LaCie 5big Thunderbolt 2
Professional 5-Disk Hardware RAID | Dual Thunderbolt 2

Features:

Thunderbolt 2 Speeds for the 4K Era

With Thunderbolt 2 technology, the interface is no longer the performance bottleneck. For the 5big, LaCie harnessed the breakthrough performance potential of the Thunderbolt 2 I/O, squeezing the absolute best speeds out of the hard disks. Add a hardware RAID controller and 7200 RPM disks and the result is incredible, sustained speeds of up to 1050 MB/s that turbocharge 4K workflows, file transfers, and backups.

With this kind of speed, videographers can work directly from RAW files in Apple® Final Cut Pro® or Adobe® Premiere®, get maximum quality from footage, and see edits in real time. No need to first convert footage into a lower resolution. Avid® Pro Tools® users will notice incredibly smooth audio mixing, even when working with hundreds of tracks simultaneously. Professional photographers using Adobe Lightroom® or Apple Aperture® can browse through archived libraries of thousands of RAW and edited images with zero lag.

Bulletproof Reliability

The 40TB version features Seagate Enterprise Class hard disks that provide superb accessibility, reliability, and robust performance. Designed to operate 24x7 on 16-bay racks (instead of 8x5 operations for traditional hard drives), these HDDs can support 8,760 hours of operation per year for extraordinary availability. The LaCie 5big with Enterprise Class drives also comes with a five-year warranty that covers drives, enclosure, and spare parts, ensuring a solid, long-term investment. Enterprise Class drives feature 256MB cache, 7200 RPM, and rack environment optimization, offering the ideal solution for handling aggressive workloads. For maximum reliability of your critical data, depend on the LaCie 5big with Enterprise Class drives.

RAID for Speed with Security

The LaCie 5big offers RAID modes 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD. Its hardware RAID controller delivers sustained performance, better flexibility, and the ability to connect the product to another computer while keeping the RAID configuration. Preconfigured in HFS+ and RAID 5, it is truly plug and play for Mac® users. And easily customize the RAID mode to suit your needs using the LaCie RAID Manager utility.

RAID modes 5 and 6 provide complete data protection against disk failure, while providing excellent speed and capacity. This is perfect for when you want to use a single storage product for both editing and backup. Even in the case of disk failure, the LaCie 5big’s hot-swappable disks mean zero data loss or downtime.

You could instead choose RAID 0² to maximize speed and capacity for current projects, and then move completed projects to archival storage incredibly quickly. Or, choose JBOD, which allows you to see and use each disk independently. With five working days a week, you can assign each disk to a daily backup. It’s even possible to set up multiple RAID volumes. For example, create both a 3-disk RAID 5 array for current projects, and a 2-disk RAID 1 array for backing up source files and final footage.

RAID Configurations

Speed + Security	Maximum Speed
Hybrid	Daily Backup

Mode	Min. Disks	Capacity	Protection	Performance
Raid 5 (default)	3	80%	★★★★	★★★★
Raid 6	4	60%	★★★★★	★★★
Raid 10	4	40%	★★★★	★★
Raid 1	2 (only)	20%	★★★★	★★
Raid 0	2	100%	★	★★★★★

The Most Powerful I/O, Reinvented

Thunderbolt technology redefined external storage with its speed and versatility for bandwidth-intensive applications. Thunderbolt 2 builds on those advances by doubling the speed potential to 20 Gb/s and enabling simultaneous RAW 4K video editing and display. And thanks to support for DisplayPort 1.2, it’s now possible to daisy chain higher-resolution displays such as 4K monitors.

Thunderbolt 2 also continues to support daisy chaining up to six devices to a computer via a single cable (included in the box). For example, you could connect a total of 36 LaCie 5bigs via the six Thunderbolt 2 ports on a single Mac Pro®, enabling more than 1PB (1080TB) and more than 3000 MB/s. Thunderbolt 2 even uses the same cables and connectors as first-generation Thunderbolt³.

Advanced Cooling for Long-Term Reliability

The LaCie 5big has a cutting-edge cooling system that ensures long-term reliability by preventing overheating. It consists of three key components: an innovative heat-dissipating aluminum casing, a Noctua® cooling fan, and jumbo heat exhausts. For the enclosure, a solid-aluminum heat-sink design diverts and dissipates heat more efficiently than plastic casings.

The ultra-quiet Noctua NF-P12 fan pulls heat away from the internal components while producing exceptionally little noise. It’s thermoregulated, so it also controls its speed according to ambient temperature. As a result, the fan works more efficiently while prolonging the product’s lifespan. And for whisper-quiet operation, the LaCie 5big’s heat exhausts direct noise away from the user. Altogether, this professional cooling system makes the LaCie 5big perfect for even the most noise-sensitive creative environments.

