Bob,
Very good question. But to be fair we would not really be comparing apples to apples. The HDOne is a very different product from the SeriTek/5PM-2SE2. A more fair comparison would be the CalDigit HDElement.
To quickly note the major differences between FirmTek and CalDigit. CalDigit is a single vendor support solution, where FirmTek provides a DIY RAID, bring your own drives and build the RAID yourself. They have 2 very different philosophies. CalDigit populates and test all products before they go out the door. CalDigit builds only hardware RAID solutions, where FirmTek uses software RAID supported by their hardware. The big difference being that you processor and ram are being used just to mount the volume. You don't have to worry about that with hardware RAID because it has it's own processor an cache.
The RAID controller used with the HDOne is built inside the unit and connect to the workstation via external PCIe, not eSATA like the SeriTek/5PM-2SE2. Big difference here is the ePCIe is 20Gbs where eSATA is only 3Gbs.
The CalDigit HDOne is an eight drive hardware RAID system featuring an Intel XScale processor and 256MB of fixed cache. All components are modular and easily replaceable. The HDOne supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and JBOD and can reach sustained speeds of 440MB/s with RAID 5 protection. The direct connect external PCIe connection is extremely fast, in fact 5 times faster than fibre solutions. Because the hardware RAID is built in, the HDOne can be used with the eLane-1ex, making a 100% hardware RAID solution for a laptop. The HDOne also uses RAID Shield, an easy to use GUI allows users to easily configure different RAID levels and provides advanced event notification. ASTT technology ensures that sustained data throughput is maintained. The HDOne is ideal for users that desire the ultimate in performance on a budget.
I hope that answers some of your questions, but I think you'll find there is a major difference.
Don't hesitate to ask if you have any additional questions.
Jared PicuneCalDigit. Serious Storage.Denver Final Cut Pro UGGeeky Mac | FCP Tips & Tricks
