TerraMaster F5-422 10Gbe NAS Review
Conclusion
We don’t have to look too far into the past to reach the days when configuration of a Network Attached Storage solution was best left to the experts, or at least those who were used to tinkering with their system.
Now, with so many of us requiring ever larger storage options, and ones which can provide the data we have across our house and even out to wherever we may be, the need for solutions which are simple to set up and use to their fullest has led to manufacturers coming up with products which are suited to the main bulk of the market, rather than just the technically capable few.
The TerraMaster range has a whole host of drives to suit all needs and pockets, but given the base cost isn’t largely determined by how many bays there are but by the hardware that runs it, we think the 5 bay model we have here in the form of the F5-422 (5 bays, 4GB RAM, Quad-Core, 2.2 GHz peak speed) is the best balance between potential capacity and purchase cost. Additionally the 5 bay design is small enough to find a home almost anywhere, being just 22cm wide and deep and 13cm tall. With a power draw of just 47W under maximum loading it won’t cost you the earth to run either, something that is ever more vital with the spiralling energy costs in recent months.
Compatibility is amongst the very best, with the TerraMaster F5-422 supporting Windows, Mac or Linux on the desktop side of things, and IOS 8.2 and Android 6.0 or higher. With such wide compatibility and the enormous selection of applications available to you there are few NAS that are so easy to get set up with and utilise. On the RAID side of things the F5-422 supports the full range. Single drive, JBOD, RAID 0 for those of you who are happy to live with no backup options, RAID 1, 5, 6 and 10 if you want to have either data backups or want to be able to populate your NAS with another hard drive as funds permit without having to lose everything in the process as you would with RAID 0.
Naturally as an unpopulated drive there are a whole raft of storage options that go far beyond the remit of this overview, and capacity and speed will be determined by what you choose to install. With the limit being 512 shared folders and 90TB of actual capacity, the likelihood of you running out of space or folders is small.
The TerraMaster F5-422 is a great choice if you need to be able to get hold of your data wherever you are, whether that’s simply transfering small files from work to home, backing up your phone photo albums to something more secure than the iCloud, or laying in bed watching your film collection without having to drag thumb drives hither and thither. It’s flexible, compact and easy to use and worthy of your attention if you’re finding yourself aching for a little more flexibility in your storage.
In the review configuration it is available for £519.99.
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