Hey Folks,

I need a new hard drive system. You can purchase the Drobo 4 for about 350 bucks at B&H. The 5 bay version goes for $650. is it worth purchasing the large array? I was thinking about purchasing two of the four drive bays for the same price as the 5 bay.

Is it that the 4 bay is being discontinued?

Drobo 4:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/57...ic_Storage.html

Drobo 5:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/662282-REG/Data_Robotics_DRDR3A21_Drobo_S_5_Bay_Array.html

James

I have the Drobo 4 myself. I love it. If I were to have your situation I would choose 2 of the old 4 units as the more you can divide your hardware the less the possibility for a single catastrophic failure to wipe you completely out.

If one DROBO fails, you still have 1/2 your files still if it effects the drives plugged into it.

Just always looking at the safer side of backup.

In my unit I have 2 1.5TB drives and one 500Gig drive and I have every file I have ever created on it and still have room and one empty bay.

That's over 35,000 RAW files and multiple processed versions of many of them.

Roman

Hey Roman,

"If one DROBO fails, you still have 1/2 your files still if it effects the drives plugged into it."

I thought that if a Drobo drive failed that the others had the redundancy necessary to prevent any loss.

James

Well a Drobo is a device you put drives INTO. If that failed and took the drives with you (unlikely but not imposable) Then your other setup would have 1/2 your data. That's my only point.

Drobo is about data loss due to a drive failure. ALWAYS have a backup of your most important files somewhere else for true data backup redundancy. (and keep one set off site for disaster recovery if your files are super important)

Basic backup rules.

Roman

Do we know if there are any advantages of the 5 drive over the 4 drive (outside if the fact that it has another drive bay) in terms of speed/software, etc.?

If not, I am going to pick up the 4 and (4) 2 TB 7200 rpm drives this weekend.

James

Drobo at Costco

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11612056

Thanks, Preston. That is a more expensive model that I am now considering. :P The model that Costco is selling is a network model, which is cool because everyone in the house could then use the files.

The model I was looking at is a much older model (hence the $350 dollar price). I am now wondering if it is really the best deal or not.

James

The Costco one includes 3x2TB drives, wasn't sure if your prices included the drives.

I read far too much about Drobo problems to trust them.

Here's just one story: http://photography-thedarkart.blogspot.com/2010/07/drobo-pro-my-new-full-time-job-with.html


There are a lot more among the pro photographer blogs I follow.

Yeah - that freaked me out a bit when I read that. There are a lot of reviews that read just the opposite. The trick is that I need SOMETHING and soon. I am completely running out of juice and - as we all do - I need redundancy!!

Any other thoughts if the Drobo does not work best?

James