CalDigit S2VR HD eSATA Array External Media Storage Review (page 2)
Speed Freak
In an interesting benchmark, we noted that the RAID handily outperformed the internal array on our test machine. The internal array averaged a data transfer rate of 98.7 MB/s with a popular benchmarking application, while the S2VR blew that score away in RAID 0 mode with its average 150.0 MB/s data transfer rate. This is more than fast enough to handle a full 720p uncompressed HD video stream. After getting comfortable with the drive, we decided to try a few tweaks, namely the instructions provided by CalDigit on its Web site for optimizing performance. We set the drives up as a striped JBOD this time and ran another test. Our maximum read speed was 233 MB/s, just as CalDigit advertises, perfectly capable of handling many different types of uncompressed high definition video.
We can recommend the CalDigit S2VR HD highly. It's a rip-roaring fast drive for a very fair price. It's not hard to configure, and it's an extremely versatile unit.
TECH SPECS
Drive Specifications: 5 7200RPM drives, 16MB caches
Dimensions: 9 3/16” x 5 15/16” x 10 3/8” (H x W x D)
Weight: 20.5 lb.
Operating System: Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.3 (PCI-X version only), Mac OS X 10.4
STRENGTHS
- Fast
- Easy set-up
- Expandable/flexible
WEAKNESSES
- No RAID 5 mode
SUMMARY
While not quite as easy to configure as a USB or FireWire drive, the CalDigit S2VR HD will reward you with remarkable speed.
Charles Fulton is Videomaker's Associate Editor.
$2,050 (1.5GB marketed capacity)
CalDigit, Inc.
1941 Miraloma Ave., Ste. B
Placentia, CA 92870
www.caldigit.com
