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LaCie 8big Pro5: 30-second review
Specs
Drive bays: 8 × hot-swappable
Drives installed: 8 × Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB
Raw capacity: 256TB
Ports: Thunderbolt 5 (120Gbps), 140W power delivery, 2 × Thunderbolt 5 (30W each), USB-C 20Gbps (15W)
Max transfer speeds: 2,800MB/s read (RAID 0), 2,500MB/s (RAID 5)
RAID modes: Hardware RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60, JBOD, multi-RAID
Software: LaCie RAID Manager, LaCie Toolkit
Warranty: 5 years + Rescue Data Recovery Services
Build: Aluminium enclosure with carry handle, Neil Poulton design
Power: AC mains
When I first plugged in the LaCie 8big Pro5 256TB, I realised that my workstation suddenly had access to 256TB of local storage, so the impact of this was immediate. I have tested a great deal of storage hardware, and the sense of scale when that volume of capacity mounts as a single directly-attached drive is genuinely striking and somewhat scary, especially the thought of it crashing or a drive going down when it has all that data held with. However, the point of the LaCie 8big Pro is the eight-drive RAID configuration.
The review unit I was sent houses eight Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB drives in a full aluminium enclosure with Neil Poulton’s characteristic minimalistic design. In looks and style, it’s closer in aesthetics to a NAS than the older LaCie Big drives with their bright blue power buttons and silver drawers. A feature that gives you some idea of the intended use is the large carry handle at the top: this handle shows that this is not just for the studio/edit suite, but also ready for use on-site as long as there’s AC power.
Like most desktop hard drives, the connection to my MacBook Pro M1 Max, or ASUS PZ14, is made through a single cable, in this case, a Thunderbolt 5. This cable, with its 140W power delivery, was also enough to power the MacBook Pro M1 Max, removing the need to carry a separate charger and helping to keep my work area relatively clean and tidy.
Both the MacBook Pro M1 Max (Thunderbolt 4) and the Asus ProArt PZ14 (USB4) were used through the test, and while neither has Thunderbolt 5, the 40Gbps limit of both connections didn’t dull down the performance with the RAID 0 array delivering 3,811MB/s in CrystalDiskMark, exceeding LaCie’s stated 2,800MB/s specification.
While RAID 0 is great to see the full speed potential, I reformatted the system to a more secure RAID 5 for production work, giving 224TB of usable capacity with single-drive fault tolerance and hot-swap capability. When it came to using the 8big Pro5, it handled 4K and 8K video editing from the Canon EOS R5 C in Final Cut Pro X and Premiere Pro without a dropped frame or the spinning beach ball, across multiple days, essentially keeping up with the pace of editing without causing any data slowdown through the edit process.
With a high price-tag for the 256TB configuration that I’ve looked at, this is without doubt a professional piece of production equipment. But for that money, the LaCie 8big Pro5 delivers exactly what it promises, and in the intended environment, it’s actually cheaper than some rack-mounted systems or site storage hire.
LaCie 8big Pro5: Price & availability
The LaCie 8big Pro5 starts at $5,979 for the 32TB configuration from Seagate’s US official site, while in the UK, prices begin at £5,419 for the 32TB model. The highest configuration is the 256TB configuration reviewed here, which is currently out of stock in North America, but £14,711.99 in the UK.
I did spy the 64TB version on Amazon.com for $7249, and there’s also a 192TB variant for $11,269. But as far as I can see, it’s not available on Amazon.co.uk.
However, WEX and other major photo and video retailers are listing the 256TB version of the drive for considerably less than the official prices set by Seagate.
LaCie 8big Pro5: Design & build
To most people, the LaCie 8big Pro5 will look like a standard NAS, but it is instead a DAS (Direct Attached Storage), essentially the same as most portable and Desktop drives, just on a far larger and more professional level. The main box is simple by design with a full aluminium enclosure styled by the designer Neil Poulton, who has led LaCie’s professional range for years. The build quality is immediately impressive and reflects both the use and the high price point. The main use is substantial in both size – 11.693in × 9.134in × 8.465in (297.00mm × 232.00mm × 215.00mm) and weight 31.592lb (14330g).
This enclosure houses an eight-bay RAID array with 32TB drives, but unlike most drives of this size and price, it features a large top carry handle that makes the unit easy to move between locations rather than just sit as a permanent fixture in the studio. The reason for this is the creative industry, where large 4 and 8K video files need to be stored, and large format devices such as this are a valuable addition. While it is designed to be movable, it still requires an AC power source.
During the test, I moved it from my home to the office and studio, and even took it out in the van on a shoot, plugging it into a Bluetti Elite 300 on site. I also used it between a MacBook Pro setup and a Windows editing station, and as it only needs the single-cable Thunderbolt connection, it meant that the transition between each machine was as simple as unplugging from one and re-plugging into the next.
Another of the features that I liked, although aside from removing and installing a drive while on, to see what would happen, is that the eight drive bays are hot-swappable. What this means with a RAID 5 or RAID 6 configuration is that if a drive is highlighted as failing during an editing task, it can be pulled and replaced while the unit remains powered and the array continues operating. During the test, all drives worked fine, so this procedure was tried for testing rather than necessity.
