Desktop NAS - small or powerful?

Do you choose a desktop NAS that is as small as it can be or as powerful as it can be?

The basic idea of desktop NAS is simple – build a box that contains disk drives and a processor that can put that storage on the network so that it can be shared. The dilemma is, do you make a desktop NAS that is as small as it can be or as powerful as it can be?

If you opt to make it small then you have to compromise on total capacity and on “enterprise” features. In particular there isn’t going to be space for facilities such as hot-swap and hot-spare drives. However, it is surprising how much can be packed in, as the in case of the Iomega StoreCenter ix2. Read the full review here for all the details.


Small desktop NAS devices have a place in providing easy to use ad-hoc storage. So can desktop NAS make it to the big time and provide the facilities that you would find in a rack-mounted NAS system? If the NetGear ReadyNAS Pro is anything to go by the answer has to be yes. It’s big, very big for a desktop NAS, but it offers a performance and feature list that is very similar to a rackmount. Read the full review here for all the details.

These two devices represent the opposite ends of the spectrum for desktop NAS so it’s worth making the comparison.

Other features in this month's highlight on Storage:

How to choose between NAS and SAN

Pocket Storage - drives to take with you

Lowcost Desktop NAS devices