The Storaxa Kickstarter NAS – 12 Months Later

Last updated on 05 Jan 2024 📧 Subscribe
Contents hide
1 Storaxa NAS – What Has Happened in the First 12 Months?
2 The Storaxa NAS Kickstarter from Feb 2023 – What is/was it?
3 Storaxa NAS – Too Good to be True? The Initial Pitch
4 Storaxa NAS – Late Feb ’23 Update
5 Storaxa NAS – March Updates
6 April 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
7 May 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
8 June 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
9 July 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
10 Aug/Sept 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
11 Sept / Oct 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates
11.1 December 2023 Update
12 Why Did I Back the Storaxa NAS on Kickstarter? (IMPORTANT!!!!!)
13 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Storaxa NAS – What Has Happened in the First 12 Months?

The Storaxa NAS Kickstarter campaign, initiated by Arrowtrack in 2023, marked its first year as a significant entry in the realm of crowdfunding projects. This article aims to methodically dissect the unfolding events and key developments of this period, maintaining a neutral and factual stance throughout. Over these 12 months, the campaign navigated through various challenges and milestones, characteristic of many crowdfunded endeavors. Central to the whole campaigns woes were the reported financial difficulties encountered, notably the withholding of funds by the payment processor Stripe. This situation precipitated a series of delays in production and delivery, directly impacting the campaign’s trajectory. Concurrently, communication between Arrowtrack and its backers was a focal point, with periods of minimal updates and responses raising questions among the project’s supporters. Arrowtrack’s efforts to keep backers informed included regular updates on the production process, supplier negotiations, and hardware design adjustments. Despite these attempts at transparency, there remained an undercurrent of concern among backers regarding the campaign’s financial management and documentation.

This article attempts to present an unbiased chronicle of the Storaxa NAS Kickstarter campaign’s first year, tracing its highs and lows. It seeks to provide readers with a clear, unvarnished understanding of the events as they unfolded, reflecting the complexities and challenges inherent in the world of crowdfunding technology projects.

Currently, at the time of writing (Jan 5th 2024) the status of the Storaxa Kickstarter campaign is not entirely clear. Updates are arriving on average twice a month (based on an annual average). Delivery/fulfillment timelines are still tremendously vague, and communication between the campaign organization Arrowtrak/Storaxa and the 4,900+ backers has slowed down significantly with self-imposed deadlines and schedules being regularly broken. This campaign is still showing life and there is still more than enough evidence to backup that this is NOT a scam. However, long-running silence periods from the company, poor timekeeping and comparisons that are being drawn to other projects that have arisen in 2023 (both crowdfunded and straight to retail) have resulted in questions being asked and no answers being given. Let’s start right at the beginning and discussing what the Sotraxa IS/WAS and how the campaign started.

NOTE – You can watch the full 4 HOUR video that covers everything that happened in the first 12 months of the Storaxa Kickstarter NAS Campaign HERE

The Storaxa NAS Kickstarter from Feb 2023 – What is/was it?

What is the Storaxa Kickstarter NAS and why is it a big deal to alot of potential storage buyers? Well, let’s rewind a bit. If you want to own a private network attached storage (NAS) solution in your home or office, until relatively recently, you only really had two options. The easiest, but more expensive option is to buy a ready-to-go NAS solution from the likes of Synology or QNAP, which is a ready-to-go out-the-box, arriving with its own software and services included (more often referred to as a ‘turnkey’ solution). Alternatively, the more affordable option, but more technically challenging, is to build your own server (or repurpose old tech) and then install open-source software onboard, such as TrueNAS or UnRAID. One option easy but expensive, the other way is cheaper but features a substantially higher learning curve. So, what is the solution? Well, in the last year or two we have seen big increases in a 3rd option, a middle ground between Turnkey NAS and FULL DiY, in the form of NAS servers from companies such as Topton and CWWK (we reviewed one here), which are ready-built desktop NAS devices (CPU, Memory, OS SSD, etc), but either arriving completely OS-free or include popular Open-Source software preinstalled. These solutions not only arrive at an overall price point lower than turnkey NAS (which needs to factor in the software costs and continued technical/software support), but they more often than not arrive with even better hardware too. Better CPU choices, better default connectivity and all of this whilst allowing OpenSource software users to skip the whole ‘build the thing from scratch’ element and get thermal paste under their fingernails! So, what has the Storaxa Kickstarter got to do with this?

Well, because it arrives as one of the most compelling examples of this growing 3rd option open to potential NAS buyers that we have seen. With the Kickstarter campaign arriving at frankly incredibly low price points, even when compared against the numerous alternatives available on Aliexpress etc, as well as a dual OS (proxmox) and Dual network management/NAS architecture too thanks to WiFi antenna, few NAS solutions have promised to delivery so much for so little. So, what’s the catch? Well, Kickstarter! Like any crowdfunded project, the solution is a crowd-funded project that lacks the guarantee of a refund if the campaign is unsuccessful or suitable recompense if the eventual product does not meet its promises. So, thanks to alot of regular subscribers to the YouTube channel highlighting this project, doubts in the air around pricing, all alongside some interesting back-and-forth with the creators, I want to follow the progress of the Storaxa Kickstarter NAS right to when/if it crosses the finish line. Maybe it will be the breaking point for a new kind of solution that established names in the industry wake up and smell the coffee over? Maybe it will not and these videos and paragraphs will simply form a record of what when right and what went wrong. Regardless, it will be interesting to find out!

Storaxa NAS – Too Good to be True? The Initial Pitch

The initial campaign from the Storaxa group for this NAS was made up of several elements. It arrived with a production video that made the system look easy to use and access, not uncommon in this kind of kickstart project presentation. The initial general outlined specifications were:

Base/Entry Storaxa NAS Specifications

  • Linux OS (Promox Base, TrueNAS Scale & OpenWRT VMs)
  • Max 142TB Storage
  • 5xHDD
  • 4xSSD
  • TrueNAS
  • WiFi 6E
  • 2x 10GbE + 4x 2.5GbE
  • Intel & AMD CPU
  • SD + MicroSD Card Reader

The design is pretty much the main thing that stood out. The actual casing, at least as far as a 5x SATA bay chassis) is fairly standard, but it is only when you factor in the additional 4x M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD bays and twin rear dual band antenna that the unique design that is being proposed here standards out notably.

Sketches and 3D plans of the Stroaxa NAS chassis were shown, as well as a breakdown of the main component placement on the internal motherboard were also shown. This was one area where questions arose around PCIe lane distribution and potential heat concerns around the project. Some of these concerns were answered in the comments section, whilst others were approached in the backers-only section. Kind of odd that 

Here is the breakdown of the hardware in the base line Storaxa NAS (further configurations were rolled out later on after a backer poll was conducted):

Hardware Specifications of Initially Proposed System:

  • Intel N6005 Pentium Silver CPU (Quad Core, x86, 2.0 – 3.3Ghz)
  • Integrated Graphics, 450Mhz – 900Mhz
  • 16GB 3200Mhz SODIMM (non-ECC) Memory
  • Five SATA 3.5″ Hard Drive Bays (2.5″ SSD with adapter)
  • Four M.2 NVMe SSD 2280 Slots (Gen 3)
  • Internal 128/120GB SSD (OS Drive, OverP Considerations)
  • WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Twin External Antenna and Dual Band
  • 4x 2.5GbE Network Connections
  • HDMI 2.0 4K 60FPS (+DP)
  • 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) Type A/C and 2x USB 2.0 Type A
  • 20cm x 18cm x 26cm Chassis
  • Twin Rear Cooling Fans and Heat dissipating casing

Here is a similar board below, from the Storaxa pages:

Now, as mentioned, Storaxa has stated that they are using an existing hardware architecture for the internals of the Storaxa, providing a few examples of the architecture and references deep in the comments section. Long before this though, blogs and forums (once again, I have to give props to Reddit and STH here) had already called out that it was likely the boards used in Mini PCs under the TopTon and CWWK branding. An example of which we reviewed – CWWK AIO-T6 6-Bay NAS Review. Bang For Buck? (Massive Review and Hardware Breakdown) HERE on NASCompares

For a closer look at how the CWWK AIO-TT6 NAS looks, you can use the gallery below. 

Alternatively, you can watch the video review below (SELF PLUG ALERT!!!):

Following repeated questions by some users about the background of the team,, the team appeared on a video published on a backer-only update on the 9th Feb ’23:

Additionally, It is worth highlighting that they had already detailed their key members in the initial Kickstarter presentation (repeated below):

The Storaxa NAS Team Members:

  • Marvin He is responsible for the industrial design. He made use of a 3D printer to print the structure and design from CAD. He printed and tested all the parts, and made sure the assembly is feasible and easy. 
  • Matt Wang is our electrical engineer. He is responsible for two parts in the development of Storaxa. Firstly, he communicates with the PCB supplier and solve related technical issues. Secondly, he confirms all the specifications and design of the PCB that connects with the SSDs.
  • Keith Zhou is our procurement and logistics executive. When there is shortage for different parts in making Storaxa, he will find substitutes for engineers and PCB suppliers. He is also familiar with VAT for importing and exporting, as he worked in an international logistics company for the past year.
  • Thomas Li is our system engineer. All of Storaxa’s software development is created by him. For example, he decides which Linux distribution to pre-install, and test the compatibility and reliability between software and hardware
  • Li-Sau Man (Karen) is responsible for PR and customer service. Alongside strong writing and editing skills, she has a good understanding of digital communication channels and tools. She is effective in circulation of internal and external communications including newsletters, campaigns, speeches.

In a backers-only update, there was further information on the Plex Media server performance of the Soraxa, in an unlisted YouTube video. Again, it is good to see some test benchmarks and user case information to relate with, but these videos being unlisted still seemed unnecessary. Original text below from Feb 3rd:

Testing Plex with AMD 5825U

The easiest way to run Plex on Storaxa, is to install the Plex app in the Truenas-SCALE official app catalog. To ensure the system is not constrained by memory, we installed 64GB of RAM, and assigned 50+ to the TrueNAS-SCALE VM. We prepared H.264 30fps 1080p videos, and stream at 720p so as to force Plex to transcode. The streaming client is a MacBook pro connected via an ethernet cable. We managed to run six player instances  simultaneously, each playing a different video, without noticeable stutter.

It is worth remembering that alot of the information above was to only backers, which is still rather odd and only reasons of patent/IP protection might cover this – but it would be an odd stance to take on only the smaller % of the details. Nevertheless, I want to remain optimistic. It is not impossible that the Storaxa can be released and be a good product for the price point, but we are still talking pretty thin margins! For example, a similar Topton/CWWK/etc board can be purchased with the same N6005 CPU, SSD and 8GB of memory for £246 (so, approx $339) on Aliexpress. There are lots of differing examples under different brand names, but here is an example:

And the baseline Storaxa NAS (no add-ons, just the Intel Pentium N6005, 120/128GB NVMe, WiFi 6 module and 16GB of memory) comes in at $274. And that also has to include the casing, antenna, testing, time spent with software installation and testing/Q.C (PLus that free 32GB Memory card too now). Even if you factor in the profit margin that sellers on AliExpress need to factor in per sale vs the savings made possible by bulk buying by Storaxa team at the production level – that still leaves a remarkably narrow profit margin. It was this, plus the comments sent my way, odd presentation inconsistencies (nothing big, but blips here and there) that led to the video below:

Storaxa NAS –  Late Feb ’23 Update

When the Kickstarter concluded, it passed all stretch goals and at the time of writing, the stats are:

“5,917 backers pledged $1,924,001 to help bring this project to life.”

Regarding the Pledge Manager (for users to customize/confirm their order), it arrived a week later than expected, as Storaxa stated Pledgebox recommended aiming for the 25th Feb, so funds would be appropriately wired over and to eliminate errors when exporting backer pledges from Kickstarter to PledgeBox). Additionally, there were further breakdowns on the Storaxa page regarding the Schematics and Main board/layout of each configuration, detailed as follows:

Before we start, here is a schematic diagram of the main board with the key components. Please click on the image to view the diagrams for all the other CPU configurations. You can refer to these diagrams to help you choose your options. For experts and backers with advanced knowledge on NAS, these may be enough. 

After several requests for updated videos of the system being connected and from multiple angles, the following was provided in the backers-only area and via unlisted videos:

Uncut, Unedited Demo

Here is the uncut unedited demos as requested. We included a different angle to show all the cables and you can see that WiFi is disconnected and nothing is under the Storaxa. It can be viewed in 4K so you can see everything clearly. 

As per further updates and details on the stretch goals that were hit during the progression of the campaign, they proposed that they would  include an additional 32GB SD Card with all Sotraxa purchases after the campaign hits $1.9 Million (which it did). Their original update:

Also we have decided on the Stretch Goal #5. For the final stretch goal, we want to add something that won’t increase the SKU and something that everyone can benefit from. Once we hit $1.9 million, we will include one 32GB microSD card with the recovery image for all Storaxa units. You can use it to store snapshots and since you can always leave it in the slot, it won’t be easy to lose.

Regrding shipping, Staraxa state that they worked with a backer volunteer to test ship an item as a demonstration of the means of shipping to the EU and that it was received without any additional tax/customs payments being required:

One of the most asked questions was about extra VAT, customs and taxes that backers will need to pay regarding shipment to the EU. We have already explained that our forwarder has included all customs and taxes in their quotation and they will send it in a way to avoid extra charges to the recipient. During one of these discussions, a backer volunteered to help us test this shipping method to see if any additional VAT was charged. We were contacted by that backer yesterday after she received the package without any extra VAT.

Storaxa NAS – March Updates

The Storaxa timeline has now shifted forward, with pledges stated at 82% of completion as of 27/03. Likewise, the timeline has now been updated on the project by the Storaxa team:

Users who had access to the Pledge manager were given a considerable number of options with regard to customizing their Storaxa, with detailed pricing throughout. There were reported payment issues and bank authentication issues, but these were PlexBox/PlegeManager related. If a user wanted to stick with the default configuration (Intel N6005, 16GB DDR4, WiFi6, 120GB SSD, 2.5Gx4), The Lowest Priced Storaxa NAS Configuration remained at $274:

However, the range of configurations was surprisingly diverse.

Configuration Options –  Wireless Module #1

Configuration Options – OS Drive #2

Configuration Options – CPU Choice #3

Configuration Options – Network Connectivity Choice #4

Configuration Options – Memory Capacity Choice #5

If you wanted to scale the Storaxa up to the maximum configuration of the system (Intel i7-1265U, 64GB DDR4, WiFi6e, 2TB SSD, 10Gx2, 2.5Gx2), that increased the price by $390, making the Highest Priced Storaxa NAS Configuration at $664:

There were also additional options for adding additional Storaxa NAS systems, storage media, spare PSUs and drive adapters.

The Optional Add ons and Media Choices Available:

So, if you wanted to opt for the Storaxa system with 20TB Seagate Ironwolf Pro’, 4TB WD Black SN850X PCIe4 SSDs and spare Boot disk, the Maximum Specification Storaxa System was priced at $2899.

For perspecitve, the QNAP TVS-h874 8-Bay NAS (no media included, 32GB, no 10GbE) is currently priced at approx at $2498 (one example below):

That is a huge saving indeed. This once again makes me want to hope that devices like this can/do happen and can give biggest/etablished names in the NAS industry pause for thought!

