OWC NASPerform

Installing the OWC NASPerform to a computer via a network is a confusing mix of simple and complicated. The installer program itself is a welcome relief from the typically agonizing process of having to play with IP address and configuration screens. But that doesn’t mean OWC has spared you from a headache: You have to not only type in a 20-digit device ID just to connect the NAS box to your rig but also input a “write key,” which is printed on a label on the enclosure, if you want more than read-only access. So much for simply dragging and dropping files or controlling users via a handy web interface!

We’re used to doing a little legwork to get a NAS device to work, so the NASPerform’s configuration wouldn’t normally draw our ire. However, the entire system works on a mount-unmount interface. To edit the read/write settings, you have to unmount the drive first–which caused Windows XP to crash each and every time we attempted to do so. In fact, we never did get the drive unmounted. By some act of divine power, we were able to uninstall the program, if deleting the program can really be considered a solution.

The device comes with no additional features whatsoever. It’s a storage box. End of discussion. Its speeds are painful—the device rivals the Buffalo TeraStation Live for the coveted Slowest Data Transfer Speeds award.

And really, that’s all she wrote. The NASPerform comes only in sizes up to 750GB, so you can kiss away your dreams of having a terabyte of network-attached storage. That’s if you buy this device, which we hardly recommend as an ideal solution for your network-themed storage needs.