Introduction

We would like to thank TerraMaster for supplying the review sample.


So far, I have reviewed multiple NAS (Network Attached Storage) servers and only one DAS (Direct Attached Storage) device, the TerraMaster D5. It is nigh time for my second DAS review here at TechPowerUp.

Some might wonder about the difference between a NAS and DAS. A DAS is directly connected to a PC, while a NAS is available for an entire network of PCs and other devices because it is connected to a network switch. The DAS connects to a PC through either a USB or Thunderbolt cable, with the latter offering increased transfer speeds. Clearly, a DAS offers less flexibility than a NAS. Still, it is easier to use because it is immediately recognized by your system as an external drive and costs less because it doesn't have the capabilities of a NAS. It is much less complicated to set up as well, making it ideal for novice users who don't want to dive into the NAS world.

For those in need of super-fast storage to upgrade their PC, DAS devices offer notably higher speeds than other external storage devices with the added benefit of increased protection against data losses because of the RAID configurations DAS devices support. Finally, if you get a DAS with a Thunderbolt port, you can also hook your laptop up and charge it at the same time and daisy chain several DAS devices for more available storage space.

The TerraMaster TD2 is among the most affordable DAS devices compatible with the Thunderbolt 3 (TD3) standard. It is equipped with two TD3 ports, and you can daisy chain up to six TD2 units for 168 TB capacity. Another notable feature of the TD2 is DisplayPort (v1.2), which you can use to connect an external monitor to your laptop. The TD3 interface supports daisy-chaining of up to two 4K displays or a single 5K monitor. For users video editing on their MacBooks like me, a DAS with TD3 ports packs many advantages over a NAS which might be available to many systems at once, but is slower, harder to setup, and cannot act as a video signal splitter.

To wrap up with the features, this DAS supports two RAID modes (0 and 1) along with JBOD and single disk operation. According to TerraMaster, its maximum possible read speed with two SSDs installed in RAID 0 is 760 MB/s, which I will verify through my tests. Thanks to ADATA's kind sponsorship, I have upgraded my test storage from HDDs to SSDs, so I can now easily push every NAS and DAS to the limit.

Specifications