Elsewhere. there was continued back and forth regarding concerns about the CWWK board and the diminished SATA speed potential vs the bandwidth/lane allocation across the system (Most detailed example HERE). The Storaxa Team responded 5 hours later, highlighting that the default/baseline configuration will have these more limited bandwidth issues. This is something that many more experience tech users/builders had postulated earlier in the crowdfunding stages, but less experienced users or those less familiar with CWWK/Topton systems seen online might have been less aware. This is another one of those points of presentation where the simplicity of the solution in the initial Kickstarter videos and bullet points have glossed over the capabilities of a system at this pricepoint:

Below was our March update that goes into more detail about the pledge manager and pricing comparisons:

The March/April period also saw the Arrotrack/Storaxa site go live. Though in an early skeleton form that largely copied the content of the Kickstarter campaign (though the March 31st update was now publically visible)

The domain ownership appears to be alot older, but according to waybackmachine the site has only really seen active changes in the last month or so (understandable).

One notable thing is that although the number of unique and available pages was limited, the Fulfillment and Returns page is completed. This is quite surprising, given that the device has yet to or even finished production. This might seem a bit ‘cart before the horse has bolted’, but one could also argue that this is a further positive move by them that underlines that they intend to fulfill, but are also aware of the thin-ness of their profit margins to withstand cancellations at the 11th hour.

April 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

April (and very late March) saw two main updates to the Storaxa Kickstarter campaign, as well as two updates to the project timeline. This was also combined with a few questions surrounding the business address of Arrotrack (the company that Storaxa creators are trading under).

There have been several references to the project being slightly delayed (not unusual with Kickstarters) and also a few extra details surrounding the regional delivery plans. The key updates from Storaxa though surrounded confirmation of the AMD layout and changes to the Intel schemes.

Free DDR5 Upgrades

Due to a change in the Intel Storaxa board layouts and specification support, Storaxa confirmed that those opting for the higher-end configurations would have an upgrade from DDR4 to DDR5 Memory. This was largely down to these boards not supporting DDR4 memory, but nonetheless, a welcome bonus for those affected.

Future of Storaxa NAS, Post Crowdfunding?

There was also a discussion of Storaxa plans post-fulfilment, with Storaxa clearly indicating that they plan on continuing production after fulfilment of Storaxa Kickstarter units concludes. Hopefully, this occurs after ALL backers have been satisfied, as it is not unheard of for some Kickstarter campaigns to introduce late-stage outside retail options in order to financially support the initial Kickstarter pledges, which might have been priced incorrectly. Again, there is NO INDICATION of this and it is perfectly normal/sensible for them to keep an eye on the future. Indeed, its actually a positive sign in many respects that they are thinking long term.

Talking of long-term thinking and planning, I have to give them credit for sharing some of the background finance matters of the project with backers. As the initial pledges and additional sums garnered by the dynamic pledgebox have rapidly increased the campaign total, Stripe (the financial management in the middle) has opted to hold 50% of the collected funds until the fulfilment of orders begins (for reasons of product and backer satisfaction). This is not unusual and quite a useful safeguard when followed correctly by the intermediary parties, but it is good that Storaxa showed this exchange. I would still have preferred these to not be behind ‘backer only updates’ and it doesn’t change anything regarding fulfilment commitments, beyond the 2nd 50% of collected funds – but it’s still a positive move by them to share this.

There is, of course, the argument that they lose nothing by sharing this and gain goodwill by doing so, but it’s still a net positive. This is what they had to share:

“The result of the review is that Stripe will hold 50% of the funds from PledgeBox until fulfillment begins. Based on the payment terms outlined in the supplier contract, Stripe will distribute payments in the following manner: 50%, 35%, and 15%. We will keep Stripe updated with our mass production status in order to release the funds. For different components, we have to pay a deposit of 60% to 80%. For the main board we only need to pay a 50% deposit for mass production. Although we didn’t expect any funds to be held by Stripe when they asked for the review, the total funds from Kickstarter (100%) and Pledgebox (50%) is enough for all deposits.”  – Storaxa, April 12th Update

Storaxa also showed the current balance of funds collected at the time of writing:

Lots of positive reception to this move (with merit) and high praise for this transparent move.

AMD 5825U Layout Detailed

The manufacturer had completed the CAD of the main board for the pre-production sample.

Intel Component Changes Highlighted

As previously mentioned, there layouts for the internal boards for the Storaxa for each configuration have started arriving and they stated that due to hardware shortages, there would need to be component changes:

“There is a delay for the upgraded Intel CPU schematic. The manufacturer discovered that there is a shortage for some of the parts in the design. So they need to change to parts with a more stable supply. All main features remain unchanged. It will be ready after April 3. We will publish an update once that is ready. This does not delay mass production. Backers who wish to see the schematics before finalizing their choices can rest easy, because the survey deadline is extended to end of April. ” – Storaxa, March 31 Update

Later in a 2nd April 2023 update, they went on to show the system block diagram that factored in these component changes. These included upgrades to a DDR5 memory channel (which would lead to the free DDR5 upgrades mentioned above).

(later in the April 19th Update)

Business Address Changes

One slight fly in the ointment during the campaign this last month or so arose regarding the business address of Storaxa/Arrotrack. The campaign creators sharted a draft of the invoice that they would be using for finished order fulfilment and the address for this China/HK-based company had changed to a U.S/Denver address:

To confirm, the invoice stated ‘360 S Quitman StreetDenver CO, 80219 US’ and the original Arrotrack company was Unit 1113, 11/F, Global Gateway Tower, 63 Wing Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. This was confirmed in their own company documentation provided below:

A quick Google of the new U.S register address showed a slightly underwhelming business location:

This did raise a few concerns in the comments section and (far play) to Storaxa; they were not being secretive about this address/location. Answering direct questions about this in the comments:

They did go on to further clarify reasoning for this, stating that it was needed in order to proceed with a crowdfunding campaign, due to local restrictions imposed on Chinese companies. The duality of the registered addresses was for reasons of finance and handling returns/shipping.

Below is the timeline for the first half of April and everything, bar the pre-production samples being shared directly with backers (direct images and real-world examples) was correct.

 

At the start of April 2023, we asked Tom @Lawrence Systems for his perspective on the project, it’s viability and his initial thoughts. It is worth highlighting that this was presented his immediate perspective and without any additional research on his part.

May 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

May 2023 saw 4 official Updates by the Storaxa team on their Kickstarter campaign, mainly focusing on the changing of the system PSU from an external model to an external one, and the Pledgebox credit/payment issues.

Changes from an Internal PSU to an External PSU

This goes into a lot more detail for the reasons for/against, as well as the logic they outline in their decision, but this quote below summarizes it best:

“After careful consideration and evaluation, we have decided to use an external GaN power supply with a 5.5*2.5 barrel jack in 140W/180W/200W depending on the chosen CPU (N6005/5825U/1235U,1256U). GaN (gallium nitride) is a new technology that allows for smaller, more efficient, and cooler power supplies. It has several advantages over traditional silicon-based power supplies, including higher efficiency, faster switching speeds, and smaller size. A Type-C PD power supply was not chosen because of the higher cost we couldn’t fit into our budget. The power supply will be external, which will allow for more space in the case for better thermal management and air circulation for heat dissipation. This also gives users more space for customization inside the case. And it is easier to replace the power supply if needed. We have several suppliers lined up and will decide on the final one soon. Here are some images of the potential power supply. It is meant to plug directly into a power socket. It has a C6 socket, so you can also choose to use it like a power brick by using it with standard C5 cable (not included). The power supply will only come with the plug suitable for your delivery location.” – Storaxa Team, Update 19, May 25th 2023

They also supplied an updated system build graphic to detail the case in progress and adjusted layouts:

May 22nd also saw an update on the motherboard that is intended for the baseline N6005 Pentium models, with the stated arrival of the production sample for testing and assessment. See below:

Storaxa NAS Case Changes

As pleasing as this way, I was more concerned with the production and information on the casing for the Storaxa system, as that is one fo the truly unique elements of this system. How the change to an external PSU and the difference in architecture between the configurations impacting the case cooling/shape was also addressed in this same May 2023 update:

“Getting the first sample is a critical milestone because it lets us finalize the case design. The case sample will be ready in the week of June 5, 2023. Our plan has always been to use the same case for all the different versions of Storaxa. This is so that all units have a uniform appearance and also it will help save on production costs. However, with the introduction of the higher-performance versions, the power supply unit had to increase. And with the increased wattage, we also struggled with thermal management. Moving the power supply outside was the best solution. We thought about keeping it inside for the basic model, but decided against it because it will be easier to have the same case and it will be easier for assembly and repair. The external power supply has many positives. There is more room inside for air circulation for heat dissipation and also gives users more space for customization inside. It can also be replaced more easily.” – Storaxa Team, Update 18, May 22nd 2023

The Storaxa Group continue:

“The new case has three easy-access openings, two on top and one at the bottom. The top ones are for the 4 M.2 slots and the boot drive. The bottom is for access to the main board with the DDR RAM and the 2 onboard M.2 slots. The side air vents are also larger for better air flow. Since the power supply has moved, the main board is also raised, leaving more space for personalization and airflow. This means the ports in the back are all raised higher.” – Storaxa Team, Update 18, May 22nd 2023 

They have updated their current projected timeline with the shipping of the first wave of solutions in the 2nd half of July (see blow):

The last 30 Days or so of the Storaxa NAS Kickstarter campaign (going into the 15th May) have been a fantastic mix of good news, bad news and just plain odd news. Although the Storaxa team have continued to respond to comments and enquiries, they have certainly been a little less prompt. That said, between the evolution of the campaign as it moves through the proposed production timeline and a couple of the hurdles that will be covered in this May update, there might be reason enough for these. Let’s go through all the updates (both project-published ones and those made in the comments).

PledgeBox Issues

Pretty much the big topic that has been bubbling around the Storaxa Kickstarter in this period was the Pledgebox manager not factoring in payments previously made to people’s existing backing sums. In short, a % of users found that their initial payments had been ignored and new ‘balance due’ messages had appeared. It is still not certain how many users were affected by this out of the 5,917 backers of the project (though some backers took to reddit to try and poll the numbers of those affected/unaffected), but clearly, this issue was big enough to be raised and referred to a decent amount in the comments. This is the image provided by Storaxa in their update to denote how the issue appeared to those affected users:

What caused this issue in the Pledge manager is still unclear, but Storaxa/Arrotrack did address this in their project update on May 2nd:

“We apologize for a new issue on PledgeBox that crossed out the bonus amounts of backers’ pledges from Kickstarter. If you are experiencing this issue, please wait patiently as we try to fix all the affected accounts within one week. There is no magic button to fix all the accounts at once, so we need to do it individually. Please understand that we may not be able to reply to all your messages, emails, and comments, as we are focused on resolving this issue. This issue does not affect how we will fulfill your rewards so we kindly ask for your patience as we fix this.” – Storaxa Update #16 HERE

This seemingly continued to be raised in the comments section and although individual queries were addressed by the group in the general comments section, it wasn’t until May 15th that we saw the issue fully confirmed as resolved by Storaxa in a full backers only update:

“The issue with the subtracted Kickstarter bonus has been resolved. Thank you backers for your patience as we fixed the problem. If we missed anyone with this issue, please don’t hesitate to reach us so we can fix it.”  – Sroaxa Update #17 HERE

Initial Motherboard Errors and Changes

The board that is to be used inside the Storaxa (though differing fractionally in each CPU Config) had only really been shown in schematic, Diagram and CAD form up to this point and understandably, many users had been chasing for updates on this. Although already volunteered by Storaxa that the board use was being produced by the same manufacturer as the likes of Topton/CWWK NAS systems, real world examples of the mainboard for the Storaxa were still ‘coming soon’. So, with that in mind, the initial update for this on May 2nd was a little bitter-sweet.

Although they showed a board in the update (which had been promised already), it was highlighted that mistakes in the layout had been recognized and therefore more work/time was needed for completion:

“The manufacturer tested the first print of the mainboard last week and discovered that there were some mistakes in the layout. Since it is Golden Week holiday here, the factory will be on break this week. The new samples for testing will be ready next week. We will continue monitoring their work and update you about the progress” – Storaxa Update #16 HERE

Fast forward two weeks and we saw the next update, which included images of the ready-soldered and prepared board for the default N6005 board. Arriving somewhere between the design of the N6005 board HERE and J6412 board HERE on Aliexpress, the photos are a little oblique. I appreciate that Storaxa state the manufacturer has supplied these, but a top-down angle would have been nice. Still, better something than nothing:

There is no avoiding that there has been contention in the response to this update regarding the main board of the storaxa NAS. The first issue for many was that the Intel N6005 model is the entry-level device and many of the much higher configurations (who have paid considerably more into this project since the Pledgebox option appeared) have been left to wait. Now, on the one hand, given that the Kickstarter began with pledging on the initial N6005 configuration, it makes sense that chronologically that would be the first thing to be on the timeline for production. But given the scale of the upgraded components (significantly more power-hungry processors, 10GbE, Gen 4 SSDs, etc) in this compact chassis on boards that are not available right now on AliExpress etc right now, it’s understandable why users opting for these more unique configurations are wondering about their system delivery window.

The other hardware change that has occured in the recent project update was one that many had already raised early in the campaign (myself included), regarding the PSU. Storaxa have opted to remove the PSU from the internal casing of the device and opting for an external PSU (with a promise to elaborate more on this in the next project update). Now, on the face of it, I have always been a fan of external PSUs. They are easier to replace and in some cases, can remove internal heat generation and/or restrictive airflow blocking in more compact systems (more in the case of bare-PSUs, not blocks). However, in the case of the more aggressive system configurations, this might well result in quite large PSUs and add this also raises the question of external PSU quality. That was always a factor in ANY PSU, but ask anyone who has ever purchased a cheap PSU for their GFX-Card laptop or external PCIe Box on eBay/Ali and they will discuss ‘noisy’ PSUs or those that just feel ‘unsafe’. This is pure conjecture right now of course and until the PSU in question is shared in an update, it’s way to early to complain. But some users are definitely less keen on external power bricks in bigger NAS systems, as that can also result in an easy-to-disconnect power connection or extra part to lose!

Delay in Order Shipping and Fulfilment Warned

The above changes regarding the system board and possibly due to the impact of the Pledge Manager issues requiring attention (again, an assumption on my part) have led to Storaxa highlighting delays to shipping an order fulfilment in this campaign. Initially, shipping was timeline’d to start in Mid-June, but now looks like the end of July:

“We have been working diligently with our manufacturer to complete the designs and samples of the main boards. Even though our manufacturer started work earlier than scheduled, not all the pre-production samples will be completed on time within the 45 days stated in our contract. They have explained to us that ever since our campaign, they have become more busy and received even more orders. The estimated dates were accurate but due to not enough man power, any mistakes and redesign delayed the samples. The production time of assembling the units will not be affected. They have been very accommodating during this whole process, so we believe that they are sincere and tried their best to keep to our schedule.  Due to the bottleneck in completing the pre-production samples, the shipping date will be delayed for 30 days. We apologize for this inconvenience and we thank you for your patience and understanding.” – Storaxa Update #17 HERE

Delays in Kickstarter campaigns are hardly unusual and fair play to them for, at the very least, raising it now. It’s still going to be disappointing for many, but after many users quering the shipment date, this is something to go on.

Arrotrack / Storaxa Domain Ownership Expiry?

