LaCie d2 Quadra (301110U) 500 GB FireWire 400 (1394a) Hard Drive

As of this writing, you can get the predecessor LaCie 500Gb HDD for $115 shipped. It's a very nice unit that is extremely cost efficient, but with one drawback: it gets very hot when used for a long while. Otherwise, it's a fine and reliable hard disk drive. So, why pay $70 more for this new Quadra HDD that has the same size storage?

First off, the older LaCie is only USB 2.0 compatible. Second, it has just an 8Mb cache. And lastly, it is only designed for horizontal placement, not vertical.

This new Quadra design cools off the unit better. It still gets very warm, but not as bad as its predecessor. I never let these external drives frequently run for hours on end anyway, but when you're doing an overnight download you don't want to heat up the room!

Next, it has a 16Mb cache--double its predecessor. You won't see 2x times performance necessarily, but it is definitely better.

But where this HDD really shines is in the quad connections (hence "Quadra"). It supports USB 2.0, Firewire 400/800, and eSATA. If you have an old computer system, you can transfer media via USB. And if you have a newer system that supports the faster Firewire or eSATA, this device will keep up nicely. So this makes for a great "technology bridge" storage device, able to work with older and newer computers. If you've got an old PC or Mac and you're looking to upgrade in the near future, getting this HDD will let you have the faster transfer rates when you upgrade.

Why not 5 stars? Well, I do find the workmanship of the external casing not as solid as the older LaCie. For $70 more, you shouldn't have to sacrifice the casing quality. So, it's not as great for portability--not an issue if you're keeping it at home.

One final note: the need for faster transfer rates depends upon how you use your storage. If you're only looking for a simple backup HDD and speed is not of the essence for you, go with the cheaper 500Gb LaCie. But if you plan to watch video media directly from your external HDD, definitely go with this one. And if you've got space limitations requiring a vertical placement, you'll want to go with this HDD as well.

It was the exact product I was looking for at nearly half the price I could get it. So yes I made a good deal.