Video editing is a demanding activity in every sense, but with the advance of 4K resolution, it's storage that bears the brunt. As if that weren't enough, non-linear edits require ever shorter access times, and the industry does everything it can to respond appropriately. Today it's LaCie's turn, announcing its new 12big tower compatible with the Thunderbolt 3 interface, with a maximum global capacity of 96 terabytes.
Solid-state drives have greatly improved their storage parameters without affecting performance, but all tasks that require high density remain under the control of hard drives. Both Seagate and Western Digital touched the barrier of ten terabytes per unit, and with enough time I think they'll find a way to go higher. Of course, all these optimizations respond to specific needs, which later are reflected in much more economical mass-consumer products. However, what brings us here today will likely appear on very few desks, and if it does, it will be in professional environments.
Performance and Capacity
That's right: LaCie decided to update its 12big line with a new version compatible with Thunderbolt 3. The final performance varies depending on the configuration chosen by the user for the disk group, but in the best case (that is, RAID 0 without redundancy) it reaches 2,600 megabytes per second in reading, and 1,700 megabytes per second in writing. On the other hand, if the Thunderbolt 3 interface isn't available, the numbers will be much more humble under USB 3.1, with 400 megabytes per second read and write. Its maximum capacity of 96 terabytes (twelve Seagate Enterprise 8-terabyte drives) is also under RAID 0, but according to LaCie's page, all compatible RAID modes are 0/1/5/6/10/50.
Design and Features
Needless to say, the LaCie 12big tower supports hot-swapping, has four fans to ensure adequate airflow, and the aluminum case helps with heat dissipation. Anyone wishing to encrypt the contents of the drives can do so through software, and as an additional reference, the tower weighs 17.6 kilograms in its complete version. LaCie is keeping prices under wraps for now, but one confirmed fact is that there will be 48 and 72 terabyte editions.
