The SSD Pro dock from LaCie not only looks sleek, but packs a punch and is super convenient for those with CFExpress cards.
When I first heard about the SSD dock from LaCie last year, I thought it was just a simple hub with a hard drive built into it. Little did I know that it would soon become one of my favourite things to hook my laptop into. I didn’t realize how well it performed until I had the fortune of getting one for myself a few months ago.
Storage
As of this writing the SSD Pro dock comes in two flavours: 4tb (MSRP $3329) and 2tb (MSRP $1719) versions. If your budget allows, I would recommend the 4tb version as I’m already quickly running out of space on it. The SSD Pro comes installed with a Seagate FireCuda NVMe SSD, which according to their website allows for “2800MB/s so that you can seamlessly transfer up to 165GB worth of high-res footage in 60 seconds.” Real world examples will vary, as seen below.
The Hub
The SSD Pro dock has several ports for connecting accessories to. On the front, we have card readers for an SD card, CFast 2.0, and CFexpress Cards. While I could only test out the CFexpress card reader, it did not disappoint. With impressive reading and writing speeds, I’m able to theoretically transfer a full 325gb card to the hard drive in about two minutes.
Performance
Using a thunderbolt cable connected from my MacBook Pro to the SSD Pro, I copied a 106GB folder of files containing the following:
- 1360 NEF files about 62.5mb each
- 1 MOV file about 17GB
- 1 folder of 1360 JPGs about 22.5mb each
| SSD Pro to MacBook Pro | MacBook Pro to SSD Pro | |
| 106GB of data | 1:03 | 1:59 |
While it’s not quite 2800MB/s like it claims, it’s still faster than anything I have ever hooked up my laptop to. Next I tested the speed from my 325 ProDigital CFexpress card to the LaCie SSD, and then to my MacBook Pro SSD. My findings are below.
| Card to LaCie SSD | Card to MacBook Pro SSD | |
| 44.3GB of data on 325GB ProDigital CFexpress card | 1:10 | 1:13 |
The transfer speeds in this test were very similar to when transferring from the LaCie SSD to my MacBook Pro.
The back of the LaCie SSD Pro has two thunderbolt 3 ports, and a DisplayPort to connect a 4K 120Hz or 8K 60Hz display monitor. The all-aluminum chassis has a fan on the back, which helps to dissipate heat to the outside.
One peculiarity of the LaCie SSD Pro is the rather short power cable it comes with. Its short length means the dock is meant to sit on a desk where a power outlet is nearby.
In this photo you can see how the cable from the outlet to the power adaptor is only about a foot long, with the cable from the adaptor to the dock being about three feet long.
Just make sure you have a spare outlet nearby this unit and you should be good to go.
Another convenient feature of the LaCie 1big SSD Pro dock is its power delivery capability. Once I hook my MacBook Pro, it automatically charges it without issue. I’ve read online where users had difficulty with third party hubs not properly charging their MacBook Pros, but at least for me, I haven’t had any issues thus far.
All in all I’m very happy with the LaCie 1big SSD Pro hub. The built in CFexpress card reader is convenient as I no longer need to attach a separate card reader to the laptop. Having my MacBook Pro automatically charge as soon as I connect it to the hub is a bonus. And working directly off of the SSD Pro I see no lag or issues; I have edited photos in Lightroom, Photoshop, and LRTimelapse, in addition I’ve edited video with Davinci Resolve and saw no discernible lags or glitches while doing so.
If you’re looking for an external hub that’s fast and reliable, I would highly recommend you consider the LaCie 1big SSD Pro to see if it fits your workflow too.
Do you have experience with the LaCie 1big SSD Pro hub, or any other hub? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Website: LaCie Canada