LaCie Little Big Disk review: LaCie Little Big Disk

8.0

LaCie Little Big Disk

The Good

The LaCie Little Big Disk is a compact drive that offers blazing performance, three connection options, RAID 0 capability, and backup software--perfect for A/V enthusiasts on the go.

The Bad

The drive is expensive, and the USB connection isn't bus-powered, which means you'll have to carry the AC adapter if you don't have a FireWire port available. Also, LaCie's phone support isn't toll-free.

The Bottom Line

The LaCie Little Big Disk is perfect for mobile audiovisual enthusiasts who need fast transfer rates, a compact form factor, and multiple connection options. It's worth the price.

1. Drive type: Portable hard disk drive
2. Capacity: 160GB, 200GB, 320GB
3. Capacity of test unit: 200GB
4. Cache: 16MB
5. Dimension: 1.6 by 3.3 by 5.5 inches, 1.4 pounds
6. Notable design features: Pocket-size compact
7. Connection options: FireWire 800 (two ports), Hi-Speed USB 2.0, FireWire 400
8. OSs supported: Mac OS 10.x/Mac OS 9.x and Windows 2000/Windows XP
9. Software included (on drive): LaCie 1-Click Backup Software (Windows XP/2000, Mac OS 10.x), Silverkeeper backup software (Mac OS 9 & 10.x), Silverlining Pro Utilities (Mac OS 9)
10. Additional features: Rugged design, built-in RAID 0, FireWire-bus powered, removable drive stand
11. Service/support: One-year warranty; phone support Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT (toll call); Web site support: FAQs, manuals, drivers, online help-request form; hardcopy quick-install guide; LaCie Utilities CD-ROM with user manual.

We were impressed with the Little Big Disk's performance. The LaCie Little Big Disk was one of a very few external drives we've tested that offers consistently similar write and read speeds. Using a FireWire 400 connection, it averaged about 9.5 minutes to write our 10GB test folder to disk and copy it back to our PC. If you have a FireWire 800 port, you should see even faster performance. However, even using FireWire 400, the Little Big Disk was already the top performer among the external hard drives of its physical size (or bigger) that we've tested. Audiovisual pros, in particular, will rejoice at the drive's blazing speeds.

We tested with the FireWire connection because the USB 2.0 connection isn't bus-powered; it requires the included power adapter, which makes the unit a little more cumbersome when on the go. The FireWire connections are bus-powered. This is the only technical complaint we had with the drive.

The LaCie Little Big Disk is a bit pricey for the capacities offered, but it is an excellent external hard drive that offers great speed, multiple connection options, and features, including as RAID 0 capability, not normally included on drives of this size.