The first Thunderbolt technology product in the market is from LaCie. Dubbed as the Little Big Disk, the external hard drive combines the awesomeness of Apple and the speed of Intel. For those who are not aware of Thunderbolt technology, it allows you to transfer files at speeds of 10 Gbps in a single port.  Available in the capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB and 1TB, it easily represents the big leap from USB/Firewire. Read on to find out why we recommend it.

Little Big Disk:

The Little Big Disk is quite appropriately named so. With dimensions of (H x W x D) 1.6 x 3.3 x 5.5 inches, it is a very small drive and is quite a dwarf when compared to its counterparts. It weighs around a pound and half and feels like a solid brick.

Sturdy Casing:

The Little Big Disk External Drive is enclosed in LaCie’s classic d2 case. Made up of aluminium, the front of the device has a smooth finish whereas the other sides have a grilled appearance. There is a circular blue LED light that indicates drive activity.  At the back of the device are vents that help in keeping the device cool. Also present are the two thunderbolt ports and the power plug for the adapter. There is also a Kensington Lock slot as well that allows you to lock the device using a lock.

SSD Drive:

The Little Big Disk features 2 250GB Intel 510 SSD Drives. These drives have no moving parts making them lesser noisy and consume lesser power. These SSDs support streams of video and multichannel audio thanks to their superior performance and durability. The drives are RAID preconfigured for better performance.

Connectivity:

The original Little Big Disk featured FireWire 800, HiSpeed USB 2.0 and FireWire 400. The LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt edition does away with all those connections and simply has 2 Thunderbolt ports. Thunderbolt ports can connect to eSATA, USB and FireWire provided you have the right adapter.  Not many PCs right now boast of having Thunderbolt connections, so try avoiding the drive in case you do not own a MacBook Pro.

Thunderbolt Technology:

Along with Apple and Intel, LaCie has designed the device to handle 10Gbps file transfer with Intel’s revolutionary Thunderbolt technology. This new high speed technology now allows connecting to computers and devices like never before. Higher speed rates are vital to consumers and professionals and this is where thunderbolt delivers.  The high transfer rates are sustained with low latency making it an even safer technology. The Thunderbolt technology works in a dual channel and dual protocol in a bi-directional way using a single cable. That translates to the fact that you can connect a PC to six thunderbolt devices and files would still transfer at 10Gbps per each port without any bandwidth getting sacrificed.  More details on its performance will be discussed later on.

Capacities Available:

The LaCie Little Big Disk was available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB storage capacities.

System Requirements:

This is where the device loses out. Though the thunderbolt technology is quite amazing, not many computers have Thunderbolt ports yet. Apple’s MacBook Pro is one of the few that does. Also, the drive expects you to have MAC OS 10.6.

LaCie Backup Software:

Along with the drive comes the backup solution titled LaCie Backup software. It basically creates new backups by creation of new folders. The folder names are properly indexed and the backups are always complete.  The best part is the fact that most backups take place within a matter of minutes making us wonder if manufacturers should boost up memory size of the drives.

Performance:

To truly understand the speed of Thunderbolt, let us see what the maximum speeds for ports are. USB 2.0 has a limit of 480 Mbps, FireWire 800 has a limit of 800 Mbps. The newer USB 3.0 has a limit at 5 Gbps. The thunderbolt technology triumphs over all of them at 10 Gbps. This technology is going to be extremely useful for film makers and editors as the large edited video and audio files can be transferred within a matter of seconds.  Daisy chaining is also possible.

Quiet:

Because the drive uses SSDs, there are no moving parts and hence little vibration and lesser power consumption.

Designed to get rid of heat:

The LaCie heat sink design enhances heat dissipation from the drive and maintains it at moderate temperatures. So there is absolutely no chance of the device failing due to high temperatures.

What is in the box?

Along with the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt, there is provided an AC power adapter kit, a removable drive stand and a Quick Install guide. The device lacks a power switch and so in order to switch off the drive, you will have to disconnect power supply.

Warranty:

There is a limited warranty of one year on the Little Big Disk external drive.  Support is available on the website in the form of FAQs, drivers etc. The phone support provided by LaCie is not free.

Conclusion:

LaCie has truly delivered a product to remember. The LaCie Big Little Disk Thunderbolt edition is special as it is the first external hard drive to feature this revolutionary technology. Although the drive is on the more expensive side and not all devices are Thunderbolt compatible yet, the prospects of 10 GB speeds are intriguing. With such high speeds, file transfers that took hours take minutes. Same is the case with backups. The device rarely has any issues and is less noisy.  Therefore if you are someone who transfers large files often and are willing out to shell out some extra cash, we suggest you go for this.

LaCie Little Big Disk – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer LaCie
Model Name LaCie Big Little Disk Thunderbolt Edition
Colours available Silver
Dimensions (H x W x D) 1.6 x 5.5 x 3.3 in. / 40 x 140 x 85 mm
Weight 630g/1.41 lbs
Interface 2 x Thunderbolt 10Gbits
Cooling System Aluminium heat sink
Available Capacities 250GB, 500GB and 1TB
Spindle speed SSD Drive ( 250GB and 500GB)
7200rpm ( 1TB)
Data transfer rate (max) 10Gbps
Compatible operating systems Mac OS 10.6
Security Kensington Chain Lock compatible
Box Content LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt
AC power adapter kit
Removable drive stand
Quick Install guide
Warranty One year

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