Today Drobo updated their 5D, shifting to Thunderbolt 2, an included mSATA caching SSD, and faster internals:
The new 5Dt (t for Turbo Edition) builds on the strengths of the 5D, which launched three years ago. The distinguishing features remain the same, as this is still a 5-bay model with USB 3.0, but the processor has been upgraded, as well as the USB 3.0 chipset, which was a bit finicky with some earlier implementations of the technology.
The changes present themselves at the rear, as we now have a pair of Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gb/s) ports which support display pass-through (up to 4k). Rates speeds climb to 540 MB/s read and 250 MB/s write when using HDDs. SSDs bump those figures up to 545 / 285 MB/s, respectively.
Another feature that has remained was their Hot Data Cache technology, but while the mSATA part was optional on the 5D, a 128GB unit comes standard and pre-installed on the 5Dt.
The Drobo 5Dt is available today starting at $899. That price is a premium over the 5D, but the increased performance specs, included SSD, and Thunderbolt connectivity come at a price.
The current (updated) Drobo product lineup.
Full press blast after the break.
Drobo Announces the Drobo 5D Turbo, the Only 5 Bay DAS With Thunderbolt™ 2 and USB 3.0 for Power Users
The 5D Turbo marks the fifth new product launched in under a year
SANTA CLARA, CA. – June 21st, 2016: DroboTM, the maker of award winning storage arrays for businesses, professionals and consumers, today announced the launch of the Drobo 5D Turbo (5Dt). The 5Dt, is built on Drobo’s patented BeyondRAIDTM technology to meet the demanding data storage requirements of professionals and media creators providing them with simplicity, flexibility and performance. The 5Dt reinforces Drobo’s commitment to innovation.
The 5Dt offers both High Speed ThunderboltTM 2 and USB 3.0, providing the ultimate in flexibility. The 5D Turbo is a complete solution that also supports 4k Thunderbolt connected displays. Included with the 5Dt is an mSATA card for increased performance, Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0 cables and DroboCare for 3 years at no additional charge.
Designed for the Creative Power User
The Drobo 5Dt is a natural extension of the 5D product line. Drobo customers require a high quality, high performance solution for media editing and storage. The 5D has been engineered to meet the expanding data storage needs of creative power users.
The Drobo 5Dt builds on the fully automated functionality of previous Drobo arrays by adding blazing fast performance with Drobo’s award winning simplicity along with Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0 connectivity. The Drobo 5Dt is the most flexible, easiest to use personal storage array on the market.
“Our customers are looking for a complete, worry-free solution and with the 5Dt we are giving them fast local storage to handle images and streaming video,” said Mihir Shah, CEO of Drobo. “ I am also excited to announce that we have included 3 years of DroboCare support on every 5Dt sold to ensure the best storage experience ever.”
Capacity AND Performance for Data Intensive Applications
The Drobo 5Dt comes with a 128GB mSATA card to power Drobo’s patented Hot Data Cache technology right out of the box. The Drobo Hot Data Cache keeps a copy of the most frequently accessed data so that it can be delivered even faster, directly from an SSD/Flash device, when needed. The Drobo 5Dt is also the only 5 bay direct attached storage array that offers dual Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0 connectivity, allowing for instant expansion via multiple drive bays. This allows daisy chaining of up to six 5Dts, for up to 240TB of usable capacity based on current hard drive capacities.
“The 5Dt’s Hot Data Cache gives up to a 30% speed boost for streaming video and 3x faster read performance when using applications such as Lightroom. These performance enhancements give media professional’s quick access to large files. The 5Dt also supports 4K monitors, not previously offered on the Drobo 5D,” said Rod Harrison, Drobo CTO.
Drobo Delivers on Growth Plan
Drobo has introduced five new products in the last year since the company underwent an acquisition and management change. The company has executed on its commitment to deliver world class, designed-in-California products that preserve simplicity and provide the best storage experience ever. “I am proud of our dedicated team that has delivered the best products and experience for our customers,” said Mihir Shah, CEO of Drobo.
Pricing and Availability
The Drobo 5Dt is available today, at an MSRP of $899 USD through the Drobo Store, www.drobostore.com and selected channel partners.
About Drobo
Drobo makes award-winning storage arrays that provide an unprecedented combination of data protection, expandability, and ease of use. Based on the patented and proven BeyondRAIDTM technology, Drobo delivers the best storage experience ever for hundreds of thousands of consumers, professionals, and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.drobo.com.
Drobo, BeyondRAID, and the Drobo logo are trademarks of Drobo, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks used belong to their respective owners.
I’d really like to see a
I’d really like to see a merger of the 5D and 5N. The flexibility to use either would be nice.
Crap! USB 3.0 speeds top out
Crap! USB 3.0 speeds top out at around 480 MBp/s. Why are you advertising speeds of 10Gb, which is 1250 MBp/s?
USB 2.0 tops out at 480 Mbps,
USB 2.0 tops out at 480 Mbps, USB 3.0 at 5 Gbps and USB 3.1 at 10 Gbps.
So they most likely meant to specify USB 3.1 as it came out July 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Version_history