Final Score: 84 out of 100
It is pretty obvious that Seagate engineers and LaCie engineers have a bit of sibling rivalry going on behind the scenes. It is almost as if when Team Seagate heard about the LaCie 1Big Dock design they went ‘here hold my beer’. It is also pretty darn obvious that the FireCuda Gaming Dock is orientated towards a radically different demographic than the LaCie 1Big Dock series. Everything from prioritizing value, to simplifying your life, to its funky integrated LED screams “Business by day, party at night”. Its included features really will make life easier and help you declutter not only your business desk but also your gaming desk. So, from those perspectives it is a winner.
However, Seagate did not stop there. They then went and made a compelling argument for why even the more average joe who does not care about game load times should choose it over everything from the LaCie 1Big Dock series, to buying multiple individual components. First and foremost, is the inclusion of not only more USB ports but the RJ45 Lan abilities make it better than the 1Big Dock series at being a dock… which is the whole point of buying these devices in the first place.
Next, when you tally up the cost of the individual parts you would have to buy to get ‘good enough’ comparison you are looking at about 50 US dollars, or more, in savings. What this means is that if you actually do not need all the included features… its value is still good. After all, even if it costs the same as what you are intending to buy in separate parts there is the whole ‘only one object on your desk instead of a bunch to worry about’… and maybe the feature you do not really care all that much about will come in handy one day.
With all that said the FireCuda Gaming Dock is not perfect. Most people will agree that a slightly taller but shorter configuration would have been more optimal. Especially if that had allowed the FireCuda Gaming Dock to offer hot swap hard drive abilities like the 1Big Dock series. Most people will agree that opting for a 4TB IronWolf Pro makes for a decent choice, but is a touch on the small side. A larger (8TB or bigger) IronWolf Pro would have made for a much, much better device. One where you do not have to worry about running out of capacity or speed as quickly. Most people would agree that Laptop charging would have been a very nice, bordering on necessary, feature and its oversight is disappointing. Most people would agree that if you are going to include a ‘USB sound card’ that there are better options out there compared to the TI PCM2912A. Ones which offer better than just stereo output.
As it stands the Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock may come with a bit of sticker shock… but for what it offers it is actually a pretty good bargain. So while not perfect, and plenty of room for version 2.0 to improve upon, the FireCuda Gaming Dock is worth a long hard look. Even if you are a ‘professional’ and typically buy LaCie you should add this model to your list for further in-depth consideration. Doing otherwise may leave overlooking one of the better ‘all in one’ dock options out there in the market right now.
The Review
Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock
As it stands the Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock may come with a bit of sticker shock… but for what it offers it is actually a pretty good bargain. So while not perfect, and plenty of room for version 2.0 to improve upon, the FireCuda Gaming Dock is worth a long hard look. Even if you are a ‘professional’ and typically buy LaCie you should add this model to your list for further in-depth consideration. Doing otherwise may leave overlooking one of the better ‘all in one’ dock options out there in the market right now.