When the drive arrives, there are a few setup procedures that need to be run through, and this is all guided by the excellent LaCie RAID Manager that handles the monitoring and rebuild process. Through the test, this software was used to switch the RAID from 0 to 6 and then to 5. On each swap, the drives were wiped clean. While you can hot swap drives, you can’t change the RAID type without losing data.
The front of the unit is left very simple with LED status indicators for each drive, and the power button, which is notably dimmer than on previous-generation LaCie Bigs. I used to cover the old generation’s bright blue power button with insulating tape when working late on a deadline; the current version seems far more balanced.
The front panel is minimal, and it would have been nice to have a small screen on a machine at this price that showed drive activity, system status, and health, but instead it’s kept simple. For anything beyond a quick glance, LaCie RAID Manager software on the host machine is required.
Compared with the older LaCie 8big generation, the styling is a huge improvement and far more practical in and out of the studio. The new design visually reflects a high-end NAS rather than a traditional DAS tower, which actually sits well in a professional studio.
LaCie 8big Pro5: Features
Thunderbolt 5 is the latest in connection technology and is rated in the specifications as up to 120Gbps and also offering 140W of power delivery to a connected machine, in my case, the MacBook Pro. The host port (Highlighted with a small laptop icon next to the Thunderbolt) delivers 140W to a laptop via the same cable that transfers data.
When I’m working on location work where cable management and power points are limited, essentially, I have a Bluetti Elite 300. The ability to power a laptop and run the full storage array over a single cable is definitely advantageous.
It’s worth noting that the MacBook Pro M1 Max and Asus ProArt PZ14 top out at Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, respectively, each rated at 40Gbps. Neither machine has Thunderbolt 5. The top transfer speeds for both connections are 4,000–4,500 MB/s. Since the 8big Pro5’s RAID 0 array peaks at 2,800 MB/s under the listed specifications, it should mean that the two machines I’ve used in this test shouldn’t restrict the speed. The only real restriction will be in the ability to daisy chain devices using the connection.
On enabled machines, the two Daisy-Chained Thunderbolt 5 ports enable 30W of power delivery each, and the USB 20Gbps port offers 15W. Through the test, I connected portable drives and a CFexpress Type B card reader so that footage and files could be quickly offloaded to the system.
Through the initial set, the formatting of the drive can be selected, with a range of RAID configurations possible. This formatting is handled through LaCie RAID Manager, which essentially guides you through the initial setup and makes everything extremely easy, even for users new to RAID.
The DAS offers several different RAID configuration options, and for the start of the review to test the speed, it was set up as RAID 0 for benchmarking and then for the majority of the test it was reformatted and set up in RAID 5 for production video editing.
Essentially, RAID 0 delivers the full 256TB of usable capacity with no redundancy. The issue with this is that a single drive failure destroys the entire array. RAID 5 reduces usable capacity to 224TB but provides single-drive fault tolerance and hot-swap support. RAID 6 further reduces usable capacity to 192 TB but protects against two simultaneous drive failures, making it the best choice for a portable array that is likely to be moved, but will reduce the overall speed.
The ability to swap out a drive through the front-loading caddy system is similar to a NAS, and with the Hot-swapping abilities in RAID 5 or RAID 6, that means that a failed drive can be pulled and replaced while the unit remains powered on, with the array continues operating, and a full rebuild of the data begins automatically once the new drive is inserted. For a production storage unit of this scale, the ability to replace a failed drive without needing to down tools until another drive arrives is absolutely essential. I will highlight that, over the few weeks I had,, all drives functioned without fault, so the hotswapping test needed to be carried out on drives that were working perfectly.
Along with the drive comes the LaCie Toolkit, which is included for backup on Windows and general management across Mac and PC, as well as the RAID Manager, which is needed when you first set up the drive. Both bits of software are well designed and simple to use, enabling you to get up and running quickly and check on the drive’s health.
Included with the drive is a two-month Adobe Creative Cloud Pro membership. This is a standard addition with professional LaCie hardware and many other hardware units, including the ProArt PZ14 (2026) that I’m also reviewing at present. To be honest, at this price point, most users will already own the Creative Cloud suite or another professional alternative, such as the excellent DaVinci Resolve for video and DXO PhotoLab for photography.
As ever, there’s a 5-year warranty and Rescue Data Recovery Services as useful additions for peace of mind.
LaCie 8big Pro5: Performance
Benchmarks
All benchmarks run in RAID 0 configuration. Primary benchmarks via ASUS ProArt PZ14 (USB4 40Gbps host connection).
AJA System Test Read: 2,645 MB/s
AJA System Test Write: 2,582 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Read: 3,811.70 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 1,974.34 MB/s
ATTO Disk Benchmark Read: 3,550 MB/s
ATTO Disk Benchmark Write: 1,580 MB/s
AS SSD Read: 2,632.36 MB/s
AS SSD Write: 2,125.41 MB/s
LaCie quotes up to 2,800 MB/s as the maximum transfer rate for RAID 0, but through the benchmarking tests that I ran after initially setting up the drive, CrystalDiskMark returned values of 3,811 MB/s, while ATTO returned 3,550 MB/s, both far higher than the specified speed.
