The title of this review is a bit misleading, since the 2big Thunderbolt is actually all that a video editor, graphic artist, or anyone who needs to backup a lot of massive files quickly needs. The average Mac user probably won’t need such a capable hard drive, but the 2big Thunderbolt is worth looking at all the same. It’s really easy to become very impressed with all that the 2big offers. With plenty of storage, amazingly fast speeds, and lots of great features, it’s hard to imagine why you’d need (or want) anything else.

Inside the LaCie 2big Thunderbolt

This drive comes all ready for RAID 0, which happens to be the fastest setting possible. However, it is not hard to change the settings to RAID 1, which will bring the overall capacity of the drive to 3TB. To change the settings, simply use Apple’s utility tools or you can opt to check out what LaCie has to offer. If needed, you can also change the settings to JBOD formatting. With RAID 0 (factory settings), you will gain the fastest performance without any data redundancy – redundancy will occur with a RAID 1 setting.

The 2big comes with two drive sleds that are both equipped with a SATA drive. The nice thing about two drive sleds is that one drive can be replaced if need be, but both drives don’t have to be replaced at the same time. You might expect all of this to be packed into a mammoth of a machine, but the 2big only weighs around 8 pounds and measures 3.5X8 inches. The 2big also includes a back cooling vent and two Thunderbolt ports. As far as power supply goes, you’ll have to purchase your own from Apple (around $49) or find a suitable power supply for less. This drive is completely compatible with all other LaCie devices, however, so you can easily use any other LaCie device you have in conjunction with the 2big (a nice touch).

User-Friendliness and Readiness

It is possible to place the 2big on your desktop and start backing up files right after removing this drive from the box (Mac OS X and Time Machine). However, you can also use the dual-Gbps link to hook up various drives to your MacBook Pro or to an iMac. Setting up the Gbps link is a good idea if you plan on transferring a lot of data or want to use a display plus a few drives. The 2big can hold up to 6TB of data, so you have plenty of room to play around.

Setting up the drive proves to be very easy right out of the box. If you want to hook up that dual Gbps connection, you might have to spend a bit more time setting things up, but both LaCie and Apple make it easy to run any drive without much hassle. The only reason why this drive would best suit someone who has lots of graphics to backup is that the drive is super fast and very large. If you don’t need a drive of this caliber, there are other options on the market, though this one is hard to beat. For everything that you’ll get when you purchase the 2big, this drive is priced extremely reasonably at $714.99.