Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The Promise SmartStor DS4600 is a four drive server that connects to your computer through USB, eSATA or Firewire (400 and 800). RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 are all supported just like NAS servers and you can rest assured that your data is protected nearly the same way. eSATA is the fastest option available for connectivity and if everything goes as it should we should see transfer rates that are only limited by the speed of your motherboards SATA bus.

Once connected and configured the DS4600 will appear to your computer system as a hard drive, just as if you installed a drive inside the box. Promise includes a bracket for eSATA and an eSATA cable making installation simple. The included software makes setup easy, even easier than setting up a NAS server.

As we mentioned earlier the cost of the SmartStor DS4600 is remarkably low. After a quick search we were able to find the DAS at Newegg for only 324.99 USD. That is 550 USD cheaper than the Thecus N5500 we reviewed here just days ago. You will still need to purchase hard drives for your DAS just like NAS servers. The good thing is that large capacity drives have come down in cost and you can find 1TB drives for 80 Dollars or less.

Let's have a look and see what all is included with the Promise SmartStor DS4600.