A rather odd point and one that was raised in the comments of the Kickstarter comments for the Storaxa was that the domain for the Arrotrack company (the group producing the Storaxa) had a very, very short domain registration time remaining. In my last update (in the April Update below) I highlighted that Arrotrack and Storaxa has a website up and running that had further information on the updates made available to non-backers, details of the company (something of a debate there that was discussed) and information regarding terms of returns and support. Well, that domain was registered on 23/05/20 but seemingly is going to expire on 23/05/23.

Now, this in itself is not the end of the world. Notwithstanding that this is not directly connected to the Kickstarter campaign, the company could be moving to a new domain and letting this expire (since realizing a new domain and site was needed). Likewise, they could be running the clock out on it to exchange it’s ownership to a new party. Nevertheless, it’s an odd little thing.

Potential Refunds to Customers of HDD/SSD Storage Bundles

One matter that increased in the comments of the Kickstarter campaign comments of the Storaxa over the last couple of months was to do with the price of storage media. When the Pledgebox manager for Storaxa NAS went live, one of the additional configuration options included adding SATA HDD/SSD media and PCIe Gen 3/4 m.2 NVMe SSD Media. However, since these options were first made available and priced, the general cost of alot of these drives (and other alternative drives that were not included in the Pledgebox from 3rd parties, location dependant) have seen noticeable decreases. So, many users wanted to know if reductions in the cost of drives would be reflected in their purchases (i.e. partial refunds?). Storaxa addressed this in their mid-May update:

“Due to the delay in completing the main boards, the delivery of the accessories such as SSD and HDD will also be delayed. Although we already paid the deposit, we  were able to renegotiated with our supplier to give us a discount on the drives if the prices drop. In the event that market prices drop lower than our previous negotiated price, we will receive a discount. In turn, we will offer that same discount to backers who have added the drives to their pledges and refund the difference to you.” – Storaxa Update #17 HERE

Now, fair play to Storaxa. very few would have expected them to refund these savings. Mainly as the quantity of HDDs and SSDs would have likely been quoted and paid partially/fully at Distribution shortly after the closing of the Pledgebox. These are all still promises and considerations that are being outlined on a crowdfunding project that has still not (at the time of writing) shown details on money in/out on the media ordered, or final shipping devices. But this is nonetheless a positive stance to take in this update and one that I wanted to highlight in my updates.

Here is my round-up of the updates above (and a few of the April updates), all in one video. Enjoy!

June 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

June saw three updates from Storaxa on the production of their system (the first larger than the two that followed, but all three addressed new information). The main subjects covered with the new intended Shipping Test, are fulfilment of the SD Card stretch goal (part of the shipping test), errors and issues encountered at production and planned tutorials and guides. There was also updated information on the GaN external Power Supplier, it’s a 19V supply with a 5.5*2.5 barrel jack in 140W/180W/200W depending on the chosen CPU (N6005/5825U/1235U,1256U).

“It is meant to plug directly into a power socket. It has a C6 socket, so you can also choose to use it like a power brick by using it with standard C5 cable. The power supply will only come with the plug suitable for your delivery location. After getting your feedback from the last update, we will include the C5 cable for your convenience.” – Storaxa Team, Update 19, June 7th 2023

Board for the 5825 CPU Storaxa NAS, Good and Bad News

The early June update started on a positive note, with the announcement that the production samples of the AMD 5825 controller board on their #20 update. This was a little soured for some by the additional note that the Intel board configuration systems had fallen behind schedule:

“We are proceeding with production now. However, the upgraded Intel main boards are behind schedule. By starting with two versions first, we can avoid delayed production overall. As long as the upgraded Intel board samples are ready within two weeks, we can stay on the delivery schedule for end of July.” – Storaxa Team, Update 20, June 7th 2023

Still, this was good news for those backers who had opted for one fo those AMD config choices. However, this was a little short-lived, when comments from the Storaxa group highlighted that they had hit a tech roadblock pertaining to the detection of the M.2 NVMe.

Twelve days later, in the June 19th Update, the Storaxa team highlighted that an issue was recognized in the AMD 5825 board:

“During testing of the AMD 5825 main board, the 4 top M.2 slots could not be read or detected. After further testing, we discovered that something went wrong during SMT and there was a problem with one of the resistors on the main board that affected the recognition of the ASM2812X chip PCB. We are fixing this now. This is not a big problem and it will be fixed in a week. Once it is complete, we can continue with testing and production.”– Storaxa Team, Update 20, June 7th 2023

Later in their final update of June, they did state that the SMT issue had been resolved:

“The AMD 5825 main board has finished SMT. The problem with the unrecognized ASM2812X chip has been fixed and testing and production can continue. The upgraded Intel versions can proceed after this.” – Storaxa Team, Update 21, June 30th 2023

The Storaxa SD Card Shipping Tests and System Recovery Images

In the early stages of the kickstart campaign, when alternative versions of the Storaxa configuration, rewards and stretch goals were being shared, one thing that was discussed was an SD card for every backer that contained the system recovery image (dependent on the OS choices across both elements of the system).

Although it became quickly clear that providing an ‘one for all’ system image for the SD card become untenable, they stated that they will provide the means to download these at launch, but use the SD cards for every backer as a means to test shipping:

“Since before our campaign started we tried our best to quote the lowest price for shipping to keep the price of Storaxa as low as possible. We didn’t give up that search even until after the campaign so we can keep the add-on and extra units shipping cost low too. We found a logistics company that quoted prices that we couldn’t believe. This would be very good for us because we can save some costs, but we didn’t think it was safe enough to entrust them with your rewards which ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars. However, they assured us they have global coverage and can ensure the safe delivery of all rewards. To back up their proposal, they are willing to do a shipping test to show us they can handle all our orders.  Due to this, we are happy to announce we will conduct a shipping test by sending you the free 32GB microSD unlocked in the final stretch goal ahead of schedule. This test will show us the reliability of this new service and also serve as a practice run of fulfillment. We will start sending it out on June 15. It will take around 7 – 14 business days to be delivered. – Storaxa Team, Update 20, June 7th 2023

This still led to the question of less experienced users who wanted to have a recovery/initial-boot SD Card for this system, two of which Storaxa stated the following:

“We originally stated that the microSD card will come with a system recovery image for your Storaxa. However, after careful consideration, due to the fully customization feature of the Storaxa, no single image will fit everyone’s purposes. Therefore, we will send you a blank card so you can create the image right for you with the instructions below. (We will post the instructions again after you receive your Storaxas). We are starting to make the tutorial videos this week. We will film some demos to teach the basics on how to install and run the software for the Storaxa. The videos will be posted on our Youtube channel. We will start with some simple videos first and ask for your feedback before we move on to tutorials for the more advanced uses of Storaxa.” – Storaxa Team, Update 21, June 19th 2023

Storaxa is stated to arrive with the system pre-installed and pre-configured, so you can plug in the network/power cables and drives, and start using it. Storaxa boots to Proxmox VE, which hosts 2 virtual machines, which respectively has TrueNAS-SCALE, and OpenWRT installed.

We cover this and more in our June Update video below:

July 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

Right at the tail end of the month (31st July to be precise), Storaxa rolled out an update that was largely centered around 4 videos of the system (in a component-out state) being demo’d. The specifications for the unit and client machine they state are the testing system are:

  • AMD Board
  • 64GB Memory
  • 1TB Samsung 970 Pro Boot SSD
  • WiFi 6 Card (via an M.2 riser adapter card)
  • 10GbE (Via TB3 adapter)
  • 5x 16TB HDD (unconfirmed, but not hugely important for these tests)
  • 3x WD Black SN750 SSDs
  • Connected to Macbook Pro

The system board seemed to be connected via a standard multilane to SATA adapter, though I couldn’t quite 100% confirm the means that the 3x m.2 NVMe bays were connected (clear cable type there though). The testing Mac book was connected via a Thunderbolt3-to-10GbE adapter. The first test was a 10GbE transfer test (video here):

Next, there was a straightforward copy/paste into a RAIDZ1 (i.e comparable ZFS alternative to RAID 5). Video HERE, but result screen below:

Finally, there was a session of Plex testing, with three videos being streamed at once in H.265 and H.264. Again, the video is HERE.

Also, the Memory cards that formed one of the stretch goals from the initial Kickstarter campaign (more on that shortly) have started to arrive in Europe. The card from my pledge arrived on July 31st via Royal Mail, no signature was required but was trackable from Hong Kong onwards.

Rewinding back to the very start of the month, July started quiet – REAL quiet! In fact, it was unusually quiet times for Storaxa, with a period of over 2 weeks of Storaxa no longer responding to public comments or producing any updates. This was eventually addressed in the comments, backers section, on Reddit and more by concerned users who had noticed the sudden gear change.

That said, things seemingly returned to normal in the 2nd half of 2023, returning to a lot of those older comments, including my own (shown before/after), with apologies and highlights that a bigger update will be coming at the end of the month:

 

Backer SD Cards Arriving

Last month, Storaxa detailed that as a move to test shipping fulfilment in preparation for the eventual full Storaxa shipment and test the company shipping companies’ rather impressive delivery quotation, they would send backers their stretch goal included 32GB SSD Card (quote below from the June Update).

“We are starting the shipping test this week. Please expect to receive the package in 10 to 20 days. We will email you the tracking number through the PledgBox system within one week of sending out. This test will help us as a test run for when when we ship your Storaxas and also help us test the flexibility of shipping your rewards in different patches. We received mixed feedback about this test, but we feel this will help us to ensure you receive your rewards safely without additional costs.” Storaxa Team, Update 21, June 19th 2023

Cards began arriving in mid-July and it quickly became clear that these were being shipped by region/country/continent, with the U.S (likely the largest % of backers being located) being the first to state they had received the cards:

Additionally, some incredibly kind users (such as u/AkaiYui97 on Reddit, credit for images below), shared the contents of the Storaxa SD card delivery.

That said, not everyone (at the time of Writing, July 30th 2023) has received their SD card and it looks like Europe has been one of the last in the list of regions shipped to. Again, most likely a % based staged shipping method based on the locations of backers.

Now, on the face of it, we are talking about an SD card here… with an exceptionally low value. Although in itself a very low-value item, it’s worth remembering that these cards were shipped as a test of the shipping company and prospected fulfilment. Also, several users highlighted that the SD cards had tracking information indicating that they were received in Hong Kong in the last full week of July.

At the time of writing, the SD cards for the UK/Europe have started to be trackable and users might well see their cards arriving during the course of this week (31/07 – 4/08), as indicated by the tacking below.

Production and Shipment of Storaxa Now Delayed till September 2023

Another point worth touching on, and one that was certainly anticipated by many, was the officially stated delay of the Storaxa first fulfilment from 2nd Half of July to the 2nd Half of September. How this will impact users based on their configuration choice and global location is yet to be elaborated upon (there IS an update stated to arrive on July 31st, which might address this), but for now, the project is now slated for later in 2023. Not a huge surprise and not unusual for Kickstarter.

 

The final statement from Storaxa regarding the updated timeline was as follows:

“The production timeline is the same as last update. Mass production will begin in September and shipping will start in the second half of September. All major parts and components have been ordered and will arrive before that time. The case and chassis sample is arriving at the end of this week so we can show that to you soon too.”  – Storaxa Team, Update #24, 1st Aug

 

Aug/Sept 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

In recent developments regarding the Storaxa NAS by Arrowtrack, a series of unexpected challenges have emerged, primarily involving financial delays and fund withholding by the payment processor, Stripe. As backers eagerly await the product’s release, Arrowtrack has been surprisingly transparent about the situation, providing updates on every facet from supplier negotiations to production adjustments. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key points from their latest updates.

Situation Affecting the Storaxa NAS by Arrowtrack (Updates #27 and #28 Summary)

  • Funds Withholding by Stripe:
    • After successfully raising funds on Kickstarter, Arrowtrack encountered issues with their payment processor, Stripe. Due to the sudden large transaction amount from their campaign, Stripe withheld a significant portion of their funds.
    • Initially, Stripe released only 50% of the funds after Arrowtrack provided all the necessary documents. The rest of the funds were expected to be released during production time.
    • Instead of releasing the funds as expected in June, Stripe extended the payout date to August 31.
    • Just a week after confirming that the funds would be released on time, Stripe decided to hold the funds for another 60 days (until November 7). The primary reason was a high rate of refunds, which triggered their system for a further review. Arrowtrack believed these refunds were due to backers changing their minds about options before the delivery date.
    • Stripe had previously disabled the chat function on Arrowtrack’s account dashboard, limiting their communication. In Update #28, this function was re-enabled, which Arrowtrack took as a positive sign.

  • Financial Details:
    • Kickstarter funds raised: $1,688,332.29.
    • Pledgebox funds: $950,257.09, with $982,864.57 being held by Stripe.
    • Deposit for mass production and ODM: $2,116,258 of $3,074,638.
    • Account Balance (as of Sept 4th): $480,874.
    • Arrowtrack has paid around 70% deposit for all manufacturing costs, including materials, parts, setup costs, and ODM/OEM costs. However, the current balance is insufficient for completing production.

  • Production and Delivery Delays:
    • The delays in Stripe’s payout affected Arrowtrack’s ability to maintain their original schedule.
    • Production was initially postponed until September, and after the latest delay, the shipping has been rescheduled to start in the second half of November.
  • Negotiations with Suppliers and Manufacturers:
    • Arrowtrack has been in negotiations to extend payment deadlines to ensure deposits aren’t forfeited.
    • In the wake of extreme weather conditions in southern China, meetings with some suppliers were postponed. Still, Arrowtrack managed to renegotiate with all but two suppliers for a 3-month extension on final payment.
    • Production of the upgraded Intel boards was paused due to payment uncertainties but is set to resume in two weeks.
  • Review Sample and Refunds:
    • There was a delay in sending out a review sample to NASCompares, but Arrowtrack hopes to use this time to gather feedback from the review.
    • Arrowtrack has received 20 refund requests so far and is appreciative of their backers’ patience and understanding.
  • General Backer Support:
    • Arrowtrack expressed deep gratitude to their backers for their understanding and support during this difficult time. They highlighted the importance of their backers’ continued faith in the project’s success.

Arrowtrack’s Storaxa NAS project faced significant challenges primarily due to Stripe withholding funds. This caused delays in production, requiring renegotiations with suppliers and adjustments in their delivery schedule. Despite these hurdles, the company remains committed to delivering the product, and backers have shown substantial support and understanding. Of course, we also need to remain grounded and remember that we are only seeing half the story here. Additionally, although Storaxa has been forthcoming with its updates, these updates and regular comments have reduced in frequency in the last few months. Additionally, lack of further documentation of suppliers being used, further communication with Stripe being shared, the recent update arriving later than stated and many users (myself included) reporting that these last two updates did not result in email notifications to users (yet all others did) – these are all matters that remain pertinent to many users following this campaign. These are mostly small potato arguments in the grand scheme of things, but it is important to remain as objective as possible. Users who have invested thousands of dollars towards the system in an upgraded state + storage media purchased now a considerable time ago might well be having understandably cold feet.

Reactions to the Storaxa’s updates on the issues with Stripe by the backers of the campaign were mostly positive, save for a few users highlighting that update #28 arrived late and that proactive email notifications appeared to be disabled (still unconfirmed, but certainly noted online). One user (@Ruan) did take the time to do a breakdown of the finances as stated and made efforts to highlight potential issues of finance in the numbers reported, but this had to be built on only partial by partial numbers related to finances and stock procured by Storaxa, and therefore open to error. Neverthless, even at a casual glance and only using the barebone numbers provided by the campaign creators, the margins do seem rather thin. I wanted to share it here (linked below, just click the image) as I think it’s worth keeping in mind about the scale of this project, once you factor in multiple base configurations and the storage upgrades that have been added:

The post examines the finances of the Storaxa Kickstarter NAS campaign in light of potential delays, as half of the funds are being held by the payment provider, Stripe.

