OWC Announces Mercury Pro Qx2-4 12TB RAID Storage Solution

[btarunr]

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today it has expanded the OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 desktop hardware RAID storage line storage capacity to 12TB by utilizing four 3TB high performance hard drives in the Qx2’s four hot swappable drive bays. In addition to offering massive storage/backup capacity in a desktop sized footprint, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 features a “Quad Interface” of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA ports and four selectable Hardware RAID settings – 0, 1, 5, 10 – for high speed, highly reliable Plug and Play use with Macs and PCs.



Four Prosumer Models Starting At $479.99

• 2TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 (500GB x 4 w/64MB cache) & three year warranty - $479.99
• 4TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 (1TB x 4 w/128MB cache) & three year warranty - $579.99. Currently on year end special for $529.00
• 8TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 (2TB x 4 w/128MB cache) & three year warranty - $929.99. Currently on year end special for $879.00
• 12TB OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 (3TB x 4 w/256MB cache) & three year warranty - $1399.99

Comprehensive “Burn-in” Test Ensures Highest Reliability
Unlike most other brand solutions that are assembled then shipped with little or no testing, OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 units undergo a multi-hour “burn in” performance certification procedure prior to shipping to ensure the unit is operating properly and that the installed drives are ready for demanding use. With this unmatched commitment to quality, OWC backs Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 solutions with up to an industry leading five year warranty.

Built for Demanding Performance-Intensive Applications
The OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 is built for demanding performance-intensive applications such as Audio/Video editing, HD-video, digital photography, professional music, graphics, redundant backup, and any use requiring data storage performance and reliability. Pre-configured in a Hardware RAID 5 mode to provide data redundancy to ensure uninterrupted access to stored data, as well as protecting against data loss, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 can also be configured to automatically perform one of the other three hardware RAID settings: 0, 1, or 10, as well as a Span (NRAID) setting. Selecting and/or visually confirming the RAID setting is performed via a recessed selector switch safely located behind the lockable front panel.

Plug & Play Desktop RAID For Mac & PC
The OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 also offers a variety of convenience features that make adding it to any Mac or PC Plug & Play easy: FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, and eSATA interfaces, along with connection cables, provide compatibility with multiple operating systems and computers; front panel LEDs give quick, at-a-glance system status; and a removable key lock ensures the installed hard drives and selected RAID mode remain secure.

In addition to four “prosumer” models, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 is available in three Enterprise Class options up to 8TB and a 0GB kit (no drives included) option. For more information on the complete OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 line, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/RAID/Desktop/ To read how the Qx2 fits into the production workflow of professional users, visit http://eshop.macsales.com/owcpages/procorner/

[Linkwoman]

1. How does this product compare to g-technologies G-Safe?
2. No yr end deal on the 12 TB?

[Static~Charge]

Originally Posted by Linkwoman

1. How does this product compare to g-technologies G-Safe?

The G-Safe only holds 2 drives in a RAID 1 config, with a maximum of 2TB of usable capacity. Not exactly in the same league as the Mercury Pro boxes.

Originally Posted by Linkwoman

2. No yr end deal on the 12 TB?

Don't hold your breath. 3TB drives are a new product and priced at a premium compared with similar 2TB drives.

[timta2]

The "0 GB Kit" teamed up with a few of the $80 Samsung 2TB drives from Newegg sure would be nice and affordable.

I wish it had an "independent disk mode", but I guess that's not why people buy RAID enclosures.

[Static~Charge]

Originally Posted by timta2

The "0 GB Kit" teamed up with a few of the $80 Samsung 2TB drives from Newegg sure would be nice and affordable.

I wish it had an "independent disk mode", but I guess that's not why people buy RAID enclosures.

The closest mode that the Mercury Pro has is Span (NRAID), also known as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks). It lets you combine two or more drives (any size) into one big lump of disk space. However, it has the same drawback as RAID 0: if any drive fails, your data is gone.

If you want independent external disks, why not just buy an eSATA enclosure?