As anyone involved with computers can tell you, you can never have too much storage.
Working with that idea in mind, computer hardware specialist OWC has launched the Mercury Elite-AL Pro QX2. It is a desktop RAID, scalable up to 12 TB, making it ideal for automation storage duties.
The QX2 is housed in a snazzy brushed aluminum cabinet with space for four hot-swappable drives (for up to 12 TB using three 4 TB drives). RAID configurations are RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and Span. Interfaces are FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA. Throughput is up to 300 MBps (eSATA).
The QX2 has been tested with professional video systems from AJA and Blackmagic Design.
The whole configuration uses heavy-duty drives. A cooling fan keeps things less-than-toasty while a security lock keeps the drive door locked. Though OWC is known as a Mac shop, the QX2 is compatible with Windows and Linux systems.
Configs available are 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 TB with three- or five-year warranties. The box alone is available for $299 with a one-year warranty. Prices for packages start at $479 (2 TB/three-year warranty) and top out at $2,219 (12 TB/five-year warranty).
