26 February 2008 11:44 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

No matter how large the hard drive in your PC, it pays to have an external backup source and this latest device from LaCie is both stylish and easy to use.

The white box is rather attractive in an understated way and while there is only enough room for a single hard drive, you can opt for a 1TB version (£300 inc. VAT) or this slightly less impressive but more affordable 500GB version.

There is a blue LED button on the front of the box that indicates activity and it can be programmed to launch any of the bundled software tools.

In this age of power-conscious PCs, there is even a three-way power switch that allows the unit to power up or down in direct response to you using your PC.

Connections on the back are well covered with support for USB 2.0, eSATA and even Firewire 400 and 800, so you can hook it up with ease. LaCie even provide cables for all four ports and it can be used with either Windows or Mac OS systems.

The drive is a 7200rpm full-size disc, so sharing files is quick. To keep things cool there is a fan built-in but we found it rather quiet and only noticable when copying large amounts of files over.

There is a variety of software included, with the most interesting being EMC Retrospect Express, which allows you to easily backup your PC's hard drive on a regular basis.

Verdict

The LaCie D2 Quadra is a fast and reliable external hard drive that comes in an increasingly large array of capacities. We found it easy to setup and manage and a great addition to anyone looking for a regular backup.

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Review Recap

Made by

LaCie

Price as reviewed

£120

The good

Plenty of connections, power saving features

The bad

Can be cumbersome to set up

Quick verdict

Fast hard drive access times and good bundle of software make this an attractive external hard drive, just a pity larger versions are so expensive

Score

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