English
LaCie has long been a staple professional storage brand, renowned for Neil Poulton-designed enclosures, Seagate drives, Mac optimization and reliable warranties for creative users. The new LaCie 8big Pro5 inherits this premium pedigree, launching as a high-capacity direct-attached storage (DAS) solution built for content production workloads.
Equipped with eight 32TB HAMR-based Seagate IronWolf Pro HDDs, this unit delivers a 256TB raw capacity — the highest among commercial turnkey desktop DAS. Competing 8-bay enclosures top out at 192TB with older PMR drives. Unlike DIY combinations of third-party enclosures and standalone drives, LaCie provides an end-to-end unified warranty for both chassis and disks, bringing critical reliability for high-value professional workflows.
HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording), after decades of development, is now commercially available for desktop workstations. Ideal for 4K/8K RAW footage, photogrammetry assets and AI content pipelines, 32TB HAMR drives significantly upgrade storage density compared to 24TB PMR disks. Seagate’s roadmap extends to future Mozaic-series HDDs, targeting up to 100TB per drive with rising platter density.
Adopting Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, the enclosure supports 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth. Limited by physical HDD speeds, eight parallel IronWolf Pro drives deliver a theoretical 2.2 GB/s maximum throughput. The host TB5 port supplies 140W laptop charging power, paired with two 30W downstream TB5 ports and one 15W 20Gbps USB-C port for daisy-chain expansion. Preconfigured as RAID 5 with 224TB usable space, it supports seven RAID modes via LaCie RAID Manager. Pricing ranges from $5,979 (32TB) to 256TB fully-populated models.
Build and Design
Featuring a minimalist industrial aesthetic, the aluminum-alloy chassis measures 11.69 × 9.13 × 8.46 inches and weighs over 29 pounds when fully loaded. Tool-less drive bays with individual LED indicators enable straightforward disk maintenance and real-time health monitoring. The matte metallic gray finish ensures durability for studio deployment.
The rear panel adopts large perforated vents for ventilation. Its triple-fan cooling system separates airflow for drive bays and controller power components, preventing thermal throttling under sustained heavy loads. Rear interfaces include one primary TB5 host port, two TB5 downstream ports, one 20Gbps USB-C port and a Kensington lock slot for physical security. Integrated top handles simplify physical transportation.
LaCie RAID Manager Software
Compatible with Windows and macOS, the official RAID Manager supports full RAID flexibility including RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 and JBOD mode. Users can format arrays with APFS or NTFS for cross-platform workflows. The intuitive interface displays drive serial numbers, array status and configuration verification to ensure stable deployment.
Performance Testing
Testing was conducted on a Dell Pro Max 14 (Windows) and an M4 MacBook Air (macOS). All benchmarks ran on RAID 5 ExFAT to balance capacity, redundancy and compatibility.
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test
RAID 5 delivers steady cross-platform media performance. Windows achieves 1,418.4 MB/s read and 2,061.5 MB/s write; macOS records 1,414.9 MB/s read and 1,751.3 MB/s write. The array easily supports 8K and partial 12K media playback for mainstream professional codecs.
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Blackmagic (higher is better)
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Windows Raid 5 ExFat
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macOS Raid 5 ExFat
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Read
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1,418.4 MB/s
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1,414.9 MB/s
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Write
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2,061.5 MB/s
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1,751.3 MB/s
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PCmark 10 Storage
It scores 717 in PCMark 10, reflecting stable latency and consistent mixed I/O performance under real application workloads.
IOMeter (Windows Raw RAID 5)
Under single-queue testing, sequential read reaches 1,752.2 MB/s and write hits 1,851.5 MB/s. Four-queue scaling boosts sequential read to 1,949.1 MB/s, while write speeds plateau near 1,873.6 MB/s. Random small-block performance remains typical for HDD arrays.
ATTO Disk Benchmark (macOS)
Throughput gradually improves with larger block sizes. Peak read speed hits 3.4 GB/s, while sustained write speeds range from 2.7 GB/s to 3.1 GB/s, delivering robust sequential transfer capability.
Conclusion
The LaCie 8big Pro5 is the industry’s highest-capacity turnkey desktop DAS, pioneering commercial HAMR storage for creative professionals. Its premium aluminum build, optimized triple-fan thermal design and mature RAID management ensure reliable long-term operation. Delivering stable high sequential throughput, it fully supports multi-stream 4K/8K media editing. The TB5 docking function further simplifies laptop-based editing workflows.
Though costly, its unified 5-year warranty and data rescue services outperform DIY HDD combinations. Tailored for studios and production teams upgrading from PMR storage, the 256TB 8big Pro5 stands as the most compelling high-end desktop DAS for modern large-scale creative pipelines.
Beijing Qianxing Jietong Technology Co., Ltd.
Sandy Yang/Global Strategy Director
WhatsApp / WeChat: +86 13426366826
Email: yangyd@qianxingdata.com
Website: www.qianxingdata.com/www.storagesserver.com
Business Focus:
ICT Product Distribution/System Integration & Services/Infrastructure Solutions
With 20+ years of IT distribution experience, we partner with leading global brands to deliver reliable products and professional services.
“Using Technology to Build an Intelligent World”Your Trusted ICT Product Service Provider!
Sandy Yang/Global Strategy Director
WhatsApp / WeChat: +86 13426366826
Email: yangyd@qianxingdata.com
Website: www.qianxingdata.com/www.storagesserver.com
Business Focus:
ICT Product Distribution/System Integration & Services/Infrastructure Solutions
With 20+ years of IT distribution experience, we partner with leading global brands to deliver reliable products and professional services.
“Using Technology to Build an Intelligent World”Your Trusted ICT Product Service Provider!