HD SATAsfaction!

Today’s digital content creation and editing require more speed and space than anybody would have imagined just a few, short years ago—now, storage needs are spoken of in terabytes instead of gigabytes. FireWire drives used to be the storage solution of choice for users on a limited budget, but they don’t offer enough performance for all but the most basic needs, and high-end Fibre Channel storage systems are out of reach for most people. You probably need something in between—Sonnet’s Fusion D500P SATA storage systems offer speed, versatility, and reliability in a compact package—they are a great solution for anyone looking for an affordable storage system that will fit into a variety of workflows.

Maximum Performance

Connected to a Sonnet Tempo SATA E4P PCIe or X4P PCI-X host controller installed in a Mac or Windows computer, a Fusion D500P system’s drives can be accessed through its port multiplier⁽¹⁾ at high speed, whether configured as a RAID 0, 1, 10, or JBOD set. With its drives configured as a RAID 0 striped set, a single Fusion D500P achieves 240MB/sec, fast enough to support multiple streams of DV, HDV, DVCPRO, or uncompressed 8-bit 1080i............3... HD video. Up to four Fusion D500Ps can be ganged on a single Tempo SATA E4P or X4P controller for double, triple, or even quadruple the available streams (as well as increasing the number of supported video formats).

Safe and Secure

Fusion storage systems (except 0TB models) employ Enterprise/RAID Edition hard drives or select, Sonnet certified desktop drives⁽³⁾ that have been selected for their superior performance, error handling, and reliability characteristics, especially when used in RAID groups. These drives are subjected to hours of additional, stringent testing to check for soft errors, vibration, and other reliability predictors. Just the sturdiest drives pass these tests and are prepared with special RAID-optimized firmware to become the building blocks of a super-reliable Fusion storage system.

One Cable, All the Data

The Fusion D500P enclosure employs a high performance SATA II port multiplier to manage the enclosed drives—just a single locking data cable connects the enclosure to a SATA host controller card. This efficient interface simplifies setup and cuts cable clutter without compromising performance.

Form Meets Function

Fusion D500P systems can be used for simple backup needs, but they are well-suited for use in editing suites employing applications such as Apple Final Cut Pro® and Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS4 video editing software, and video capture cards from AJA, Blackmagic Design, Matrox and Bluefish444. With an attractive and user-friendly design, Fusion D500P's handsome door hides the drive modules, yet status indicator LEDs for each drive shine through. The drive modules have built-in locking levers that double as handles to make swapping easy. If you choose, you can also secure each module in place with the built-in locks (great for added security). To keep things cool, the Fusion D500P uses a swappable fan module with a fan that is 80% quieter than a standard case fan, making this system perfectly suited for use in noise-sensitive environments.

Expandability to Start

Looking for a desktop 5-drive, removable storage system to expand with your needs? Fusion D500P-0TB storage systems offer the same great features as Sonnet’s other D500P models, but without the hard drives⁽³⁾. Of course performance, capacity, and RAID reliability are dependent on drive choice.

Fusion D500P Benchmarks

CONFIGURATION: Fusion D500P connected to Tempo SATA E4P host controller installed in Quad 2.66 GHz Mac Pro with 3GB of RAM and an AJA Kona3 capture card. Drives were configured as a RAID 0 set.

* Supports 1 stream of playback. Capture supported if disk array is less than 80% full and not extremely fragmented.