LaCie Rugged All-Terrain 301371 500 GB FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 Portable Hard Disk

List Price: $423.80 Discount Price: $229.99

Features:

• 500 GB external hard disk with rugged, shock resistant case
• Triple interface including FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0 for speed and universal connectivity
• Bus-powered so no bulky power adapter required
• Backed by a 2-year warranty
• Measures 3.5 x 1.0 x 5.7 inches (WxHxD)

Customer Reviews:

LaCie Rugged Hard Drive 500 GB - Great Capacity With Fire-wire And USB Ports!!! [Posted on 2008-08-28]

The LaCie Rugged All-Terrain 301371 500 GB FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 Portable Hard Disk is a great unit that is ideal for those with fire-wire ports built-in to their laptops and computers. After having a positive experience with the LaCie 250 GB Rugged Hard Disk with FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB2.0, I was really excited to see they had a 500 GB version available. So far I have only positive experiences to report. Despite the relatively high cost versus competing drives, this is about the best capacity and performance you can get in a portable hard drive right now.

While it is no secret that I love my WD hard-drives, the LaCie drive definitely outperforms it in a few key areas. This is particularly true if you have firewire ports in your computer. It's just faster. So it may be well worth the premium to pick up the LaCie.

While most Macs have fire-wire built-in, the majority of Windows based laptops do not right now. That is changing as more PCs are getting them built-in. I need drives for several computers, including Mac, Windows and Linux boxes. This drive is definitely a must own if you have a Mac and may even be worth installing a fire-wire card in your PC.

Don't get me wrong, when it comes to value and best performance for your buck the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Intense Blue) is a great option. Like the LaCie, it has a variety of color options including black, red, white and blue. Changing colors on your LaCie is much easier than buying a different color WD drive when the mood strikes. The rugged color bumpers are interchangeable. The WD doesn't have the "rugged" edges and it only has USB 2.0.

If you want to run a program or a media library off your external drive, USB is just not as good as fire-wire. Ignore the specifications and numbers, because from first hand experience I can tell you fire-wire definitely performs faster for large backups or regular data access. In that way the LaCie is also more versatile. Even if you are planning on using it for USB only right now, having the fire-wire ports means you are future-proofed. If you plan on getting a new laptop within the next year you can pretty much plan on it having fire-wire.

Now there are a few slight advantages that the WD has over the LaCie. The LaCie is definitely slightly bigger and thicker, and it's also more expensive. Still, the pros will probably outweigh the cons, especially for Mac users.

Pros
+ Great versatility with fire-wire 400, 800, and USB 2.0
+ Fire-Wire speeds give you better response times for online data access
+ Nice size with aluminum shell and "rugged" edges that hold up regular use
+ USB or FW powered, so no A/C required, which is great for portability
+ USB power sharing option allows you to hook up a USB hub, etc.
+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X and older versions too
+ You can set up your own disk encryption for security and privacy
+ Nice looks, and the brushed surface scratches much less than my WD drives
+ Other color options for your rubber bumpers are sold separately
+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray
+ Easy driver-less installation really works!
+ Included backup software is less buggy than WD and may be useful for some
+ 500 GB capacity is great, even though 250 GB was good too
+ The 2 year warrantee is good, but not as good as WD's 3 and 5 year warrantees depending on model

Cons
- Priced higher than WD on a dollar per gigabyte basis
- Larger GB drives from LaCie are newer and have less of a track record
- Form factor is slightly larger and thicker than the WD passport drive
- Warrantee is also shorter than WD
- The *rugged* thing may be exaggerated; I don't recommend dropping it
- Still no standard Linux drivers or software included, but there are workarounds
- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included

Conclusion

This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups or running a media library application like iTunes or Media Center. Now with the larger capacities coming out, the benefits of this drive are even better. The premium price may be worth it for those who need that extra edge in speed offered by fire-wire connectivity.

Enjoy!

Very pleased [Posted on 2008-09-19]
I've been using this drive for several weeks now, both as a storage spot for video, photos, etc. and as a backup drive via OS X Leopard's Time Machine. Works great! I'm very impressed with the transfer speeds. Also, even after reading the specs I was blown away when I received the box... This thing is tiny! Perfect for a business traveller needing backup; I've already taken this thing across Canada and back without even noticing.

Premium price but works great so far [Posted on 2008-09-20]
I have three of these rugged drives in different HD sizes and fortunately no issues with them. The multiple interface is great the FW800 on my MacBook Pro is twice as fast as the USB. For this price LaCie could have included one more sleeve in different color. Since I have three of these drives I bought the color sleeves now I "know who is who".

No Problems Thus Far [Posted on 2008-09-20]
I got two of these. One for storage of files and the other to use as a scratch disc for video editing. Works great with MacBook Pro and Final Cut. I highly recommend the Caselogic PHDC-1 Small EVA External Hard Drive Case to go with it. I wasn't sure it would be a good fit but it's like the 2 products were made for each other. They are a perfect combination and I have 2 of each.

The only thing is the drive gets pretty hot sometimes. I don't know if this is part of normal operation but I just make sure not to leave the drive in the Caselogic case when I'm using it. I sit it on top so the air can flow all around it. It seems to help with the temperature.

Nice but large. [Posted on 2008-10-04]
The laCie hard drive is much larger than say a Western Digital bus powered drive, I Would say it is on the clunky side of design. The triple interface is the saving grace of this drive, I only wish it was a 7200 rpm drive not a 5400 rpm drive. I think when the old drive dies I will install a 7200 rpm drive in the case so the firewire 800 can be used to it's potential. I have liked the drive despite the misgivings I have with the design, I have partitioned the drive in three sections, one for general storage, one for fat 32 for my Windows needs and one for time machine.

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