http://it.slashdot.org/it/07/12/27/1953245.shtml
From Boing Boing:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/26/netgears-tiny-networ.html
First thing, 1TB drives are still too expensive. At around ~120 for a 500gig drive compared to ~$350 for a 1TB drive, bang for your buck still comes from buying 500gig drives.
For enclosures?
I like the concept of NAS, but the price point is not there. Netgear upped the price on the ReadyNas devices. The cost for one barebones is now around ~800. You can get cheaper NAS like what Synology (http://www.synology.com/enu/index.php) is selling.
My problem with Synology? They have "too much" for me. I just want storage. Their device has an embedded Apache/PHP/MySQL server. Interesting, but not what I am after. I just want storage (sure... disable it...). The box seems to be trying to do too much. With NAS I want the device to stick to basics.
Another option? Mac Mini plus USB drives. OSX has RAID software. I already have a spare one, and a drive enclosure for five drives sets me back around $250. Even if I didn't have the Mac Mini, the difference in cost between it and the Netgear makes the Mac Mini look attractive (though, it is a shame the Mac Mini lacks external SATA). The Mac Mini solution is tried and tested :)
And ATA over Ethernet? Coraid's stuff is still too damn expensive.
Finally I could build a linux box, and futz with it... but no, that sounds a bit too painful for me. I do not have the time, and do not want to find the time (...and I hear from others this is a bad solution if your girlfriend decides that it would be fun to pull out all of the drives from your enclosure and sort them for you).
So what will I do?
ReadyNAS -> Pay the premium, know it works.
Mac Mini -> Just buy another one, and get a drive enclosure.
Synology -> Trust in the unknown, and decide that I really am better off saving money (~300).
No sound easy conclusion for me on this one yet.