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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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LaCie has upgraded its Rugged Hard Drive, adding an integrated Thunderbolt cable and improved damage resistance. The SSD version, available in 250 and 500GB capacities, achieves transfer speeds of up to 387MB/s. There is a USB 3.0 interface as well, though only the Thunderbolt cable is permanently attached.

The integrated Thunderbolt cable allowed LaCie to increase protection against water and dust because the dust cap can be left on even when the device is in use. When not in use, the bus-powered Thunderbolt cable tucks into the case and is protected by the cover. LaCie says the SSD version of the drive can withstand up to two-meter drops and conforms to the IP54 durability standard. LaCie has also increased the warranty from two years to three.

ruggedthunderbolt.jpg
"My assignments take me to the top surf spots all over the world," said Surfer Magazine staff photographer Zak Noyle. "So it's imperative that my equipment is ready for any challenge. The LaCie Rugged's speed allows me to deliver projects quickly, and its resilience to water, sand and drops make me confident that my photos are protected. From the beaches of Oahu to Tahiti, the LaCie Rugged has never let me down."
The new LaCie Rugged drive goes on sale today in 250GB ($300) and 500GB ($500) solid state versions, plus 1TB ($220) and 2TB ($300) 5400RPM hard drive versions.

Article Link: LaCie Upgrades Rugged Hard Drive With Integrated Thunderbolt Cable
 

OtherJesus

macrumors 6502
Sep 28, 2005
378
132
Bay Area, California
So you want me to buy a product where the most expensive cable is permanently attached so in the event that the cable breaks, I have to replace the entire drive?

Also... Why in the world would I want a 5200rpm drive ever again?

Lolz no thanks.
 
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576316

macrumors 601
May 19, 2011
4,056
2,556
Never liked LaCie hard drives. Massively over priced for what they are.
 

unplugme71

macrumors 68030
May 20, 2011
2,827
754
Earth
This product would be better:

- USB 3 attached cable
- No attached TB cable
- SSD or 7200RPM SATA

Why waste a TB port for a low speed performing device.
 

MrX8503

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,292
1,614
Ever wonder why thunderbolt 2.5" enclosures only are hard to come by?

Its so that thunderbolt vendors can charge you 10x the price for a built in drive.

I don't ever remember FireWire being this bad.
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
LaCie.com said:
LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt Series
Move at the Speed of Lightning.

I love that they included this specific line.

Ever wonder why thunderbolt 2.5" enclosures only are hard to come by?

Because they are fairly new and don't offer anything obvious that you can't already get with USB 3, except with less compatibility (barring devices without USB 3 that have Thunderbolt). But some people will buy them anyways because they've heard that Thunderbolt = faster/better, regardless of if they understand the hard drive's limitations.

Anyways, LaCie Rugged has always been ridiculously overpriced.
 

larrylaffer

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2009
691
1,293
Los Angeles
This product would be better:

- USB 3 attached cable
- No attached TB cable
- SSD or 7200RPM SATA

Why waste a TB port for a low speed performing device.

While I would tend to agree with you, especially because that device would surely cost less, I'm actually more at war with by available USB ports. I use a MBP connected to a Thunderbolt display, and I don't have a second monitor.

It would be nice to be able to plug the drive into the spare TB port on the back of the display, and save one of my USB ports. I'm an iOS and Android developer, so I need spare ports for those devices.
 

Icaras

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2008
6,343
3,380
That's just way too expensive.

I recently purchased a single drive external SSD thunderbolt in 256 GB capacity for a little over $300. I think those prices are pretty much in range with what's offered today on the market.

Yes it's expensive when compared to the GB/$ ratio of traditional HDDs but for thunderbolt equipped external SSD drives, it sounds about right.
 

MrX8503

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,292
1,614
I love that they included this specific line.







Because they are fairly new and don't offer anything obvious that you can't already get with USB 3, except with less compatibility (barring devices without USB 3 that have Thunderbolt). But some people will buy them anyways because they've heard that Thunderbolt = faster/better, regardless of if they understand the hard drive's limitations.



Anyways, LaCie Rugged has always been ridiculously overpriced.


Thunderbolt isn't new. Some people prefer thunderbolt for the TRIM commands and OS boot. USB3 doesn't offer this.
 

unplugme71

macrumors 68030
May 20, 2011
2,827
754
Earth
While I would tend to agree with you, especially because that device would surely cost less, I'm actually more at war with by available USB ports. I use a MBP connected to a Thunderbolt display, and I don't have a second monitor.

It would be nice to be able to plug the drive into the spare TB port on the back of the display, and save one of my USB ports. I'm an iOS and Android developer, so I need spare ports for those devices.

This is why I think every Mac should have 2 TB ports at minimum.

----------

Thunderbolt isn't new. Some people prefer thunderbolt for the TRIM commands and OS boot. USB3 doesn't offer this.

You can boot an OS from USB 3. I've done this. While not as fast as an internal drive, it wasn't that much slower using an SSD. The CPU just has a little more overhead though.
 

jont-fu

macrumors regular
Mar 13, 2008
152
56
I have a Lacie Rugged 7200 rpm Firewire drive in my old Mac Mini. It's rigged as as fusion drive with the computer's SSD drive, and has worked fine & fast for many years. But it was way cheaper - about 4 years ago when bought - than even those 5400 rpm drives :eek:

I still somehow like the design, ymmv!
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
Thunderbolt isn't new. Some people prefer thunderbolt for the TRIM commands and OS boot. USB3 doesn't offer this.

USB has been standard in just about every computer for 10-15 years and is backwards compatible. Compared to this, yes Thunderbolt is very new.

Also, you can boot from USB 3 as long as the mobo doesn't mind. I installed beta Mavericks on USB 2 when it came out.
 

JHankwitz

macrumors 68000
Oct 31, 2005
1,911
58
Wisconsin
I'm an iOS and Android developer, so I need spare ports for those devices.

USB Hubs are available for under $50.

----------

Who the hell is Neil Poulton and why would I want his name etched on this piece of crap drive??

He's obviously a great industrial designer. I have several of LaCie drives in rough use. They get dropped and banged around on a regular basis, and his case designs have stood the test of time and abuse.

LaCie doesn't design or manufacture the drive mechanisms. They're purchased from other manufacturers and inserted into these great cases.
 

kwikdeth

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2003
1,136
1,706
Tempe, AZ
SSDs aren't all created equal, are they? Why not list the drive speeds, Mac Rumors?

because much like the drive speed fiasco in the recent macbook airs, LaCie will obtain their drives from the lowest cost manufacturer at the time of that particular batch run, and as a result speeds will vary from batch to batch.

but given that its lacie, you can probably expect a consumer-grade drive with middle-tier performance.
 

Radiomarko

macrumors member
May 6, 2008
83
27
UK & Russia
Been using these "...piece of crap" series of drives since they were launched for portable backup of broadcast TV files in some extreme environments.

Never ever been let down.

Don't knock it if you haven't got it.
 
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