When it comes to video production, the AJA System Test is the industry-standard, and this returned 2,645 MB/s read and 2,582 MB/s write in RAID 0, again showing consistent sustained performance at the speeds that matter for video and Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro and Da Vinci Resolve.
The MacBook Pro M1 Max was connected via Thunderbolt 4 and the ProArt PZ14 via USB4; both top out at 40 Gbps, which gives each the ability to transfer data at between 4,000–4,500 MB/s with compatible software.
The 3,811 MB/s from CrystalDiskMark is close to that maximum speed, showing just how fast that HDD array can be, challenging the speeds of SSDs.
When it came to editing 4 and 8K video, the 8big Pro5 was able to handle Canon EOS R5 C footage recorded in 4K UHD 3840 × 2160, 50fps, Canon XF-AVC Long GOP, YCC422 10-bit, MXF format, across both Final Cut Pro X on the MacBook Pro M1 Max and Premiere Pro on the ProArt PZ14 without dropping frames or any annoying timeline stutter.
In use due to this speed, using the drive was essentially much like editing from a fast external SSD; I just had access to almost 200TB of storage rather than 2.
After arriving back at the studio after a day’s shoot, I usually download the footage before heading home. This can be a slightly time-consuming process; however, footage offload from directly attached CFexpress Type B cards was incredibly fast. Transferring 1.5TB of Canon EOS R5 C footage to the 8big Pro5 took roughly 10 minutes, compared with approximately 2 hours to the FireCuda X Vault at 207 MB/s, which in itself is faster than my usual Desktipo drive.
At RAID 0 speeds, the 8big Pro5 is fast enough that the CFexpress card reader, rather than the storage array, is where the data transfer is limited.
When editing video, due to the nature of constantly accessing the drive, heat builds up, and thermal throttling can be an issue, especially with small portable hard drives. Here, with the enclosure and space around the drives, both the heat and noise were well managed.
As all eight drives distribute the read and write load across the RAID array rather than hammering a single drive, heat build-up is vastly reduced. Through the test, the unit ran cool and was exceptionally quiet throughout, sitting beside the monitor without being a distraction.
Through the test, the performance was consistent across both the Mac and Windows platforms, with the difference between the Thunderbolt 4 connection on the MacBook Pro M1 Max and the USB4 connection on the ProArt PZ14 making little to no real-world difference in use.
Should you buy the LaCie 8big Pro5?
The LaCie 8big Pro5 256TB is the fastest storage device of its type that I have connected to either a Mac or a PC by a long way; in fact, no other HDD drive of any type that I have ever tested comes even remotely close.
The Real-world read speeds of 3,811 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and 2,645 MB/s in AJA System Test just reflect the speed at which data was delivered and saved when editing 4 and 8K video directly from the array on both macOS and Windows.
The single Thunderbolt 5 cable that both powers the MacBook Pro M1 Max at 140W while providing the main data connection is essentially like many other modern devices, from drives to hubs, and all help to keep the work surface clear. This is especially relevant on location or in a shared studio space where space can be extremely limited.
The hot-swappable drive bays are a handy feature in both RAID 5 and RAID 6 that enables valuable redundancy. If the worst does happen, it means you can keep working while a new drive is sourced.
Through the test, I utilised RAID 5 at 224TB, this is the option that I would usually opt for, giving me the reassurance of safety, capacity and speed. If I were to use this drive in video production, even though there would be a further reduction in capacity and speed, I would definitely opt for RAID 6.
RAID 6 reduces that capacity to 192TB; in effect, you’re losing 64TB of storage space, which for a normal HDD would be huge. However, here, the importance of safety outweighs capacity when you have so much. In RAID 6, there are two simultaneous failures, which, with the portable nature of the 8big Pro5, heightens the risk.
At £3,999 for the 32TB entry configuration and £14,711.99 for the 256TB review unit, the 8big Pro5 should be seen as professional broadcast and production equipment. For production companies, post-production facilities, and professionals who manage large volumes of high-resolution footage and need both capacity and speed in a portable form, the LaCie 8big Pro5 is an exceptional off-the-shelf desktop DAS.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Row 0 – Cell 1 | Row 0 – Cell 2 |
|
Value |
Expensive, but considering the storage and the intended market, it’s in line with similar equipment and shop around for the best price |
4.5 |
|
Design |
There’s no doubt that this is a premium unit, and this isn’t just the price. The aluminium enclosure and carry handle give this a minimalistic, sleek look. |
4.5 |
|
Features |
Despite being a storage device, it has all the right features and the latest TB5 connectivity, RAID 5/6 with hot-swap and 140W laptop charging |
4.5 |
|
Performance |
This is by far the fastest DAS that I have used, and the performance through three major video edits was exceptional with both 4 and 8k footage. |
5 |
|
Total |
The most expensive but also capable desktop DAS that I have used, and an ideal fit for medium production outfits. |
4.5 |
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