Final Thoughts

Yes indeed, RaidSonic has done it again. They have designed a great though little storage device for not a lot of money. Its elegant looks and simplistic design should not deter an end user from considering a purchase. The ICY BOX IB-NAS2000 has perfectly acceptable performance either connected via USB 2.0 or Ethernet. The ability to just connect the unit, power on and access those key files at a reasonable transfer speed certainly is excellent. In the giant sea of new, affordable external hard disk enclosures, the ICY BOX stands out due to its appearance and ease of use.

Although when just focusing on the NAS feature, it lacks a couple of features. Very important is monitoring for example, I like to see who is connected to this little box. Currently you have no idea who is connected to it though and thus is sweeping through your files. Another thing comes to mind, performance of the hard drive was bottlenecked by the 100Mbit/s Ethernet interface. Why is it not 1000Mbit/s? At 100Mbit/s we are stuck at 12MB read/write speeds at maximum. Sure you can use the USB 2.0 connection...but that's not really what a NAS server is about.

The trick however is obviously the pricing level. I'm missing several options to call this unit a real NAS server, yet a good NAS storage unit typically starts at $300. The RaidSonic ICY BOX IB-NAS2000 series can be bought for merely $150 and that's where the difference is to be found. It is a pretty resourceful and clever device that without problem allows the consumer to add a simple NAS server. For an easy to setup portable storage device with a no hassle and easy to install environment the ICY BOX comes recommended, but for personal and small office use only.

Pros

• Aluminum Stylish, Elegant Design
• Very Quiet & Cool Operation
• Supports USB 2.0 & Ethernet Connection
• Excellent Performance
• User Friendly Installation
• Supports any 3.5" Hard Disk
• Network Attached Storage
• Upgradeable Firmware
• Excellent Pricing

Cons

• N/A

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