Comments on: Drobo S Review

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:16:00 +0000

I was wondering what is better the Drobo S 2nd gen or the older Drobo Pro? I know the Drobo Pro looks bigger, but it only sports the iscsi port vs the S 2nd gen with Esata, and Usb 3. I am perplexed on this topic, as I would like to get the best solution of the 2. number of drives( increased size) vs, speed? Let me know what you think about this?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:16:00 +0000

By: Gunthergemalis

Gunthergemalis — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:57:00 +0000

The fact that the Drobo’s can grow with your need for storage is not negligible. Imagine having to first back up the entire content of your NAS drive (depending on it’s size this will be really long, complicated and/or will force you to scatter your data on several disks) before being able to upgrade. The genius with Drobo is that you can just order a higher capacity drive and just smack it in and you’re done.

By: Gunthergemalis

Gunthergemalis — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:57:00 +0000

By: Alex Overstim Kaloostian

Alex Overstim Kaloostian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:17:00 +0000

I don’t think it’s fair comparing this to NAS devices: a NAS is a totally different animal, Compare this to other desktop RAIDs however, and the advantages stack up. With other RAIDs, the drives will slow down to the slowest device in the pack, and shrink to match the smallest in the pack. i.e. 1TB+2TB+3TB drives will look like 3x1TB. Also, when it comes time to upgrade, they all have to be replaced at once and the data transfered to the new drives. Drobo’s main strength is allowing you to mix & match any drives you want and upgrade as many or as few of them at a time, seamlessly. It grows with you.

By: totalFlux

totalFlux — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:31:00 +0000

I would recommend the regular 2nd gen Drobo with FireWire. Its considerably cheaper than Drobo S. Also, I find 4 drives to be plenty while using less power and generating less noise as compared to Drobo S. I would recommend Drobo S only if you intend to use eSata connection.

By: totalFlux

totalFlux — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Ummm Drobo S sound really tantalizing however I am stuck with my 1st generation Drobo until it quits. Also $799 for S sounds a little steep and the lack of eSata port on my MacBook Pro does not make this any better. However, I would seriously consider getting the 4-bay Drobo with FireWire which is commonly found on most machines these days. Great review by the way! Here is another look at different Drobos: http://totalflux.blogspot.com/2011/02/drobo-your-friendly-data-storage-robot.html

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 03:03:02 +0000

Hi, what did you use to benchmark? I’d like to use the same software to measure my current storage device to compare with Drobo S. Thanks.

By: LD

LD — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:03:52 +0000

Hey there,

I’m currently trying to choose between the Drobo S and the Promise DS4600. The DS4600 is way cheaper so that’s an advantage :)

Anyway, the raid’s purpose for me would be to serve as my main storage for photography, which means I need it to be very fast so I can access my photos with no hiccups.

I am a Mac user and I thought about connecting it using Firewire 800.

Do you think the Drobo S would be fast enough for this purpose? If not – do you know if the Promise 4600 is any better?

Thanks!

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:17:09 +0000

Hi,

If you are thinking of buying a NAS, the Drobo is not a true NAS.

I true NAS can sit directly on your network, this unit will have to connect directly to your PC or Server.

It is not a true NAS.

The Drobo, without a doubt, has a good RAID feature, fantastic, can allow you to have different size drives.

But consider your ongoing cost, if something happens with the Drobo, it is going to cost you. It is not an inexpensive item

Regards
Martin