Usability & Reliability for Professionals

In designing the LaCie 5big enclosure, LaCie relentlessly focused on usability for professionals. The front button gives you a convenient way to turn off the product or put it into Power-Saving Mode. A short press spins down the disks, reducing power consumption, without interrupting a Thunderbolt daisy chain. A long press powers down the product completely.

The LaCie 5big features a cable lock to prevent accidental Thunderbolt cable or power supply disconnections.Combined with Kensington® lock compatibility, the LaCie 5big fully protects your data against unauthorized access.

LaCie also bundles the 5big with software solutions for system monitoring, backup, and unauthorized access prevention. Use the LaCie RAID Manager utility to set up email alerts and monitor storage before potential problems escalate. And for professional backup schemes, the LaCie 5big includes Intego® Backup Manager Pro and is compatible with Time Machine®.

¹ These transfer rates were achieved using AJA System Test when connected to a Mac computer via the Thunderbolt 2 interface. Actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment and other factors, such as RAID mode, RAID configuration, and disk capacity.
² Hot swapping will result in data loss in a RAID 0 array.
³ To achieve full interface bandwidth, connect the product to a Thunderbolt 2 port on a computer or device.
When referring to drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one thousand billion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and will not be available for data storage. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Specifications:

Item Number:	STFC20000400	STFC30000400	STFC40000400
Capacity:	20 TB	30 TB	40 TB
Internal Storage Media:	5 x hot-swappable* 7200RPM/64MB cache (or greater) hard disks
Interface:	2 x Thunderbolt™ 2 ports
Interface Transfer Rate:	20Gb/s
Performance Benchmark:	Reads | Writes (MB/s)** 10TB RAID 0: 660 | 650 10TB RAID 5: 520 | 530 20TB RAID 0: 920 | 880 20TB RAID 5: 700 | 720 30TB RAID 0: 1050 | 900 30TB RAID 5: 840 | 840 40TB RAID 0: 1050 | 950 40TB RAID 5: 850 | 850
Interface Technology:	Bidirectional 20Gb/s permits a high-resolution display and RAW 4K video editing
Power-Saving Mode:	Reduce power consumption by pressing the front button to spin down disks without disrupting daisy chain transfers (short press initiates power-saving mode; long press turns product off completely)
RAID Modes :	Preconfigured HFS+ RAID 5 Hardware RAID 0 / 1 / 5 / 6 / 10 / JBOD  Configure RAID using LaCie RAID Manager software
Daisy Chain:	Connect up to six Thunderbolt-compatible devices – including Thunderbolt 2 and LaCie Thunderbolt Series products – to a computer via a single Thunderbolt cable***
Security:	AES 256-bit software encryption▲ Kensington® lock compatible Cable lock
Cooling:	Aluminum enclosure with improved internal heat dissipation Thermoregulated Noctua® cooling fan: effective and whisper-quiet cooling
Additional Features:	System monitoring and email alerts for failure or warning events
Acoustic:	Standby: Negligible Idle: 25-28dBA Operating: 25-29dBA▲▲
Power Supply:	100-240V; 50/60Hz; 150W
Dimensions (WxHxD):	173 x 220 x 196 mm | 6.8 x 8.6 x 7.7 in.
Weight:	7.6 kg | 16.8 lbs
System Requirements:	Computer with a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt*** port Latest version of Windows® 7, Windows 8 / Mac OS® X 10.9 or later Minimum free disk space: 600MB recommended
Software:	Intego Backup Manager Pro for Mac® Genie® Backup Manager Pro for PC LaCie RAID Manager (administration console)

* Hot swapping will result in data loss in a RAID 0 array.
** These transfer rates were achieved using AJA System Test when connected to a Mac computer via the Thunderbolt 2 interface. Actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment and other factors, such as RAID mode, RAID configuration, and disk capacity.
*** To achieve full interface bandwidth, connect the product to a Thunderbolt 2 port on a computer or device.
▲▲ These measurements have been made under normal conditions, one meter/three feet from the front of the product. This value may vary with conditions and product configuration.
When referring to drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one thousand billion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and will not be available for data storage.

Compare:

	12big Thunderbolt 3	6big Thunderbolt 3	5big Thunderbolt 2
Hours of 4K footage stored (RAID 5)**	Up to 200	Up to 115	Up to 42
Ideal for video editing at	6K–8K	4K	4K
Performance (RAID 0)	2600MB/s	1400MB/s	1050MB/s
Drive Bays	12	6	5
Hardware RAID 5/6
Daisy Chain
USB Compatibility
Thunderbolt 2 Compatibility
IronWolf Pro Enterprise-Class Drives			(40TB only)
Limited Warranty	5-year	5-year	5-year (40TB only)
Rescue Data Recovery Services	5-year	5-year
	Learn More	Learn More

Images:

Documentation:

Download the LaCie 5big Thunderbolt 2 Datasheet (PDF)