The Verdict
I learned a long time ago that in the hardware industry there is literally a product for any and every demand. If there isn't one, it will be designed and made. NAS units slowly start to adapt and penetrate the consumer market due to the rising demand for storage and multiple PCs per household.
DAS units however are a now entering the consumer market due to a certain demand. You lose the network functionality and accessibility plus server functions over your Local Area Network, but that's the entire idea. A more simple to use storage unit that does not require massive configuration and heaps of options and saves on price (over NAS).
Do you require more server like functionality and network accessibility, then as such it would make more sense to opt for a NAS unit. However there's one big caveat, Network attached Devices will always face latency and performance issues. I mean look at the QNAP NAS we recently reviewed. Top notch fantastic performance and so many features that make it nearly nauseating, but it averaged out at 80 MB/sec and that's not the stuff you'll face with a DAS unit. Pop in eSATA, bind the fracker and you'll have a full performance HDD partition rocking really hard.
NAS units require a bit more skill to setup, so you'll need to be an avid PC enthusiast and that's just not the case with DAS. So each solution has its own pros and cons.
Overall I was really impressed with the Promise SmartStor DS4600, it is a simple to use and high performance external storage unit. The concept is a very well thought through. A few pointers to Promise though. I couldn't help feeling that the device feels a little flimsy in build quality. I mean, pushing in the power cable made the adapter push inwards. The one touch backup button felt like if I push to hard it would break off, the chassis is completely plastic and then the retention clips/mounts for the HDDs are made out of thin plastic. So while it's not bad, I did feel the unit could have been designed a little more sturdily, it's a lot of plastic.
Other than that it's all good really, the DAS does make installation real simple. Just install the hard disks into the supplied drive carrier rails, insert the disks into the enclosure and press and hold the One Touch Configuration button on the front of the DS4600 for 3 seconds to automatically create an array. Simplicity at it's best.
The media center features are a bit so-so, I don't think you'll ever use them. I found the backup feature allowing scheduled backups to be top notch.
Aesthetics wise the Promise SmartStor DS4600 is a feast for the eyes. Nicely rounded edges, dark theme, but I would have liked it better if the unit would have been designed completely in black. Details though, as this by far is one of the better looking storage units I have seen in a while.
The Promise SmartStor DS4600 is a fairly unique storage unit that is pleasant to work with and is when connected preferably through eSATA, astonishing fast. Such a product comes at a price though, expect the Promise SmartStor DS4600 to sell for roughly 299 USD. That's far away from the price level of a good NAS unit, but definitely takes a chunk out of your wallet, for a storage unit.
Bottom line: there is room for further improvement -- But yeah we do like the SmartStor DS4600 very much and I can say already that this unit will end up at my desk. It's easy to use, silent, nice looking, very power-efficient and just makes a lot of sense. As such we can recommend the Promise SmartStor DS4600, if it suits your budget.
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