Thecus’ New W2000 2-Bay NAS Reviewed by PC Perspectives; Receives Editor’s Choice Award!

Hi Folks –

Over the past few months, I’ve made some noise about Thecus’s new line of NAS appliances running Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials. As I stated, Thecus is the first OEM to deliver new NAS appliances based on Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials, which I’m excited about for several reasons. It delivers:

• An unmatched, enterprise-class feature set built using Windows Server 2012 R2 platform technologies.

• A simplified management experience designed for people without any major IT skills.

• Painless, optional integration with cloud-based services from Microsoft and others.

• Price points that make these new NAS devices just as affordable as their Linux counterparts.

Thecus’s new NAS appliances include the 2-bay W2000, the 4-bay W4000, and the 5-bay W5000. As pleased as I was to tell you about their initial availability, I’m even happier to point out this recent review of the W2000 by PC Perspectives, which points out many of the same features and benefits that I personally find so compelling.

Here are front and rear shots of the W2000. The review has several more pics.

Here are just a few of the high points from the review, as I see them:

• “It’s really quite remarkable what Thecus is doing in partnership with Microsoft here in terms of value, as this entry 2-bay unit costs just $350.”

• “We are talking about a full-scale server here, replete with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials goodness.”

• “Not only are you getting a 2-bay NAS with underlying hardware powerful enough to run a Server OS, but you’re getting a full version of that OS preinstalled with a valid Microsoft COA. What’s the catch? Really, for a home or small office user, nothing.”

• “Essentially the W2000 has the processing power of a nettop or mini desktop, but I had to wonder if the solution that didn’t provide a great Windows 8.1 experience with a mini-PC would fare much better with an instance of Server 2012 R2. The answer quickly became obvious as I used the W2000, which performed far better than I might have suspected from the modest specs.”

• “As many uses as some NAS units have, the primary function is still network sharing of the drives installed. This is handled extremely well with the W2000 and Windows Server Essentials, once a small utility is downloaded and installed on your system.”

• “Throughput was exactly what I expected from the W2000, matching the speed of any other NAS on my network.”

• “Even though it would be incredibly easy to set up and use the W2000 for anyone with working knowledge of Windows Server 2012, such experience isn’t really needed to use this product.”

• “Bottom line, to be able to manage a small home or office environment’s users and shared resources, or build a home network with the power of a Server instance - and do any of this for $350 plus the cost of a couple of hard drives - is pretty incredible!”

 

I also like how the review summarizes the device’s strengths…

• Well executed hardware design

• Quality components

• Small footprint

• Reliable operation

• The power of a full Server experience

• $350 price includes Windows Storage Server license

… and weaknesses:

• None at this price!

 

Given such a strong review, it’s no wonder that PC Perspectives gave the W2000 its Editor’s Choice award! If I’ve perked your interest in the 2-bay Thecus W2000, you can learn more about it here. Keep in mind that you can also choose from a 4-bay W4000 model and a 5-bay W5000 model.

 

If you want to read my previous blogs on Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials and Thecus’s new NAS appliances, you’ll find them here:

• Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials: Enabling a Full-Featured, Affordable NAS for Small Businesses and SOHO Environments

• Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials: A Closer Look

• A Closer Look at Thecus’s New Offerings Based on Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Essentials

 

In our next blog, we’ll have a discussion with a VP at Thecus about the new offerings. Stay tuned!

 

Cheers,
Scott M. Johnson
Senior Program Manager
Windows Storage Server
@supersquatchy

Comments

• Anonymous
  March 28, 2015
  Is there any other way to get windows storage server ? because, this nas is cool, but the processor is quite slow...
  Is there any other OEM that use this system but with a more powerfull processor ?
  sorry for my english, but i'm french lol !
• Anonymous
  April 15, 2015
  The comment has been removed
• Anonymous
  April 27, 2015
  Dan, the "Essentials" version only comes in Atoms. Thecus is the only shipping vendor today, But Seagate has also announced some models. The Essentials version has Client Backups and Remote Web Access. As Scott said you can get beefier hardware from other vendors, but it is either Storage Server Workgroup or Standard, not Essentials.