Hardware

Computer | Storage

Long-term Field Test: 20.08.2016 to date


LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 5 TB

External Hard Disk Drive with Aluminium Casing

Almost every two to three years I look for a new external hard disk drive because the old ones will never run for much years, maybe one or two longer.
Before I lost data I better buy timely a new one and copy all data on it …
Another reason for a new hard disk can be the capacity of the older ones.

Photo: Box with LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5TB

Photo: external Hard Disk Drive LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB in the original packaging

Purchasing

Therefore I go again to my favourite department store called Saturn Electro.
Address: Zeil 106–110, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
This department store is in the shopping mall “My Zeil” on the shopping mile “Zeil”, wellknown in the Rhine-Main area.

20.08.2016: There is a single LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 3.5 inch with 5 TB on the hard drive shelf.
The price: 179 EUR. At first I think about taking a (smaller and mobile) Western Digital Passport (2.5 inch) with 4 TB, but then I decide on five terabytes from LaCie. My old Sony VAIO Notebook has no USB 3.0 ports but USB 2.0 therefore it is compatible.

Photo: Box with LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Desktop Drive 5TB

Photo: LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Mobile Drive 5 TB still in the original packaging

Equipment

  • LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Desktop Drive 5 TB
  • USB 3.0 cable (USB 2.0-compatible)
  • Quick Install Guide
  • Complete Software Suite: LaCie Private-Public (for Mac only), Backup Assistant (Mac + PC)

Photo: Product Contents LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Desktop Drive 5TB

Photo: LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Desktop Drive 5 TB – original packaging opened, box contents

Now I'll unpack!

Photo: LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB Carton

Photo #1: LaCie P'9230 original box top side

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #2: Outer packaging removed, sturdy inner carton

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #3: P'9230 inner carton opened

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #4: LaCie P'9230 removed from inner box …

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #5: LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 unpacked without film

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #6: LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 unpacked, bottom side

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #7: LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 unpacked, back side

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #8: LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 right side with power buttom, jackets for USB 3.0-cabel and power cord

Unpacking LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 5 TB

Photo #9: LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive P'9230 left side

Specifications

LaCie Porsche Design P'9230 Desktop Drive

Capacity

5 TB (also available with 3, 4 and 8 TB)

Interface

USB 3.0 port (USB 2.0-compatible)

Interface Transfer Rate:
USB 3.0: up to 5Gb/s
USB 2.0: up to 480Mb/s

Size

77 x 130 x 18 mm

Weight

260g / 9.2 oz

System Requirements

Computer with a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port (for optimal performance, the drive must be connected to a USB 3.0 host port)

Latest version of Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows 8 / Mac OS® X 10.5 (Intel only), 10.6, 10.7, 10.8

Minimum free disk space: 600MB recommended

Setup

Very easy to setup even for non-specialists

Especially technology beginners need to know before buying, whether the establishment of a hard drive is complicated. Every professional will be able to set up the hard drive with on-board means. One of skill will require none of these software tools. So that you can get an idea, I have documented it step by step.
Because of my German-language software version these screenshots are in German-language with translated text below.

Abbildung 1: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Willkommen

Image 1: LaCie Setup Assistant: Welcome – Welcome Screen and EULA (German: Willkommen)

Abbildung 2: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Formatieren

Image 2: LaCie Setup Assistant: Format (proposed setting by the assistant – change it to your needs)

Abbildung 3: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Formatieren

Image 3: LaCie Setup Assistant: Format (changed to a partition with 5.00 TB in NTFS format)

Abbildung 4: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Formatieren

Image 4: Warning before start of Formatting

Abbildung 5: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Formatieren

Image 5: LaCie Setup Assistant: Formatting has started

Abbildung 6: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Formatieren erfolgreich beendet

Image 6: LaCie Setup Assistant: Formatting has ended successful  – Windows has assigned the drive letter J: for this hard disk drive

Abbildung 7: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Registrieren

Image 7: LaCie Setup Assistant: Register your product (or tick the box at “Ich möchte mein Produkt jetzt nicht registrieren”) and go to next (German: “Weiter”)

Abbildung 8: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Software

Image 8: LaCie Setup Assistant: Software (tip: use the free software offer!)

