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.

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

• Fast
• Easy set-up
• Expandable/flexible

• No RAID 5 mode

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