91.3MB/s and average of 66.8MB/s. Small files fared better in these tests, providing a write speed of 32.7MB/s and read speed of 37.1MB/s, producing an average speed of 34.9MB/s.

We also tested the 5big Pro with the drives configured as part of a RAID6 configuration. This provides only 6TB of usable space but can survive the failure of up to two of the disks in the array. Throughput in our tests using an SMB shared folder was broadly similar, with large files averaging 95.1MB/s and small files 21.5MB/s. iSCSI was much faster, though, providing a large file average speed of 72.6MB/s and small file average of 38.7MB/s.

The 5big is powerful, which is no surprise given its dual core 2.13GHz Intel Atom processor and 4GB of DDR3 memory. This produces fast transfer speeds, but it also means there’s no excuse for the web interface’s sluggishness.

If you just need a fast, high-capacity NAS device without all the extra features that have become almost commonplace, this one’s fairly good value at £685 ex VAT. That works out at just 7p per GB. Because it comes out of the box fully set up and configured, you don’t need to install hard disks or set up shares yourself, which will appeal to businesses that just want their hardware to work. However, the 5big NAS Pro 10TB’s lack of features and clunky web interface will rule out for some, making this a four- rather than a five-star product.