Abbildung 9: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Zusammenfassung

Image 9: LaCie Setup Assistant: Summary (at the first setup I hadn´t selected any software)

Yesterday I have started the Setup Assistant application again (X:\LaCie Setup\LaCie Setup.exe) and have installed the following software:

  • Genie Timeline Free
  • LaCie Desktop Manager

Both are very recommendable. Genie Timeline Free is a senseful downgraded free version of an easy to use software for data backup. LaCie Desktop Manager shows you the specs of connected LaCie hard discs. After a time of inactivity which you can preset separate for every LaCie hard disk drive the hard disk drive will go to standby mode to save energy (up to 77 percent). That is great!

Abbildung 10: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Genie Timeline free wird installiert

Image 10: LaCie Setup Assistant: Installing Genie Timeline Free …

Abbildung 11: LaCie Desktop Manager wurde installiert und gestartet

Image 11: LaCie Desktop Manager; Info Menu

Abbildung 12: LaCie Desktop Manager; Eco-Menü

Image 12: LaCie Desktop Manager; Eco Menu (Eco Management) – set the time of inactivity independently for every cnnected LaCie Drive

Abbildung 13: Update verfügbar! Genie Timeline Free prüft direkt nach Installation auf Updates

Image 13: New update available! Genie Timeline Free checks for updates directly after its installation

Abbildung 14: LaCie Setup-Assistent: Zusammenfassung

Image 14: LaCie Setup Assistant: Summary (German: Zusammenfassung)

Practice

Usage worthwhile also with older Computers

My Sony VAIO notebook unfortunately has no USB 3.0 ports, but three USB 2.0 ports. The possible speed of the hard disk drive I cannot use with it, but I am planning to buy a new notebook maybe this year.

But anyway saving and loading files or running portable apps e.g. Firefox Portable or Notepad++ is comfortable fast and silent.

This Hard Disk Drive will be warm at longer copy actions but never hot

After the startup procedure first of all I have copied all data from the older hard disk drives to this new one as a backup. Although this procedure has needed hours cause of my notebook has no faster USB 3.0 but much slower USB 2.0 ports only, it became warm to the touch only. That´s surely by curtesy of the three millimeter thick aluminium casing!

Pros

  • cool design – word-for-word cause the aluminium case cools the heat harddisk effective
  • metal case – solid and perfect to deflect the waste heat from the drive
  • silent – the fan from my notebook is much louder than two of these drives
  • no vibrations – smooth operation courtesy of neat build quality and aluminium casing
  • manual – very good descriptions not only for professional IT specialists
  • installation process – very easy if you follow the install instructions on the short manual
  • software – very easy to use light version of a backup software called Genie Timeline

Cons

  • very sharp edges (little risk of injury for your skin)

Conclusion

This external hard drive has not disappointed me a single day to date, it is very fast and runs nearly quietly.
Compared to its mobile sisters LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive P'9220 with 1TB and 2TB, this desktop model is equipped with a larger, louder 3.5-inch hard drive. So it's not completely silent like the 2.5-inch mobile models.
Since 31.01.2021 it show what it's made of at the Apple MacBook Air (2020) connected via the Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock at USB 3.0 port. It is “incredibly” fast (subjective feeling of a long-time USB 2.0 user)!

A clear Recommendation to buy!

This model looks good, is well made and the very quiet operating noise is not unpleasant. When you operate it in a compartment under the desk top, the noise is usually below the perception threshold.

Unfortunately, this product is no longer available.

Alternatives

Please read the the page with current alternatives  from my recent hard disk test.

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