  • The total funds raised on Kickstarter and PledgeBox combined is $3,621,444.95.
  • A deposit of $3,074,638.00 was made for mass production and ODM, leaving a balance of $546,806.95.
  • Using a breakdown of addons, including HDDs, NVMes, SSDs, and Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVMes, the post calculates the total estimated addon cost at $537,600.
  • This leaves just $9,206.95 for global shipping of at least 5,000 packages, and other costs like SD cards, which is viewed as unrealistic.
  • Analyzing the base Storaxa unit costs, the post estimates that at least 8,000 units were necessary from the original pledge, and there may be a discrepancy in the number of additional units backed versus those being produced.
  • Three hypotheses are proposed:
    1. The creators got an exceptional deal on addons.
    2. The creators won’t profit and are primarily pushing their brand.
    3. More funds than expected were used for non-Storaxa addons, which might hinder the actual Storaxa product development.

The post concludes by asking for an update on the actual numbers of non-Storaxa Addons and clarity on why the production costs appear so high, emphasizing concerns about delivery costs. From the information provided, there are several points to consider:

  1. Funds Being Held: Storaxa mentioned that Stripe is holding onto 50% of the funds raised from the campaign. If this is accurate, it would indeed create a liquidity issue for the company.
  2. Discrepancy in Costs: Based on the post’s calculations, the funds left after accounting for production costs and the estimated addon costs appear insufficient to cover worldwide shipping of at least 5,000 packages, plus other ancillary costs. This raises concerns about whether all the promised items can be delivered without additional funding.
  3. Estimated Addon Costs: The calculations for the addon costs are based on minimum values, and as mentioned in the post, if backers ordered more than one of an item, these costs would rise. Moreover, the post speculates that many might have chosen higher-priced items, which would further strain the finances.
  4. Unit Discrepancy: The analysis suggests a potential discrepancy between the number of Storaxa units backed and those being produced, pointing to possible over-production or an underestimation of the number of units required.
  5. Three Hypotheses: The post’s hypotheses suggest that Storaxa either secured an incredibly good deal on addons, isn’t looking to profit and is pushing their brand, or has used more funds for non-Storaxa addons than projected, potentially hindering Storaxa product development. The validity of any of these hypotheses would significantly affect the interpretation of Storaxa’s financial situation.

The BIG takeaway here is that Storaxa will need to start engaging with its audience more regularly. There are many in the comments who would point out that this project has seen more updates than many other campaigns on the Kickstarter platform. However, we are still talking about a campaign with $1.8 Million raised in the initial campaign and a further $2 Million in pledge upgrades – these are bot atypical numbers for an average Kickstarter campaign on average (it happens, but most polished campaigns will live in the 5-6 figures in $). Given the reported change in work on their side related to negotiating with suppliers for later deadlines on payments and maintaining the project through this relative period of ‘hand-on’ inactivity, many would like to see higher engagement with their audience in the comments, further updates, tests/demonstrations in-house with the units that they have, further details of the communications with Stripe (share those conversations in greater details to well further refunds perhaps?) and just generally make their activity and presence felt more than it is. Kickstarter is NOT Amazon or eBay, but it does thing on communication and transparency, something that Storaxa was good on and now arguably becoming weaker on during this period of flux. As always, I will continue to follow this evolving crowdfunded NAS campaign.

Sept / Oct 2023 Storaxa NAS Updates

If I had to describe the Storaxa NAS Kickstater campaign throughout October and at the very start of November 2023 in one word, it would be….quiet! In updates the previous month (#27 and #28), the Storaxa group stated that production was not possible due to delays in finances arriving from the payment handler ‘Stripe’. Nevertheless, it did/does seem very quiet on storaxas side throughout all of this and no comments by backers were responded too and the update that was slated for October 12th ended up being late (with virtually no explanation or indication), leading to a lot of user debate about the health of the campaign, the validity of the Stripe funds statements and the information provided up to this point in the official campaign updates. Indeed, in terms of actual milestone events in the last calendar month, there was only really four to speak of. The first was the comment that Storaxa made in response to weeks of silence, which was as follows:

Again, the above comment was after weeks of silence and no replies from users. Equally, this was the only comment on the campaign by Storaxa in that time and although a lot of comments/responses followed, they did not engage with them. Questions surrounding the state of the campaign, further verification of the stripe matters, where the existing funds were being spent, further information on suppliers and more. At the same time as this, there was also the public zoom discussion that I had arranged with Storaxa NAS backers (posted several times on the comments thread, with one of the last ones HERE). It did seem rather coincidental that Storaxa had not been replying to users for an extended period of time, but opted to do so on the day of the public zoom with the post discussed above). This was an organized zoom discussion for backers of the Storaxa NAS Kickstarter campaign, organized by Robbie @ NASCompares. This is NOT an official zoom organized by/in conjunction with the Storaxa/Arrowtrack group. Below you can watch the full zoom call:

There is of course the question of why I did not just host a zoom with Storaxa/Arrowtrak instead, putting users’ questions directly to them? This was asked a few times and (as I discuss in the comment below), I HAD reached out to Storaxa previously for a zoom Q&A session, but they declined to reply.

When Sotraxa did reveal an official update (update #29), it was rather small and largely repeated similar to what the singular comment a few days before had said, but adding a pinch more on production and showing a change that was going to be implemented to the hardware design:

03:57:22 – Update Frequency 04:00:33 – Early Rewards and Address Changes 04:02:28 – Cat Issues 04:03:00 – Is the Storaxa AMD Module using an Aoostar Motherboard? 04:05:20 – Backer Zoom on Jan 30th 2024

The component change related to the internal cage, here:

Now, I AM pleased that they are providing more information! But as discussed in the video, there seems to be a lot of information that they could be supplying that could calm a lot of people’s concerns, yet for one reason or another do not. Such as:

  • Information about the existing orders they have with production suppliers (Pro forma invoices, names of the suppliers if possible, images of any hardware that has been delivered at all – and if not due to reasons of deposits/credit agreements needing conclusion, supply further information on this
  • More information on the back and forth with Stripe. More of the emails, more of the correspondence. Only 2 images have been shown regarding communication and have been cropped significantly
  • Further images on the existing hardware they have an how this new bay/cage component is better/worse than what was in the prototypes and AMD samples
  • Clarification on the sourcing and reasoning behind the design change, as many have raised question marks about it’s origin
  • Further clarification on how, if the stripe money holding will cease on Nov 7th, how production resuming on 13th Nov will happen so fast. it’s impact on fulfilment?

Finally, storaxa got in touch after Update #29 to state that they still wish to send a review prototype. Of course, I will continue to oblige with this, but nevertheless that campaign still moves forward with a lot of unanswered questions by backers and the current state of the campaign. If/when this unit arrives, I will let backers know and proceed with the original testing as discussed. I hope I have more positive news to share with you in the next update.

 

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article (Jan 5th 2024), there has not been any further communication from the brand about this review unit, originally sent on 31st October 2023. 

December 2023 Update

Which leads to the December 2023 update. Sadly, very little has changed and is covered in greater detail i nthe video linked below (I have linked to the specific part, just click play. However, the TLDR is:

03:57:22 – Update Frequency – Storaxa assured users that they would maintain updates every 7-10 days, but then unfortunately only maintained this for a week and have now been largely silent since December 7th 2023 (29 Days since the date of this article’s publication)

04:00:33 – Early Rewards and Address Changes – Storaxa/Arrowtrak DID respond to users address change requests

04:03:00 – Is the Storaxa AMD Module using an Aoostar Motherboard? – There were questions being raised on Reddit regarding a very similar motherboard being used on the Aoostar NVMe NAS system and claims that the motherboard inside the Storaxa is the Aoostar model.

This is the system to which they are referring – LINK TO VIDEO

04:05:20 – Backer Zoom on Jan 30th 2024 – I/NASCompares have raised the idea of a backer zoom (not anyway officially endorsed by Stooraxa to discuss the campaign so far)

Video:

Why Did I Back the Storaxa NAS on Kickstarter? (IMPORTANT!!!!!)

Originally, I had no real intention of backing the Storaxa NAS Kickstarter project. As a long-time follower of channels such as Slope’s Game Room and his Kickscammer series, as well as only backing a tremendously small number of projects on the platform (and even then, for small sums comparatively) I have always had an especially sceptical mindset for alot of crowdfunding projects that have tremendously small profit margins early doors. Additionally, I was not in the market to buy a new NAS solution, as I cover plenty on my YouTube channel and (though contrary to popular belief, I rarely get to keep them and the ones that I do, go into channel content) I already have two personal servers up and running that I am in no rush to replace.

However, after I was contacted by several existing backers of this project and potential backers looking for a 2nd opinion, I started looking into the Storaxa a little more, contacting the organizers about a future review. After this point, a few different things happened. The campaign was nearing conclusion and more backers had been in touch that weekend to express further concern (alongside rising questions on the usual public forums, such as Reddit and STH). So, I made a video on the campaign, my initial impressions, my own questions about the price point vs distribution, and further questions surrounding heat dissipation. This resulted in my original message to the Storaxa group regarding reviews being screenshotted and shared to the comments section of the official page by the organizers themselves, with many points being highlighted (but not all) in my video being addressed.

The odd thing was that I never got a reply to that message personally, only hearing about this from other backers, who too thought the way it had been handled rather odd. So, I sent a follow-up message, with further questions, explaining my position, the methodology behind my video and my intentions in greater detail. The response came two days later, stating that I was playing media games and did not address my questions (stating that the answers were in the comments section – of which only 2/6 were, with 1 other in the backers only area and 3 others surrounding the team, Opensource distribution and production fulfilment waves not answered). Needless to say, I replied with my questions once again (with a few new points) and sadly have never received a reply to that one to date. So, why, after all that, did I back the project?

Now, one hurdle that is part kickstarter’s design and part campaign presentation choice is/was to do with how information is relayed to potential/existing backers. There needs to be a central framework that can be adapted to all projects of all types – there is no ‘one shape fits all’ campaign mould that can be used. This proved especially true when (at that time of writing) the comments section comprised around 2,000 comments (now at more than 6,000 – without a search function too!) and many comments were broken into sub-conversations (and the Kickstarter framework only allows X number loaded in), a long thread of hundreds of voices with the facts getting soon mixed with assumptions and contradiction in places, potentially leading to an echo chamber effect. Again, this is the framework that Kickstarter has for its central conversation thread and not the design of the project organizers. Nonetheless, this did lead to an issue. The bulk of the main information was published behind the main update section, which was set to only be visible to backers and shared videos for the project were made unlisted and shared with backers online.

At this point, I was intrigued enough by the campaign conclusion, the subject of OS-free NAS solutions rolling out from the east more and more, keen to see if/how it could deliver, as well s wanting to ensure an element of accountability and reference for the future. So, I decided to back the project in order to update users on the progress of this unusual NAS regularly. What follows are my monthly updates on the Storaxa Kickstarter NAS. Starting with that initial video from February 6th 2023 and with information, screen grabs and important milestones/changes in the campaign as time moves on. Hopefully, this article will end with high-order fulfilment, everyone getting their Storaxa system, a new kind of NAS solution entering the market and this growing 3rd choice between the Turnkey solutions and full DiY Opensource builds getting bigger and better, but we will have to wait till Summer 2023 to find out. 

Note – I have broken all the information below into monthly chunks (with the 2x Feb chunks being an exception, as the campaign concluded at the end of that month and a volley of updates happened at the end). I am writing the February coverage retroactively, so I apologise in advance if my tenses on some parts are incorrect. I did not even realise at that time that I would be making this article and therefore, it’s been a case of catching up with myself! Additionally, I am composing this with the most recent information FIRST (eg months in reverse order), and updating it each month, so those following this article can get notifications about the updates with the Storaxa NAS summarized. Alternatively, you can browse the comments section HERE or if you are a backer, use the page’s own official updates HERE.

 

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      521 thoughts on “The Storaxa Kickstarter NAS – 12 Months Later”

      2. You made big mistake. 😀 Aoostar WTR pro use Ryzen7 5825U, instead og this, you checked at cpubenchmark ryzen7 5800, that completely different CPU. I have a WTR pro, and an R7 with 5700u CPU.
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      4. If I can make a recommendation, instead of turning the device back and forth as you look at it, post a static picture so we can look at it as you’re talking about that area..
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      7. Hi, you did a Great in-depth look on storaxa through Kickstarter, and I was wondering if you knew anything more than the average reply on Kickstarter as of March 2024 or is the fact too good to be true just the fact people have lost on this one. Your comments would be appreciated.
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      8. StoraX… Reminds me Netgear Stora, old pain in my ass, 2-bay NAS. Problem with this device in discontinued support from Netgear. They have disabled the servers from where the firmware and configuration for the device should be downloaded. If you reset the settings for your storage, then congratulations, now you just have a black cube for hdd storage.
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        1. Hi Tristen. I just responded to your comment over on the Storaxa Kickstarter official comments section (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/storaxa/fully-customizable-home-cloud-storage-with-remote-access-nas/comments?comment=Q29tbWVudC00MTc2MTI1Mg%3D%3D&reply=Q29tbWVudC00MTc2MjI2Mw%3D%3D), Thanks for commenting man!

          Reply

          1. It is what it is, seems the emails are back up again though, so perhaps just an oversight on their part, givne they’ve had some staffing changes etc.

            Reply

      14. I never quite understand how this thing attracts 2 millions…. Storaxa has zero track record. This is literally their first product. The hardware and design is not particularly out of this world either.
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      15. I never quite understand how this thing attracts 2 millions…. Storaxa has zero track record. This is literally their first product. The hardware and design is not particularly out of this world either.
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      16. I never quite understand how this thing attracts 2 millions…. Storaxa has zero track record. This is literally their first product. The hardware and design is not particularly out of this world either.
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      17. I never quite understand how this thing attracts 2 millions…. Storaxa has zero track record. This is literally their first product. The hardware and design is not particularly out of this world either.
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      18. Thanks for the update.
        I recently updated my shipping address for my Storaxa, and am just waiting to see what happens.

        I have mentally written off the money I spent, so if it turns up, it’s basically free! That’s how it works, right?
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      19. Thanks for the update.
        I recently updated my shipping address for my Storaxa, and am just waiting to see what happens.

        I have mentally written off the money I spent, so if it turns up, it’s basically free! That’s how it works, right?
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      20. Thanks for the update.
        I recently updated my shipping address for my Storaxa, and am just waiting to see what happens.

        I have mentally written off the money I spent, so if it turns up, it’s basically free! That’s how it works, right?
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        Reply

      21. Thanks for the update.
        I recently updated my shipping address for my Storaxa, and am just waiting to see what happens.

