Editors' note: We have adjusted the rating of this product based on its features and performance in comparison with other products in this sector.
The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ network-attached storage drive offers fast read and write speeds, loads of features, backup software, and a slick design--for a price. It's among the more expensive NAS drives we've looked at, but it's functional and easy to use, making it easier for us to recommend it for home and small office users.
The ReadyNAS NV+ comes in five flavors. Each model has four drive bays, filled to different capacities. The RND4000 comes empty, allowing you to fill it with your choice of SATA or SATA-II drives. The RND4425 has four 250GB drives, the RND4250 comes with two 500GB drives and two empty drive bays, the RND4275 has two 750GB drives and two empty drive bays, and the RND4450 comes with four 500GB drives. We tested the RND4425, which offers a total of 1TB of storage--four hot-swappable, 250GB Seagate hard drives. Housed in a shiny, rugged aluminum case, the ReadyNas NV+ is capable of managing the hard drives in three different RAID configurations: 0, 1, and 5. You can also configure it in X-RAID, Netgear's proprietary RAID configuration that automates volume expansion as you add drives or swap out drives for larger ones. Suggested pricing is as follows:
