-Hello, my name is Dong Ngo and I have here the top secret product called the Big Blue eyes from the new space program--
-Dong, wake up dude.
-This happens every time.
No, not really.
It's just a new NAS server from LaCie, the 5big Network 2. The blue thing here is real however.
It's indicated with light which shines solid blue when the server is turned on and will flash when something's happening.
You can touch it or press on it, though that won't do
anything.
From the front, the server indeed looks like a mysterious device or a piece of art I'm not supposed to understand.
It comes in full metal housing and is indeed very heavy.
Now, a standard back where it appeared to be a dead serious storage device.
The server has 5 hard drive base; each can house a standard SATA hard driver to offer up to 15 terabytes of storage space.
Each driver has a tray that's securely locked in place but can be easily unlocked by a coin.
After that, it can be easily pulled out for you to replace the hard drive.
The server comes with 5 hard drives pre-installed, which saves you from having to do that by yourself.
These drives can be set up in a few rate configuration including the popular RAID 5. One other thing, however, is the fact that if you replace one of the hard drives, it will void the warranty.
What's the point of making this so easy then?
Well, if you're scared of losing your warranty or if somehow the 15 terabyte happens to be not enough,
you can add more storage via 2 USB ports and 2 eSATA ports here on the back.
The server comes with 2-gigabit Ethernet port that can be used together for either failsafe or load balancing purposes.
Unfortunately, there's no way to increase the data rates when they are used together.
Speaking of data rates, the server performs well in all testing though didn't manage to blow us away.
Comparatively, it's slower than most RAID-5 capable servers we've seen.
But none of other server looks
this impressive and could wow your guests when left in a living room which this LaCie definitely can.
So what is the price for a good amount of wowing?
This server here is a 5-terabyte version and costs about $750.
Now also a 10-terabyte and 15-terabyte version that costs around $1200 and $1500 respectively.
To find out if the server is worth investing, check out the full video at CNET.com.
Once again, my name is Dong Ngo and this has been the First Look at this Big Blue
thing-- I mean the LaCie 5big Network 2 NAS server.