        I have mentally written off the money I spent, so if it turns up, it’s basically free! That’s how it works, right?
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        Reply

      26. I see this campaign completely FAILING…but, I can see AOOSTAR releasing something similar. Matter of fact they’ve already announced something similar.
        How do we know this wasn’t just some AOOSTAR employees – current or former – just seeing how much demand there was for this product and ultimately incorrectly pricing it so horribly until it was no longer viable?
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      27. I see this campaign completely FAILING…but, I can see AOOSTAR releasing something similar. Matter of fact they’ve already announced something similar.
        How do we know this wasn’t just some AOOSTAR employees – current or former – just seeing how much demand there was for this product and ultimately incorrectly pricing it so horribly until it was no longer viable?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      28. I see this campaign completely FAILING…but, I can see AOOSTAR releasing something similar. Matter of fact they’ve already announced something similar.
        How do we know this wasn’t just some AOOSTAR employees – current or former – just seeing how much demand there was for this product and ultimately incorrectly pricing it so horribly until it was no longer viable?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      29. I see this campaign completely FAILING…but, I can see AOOSTAR releasing something similar. Matter of fact they’ve already announced something similar.
        How do we know this wasn’t just some AOOSTAR employees – current or former – just seeing how much demand there was for this product and ultimately incorrectly pricing it so horribly until it was no longer viable?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      30. LOL! The whole “Kickstarter doesn’t allow Chinese companies so we had to get a lawyer in Colorado” is a HUGE red flag.
        As soon as Kickstarter sees that then the campaign is dead because they’ll shut it down for the BLATANT FRAUD they just conducted.
        As soon as they announced the price for a board with 4x 2.5GB, 4x M2., and 5/6x SATA as being below $300 folks should have instantly known it was a scam.
        The fanless CWWK I’m running with N305 CPU, 4×2.5GB and 2x M.2 cost me $286 barebones and even THAT was a Thanksgiving holiday special.
        It is sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam – especially if it’s coming from China.
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      31. LOL! The whole “Kickstarter doesn’t allow Chinese companies so we had to get a lawyer in Colorado” is a HUGE red flag.
        As soon as Kickstarter sees that then the campaign is dead because they’ll shut it down for the BLATANT FRAUD they just conducted.
        As soon as they announced the price for a board with 4x 2.5GB, 4x M2., and 5/6x SATA as being below $300 folks should have instantly known it was a scam.
        The fanless CWWK I’m running with N305 CPU, 4×2.5GB and 2x M.2 cost me $286 barebones and even THAT was a Thanksgiving holiday special.
        It is sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam – especially if it’s coming from China.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      32. LOL! The whole “Kickstarter doesn’t allow Chinese companies so we had to get a lawyer in Colorado” is a HUGE red flag.
        As soon as Kickstarter sees that then the campaign is dead because they’ll shut it down for the BLATANT FRAUD they just conducted.
        As soon as they announced the price for a board with 4x 2.5GB, 4x M2., and 5/6x SATA as being below $300 folks should have instantly known it was a scam.
        The fanless CWWK I’m running with N305 CPU, 4×2.5GB and 2x M.2 cost me $286 barebones and even THAT was a Thanksgiving holiday special.
        It is sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam – especially if it’s coming from China.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      33. LOL! The whole “Kickstarter doesn’t allow Chinese companies so we had to get a lawyer in Colorado” is a HUGE red flag.
        As soon as Kickstarter sees that then the campaign is dead because they’ll shut it down for the BLATANT FRAUD they just conducted.
        As soon as they announced the price for a board with 4x 2.5GB, 4x M2., and 5/6x SATA as being below $300 folks should have instantly known it was a scam.
        The fanless CWWK I’m running with N305 CPU, 4×2.5GB and 2x M.2 cost me $286 barebones and even THAT was a Thanksgiving holiday special.
        It is sounds too good to be true, it’s a scam – especially if it’s coming from China.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      38. As someone that backed near the end of the campaign and also did upgrades through the Pledge manager, things are not looking bright and I really don’t think the unit will see the light of day. Them having to possibly getting rid of their communication team I don’t buy as an excuse to be completely ghost or provide minimal updates with photos of items we can find on AliExpress or a case that seems to be getting redesigned every 4 months.
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      39. As someone that backed near the end of the campaign and also did upgrades through the Pledge manager, things are not looking bright and I really don’t think the unit will see the light of day. Them having to possibly getting rid of their communication team I don’t buy as an excuse to be completely ghost or provide minimal updates with photos of items we can find on AliExpress or a case that seems to be getting redesigned every 4 months.
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      40. As someone that backed near the end of the campaign and also did upgrades through the Pledge manager, things are not looking bright and I really don’t think the unit will see the light of day. Them having to possibly getting rid of their communication team I don’t buy as an excuse to be completely ghost or provide minimal updates with photos of items we can find on AliExpress or a case that seems to be getting redesigned every 4 months.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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      41. As someone that backed near the end of the campaign and also did upgrades through the Pledge manager, things are not looking bright and I really don’t think the unit will see the light of day. Them having to possibly getting rid of their communication team I don’t buy as an excuse to be completely ghost or provide minimal updates with photos of items we can find on AliExpress or a case that seems to be getting redesigned every 4 months.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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      42. So I watched the 4 hours (and 7 minutes) in full.
        Was doing lunch and now ready for going to dinner
        It is a nice comprehensive (pun intended) for the Storaxa time-line to date/2023.
        As I said way, way back, I do not believe this project is or was a malicious intent.
        But their downfall possibly could be the fact they did (and do) not cope that well with all the communications and could potentially become overwhelmed and bud-out.
        Storaxa is not that forthcoming with information, how hard can it be to put a notification into your calendar for a weekly update?
        Saying what you do, do what you are saying, the fundamentals for any project-management.
        To date I have not seen/heard Storaxa stepping-up and pledge they will improve, it has been, to date, a rollercoaster-ride and I do feel sorry for all the backers, no matter what the outcome is. I followed all of this and even my heart-rate was scaling-up at times.
        But I ado agree that kickstarter also has a sole responsibility here, and they therefore should have provided some level of project-management, knowing that is often the culprit for campaigns. Possibly via some sort of AI, helping and guiding(!) such campaigns.
        So, here’s my solemn hope that 2024 will bring the Storaxa campaign to a successful conclusion to all the backers….
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        Reply

      43. So I watched the 4 hours (and 7 minutes) in full.
        Was doing lunch and now ready for going to dinner
        It is a nice comprehensive (pun intended) for the Storaxa time-line to date/2023.
        As I said way, way back, I do not believe this project is or was a malicious intent.
        But their downfall possibly could be the fact they did (and do) not cope that well with all the communications and could potentially become overwhelmed and bud-out.
        Storaxa is not that forthcoming with information, how hard can it be to put a notification into your calendar for a weekly update?
        Saying what you do, do what you are saying, the fundamentals for any project-management.
        To date I have not seen/heard Storaxa stepping-up and pledge they will improve, it has been, to date, a rollercoaster-ride and I do feel sorry for all the backers, no matter what the outcome is. I followed all of this and even my heart-rate was scaling-up at times.
        But I ado agree that kickstarter also has a sole responsibility here, and they therefore should have provided some level of project-management, knowing that is often the culprit for campaigns. Possibly via some sort of AI, helping and guiding(!) such campaigns.
        So, here’s my solemn hope that 2024 will bring the Storaxa campaign to a successful conclusion to all the backers….
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      44. So I watched the 4 hours (and 7 minutes) in full.
        Was doing lunch and now ready for going to dinner
        It is a nice comprehensive (pun intended) for the Storaxa time-line to date/2023.
        As I said way, way back, I do not believe this project is or was a malicious intent.
        But their downfall possibly could be the fact they did (and do) not cope that well with all the communications and could potentially become overwhelmed and bud-out.
        Storaxa is not that forthcoming with information, how hard can it be to put a notification into your calendar for a weekly update?
        Saying what you do, do what you are saying, the fundamentals for any project-management.
        To date I have not seen/heard Storaxa stepping-up and pledge they will improve, it has been, to date, a rollercoaster-ride and I do feel sorry for all the backers, no matter what the outcome is. I followed all of this and even my heart-rate was scaling-up at times.
        But I ado agree that kickstarter also has a sole responsibility here, and they therefore should have provided some level of project-management, knowing that is often the culprit for campaigns. Possibly via some sort of AI, helping and guiding(!) such campaigns.
        So, here’s my solemn hope that 2024 will bring the Storaxa campaign to a successful conclusion to all the backers….
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      45. So I watched the 4 hours (and 7 minutes) in full.
        Was doing lunch and now ready for going to dinner
        It is a nice comprehensive (pun intended) for the Storaxa time-line to date/2023.
        As I said way, way back, I do not believe this project is or was a malicious intent.
        But their downfall possibly could be the fact they did (and do) not cope that well with all the communications and could potentially become overwhelmed and bud-out.
        Storaxa is not that forthcoming with information, how hard can it be to put a notification into your calendar for a weekly update?
        Saying what you do, do what you are saying, the fundamentals for any project-management.
        To date I have not seen/heard Storaxa stepping-up and pledge they will improve, it has been, to date, a rollercoaster-ride and I do feel sorry for all the backers, no matter what the outcome is. I followed all of this and even my heart-rate was scaling-up at times.
        But I ado agree that kickstarter also has a sole responsibility here, and they therefore should have provided some level of project-management, knowing that is often the culprit for campaigns. Possibly via some sort of AI, helping and guiding(!) such campaigns.
        So, here’s my solemn hope that 2024 will bring the Storaxa campaign to a successful conclusion to all the backers….
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      54. I just hope the backers get what they expected, they have been patient enough in my views.
        Storaxa is, in my personal views, a prime example how not to do a kickstarter, I do hope they learn from it and get back to the straight and narrow!
        A great idea, badly executed. Sorry!
        As there are, again in my personal views, so many other good alternatives.
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      55. I just hope the backers get what they expected, they have been patient enough in my views.
        Storaxa is, in my personal views, a prime example how not to do a kickstarter, I do hope they learn from it and get back to the straight and narrow!
        A great idea, badly executed. Sorry!
        As there are, again in my personal views, so many other good alternatives.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      56. I just hope the backers get what they expected, they have been patient enough in my views.
        Storaxa is, in my personal views, a prime example how not to do a kickstarter, I do hope they learn from it and get back to the straight and narrow!
        A great idea, badly executed. Sorry!
        As there are, again in my personal views, so many other good alternatives.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      57. I just hope the backers get what they expected, they have been patient enough in my views.
        Storaxa is, in my personal views, a prime example how not to do a kickstarter, I do hope they learn from it and get back to the straight and narrow!
        A great idea, badly executed. Sorry!
        As there are, again in my personal views, so many other good alternatives.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      58. Lol, I think it’s more suited for April’s fools day. Waste hours from your life in addition to any possible money you may paid for this absolute disaster of a crowdfunding.
        Of course putting this together in the video is appreciated
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      59. Lol, I think it’s more suited for April’s fools day. Waste hours from your life in addition to any possible money you may paid for this absolute disaster of a crowdfunding.
        Of course putting this together in the video is appreciated
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      60. Lol, I think it’s more suited for April’s fools day. Waste hours from your life in addition to any possible money you may paid for this absolute disaster of a crowdfunding.
        Of course putting this together in the video is appreciated
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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      61. Lol, I think it’s more suited for April’s fools day. Waste hours from your life in addition to any possible money you may paid for this absolute disaster of a crowdfunding.
        Of course putting this together in the video is appreciated
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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      70. This looks great. The 6+6 is a 2 tiered set and forget storage device perfect for SMB. The 8 core ryzen means you can give VMH 2 cores, AD/FS 2 cores, DB 2 cores and RD 2 cores; That quite nicely covers most SMB needs, with the only point for concern being does it have ECC RAM.
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      71. This looks great. The 6+6 is a 2 tiered set and forget storage device perfect for SMB. The 8 core ryzen means you can give VMH 2 cores, AD/FS 2 cores, DB 2 cores and RD 2 cores; That quite nicely covers most SMB needs, with the only point for concern being does it have ECC RAM.
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      72. This looks great. The 6+6 is a 2 tiered set and forget storage device perfect for SMB. The 8 core ryzen means you can give VMH 2 cores, AD/FS 2 cores, DB 2 cores and RD 2 cores; That quite nicely covers most SMB needs, with the only point for concern being does it have ECC RAM.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

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      73. This looks great. The 6+6 is a 2 tiered set and forget storage device perfect for SMB. The 8 core ryzen means you can give VMH 2 cores, AD/FS 2 cores, DB 2 cores and RD 2 cores; That quite nicely covers most SMB needs, with the only point for concern being does it have ECC RAM.
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      74. I was going to pull the trigger on building my new 6-8 bay in the beginning of the year then I saw the announcement about this one last week. I was waiting for you to so a little blurb about it. I’m going to wait and see about this fella and if it comes in under 700 it’ll be tempting.
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      75. I was going to pull the trigger on building my new 6-8 bay in the beginning of the year then I saw the announcement about this one last week. I was waiting for you to so a little blurb about it. I’m going to wait and see about this fella and if it comes in under 700 it’ll be tempting.
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      76. I was going to pull the trigger on building my new 6-8 bay in the beginning of the year then I saw the announcement about this one last week. I was waiting for you to so a little blurb about it. I’m going to wait and see about this fella and if it comes in under 700 it’ll be tempting.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      77. I was going to pull the trigger on building my new 6-8 bay in the beginning of the year then I saw the announcement about this one last week. I was waiting for you to so a little blurb about it. I’m going to wait and see about this fella and if it comes in under 700 it’ll be tempting.
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      78. The 6+6 bay looks very exciting, but I imagine they’ll be targetting Zimacube pro , as far as pricing goes; which is why I’m crossing my fingers for the Storaxa to succeed. The pricepoint was very enticing, even for a KS project, which would make it a value beast if it ever arrives, even if it’s a year later than the initial deadline.
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      79. The 6+6 bay looks very exciting, but I imagine they’ll be targetting Zimacube pro , as far as pricing goes; which is why I’m crossing my fingers for the Storaxa to succeed. The pricepoint was very enticing, even for a KS project, which would make it a value beast if it ever arrives, even if it’s a year later than the initial deadline.
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      80. The 6+6 bay looks very exciting, but I imagine they’ll be targetting Zimacube pro , as far as pricing goes; which is why I’m crossing my fingers for the Storaxa to succeed. The pricepoint was very enticing, even for a KS project, which would make it a value beast if it ever arrives, even if it’s a year later than the initial deadline.
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      81. The 6+6 bay looks very exciting, but I imagine they’ll be targetting Zimacube pro , as far as pricing goes; which is why I’m crossing my fingers for the Storaxa to succeed. The pricepoint was very enticing, even for a KS project, which would make it a value beast if it ever arrives, even if it’s a year later than the initial deadline.
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      82. I’m also waiting for the 4-bay version. I’ve been looking at their 2-bay system for some time now and kept wondering when are they going to release a 4-bay version. Glad I waited 🙂
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      83. I’m also waiting for the 4-bay version. I’ve been looking at their 2-bay system for some time now and kept wondering when are they going to release a 4-bay version. Glad I waited 🙂
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      84. I’m also waiting for the 4-bay version. I’ve been looking at their 2-bay system for some time now and kept wondering when are they going to release a 4-bay version. Glad I waited 🙂
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      85. I’m also waiting for the 4-bay version. I’ve been looking at their 2-bay system for some time now and kept wondering when are they going to release a 4-bay version. Glad I waited 🙂
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      86. I have one of those white ones and absolutely love it. Currently running TrueNAS Scale with about a dozen containers. No issues, very nice. Two 4tb ssds for the storage and the nvmes for OS and cache. Also upgraded the ram and fan in it. I like your videos. Thanks. Jason
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      87. I have one of those white ones and absolutely love it. Currently running TrueNAS Scale with about a dozen containers. No issues, very nice. Two 4tb ssds for the storage and the nvmes for OS and cache. Also upgraded the ram and fan in it. I like your videos. Thanks. Jason
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      88. I have one of those white ones and absolutely love it. Currently running TrueNAS Scale with about a dozen containers. No issues, very nice. Two 4tb ssds for the storage and the nvmes for OS and cache. Also upgraded the ram and fan in it. I like your videos. Thanks. Jason
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        Reply

