I have a Lacie 2 Big, but the more expensive Thunderbolt version that I bought a couple of years ago. It is definitely software RAID. However, I have just double checked and it seems that the more current USB 3 version does have hardware RAID, so my apologies. In that case I see no reason why the Lacie would not work for your intended use case.
![Buy usb 3.0 Buy usb 3.0](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125382945/453410931.png)
I am also surprised by your research that says the WD MyBook Duo also has hardware RAID. I am 100% sure this wasn't the case the last time I was considering buying one.
![My Book For Mac Usb 3.0 Osx Sierra Drops Connectivity My Book For Mac Usb 3.0 Osx Sierra Drops Connectivity](/uploads/1/2/5/3/125382945/477398471.png)
Man, have I not been paying attention for that long? Edit: Damn, it looks like I have not been paying attention for too long. The new one does have hardware RAID I am shocked. Please ignore my responses in this thread. Personally I would go for the Lacie. Just a word of caution: the WD utilities for OS X have a history of breaking badly when OS X is updated by Apple. Again, this might have changed, but I would still be wary.
Even if I bought one of the WD drives, or enclosures, I would not use their bloatware. Click to expand.Yup, even though the tech is not new, it seems it is finally just now at the retail/prosumer level.
Well on price, reliability and functionality, the WD My Book Duo seems to be the better option. That was my query above though, it seems their Mac software support sucks, unless you buy the more expensive Thunderbolt version, which I don't need in this case considering I want to connect to an Airport Extreme and use RAID 1, which doesn't need the speed of Thunderbolt. Also they are HDDs not SSDs so I don't need TRIM either, which Thunderbolt would support. Click to expand.Because we will soon have three Macs in the house, two MacBook Airs and my Mac mini, and an integrated solution is just easier than drives hanging off everything.
I toyed with getting another Mac mini as a server, but it's an expensive exercise, they hold their value second hand. Airport Extreme is just cheaper, more elegant, and easier, plus gives us more Ethernet ports in the house which I'm currently short of and AC wifi for the MacBooks. Having RAID 1 means I can still read off the drive if one dies, at the same speed, then I can restore the RAID bundle at my leisure.
Therefore, always better to go for USB 3.0 considering the compatibility of PCs and Mac. These best external hard drives for Mac can work on most of the Mac OS X version including OS X 10.11, 10.12 Sierra and earlier Yosemite and 10.9 Mavericks. These portable external hard drivers are fully compatible for PCs (Windows, Linux Operating Systems) too. My USB 3.0 external hard drive is not being detected by Lion, it doesn't matter which ports I plug it into, none of the usb ports works with this device (usb 2.0 / 3.0). When I plug in a regular WD external 2.0 hard drive that drive is automatically being detected / mounted by Lion in all of my usb ports (2.0 / 3.0).
It just seems to be a nice easy solution. Also, what's the chances of a backup drive giving up when I need to restore? Chances are fingers crossed I'll rarely need to restore anything.
I guess the only thing that sucks is that if a RAID HDD dies under warranty, WD or LaCie would repair the unit, but I would need to copy my data somewhere in the meantime.
Hey My USB 3.0 external hard drive is not being detected by Lion, it doesn't matter which ports I plug it into, none of the usb ports works with this device (usb 2.0 / 3.0). When I plug in a regular WD external 2.0 hard drive that drive is automatically being detected / mounted by Lion in all of my usb ports (2.0 / 3.0). I have the NEC kext running and I've tried installing it multiple times, rebooting etc. My WD 3.0 drive works fine in both linux and windows so the issue is probably with LION, I also tried installing the MAC firmware updates from the WD website but since the drive is not being detected, they cannot be installed. (note that all other usb devices 2.0 works fine) This seems to be a common issue after searching the forums and google and doing tons of research, for some the NEC kext in MB works fine, but for me it doesn't. Even tho the system is detecting the super speed bus and my 2.0 drives works when plugged in to it.