Promise SmartStor NS2300N NAS Case? Anyone Use one?

[Paul F.]

I'm looking at this deal;

http://www.ecost.com/Detail/External+Sto...=155440046

$185 for a two-bay plus external USB connection Network Attached Storage drive case, that supports the usual connections PLUS AFP (which, though not really necessary any more, makes it nice...).

I have a 500gb SATA drive from my OLD NAS (which passed away on friday due to a dead power supply) to put in it...

Anyone use this model? Pro's? Con's?
Alternate models of two-bay NAS drives in the "under $200" category that support AFP that you like?

[jdc]

its going somewhere else, right?

fans on it will be much louder than your imac

and i could buy 2 1TB USB drives for $185...hiner:

[Paul F.]

Yes.. it will go in a closet elsewhere than my computers.

Not perfectly theft proof, but better than having it on the same desk as my computer.
Not perfectly fire proof, but WAY better than having it in the same room as most of the flammables at my place (my reloading and computer room).

AND I'm JUST lazy enough that automated backups from all computers to an NAS without having to remember to connect the drive(s) to any given computer is nice...

I'm starting to gather than you're not a fan of NAS'es ;-)

[jdc]

slow slow slow is my biggest complaint, oh, and they are expensive -- and seems like overkill for a one computer setup?

[Paul F.]

It's three computer use, actually... (though only two are regularly used).

And if the backups are made overnight, "slow" isn't that big a deal... If it takes 2 hours to make the backup, vs 20 minutes on a firewire or USB2 drive, it makes little difference. I might draw the line at 4-5 hours, though.

[jdc]

well the first backup might take a long time, the rest -- which should be incremental -- should only take a few minutes at most...