      89. I have one of those white ones and absolutely love it. Currently running TrueNAS Scale with about a dozen containers. No issues, very nice. Two 4tb ssds for the storage and the nvmes for OS and cache. Also upgraded the ram and fan in it. I like your videos. Thanks. Jason
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        Reply

      94. a lot of these systems sound great at first but notice how the ram max capacity is always downplayed? we need an nvme ssd nas or a hard drive + ssd nas hybrid with 64gb ram, not 16gb.
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      95. a lot of these systems sound great at first but notice how the ram max capacity is always downplayed? we need an nvme ssd nas or a hard drive + ssd nas hybrid with 64gb ram, not 16gb.
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      96. a lot of these systems sound great at first but notice how the ram max capacity is always downplayed? we need an nvme ssd nas or a hard drive + ssd nas hybrid with 64gb ram, not 16gb.
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      97. a lot of these systems sound great at first but notice how the ram max capacity is always downplayed? we need an nvme ssd nas or a hard drive + ssd nas hybrid with 64gb ram, not 16gb.
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      98. I have the Aoostar R5 Dual Disk NAS with an AMD R5 5500U. Have 2 x 2.5GB NICs, WiFi 6 and 3.2 USB-C. Updated to 32GB RAM, another 2TB NVME and 2 x 8GB Seagate NAS drives. Running Proxmox 8 no problems. Thinking about testing Xpenology to see how it goes.
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      99. I have the Aoostar R5 Dual Disk NAS with an AMD R5 5500U. Have 2 x 2.5GB NICs, WiFi 6 and 3.2 USB-C. Updated to 32GB RAM, another 2TB NVME and 2 x 8GB Seagate NAS drives. Running Proxmox 8 no problems. Thinking about testing Xpenology to see how it goes.
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      100. I have the Aoostar R5 Dual Disk NAS with an AMD R5 5500U. Have 2 x 2.5GB NICs, WiFi 6 and 3.2 USB-C. Updated to 32GB RAM, another 2TB NVME and 2 x 8GB Seagate NAS drives. Running Proxmox 8 no problems. Thinking about testing Xpenology to see how it goes.
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      101. I have the Aoostar R5 Dual Disk NAS with an AMD R5 5500U. Have 2 x 2.5GB NICs, WiFi 6 and 3.2 USB-C. Updated to 32GB RAM, another 2TB NVME and 2 x 8GB Seagate NAS drives. Running Proxmox 8 no problems. Thinking about testing Xpenology to see how it goes.
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      102. I want to know more about this new product. It seems so attractive considering the CPU powerhouse and its capability to handle full 2x 6x bay RAID operations, 2x 10GBE + 2x 2.5GBEnetwork transmission handling, a couple of 10G/s plus more of USB operations all at the same time. With that system, I could make a hypervisor with different servers including a fully capable non-throttled very high speed file server.
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      103. I want to know more about this new product. It seems so attractive considering the CPU powerhouse and its capability to handle full 2x 6x bay RAID operations, 2x 10GBE + 2x 2.5GBEnetwork transmission handling, a couple of 10G/s plus more of USB operations all at the same time. With that system, I could make a hypervisor with different servers including a fully capable non-throttled very high speed file server.
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      104. I want to know more about this new product. It seems so attractive considering the CPU powerhouse and its capability to handle full 2x 6x bay RAID operations, 2x 10GBE + 2x 2.5GBEnetwork transmission handling, a couple of 10G/s plus more of USB operations all at the same time. With that system, I could make a hypervisor with different servers including a fully capable non-throttled very high speed file server.
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        Reply

      105. I want to know more about this new product. It seems so attractive considering the CPU powerhouse and its capability to handle full 2x 6x bay RAID operations, 2x 10GBE + 2x 2.5GBEnetwork transmission handling, a couple of 10G/s plus more of USB operations all at the same time. With that system, I could make a hypervisor with different servers including a fully capable non-throttled very high speed file server.
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        Reply

      110. My N100-based R1 is already on its way from Ali (180€). With 32GB DDR4 and a 1TB 990 PRO already that I got from Amz. What would be your recommended setup to manage my pair of 14TB HDDs ? I’m thinking Proxmox and OMV with device passthrough. I’m expecting to keep my RAID1 setup untouched.
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      111. My N100-based R1 is already on its way from Ali (180€). With 32GB DDR4 and a 1TB 990 PRO already that I got from Amz. What would be your recommended setup to manage my pair of 14TB HDDs ? I’m thinking Proxmox and OMV with device passthrough. I’m expecting to keep my RAID1 setup untouched.
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        Reply

      112. My N100-based R1 is already on its way from Ali (180€). With 32GB DDR4 and a 1TB 990 PRO already that I got from Amz. What would be your recommended setup to manage my pair of 14TB HDDs ? I’m thinking Proxmox and OMV with device passthrough. I’m expecting to keep my RAID1 setup untouched.
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        Reply

      113. My N100-based R1 is already on its way from Ali (180€). With 32GB DDR4 and a 1TB 990 PRO already that I got from Amz. What would be your recommended setup to manage my pair of 14TB HDDs ? I’m thinking Proxmox and OMV with device passthrough. I’m expecting to keep my RAID1 setup untouched.
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      118. Almost wish synology would just get out of the hardware space and act more like Microsoft windows for other brands that actually give you relevant hardware. I’d happily pay a subscription for synology dsm on a better hardware device.
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      119. Almost wish synology would just get out of the hardware space and act more like Microsoft windows for other brands that actually give you relevant hardware. I’d happily pay a subscription for synology dsm on a better hardware device.
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      120. Almost wish synology would just get out of the hardware space and act more like Microsoft windows for other brands that actually give you relevant hardware. I’d happily pay a subscription for synology dsm on a better hardware device.
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      121. Almost wish synology would just get out of the hardware space and act more like Microsoft windows for other brands that actually give you relevant hardware. I’d happily pay a subscription for synology dsm on a better hardware device.
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      130. I was looking at their products on Aliexpress and they look pretty interesting, I am just waiting for the launch of the four bay one to see if the price difference make it a more worthy to buy, but we will see
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      131. I was looking at their products on Aliexpress and they look pretty interesting, I am just waiting for the launch of the four bay one to see if the price difference make it a more worthy to buy, but we will see
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      132. I was looking at their products on Aliexpress and they look pretty interesting, I am just waiting for the launch of the four bay one to see if the price difference make it a more worthy to buy, but we will see
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      133. I was looking at their products on Aliexpress and they look pretty interesting, I am just waiting for the launch of the four bay one to see if the price difference make it a more worthy to buy, but we will see
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      134. Impressive hardware;
        Stuff like this beats Synology’s expensive proprietary hardware & especially decade old hardware and sure eat into Synology’s lower end markert-share.
        ??I wonders if/when Synology will ever wake-up & compete??
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      135. Impressive hardware;
        Stuff like this beats Synology’s expensive proprietary hardware & especially decade old hardware and sure eat into Synology’s lower end markert-share.
        ??I wonders if/when Synology will ever wake-up & compete??
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      136. Impressive hardware;
        Stuff like this beats Synology’s expensive proprietary hardware & especially decade old hardware and sure eat into Synology’s lower end markert-share.
        ??I wonders if/when Synology will ever wake-up & compete??
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      137. Impressive hardware;
        Stuff like this beats Synology’s expensive proprietary hardware & especially decade old hardware and sure eat into Synology’s lower end markert-share.
        ??I wonders if/when Synology will ever wake-up & compete??
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      138. That 2-bay is / has been available on Topton website as well as a Topton-branded device. Here’s a bit of guesswork – Topton MAY be behind the motherboard development of Aoostar’s products (in fact, Topton somehow sells other brands’ Mini PCs via their store, while also being a manufacturer of motherboards). Storaxa’s solution is likely to be based on either the existing Topton design or a variation of it made by Topton themselves. So, since you already have a motherboard design, why not use it in your own product? Hence the glaring similarities between the Aoostar and Storaxa concepts.
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      139. That 2-bay is / has been available on Topton website as well as a Topton-branded device. Here’s a bit of guesswork – Topton MAY be behind the motherboard development of Aoostar’s products (in fact, Topton somehow sells other brands’ Mini PCs via their store, while also being a manufacturer of motherboards). Storaxa’s solution is likely to be based on either the existing Topton design or a variation of it made by Topton themselves. So, since you already have a motherboard design, why not use it in your own product? Hence the glaring similarities between the Aoostar and Storaxa concepts.
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        Reply

      140. That 2-bay is / has been available on Topton website as well as a Topton-branded device. Here’s a bit of guesswork – Topton MAY be behind the motherboard development of Aoostar’s products (in fact, Topton somehow sells other brands’ Mini PCs via their store, while also being a manufacturer of motherboards). Storaxa’s solution is likely to be based on either the existing Topton design or a variation of it made by Topton themselves. So, since you already have a motherboard design, why not use it in your own product? Hence the glaring similarities between the Aoostar and Storaxa concepts.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      141. That 2-bay is / has been available on Topton website as well as a Topton-branded device. Here’s a bit of guesswork – Topton MAY be behind the motherboard development of Aoostar’s products (in fact, Topton somehow sells other brands’ Mini PCs via their store, while also being a manufacturer of motherboards). Storaxa’s solution is likely to be based on either the existing Topton design or a variation of it made by Topton themselves. So, since you already have a motherboard design, why not use it in your own product? Hence the glaring similarities between the Aoostar and Storaxa concepts.
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      146. The 4 bay looks interesting for sure, especially from a power and feature standpoint. However, very curious what the ideal software will be for it, considering drivers and such. Please keep us informed on this guy through 2024. Cheers!
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      147. The 4 bay looks interesting for sure, especially from a power and feature standpoint. However, very curious what the ideal software will be for it, considering drivers and such. Please keep us informed on this guy through 2024. Cheers!
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      148. The 4 bay looks interesting for sure, especially from a power and feature standpoint. However, very curious what the ideal software will be for it, considering drivers and such. Please keep us informed on this guy through 2024. Cheers!
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      149. The 4 bay looks interesting for sure, especially from a power and feature standpoint. However, very curious what the ideal software will be for it, considering drivers and such. Please keep us informed on this guy through 2024. Cheers!
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      150. The CPU used is the U-version, the one normally used in a low-powered laptop, not the 5800 desktop variant that you found the spec for. Same amount of cores/threads but should score a bit lower then the desktop variant. The U-version makes more sense for a NAS in my mind. ????
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      151. The CPU used is the U-version, the one normally used in a low-powered laptop, not the 5800 desktop variant that you found the spec for. Same amount of cores/threads but should score a bit lower then the desktop variant. The U-version makes more sense for a NAS in my mind. ????
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      152. The CPU used is the U-version, the one normally used in a low-powered laptop, not the 5800 desktop variant that you found the spec for. Same amount of cores/threads but should score a bit lower then the desktop variant. The U-version makes more sense for a NAS in my mind. ????
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      153. The CPU used is the U-version, the one normally used in a low-powered laptop, not the 5800 desktop variant that you found the spec for. Same amount of cores/threads but should score a bit lower then the desktop variant. The U-version makes more sense for a NAS in my mind. ????
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      158. Good summary, thank you, Robbie. I bought my drives for this literally days before the Stripe lockdown, which was about £1k that I really didn’t need to spend, because it looked like it was going to ship fairly quickly at that point. Yeah, dumb, I know.

        I’m 50/50 on my belief this will actually reach final production and ship at this point and, looking at the pictures of that drive cage and bexel, it looks like it’s going to be a significantly larger unit than first envisioned. Not ideal – one of things that drew me in was the compact nature of the design.

        I don’t think Zimacube is a fair comparison, as it appears to be a lot more expensive, assuming Storaxa gor their sums right in the first place.
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      159. Good summary, thank you, Robbie. I bought my drives for this literally days before the Stripe lockdown, which was about £1k that I really didn’t need to spend, because it looked like it was going to ship fairly quickly at that point. Yeah, dumb, I know.

        I’m 50/50 on my belief this will actually reach final production and ship at this point and, looking at the pictures of that drive cage and bexel, it looks like it’s going to be a significantly larger unit than first envisioned. Not ideal – one of things that drew me in was the compact nature of the design.

        I don’t think Zimacube is a fair comparison, as it appears to be a lot more expensive, assuming Storaxa gor their sums right in the first place.
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      160. Good summary, thank you, Robbie. I bought my drives for this literally days before the Stripe lockdown, which was about £1k that I really didn’t need to spend, because it looked like it was going to ship fairly quickly at that point. Yeah, dumb, I know.

        I’m 50/50 on my belief this will actually reach final production and ship at this point and, looking at the pictures of that drive cage and bexel, it looks like it’s going to be a significantly larger unit than first envisioned. Not ideal – one of things that drew me in was the compact nature of the design.

        I don’t think Zimacube is a fair comparison, as it appears to be a lot more expensive, assuming Storaxa gor their sums right in the first place.
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      161. Good summary, thank you, Robbie. I bought my drives for this literally days before the Stripe lockdown, which was about £1k that I really didn’t need to spend, because it looked like it was going to ship fairly quickly at that point. Yeah, dumb, I know.

        I’m 50/50 on my belief this will actually reach final production and ship at this point and, looking at the pictures of that drive cage and bexel, it looks like it’s going to be a significantly larger unit than first envisioned. Not ideal – one of things that drew me in was the compact nature of the design.

