Matthew Elliott,
Section Editor
June 30, 2008
Here are our network-attached storage reviews thus far this year. We've seen five NAS devices in recent months that hold some appeal for one reason or another.
The two most recent NAS drives we've reviewed offer at least 500GB of storage out of the box and RAID 1 redundancy. The HP Media Vault M2120 is flexible in that it features one hard drive and a free bay for easy data expansion or protection. We found it simple to set up and use, though the software is a bit intrusive with its constant update reminders. And, strangely, neither of its USB ports lets you share your printer over your network. The Buffalo LinkStation Mini is the smallest (and quietest) NAS enclosure you'll come across, packing two 2.5-inch drives and no cooling fans inside its tiny case. You'll pay a bit more per GB, however, for its compact size.
The other three NAS drives here come with no storage out of the box; you'll need to pop in an internal hard drive or two. The Synology Disk Station DS-107+ features only a single empty bay (so, no data redundancy), but it boasts a features list too numerous to recount here. The D-Link DNS-323 is feature-packed, too, and serves up two empty bays for a pair of internal drives of your choosing. It can also be used as an FTP, a DHCP, a UPnP AV, or an iTunes server, and it'll let you share a printer across your network. It's also the current speed champ on CNET Labs write test. Finally, DroboShare is a companion piece to the innovative Drobo box. Together, the pair makes for a pricey but dead simple way to add redundant storage on your network.
Please note: the specs we receive from our data provider for networking and storage products is sometimes sparse. Please bear with us as we manually fill in the spec fields below.
| Product name | |||||
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| Price | $226.93 to $299.99 | $309.19 to $459.99 | Check Prices | $194.95 to $199.99 | $149.99 to $215.99 |
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| Review date | June 27, 2008 | June 25, 2008 | May 08, 2008 | April 15, 2008 | April 09, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | The HP Media Vault MV2120 is a two-bay NAS drive that novice networkers will find simple to set up and use. While it offers flexible expansion options with a free internal drive bay and two USB ports, the intrusive Media Vault software and lack of a print server dampen our enthusiasm a bit. | The tiniest of NAS drives, the Buffalo LinkStation Mini keeps up with its full-size competition in terms of both features and performance. However, you'll pay a premium price for this small, silent networked drive. | The Synology DS107+ is the most sophisticated NAS device we've tested to date. Its more advanced features require some networking know-how, but the included software and Web interface go a long way in helping you tackle the various offerings. You can't beat all the features you get for the price. | For those bemoaning the lack of network support on last year's innovative Drobo drive, DroboShare offers Gigabit Ethernet and as simple and straightforward a setup as we found with the direct-attached Drobo. | The D-Link DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure is a comprehensive solution to extend your network storage and functionality. It offers great performance and, despite its long list of features, remains very easy to use. |
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| Weight | 7.1 lbs | 1.1 lbs | 1.1 lbs | 2.2 lbs | 2.7 lbs |
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