When is a NAS not a NAS? When it's a DAS. But in any case, this Thecus unit is a portable storage powerhouse.
Looking identical to the Thecus N0204 NAS, we had a strong case of deja vu when unboxing the new D0204. It turns out that looks can be deceiving, though, as these are two very different devices. While the N0204 packs all of the NAS features a prosumer could ever need, the D0204 is actually a DAS, or Direct Attached Storage device. In other words, it's a portable hard drive enclosure with a couple of unique twists.
At only 86mm by 55mm wide, this DAS packs twin 2.5in hard drives of your choosing. Two drives really are better than one, especially when they can be configured in RAID 0, 1 or Large mode. The combined maximum storage capacity is 2TB; quite a hefty amount for a palm-sized product.
Now, running in RAID is all well and good, but you need a speedy interface between the drive and your PC to make the most of it. Enter the D0204's USB 3.0 connection, promising transfer speeds ten times that of a USB 2.0 external drive.
Unfortunately our D0204 arrived bereft of any hard drives, and we didn't have two identical 2.5in drives for testing. So instead we used the rather zippy Intel X25-V 40GB SSD to ensure we stretched the enclosure, not the internal drive. All files were copied to an Intel 80GB SSD, mounted on a Gigabyte P55-based motherboard with NEC USB 3.0 ports.
We did three real-world tests. Reading and writing a large zip file (testing sequential speeds) clocked in at 82MB/sec and 39MB/sec respectively. Reading and writing a Windows install folder clocked in at 51MB/sec and 33MB/sec respectively. Finally, reading and writing 4.5GB of MP3 files clocked in at 54MB/sec and 33MB/sec respectively. These speeds are officially blazing, and are courtesy of the USB 3.0 connection; if your PC is lacking these ports, the D0204 even includes a USB 3.0 PCI Express card, with 2 x USB 3.0 ports. At $249 with no drives, this is one of the most expensive portable drive enclosures on the market, but boy is it fast.
Available from Thecus, retailing for $249.APC rating: 8/10 (Highly Recommended)