        I don’t think Zimacube is a fair comparison, as it appears to be a lot more expensive, assuming Storaxa gor their sums right in the first place.
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      174. Storaxa is, to me, a prime example how *not* to do project-management, let alone communications about it.
        Their communication is lacking big-time. And indeed, the fact that much, if not all, communication from them is only to backers & not public visible, does not get a vote of confidence from me.
        Hardware-wise, although I’m still a wee bit on the fence of it all, I still do have some trust left in them.
        But their undoing, future possible failure would be fully unto themselves, they can only blame their own.
        What I do not understand, and I do find upsetting, is that they, next to their abysmal communication-skills, they leave you, Robbie (and probably more reviewers) dangling waiting for the review-unit. Again. And again. And again!
        No matter what project you are driving, communications and keeping the promises, is absolute key.
        Do not over-promise. Ever!
        Even when you have nothing tangible to report, just letting people know that there is no update, is a basic skill.
        I do hope they do succeed and the backers, reviewers etc, do get their units, eventually.
        But I expect that won’t be this year, fingers crossed it will be in 2024.
        If I would be in the market for a DIY, I would most certainly look somewhere.
        Probably already months ago, not giving Stroraxa a second glance.
        Storaxa is shamefully appearing not to learn from their own mistakes. Again. And again. And again!
        Still, let’s all hope that the project will be a great success in the end and everybody will get their units.
        I do predict, unless they chance their ways, Storaxa won’t be like ZinaCube. Not even close.
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      175. Storaxa is, to me, a prime example how *not* to do project-management, let alone communications about it.
        Their communication is lacking big-time. And indeed, the fact that much, if not all, communication from them is only to backers & not public visible, does not get a vote of confidence from me.
        Hardware-wise, although I’m still a wee bit on the fence of it all, I still do have some trust left in them.
        But their undoing, future possible failure would be fully unto themselves, they can only blame their own.
        What I do not understand, and I do find upsetting, is that they, next to their abysmal communication-skills, they leave you, Robbie (and probably more reviewers) dangling waiting for the review-unit. Again. And again. And again!
        No matter what project you are driving, communications and keeping the promises, is absolute key.
        Do not over-promise. Ever!
        Even when you have nothing tangible to report, just letting people know that there is no update, is a basic skill.
        I do hope they do succeed and the backers, reviewers etc, do get their units, eventually.
        But I expect that won’t be this year, fingers crossed it will be in 2024.
        If I would be in the market for a DIY, I would most certainly look somewhere.
        Probably already months ago, not giving Stroraxa a second glance.
        Storaxa is shamefully appearing not to learn from their own mistakes. Again. And again. And again!
        Still, let’s all hope that the project will be a great success in the end and everybody will get their units.
        I do predict, unless they chance their ways, Storaxa won’t be like ZinaCube. Not even close.
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        Reply

      176. Storaxa is, to me, a prime example how *not* to do project-management, let alone communications about it.
        Their communication is lacking big-time. And indeed, the fact that much, if not all, communication from them is only to backers & not public visible, does not get a vote of confidence from me.
        Hardware-wise, although I’m still a wee bit on the fence of it all, I still do have some trust left in them.
        But their undoing, future possible failure would be fully unto themselves, they can only blame their own.
        What I do not understand, and I do find upsetting, is that they, next to their abysmal communication-skills, they leave you, Robbie (and probably more reviewers) dangling waiting for the review-unit. Again. And again. And again!
        No matter what project you are driving, communications and keeping the promises, is absolute key.
        Do not over-promise. Ever!
        Even when you have nothing tangible to report, just letting people know that there is no update, is a basic skill.
        I do hope they do succeed and the backers, reviewers etc, do get their units, eventually.
        But I expect that won’t be this year, fingers crossed it will be in 2024.
        If I would be in the market for a DIY, I would most certainly look somewhere.
        Probably already months ago, not giving Stroraxa a second glance.
        Storaxa is shamefully appearing not to learn from their own mistakes. Again. And again. And again!
        Still, let’s all hope that the project will be a great success in the end and everybody will get their units.
        I do predict, unless they chance their ways, Storaxa won’t be like ZinaCube. Not even close.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      177. Storaxa is, to me, a prime example how *not* to do project-management, let alone communications about it.
        Their communication is lacking big-time. And indeed, the fact that much, if not all, communication from them is only to backers & not public visible, does not get a vote of confidence from me.
        Hardware-wise, although I’m still a wee bit on the fence of it all, I still do have some trust left in them.
        But their undoing, future possible failure would be fully unto themselves, they can only blame their own.
        What I do not understand, and I do find upsetting, is that they, next to their abysmal communication-skills, they leave you, Robbie (and probably more reviewers) dangling waiting for the review-unit. Again. And again. And again!
        No matter what project you are driving, communications and keeping the promises, is absolute key.
        Do not over-promise. Ever!
        Even when you have nothing tangible to report, just letting people know that there is no update, is a basic skill.
        I do hope they do succeed and the backers, reviewers etc, do get their units, eventually.
        But I expect that won’t be this year, fingers crossed it will be in 2024.
        If I would be in the market for a DIY, I would most certainly look somewhere.
        Probably already months ago, not giving Stroraxa a second glance.
        Storaxa is shamefully appearing not to learn from their own mistakes. Again. And again. And again!
        Still, let’s all hope that the project will be a great success in the end and everybody will get their units.
        I do predict, unless they chance their ways, Storaxa won’t be like ZinaCube. Not even close.
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        Reply

      182. Thanks for this review. I was looking at the CWWK J6412 as it has a beautiful case. It likely has a similar motherboard. As soon as I saw all 6 drives going to 1 pci adapter, I knew it would be slow
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      183. Thanks for this review. I was looking at the CWWK J6412 as it has a beautiful case. It likely has a similar motherboard. As soon as I saw all 6 drives going to 1 pci adapter, I knew it would be slow
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      184. Thanks for this review. I was looking at the CWWK J6412 as it has a beautiful case. It likely has a similar motherboard. As soon as I saw all 6 drives going to 1 pci adapter, I knew it would be slow
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      185. Thanks for this review. I was looking at the CWWK J6412 as it has a beautiful case. It likely has a similar motherboard. As soon as I saw all 6 drives going to 1 pci adapter, I knew it would be slow
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      190. I see it quite simple; Storaxa can’t say money would or should be a problem to the success of their project, there’s plenty of it all but held secured by Stripe et al.
        I expect that their potential failure will be the too big success overwhelming them, inexperiences in marketing and communication in general and financial management.
        Next to possible internal quarrels, chance of personnel and the (very small) team falling apart.
        It is not the first time I noticed such hurdles with these types of projects.
        I would say 3x things: as a backer be vigilant but do keep reasonable to them, as putting too much pressure may tip them into the ravine and/or push them away in communicating more.
        Only invest money in such projects that you are willing to miss and possible all loose together.
        Other than that, prayers that they do come to fulfilment.
        And to Storaxa: the golden rule is, say what you do and do what you say.
        If you promised a review-model, you should give it priority or at least let Robbie know the exact status.
        And Storaxa, if somebody offers you a public speak-slot, you should have the curtesy to take that or at least respond.
        Saying nothing is the worst possible stance. Full stop.
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      191. I see it quite simple; Storaxa can’t say money would or should be a problem to the success of their project, there’s plenty of it all but held secured by Stripe et al.
        I expect that their potential failure will be the too big success overwhelming them, inexperiences in marketing and communication in general and financial management.
        Next to possible internal quarrels, chance of personnel and the (very small) team falling apart.
        It is not the first time I noticed such hurdles with these types of projects.
        I would say 3x things: as a backer be vigilant but do keep reasonable to them, as putting too much pressure may tip them into the ravine and/or push them away in communicating more.
        Only invest money in such projects that you are willing to miss and possible all loose together.
        Other than that, prayers that they do come to fulfilment.
        And to Storaxa: the golden rule is, say what you do and do what you say.
        If you promised a review-model, you should give it priority or at least let Robbie know the exact status.
        And Storaxa, if somebody offers you a public speak-slot, you should have the curtesy to take that or at least respond.
        Saying nothing is the worst possible stance. Full stop.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      192. I see it quite simple; Storaxa can’t say money would or should be a problem to the success of their project, there’s plenty of it all but held secured by Stripe et al.
        I expect that their potential failure will be the too big success overwhelming them, inexperiences in marketing and communication in general and financial management.
        Next to possible internal quarrels, chance of personnel and the (very small) team falling apart.
        It is not the first time I noticed such hurdles with these types of projects.
        I would say 3x things: as a backer be vigilant but do keep reasonable to them, as putting too much pressure may tip them into the ravine and/or push them away in communicating more.
        Only invest money in such projects that you are willing to miss and possible all loose together.
        Other than that, prayers that they do come to fulfilment.
        And to Storaxa: the golden rule is, say what you do and do what you say.
        If you promised a review-model, you should give it priority or at least let Robbie know the exact status.
        And Storaxa, if somebody offers you a public speak-slot, you should have the curtesy to take that or at least respond.
        Saying nothing is the worst possible stance. Full stop.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

        Reply

      193. I see it quite simple; Storaxa can’t say money would or should be a problem to the success of their project, there’s plenty of it all but held secured by Stripe et al.
        I expect that their potential failure will be the too big success overwhelming them, inexperiences in marketing and communication in general and financial management.
        Next to possible internal quarrels, chance of personnel and the (very small) team falling apart.
        It is not the first time I noticed such hurdles with these types of projects.
        I would say 3x things: as a backer be vigilant but do keep reasonable to them, as putting too much pressure may tip them into the ravine and/or push them away in communicating more.
        Only invest money in such projects that you are willing to miss and possible all loose together.
        Other than that, prayers that they do come to fulfilment.
        And to Storaxa: the golden rule is, say what you do and do what you say.
        If you promised a review-model, you should give it priority or at least let Robbie know the exact status.
        And Storaxa, if somebody offers you a public speak-slot, you should have the curtesy to take that or at least respond.
        Saying nothing is the worst possible stance. Full stop.
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      223. When this was announced, it sounded great. I missed the kickstarter, could never commit. Now I am happy I didn’t.

        literally went to Aliexpress, picked up a 5500U with 16 gig of RAM, wifi, multiple 2.5gig ports, space for a couple of M.2 and a couple of drives, stuck TrueNAS on it, and I am rocking – for not only less than the Storaxa would have been, but also seemingly a long time before it gets delivered.

        My sad guess here is that by the time you get the units, they will already be solidly out of date. M.2 / SSD NAS products are coming around the bend fast. So this story may end sadly for most.
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      224. When this was announced, it sounded great. I missed the kickstarter, could never commit. Now I am happy I didn’t.

        literally went to Aliexpress, picked up a 5500U with 16 gig of RAM, wifi, multiple 2.5gig ports, space for a couple of M.2 and a couple of drives, stuck TrueNAS on it, and I am rocking – for not only less than the Storaxa would have been, but also seemingly a long time before it gets delivered.

        My sad guess here is that by the time you get the units, they will already be solidly out of date. M.2 / SSD NAS products are coming around the bend fast. So this story may end sadly for most.
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      235. Um how do you produce and fulfill on only 50% of the money? I don’t see how they could have 50% profit margin. So, they must be digging into their own pockets, or ordering small lots, meaning many of us will wait quite a while. Thanks Stripe!
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      236. Um how do you produce and fulfill on only 50% of the money? I don’t see how they could have 50% profit margin. So, they must be digging into their own pockets, or ordering small lots, meaning many of us will wait quite a while. Thanks Stripe!
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      241. Been looking to upgrade my 918+ either to a soon to be released 2024 synology or a custom homelab with a wall mounted rack.
        This is a pretty good option, I might have to pledge to this.
        Thanks for the great info as always!
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      242. Been looking to upgrade my 918+ either to a soon to be released 2024 synology or a custom homelab with a wall mounted rack.
        This is a pretty good option, I might have to pledge to this.
        Thanks for the great info as always!
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      247. *Update* – Just a heads up, 15 mins before this vid was published, my own Storaxa Stretch Goal SD Card arrived. Additionally, as mentioned in the video, I have published this prior to a reported new July 31st Update that Storaxa has stated on their pages will be arriving later today (for the reasons outlined in the video intro). If the 31st July Update is significant, I will make an update for this in the next 24-48hours, otherwise I will include the details of that update in the August Storaxa https://nascompares.com/2023/04/03/the-storaxa-kickstarter-nas-the-story-so-far/
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      248. *Update* – Just a heads up, 15 mins before this vid was published, my own Storaxa Stretch Goal SD Card arrived. Additionally, as mentioned in the video, I have published this prior to a reported new July 31st Update that Storaxa has stated on their pages will be arriving later today (for the reasons outlined in the video intro). If the 31st July Update is significant, I will make an update for this in the next 24-48hours, otherwise I will include the details of that update in the August Storaxa https://nascompares.com/2023/04/03/the-storaxa-kickstarter-nas-the-story-so-far/
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      249. It’s now July. Backers know, the different CPUs are on different motherboards. They’re not interchangeable inside the box. This was a pretty foolish assumption.
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      250. It’s now July. Backers know, the different CPUs are on different motherboards. They’re not interchangeable inside the box. This was a pretty foolish assumption.
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      255. Great video, would love to see you do a DIY Nas build. I’m curious to see what case and parts you would use also the OS . I’m not a fan of the these big brands everyone seems to be pushing for whatever reasons
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      256. Great video, would love to see you do a DIY Nas build. I’m curious to see what case and parts you would use also the OS . I’m not a fan of the these big brands everyone seems to be pushing for whatever reasons
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      257. I only just realised that we are in June and the shipping date is July. Mentally I have been assuming I wouldn’t get anything until October, but it just hit me how close it is (on paper).

        I don’t mind the external PSU either.
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      258. I only just realised that we are in June and the shipping date is July. Mentally I have been assuming I wouldn’t get anything until October, but it just hit me how close it is (on paper).

        I don’t mind the external PSU either.
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      259. The reason for only one year certificate renewals is because of Apple.

        Ios and macos throw certificate errors for certificates longer than one year. So pretty much everyone has abandoned deploying multi year certs
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      260. The reason for only one year certificate renewals is because of Apple.

