Drobo’s launched its Drobo 8D, a Direct Attached Storage device. It’s the fastest Drobo yet with 8 Bays, two Thunderbolt 3 Ports and 128 TB volume support.
Wider volume size support
The 8D supports volume sizes up to 128 TB with a total storage pool of 256 TB. This is the largest capacity we’ve ever seen for a direct attached Drobo. But it’s not done there. The 8D is also compatible with the latest 14 TB HDDs.
To dabble in both capacity and performance, the 8D combines both HDDs and SDDs in its front slots. It as well utilizes Data Aware-Tiering to give a speed boost to its read and write performances. Additionally the 8D is equipped with a Drobo Accelerator Bay, enabling Hot Data Caching — boosting the performance of Apple’s Final Cut, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
“The 8D is the product that our customers have asked for and need,” said StorCentric CEO, Mihir Shah. “The 8D was built on the immense popularity and demand of the 8 bay DroboPro. Creative professionals will experience the editing power for media rich, high resolution workflows, while the simplicity of the 8D will maximize limited resources for SMBs. The self-management features save time and money and provide an affordable entry point for all end users and allows for a ‘pay as you grow’ model for expanding data needs.”
Thunderbolt 3
Up to five Thunderbolt devices can connect to the 8D. It’s also bi-directional performance of Thunderbolt devices allows all devices in the chain to “achieve maximum throughput” according to Drobo.
“With dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, the new Drobo 8D delivers the performance and speed for today’s demanding creative and data-intensive workflows,” said Jason Ziller, General Manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel. “We are proud to see Thunderbolt 3 technology continue to offer the fastest, most versatile connection across a breadth of peripheral devices and user experiences.”
The device also supports one 5K display or two 4K displays.
Overview of the Drobo 8D
- 8 Bays, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports
- 128 TB Volume Support
- First Drobo with NEW Intelligent Volume Management
- Supports Two, 4K Monitors or One, 5K monitor
- First 8 Bay with Rear Slot Accelerator Bay
- Dual Fans for Cooling Efficiency
- Internal Power Supply
Pricing and availability
The Drobo 8D is out today for $1,299. You can check it out at Drobo’s official website.
