“This enclosure for the Pi 4 is very good. It allows you to easily build an all inclosed Nas using a Pi. Before buying this I was using a drive Dock along with a custom made case for my pi to make a Nas out of it. This enclosure has allowed me to get rid of all thar and have it in all one. The only issue I seem to have is the CPU power seems to be higher after adding it into it along with the transfer speed being slower. Whether this is because its having to process the sata pcb, as well as the added sata pcb slowing down the transfer a little. But even with these issue Its so much better than having it in different enclosures.”
“We've only had this for a few days and neither my partner nor I consider ourselves to be overly familiar with Linux or the Raspberry Pi.
Despite this we are very impressed with the build quality and attention to detail this case exhibits. It is very well thought out and although the instruction manual is rather small with tiny print we managed to assemble it without too many problems, the screw between the SATA Ports on the top board is the only tricky one.
We have given the hardware 5 Stars, this is easily the most professional product for the Raspberry Pi we have purchased.
So far we have fitted it with 2 WD SSD Disks and having followed the instructions managed to install OpenMediaVault. All we have to do now is learn how to use it.”
“Bought this case to upgrade my home server. After adding 2x 18TB and 2x5TB i now have enough storage. The case was prebuilt and easy to install all the hardware required. It's well built and very sturdy and would recoomed to anyone looking for a new NAS / Home server”
“It is a monster of a case! Generally well made and constructed. I would say there are some opportunities to improve for version 2.0, but, if you want somewhere smart and sleek to house a Pi NAS, this is it.”
“So far really loving the enclosure. There was a slight hardware fault with the daughter board (one of the hdmi ports has stuttering audio), however I have been in contact with Argon and they're sending a free replacement.
Aside from that the build quality is great and the added space is fantastic! Heat management has been really nice, though adding HDDs definitely requires that fan, and in warm conditions I'm having to accept about 47deg average HDD temperatures. That's mostly so I don't hear the fan - it's not terrible, but it's definitely audible in a quiet room.”
“Overall pretty happy with this enclosure. It replaces a loose pi with externall HDD attached so it's a huge step up.
It looks nice but the design choices on the shape limit it to only 2 3.5 inch and 2 2.5 inch ones (Or 4 2.5 inch ones but I can't find large capacity 2.5s rated for Nas use) drives which is a shame.
A lot of the enclosure is made of connected metal and acts pretty well as a heat sync. There are thermal pads and metal blocks that connect the 2 main hotspots from the pi to the case. The entire case warms up and radiates heat surprisingly well which minimises need to the fan to run.
As far as the fan goes it's incredibly loud for its small size and doesn't really seem to make a lot of difference. At 10% is almost as loud as at 100%. Might as well just set it to be max speed when it's on and not fuss with ramp up rates at different temps. If you put this in your bedroom you will regret your choices in the middle of the night. Ask me how I know.
I wish the shape was more square so it could fit 4 3.5 inch drives. It would also allow bigger fan of 80mm ir something. Could also be 10mm taller to allow a depth one.
The screen + button combo is a nice touch. It's a little awkward to know if the button is pressed or not. It's sensitive in some places but tactile feedback on it seems inconsistent.
Generally I'd recommend this as a solid upgrade to anyone wanting to move from a loose pi - but not to anyone looking to migrate from a dedicated NAS.”
“Excellent bit of kit, looks great, well built and easy to set up using the included quick start guide. You even get a screwdriver included to help with the installation of your Raspberry PI and SSD/HDD's. The only issue I had was downloading the OMV software from GIT hub due to an expired SSL certificate but that didn't have anything to do with the hardware and an addition to the download link in the instruction to skip the certificate check sorted the issue. As usual great service and fast delivery from the good folks at The PiHut. A very satisfied customer.”
