Conclusion

Computer geeks have long been using their desktop PCs as personal Data devices to access there files not only on the PC but from the web as well. Configuring a home PC to do such is fairly simple and can be done with completely free software solutions. Computers do consume a lot of power and in an energy conscious world low power devices are becoming more and more prevalent.

The Silverstone DC01 Network Data Center might appear at first glance to be a small single drive NAS, but it is in effect small computer and should consume about the same amount of power as your average dual core Android Tablet device. Do not think of this as external storage or even a NAS the DC01 is an underpowered home server that is preconfigured to house data, stream AV files anywhere and even handle file sharing duties via torrents. It can upload files to a few popular sites (YouTube, Facebook and Flickr), provide limited access to guests, provide printer sharing for up to two printers and even includes and address book and some unknown backup utility.

The device is stylish and unobtrusive and will look just fine sitting anywhere in your home office, in the front room or up on a shelf somewhere. The review sample received was silver in color but black is also available. The DC adapter is adequate and six feet long, providing up to 10W, this is seriously a low power device!

The price ($145 online at time of publication) may seem high when paired against less elegant external storage solutions, particularly external hard drives or single drive NAS solutions. Another possible negative is the 2.5” form factor limit on internal storage. 2.5” despite providing 12.5mm height capability limits internal storage to 1 Terabyte dense HDDs. However, moving to 3.5” might appease the truly voracious Data mongers among (*sheepishly raises hand) it would in fact increase the price rather significantly.

To support 3.5” drives a 12v 3A DC adapter would be required. Now instead of a wall wart you are looking at laptop style of power supply. Since the internal components mostly run on 1.8v and 3.3v you will need to include more rectifiers to step down the voltage. The size of the case would need to be increased. Most importantly though active heat dissipation would need to be added to support all 3.5” drives.

Overall the DC01 Network Data Center provides a well priced, attractive device that consumes very little power. It is expandable and provides media streaming capability as well as print server functions. Sharing files on the web without having to post them to some large corporations servers (Google, Microsoft, Facebook), is a great plus and one can give access to friends, families and co-workers without giving them access to everything you have on your network. Internet sharing is literally zero effort, it is pre-configured and no port-forwarding was necessary at all.

This product earns the TechREACTION Silver Silicon Award. For Price, Aesthetics, Features and Performance that is fully compatible with Apple, Microsoft or any NIX based PC and more (Laptop, Tablet, SmartPhone, Video game or SmartTV). It is a must have for mobile users with remote storage needs and only a laptop at home or those without the technical know-how to setup their own remote desktop home server.

Thanks to SilverStone for the review sample, please visit their website for even more amazing products.

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