Tandberg Data RDX Quikstor External RDX Quikstor Drive Kit - USB 3.0

we are heavily invested in RDX systems for our branches so we best thought it would benefit us to acquire some external devices should we need to read data and now have a server handy :)For the price, its hard to not like this device.The Pros: 4 rubber feet makes it stick to the tablet. There is a small fan to aid in cooling the internal drive. No software or drive was needed for my machine (Custom built core i7 running Windows 8 Enterprise, available now to Microsoft Software assurance customers!) However to do firmware upgrades to the device, you will need to install their lightweight utility. (mine was shipped with the latest firmware on it). Package includes a very nice (and lengthy, about 5 ft) usb 3.0 cable.Cons: The RDX media is half the size of the enclosure, i kinda wish this was smaller. If it was more compact, and possibly powered via USB, we could add it to our emergency bag when we go out to branches.My BIGGEST issue with this device is the throughput. With USB 3.0, i expected to get better. No matter how many times i tried and no matter which device i sent the file from (raid'ed SSD/HDD's or even a single sataIII 7200rpm drive) the max i achieved in write was around 52MB/s. A USB 2.0 Device usually yields around 30MB/s. Even if these RDX medias were of SataI gen, i should be getting around the 100MB/s mark.If your offloading a full 320GB drive, at this speed, it would take us around 2 hours. (320GB = 327,680MB. At 327,680 / 52 (MB/s) = 6301 (secs) then divide by 60 (secs into minutes) and you get 105 minutes. Which then gets cut into 1.8 hours (not quite 2 but i'm sure the throughput would slow down pending what time of files were are copying off)This is the slowest USB 3.0 device i have used. (My UHS-1 SDXC card yields me 85MB/s, and if you do the math, it would take me 1 hour at that rate to move 320GB of data)One thing i would LOVE to see, is a dual docking station that can has an option to either show 2 RDX media tapes to a host OR do a 1 to 1 copy in either direction. This could be useful when upgrading to a higher capacity, replacing a worn media tape, or perhaps you have a set library of data that each branch gets.As always, feel free to reach out with questions or comments.

This is an excellent device. It was very easy to set up, and my Linux machine immediately saw it.While the price per terabyte of RDX is still a bit above that of an ordinary SATA drive, RDX cartridges are very convenient. Backups are a snap; it may not be the fastest USB 3.0 device, but it's acceptably fast.Also, the unit that I bought came with a full suite of international electrical plugs.