        Ios and macos throw certificate errors for certificates longer than one year. So pretty much everyone has abandoned deploying multi year certs
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      263. “We will start to make the tutorial videos now. New videos of the production versions will be posted as soon as those units are ready.” written in the comments section just 3 hours ago !
        Hopefully we’ll see something very soon.
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      264. “We will start to make the tutorial videos now. New videos of the production versions will be posted as soon as those units are ready.” written in the comments section just 3 hours ago !
        Hopefully we’ll see something very soon.
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      265. Note – I noticed AFTER production that there was a few camera glitches (3-4 maybe) in my feed that I did not spot during recording (I cannot see my feed when I am recording). Apologies for the slight graphical hitching when it appears. It’s a small blip, but thought I would add this note here nonetheless. Have a great weekend!
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      266. Note – I noticed AFTER production that there was a few camera glitches (3-4 maybe) in my feed that I did not spot during recording (I cannot see my feed when I am recording). Apologies for the slight graphical hitching when it appears. It’s a small blip, but thought I would add this note here nonetheless. Have a great weekend!
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      269. Lol, their website (domain) is expired. They were reminded about this in the Kickstarter comments and they acknowledged it and promised to make sure it is renewed. Not good.
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      270. Lol, their website (domain) is expired. They were reminded about this in the Kickstarter comments and they acknowledged it and promised to make sure it is renewed. Not good.
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      271. This will replace all the ancient ‘Apple Airport TimeCapsule’ and is a perfect combo of what I am truing to do. I wish I could get in and help kickstart this. The hardware looks and sounds great. The software or firmware will need to make it totally worthwhile
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      272. This will replace all the ancient ‘Apple Airport TimeCapsule’ and is a perfect combo of what I am truing to do. I wish I could get in and help kickstart this. The hardware looks and sounds great. The software or firmware will need to make it totally worthwhile
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      275. I recall my first concern was about the power-supply, heating/cooling.
        Whilst one can argue that it took them considerable time to address this properly (read: chance) down the line, is a wee bit of a concern.
        It is inevitable that in a project like this, unless you are well versed in project management, manufacturing etc, time-lines will not always be met.
        Other concerns like company-address etc, are to me not really that major concerns nor red flags.
        I guess it comes down to how they will deal with all the difficulties, challenges and problems in this project, keeping their heads cool (pun intended) and be allowed by the backers and not be overcome by it all and start looking for an escape scenario.
        Yes, I still believe some of their risks are huge, some things are of a concern, some are indeed red flags, but I’m still hopeful it can become sort of a success (of you backers/orders). But it is a very thin line.
        Only (some more) time will tell if that was a great idea badly executed or otherwise.
        So far they did the most important rule in my book; (most of the time)
        Tell what you do, do what you tell.
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      276. I recall my first concern was about the power-supply, heating/cooling.
        Whilst one can argue that it took them considerable time to address this properly (read: chance) down the line, is a wee bit of a concern.
        It is inevitable that in a project like this, unless you are well versed in project management, manufacturing etc, time-lines will not always be met.
        Other concerns like company-address etc, are to me not really that major concerns nor red flags.
        I guess it comes down to how they will deal with all the difficulties, challenges and problems in this project, keeping their heads cool (pun intended) and be allowed by the backers and not be overcome by it all and start looking for an escape scenario.
        Yes, I still believe some of their risks are huge, some things are of a concern, some are indeed red flags, but I’m still hopeful it can become sort of a success (of you backers/orders). But it is a very thin line.
        Only (some more) time will tell if that was a great idea badly executed or otherwise.
        So far they did the most important rule in my book; (most of the time)
        Tell what you do, do what you tell.
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      279. I predict lots of premade components, not much original ideas with their scale and budget. Especially if the bank is holding back 1/2 of the funding, they don’t have enough to engineer and produce new components while fulfilling everyone’s order. Something has to give, hopefully people still get something for their investment, but it’s not going to be an impressive new product in the market. VERY concerned for the unique CPU NAS models, will those get produced or refunded?
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      280. I predict lots of premade components, not much original ideas with their scale and budget. Especially if the bank is holding back 1/2 of the funding, they don’t have enough to engineer and produce new components while fulfilling everyone’s order. Something has to give, hopefully people still get something for their investment, but it’s not going to be an impressive new product in the market. VERY concerned for the unique CPU NAS models, will those get produced or refunded?
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      291. CWWK appears to have newer (??) revisions of the AIO-T6 with a vertical HD drive layout – 3 above and 3 below. One has a J6412/J6413 CPU and a different layout of 2.5GbE ports – 3 Intel and 1 Realtek – so the motherboard would be different than the recycled one shown in this video. The pictures also show a top cutout and a description that says you can add a PCIe expansion card. I find that claim rather dubious.
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      292. CWWK appears to have newer (??) revisions of the AIO-T6 with a vertical HD drive layout – 3 above and 3 below. One has a J6412/J6413 CPU and a different layout of 2.5GbE ports – 3 Intel and 1 Realtek – so the motherboard would be different than the recycled one shown in this video. The pictures also show a top cutout and a description that says you can add a PCIe expansion card. I find that claim rather dubious.
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      293. Looks like the Intel version of this now gets DDR5 as well, so that’s DDR5, PCI-ex 4, AV1 and AMT..
        Wonder how many will switch to the Intel version now.
        AMD has better multicore and ECC..
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      294. Looks like the Intel version of this now gets DDR5 as well, so that’s DDR5, PCI-ex 4, AV1 and AMT..
        Wonder how many will switch to the Intel version now.
        AMD has better multicore and ECC..
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      301. I don’t think it’s strictly a scam, in the sense that they’re just lying to take money, but I’m worried they might be in over their heads and have over promised.
        I’ve looked at everything I can and I think it can be done, but the profit margin will be almost nothing.
        But maybe they’re willing to make a really good product with no profit just to get the company off the ground, and then they can try to make money on their next product.
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      302. I don’t think it’s strictly a scam, in the sense that they’re just lying to take money, but I’m worried they might be in over their heads and have over promised.
        I’ve looked at everything I can and I think it can be done, but the profit margin will be almost nothing.
        But maybe they’re willing to make a really good product with no profit just to get the company off the ground, and then they can try to make money on their next product.
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      303. Just to add, the 6E WiFi chipset is still up in the air, they cannot use an Intel solution as they disabled the AP functionality due to regulatory reasons. Last update I believe, they were look at 3 possible SKUs, RealTek, Qualcomm and Broadcomm have solutions (Commercial or Industrial only) so it might be one of those and whichever they are able to order in bulk.

        It is rather annoying because much like ECC, Intel could of made this a common place feature on consumer WiFi solutions.
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      304. Just to add, the 6E WiFi chipset is still up in the air, they cannot use an Intel solution as they disabled the AP functionality due to regulatory reasons. Last update I believe, they were look at 3 possible SKUs, RealTek, Qualcomm and Broadcomm have solutions (Commercial or Industrial only) so it might be one of those and whichever they are able to order in bulk.

        It is rather annoying because much like ECC, Intel could of made this a common place feature on consumer WiFi solutions.
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      321. It’s a terrible that most info is lost in the kickstarter comments and they didn’t bother to sum it up in one place (including minor changes that I think are missing from the updates) but you skipped a lot of details they provided over time for example they linked to a bulk selling site that you could get the mobo for $120 or something like that which could give a better picture of how it’s feasible since they will buy every component from the manufacturer.

        I guess the main bet was around making big order (I’m sure the total is more than 6000 machines) and some shady ways around tax (20-25% for most of Europe). I don’t think it is possible to sell single units for $260 after kickstarter but $400 would be a normal price (as it’s advertised). Comparing the $400 price tag to similar/existing *chinese* NASes and not QNAP or Synology (which you’re paying a premium for brand, OS, Support etc) is reasonable.
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      322. It’s a terrible that most info is lost in the kickstarter comments and they didn’t bother to sum it up in one place (including minor changes that I think are missing from the updates) but you skipped a lot of details they provided over time for example they linked to a bulk selling site that you could get the mobo for $120 or something like that which could give a better picture of how it’s feasible since they will buy every component from the manufacturer.

        I guess the main bet was around making big order (I’m sure the total is more than 6000 machines) and some shady ways around tax (20-25% for most of Europe). I don’t think it is possible to sell single units for $260 after kickstarter but $400 would be a normal price (as it’s advertised). Comparing the $400 price tag to similar/existing *chinese* NASes and not QNAP or Synology (which you’re paying a premium for brand, OS, Support etc) is reasonable.
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      337. Hi guys, i need some help from you.
        I’m thinking of replacing my Qnap-NAS with the Synology DS1621xs+. However, i have a hardware related question you might be able to help me with: I’m thinking of putting Samsung PM893 SATA-SSDs (8TB) in it since there is a special deal here at the moment. I would be very glad, if you could tell me, if they make sense in this NAS (also for Raid F1)? …and if you see any problem with using the Samsungs over Ironwolfs and WD Reds (i don’t really need that many TBWs for my use case –> mosly Plex Server and for Backups)?
        Thank you in advance!
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      338. Hi guys, i need some help from you.
        I’m thinking of replacing my Qnap-NAS with the Synology DS1621xs+. However, i have a hardware related question you might be able to help me with: I’m thinking of putting Samsung PM893 SATA-SSDs (8TB) in it since there is a special deal here at the moment. I would be very glad, if you could tell me, if they make sense in this NAS (also for Raid F1)? …and if you see any problem with using the Samsungs over Ironwolfs and WD Reds (i don’t really need that many TBWs for my use case –> mosly Plex Server and for Backups)?
        Thank you in advance!
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      341. *Just a quick follow-up to this video on the CWWK AIO-T6 NAS Review, I just finished the big write-up on it. There are tonnes of close-up photos of the rather odd approach to the layout + new observations since that video was recorded on how the internal hardware was repurposed + that odd m.2-SATA bridge and the spaghetti cabling! Read more about it here in the
        CWWK AIO-T6 6-Bay NAS Written Review. Bang For Buck? – https://nascompares.com/2023/03/24/cwwk-aio-t6-6-bay-nas-review-bang-for-buck/
        Have a fantastic weekend everybody!
        #datastroage #nasdrives #budget #happyshopper
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      342. *Just a quick follow-up to this video on the CWWK AIO-T6 NAS Review, I just finished the big write-up on it. There are tonnes of close-up photos of the rather odd approach to the layout + new observations since that video was recorded on how the internal hardware was repurposed + that odd m.2-SATA bridge and the spaghetti cabling! Read more about it here in the
        CWWK AIO-T6 6-Bay NAS Written Review. Bang For Buck? – https://nascompares.com/2023/03/24/cwwk-aio-t6-6-bay-nas-review-bang-for-buck/
        Have a fantastic weekend everybody!
        #datastroage #nasdrives #budget #happyshopper
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      351. Because of unraid. It has at least one usb2 point because 3.0 makes problems because of heat. And Unraid is build to run from ram and USB stick can backup online if you like and the licence can be transfered to another USB stick
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      352. Because of unraid. It has at least one usb2 point because 3.0 makes problems because of heat. And Unraid is build to run from ram and USB stick can backup online if you like and the licence can be transfered to another USB stick
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      357. problem with something like this is that saving a few hundred quid upfront will then leave you with years of uncertainty as to whether its going to one day melt and destroy all your data and a grands worth of hard drives. If I can’t trust it then why bother with it being 6 bay? I would maybe find a use for it as a two bay for media storage or maybe a redundant backup but even then I would still maybe be more tempted to buy a used branded product off ebay.
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      358. problem with something like this is that saving a few hundred quid upfront will then leave you with years of uncertainty as to whether its going to one day melt and destroy all your data and a grands worth of hard drives. If I can’t trust it then why bother with it being 6 bay? I would maybe find a use for it as a two bay for media storage or maybe a redundant backup but even then I would still maybe be more tempted to buy a used branded product off ebay.
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      367. LoL the Chinese QC certificate could say… “this unit fails, is broken, missing parts and damaged. QC FAIL” Also plugging some random SD-Card from China into anything that you trust with your data… ????????????
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      368. LoL the Chinese QC certificate could say… “this unit fails, is broken, missing parts and damaged. QC FAIL” Also plugging some random SD-Card from China into anything that you trust with your data… ????????????
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      373. There doesn’t seem to be any direct external venting for the CPU cooler, assuming it’s actively cooled.

        Why bother pulling the wool with an unlicensed UNRAID install, when they could have gone down the TrueNAS route?
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      374. There doesn’t seem to be any direct external venting for the CPU cooler, assuming it’s actively cooled.

        Why bother pulling the wool with an unlicensed UNRAID install, when they could have gone down the TrueNAS route?
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      381. If someone could build a premium NAS case with a similar form factor to a Synology/QNAP, but not charge the premium for the software and allow TrueNAS/unRAID, that would be amazing.
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      382. If someone could build a premium NAS case with a similar form factor to a Synology/QNAP, but not charge the premium for the software and allow TrueNAS/unRAID, that would be amazing.
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      385. New update on the project page dropped just now, there has been additional changes to the AMD board which they managed to get 4 extra PCIe lanes. Interested in seeing your opinion.
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      386. New update on the project page dropped just now, there has been additional changes to the AMD board which they managed to get 4 extra PCIe lanes. Interested in seeing your opinion.
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      387. Doesn’t Synology already have a router, access point, and “NAS” in one box? The drive is not internal, but attached as a USB drive. I presume the external drive can be a two-drive enclosure with RAID1 configuration.
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      388. Doesn’t Synology already have a router, access point, and “NAS” in one box? The drive is not internal, but attached as a USB drive. I presume the external drive can be a two-drive enclosure with RAID1 configuration.
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      393. Excited at potential… very new to this, so forgive my possibly silly question. Of the 5 bays… i can barely afford to fill them all… can I leave a couple empty? Will I be able to add hdd later? And will they have to be the same sized hdd?
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      394. Excited at potential… very new to this, so forgive my possibly silly question. Of the 5 bays… i can barely afford to fill them all… can I leave a couple empty? Will I be able to add hdd later? And will they have to be the same sized hdd?
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      397. There are lots of companies making NAS devices and unless they are all making 100% plus profit margins the Storaxa price seems way too low. You can’t produce a device for less than half the cost of an existing supplier, it’s just not possible anymore. It will be made in the same factories in China with the same labor costs, from the same component parts etc… I just can’t see it.
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      398. There are lots of companies making NAS devices and unless they are all making 100% plus profit margins the Storaxa price seems way too low. You can’t produce a device for less than half the cost of an existing supplier, it’s just not possible anymore. It will be made in the same factories in China with the same labor costs, from the same component parts etc… I just can’t see it.
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      407. Good video as always but I was hoping you would compare the CPU options due to comments people had made regarding the throughput of the base option not being able to run all the PCI lanes required for that many drives.
        I feel I took a bit of a gamble backing the project and although the drives are cheaper compared to UK retailers I’m worried about paying hundreds of more £’s to an unknown company!
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      408. Good video as always but I was hoping you would compare the CPU options due to comments people had made regarding the throughput of the base option not being able to run all the PCI lanes required for that many drives.
        I feel I took a bit of a gamble backing the project and although the drives are cheaper compared to UK retailers I’m worried about paying hundreds of more £’s to an unknown company!
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      409. I do wonder if the CPU heat will be an issue, because the i7 is barely any different to the i5. It boosts a bit higher and has a slightly beefier iGPU, but they’re very similar.

        I have gone for the i5-1235u with 2x 10GbE. Nothing else – I won’t be battering it with multiple VMs or anything – I just want fast NAS storage and access. I’ll probably stick my Steam library on there, as well as my media and archives (assuming this comes to fruition).

        I appreciate you digging into this for us and look forward to more content on this, especially given it’s potential to rock the NAS market.
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      410. I do wonder if the CPU heat will be an issue, because the i7 is barely any different to the i5. It boosts a bit higher and has a slightly beefier iGPU, but they’re very similar.

        I have gone for the i5-1235u with 2x 10GbE. Nothing else – I won’t be battering it with multiple VMs or anything – I just want fast NAS storage and access. I’ll probably stick my Steam library on there, as well as my media and archives (assuming this comes to fruition).

        I appreciate you digging into this for us and look forward to more content on this, especially given it’s potential to rock the NAS market.
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      415. Hello!….
        I have a doubt that I think is so simple everywhere I research this doubt goes unnoticed…
        I built a NAS with an old PC and everything is ready for the installation of TrueNas….
        My question…where to connect the LAN cable? Direct on the internet router? Or on the main PC’s LAN?
        NAS-router or NAS-main computer?
        Both the NAS and the main computer have 10gb LAN each…
        If it is NAS-Router after installing TrueNas, do I disconnect it from the router and connect it to the main computer?
        Thanks in advance!…
        Processor i7 6700 3.40 GHz
        Mother board ASUS EX-B250-V7
        Vídeo card GTX 1060 6GB (PG410)
        Memory DDR4 16GB 3000mhz
        SSD 500GB NVMe
        HDD 1TB
        Sorry to ask in a wrong video…it’s because I can’t find the answer anywhere!…????
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      416. Hello!….
        I have a doubt that I think is so simple everywhere I research this doubt goes unnoticed…
        I built a NAS with an old PC and everything is ready for the installation of TrueNas….
        My question…where to connect the LAN cable? Direct on the internet router? Or on the main PC’s LAN?
        NAS-router or NAS-main computer?
        Both the NAS and the main computer have 10gb LAN each…
        If it is NAS-Router after installing TrueNas, do I disconnect it from the router and connect it to the main computer?
        Thanks in advance!…
        Processor i7 6700 3.40 GHz
        Mother board ASUS EX-B250-V7
        Vídeo card GTX 1060 6GB (PG410)
        Memory DDR4 16GB 3000mhz
        SSD 500GB NVMe
        HDD 1TB
        Sorry to ask in a wrong video…it’s because I can’t find the answer anywhere!…????
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      417. Went with the 1265U (QuickSync, AV1 decode and AMT) and further upgrades (10G, 480GB boot drive, 32GB RAM stick and 6E) which, all have reasonable cost. The 480G drive was only $8 so that seemed like a obvious upgrade, the 10G a bit more expensive at $46 but for 2 x 10G NIC, insane value. Now just to see if a physical object arrives 😀
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      418. Went with the 1265U (QuickSync, AV1 decode and AMT) and further upgrades (10G, 480GB boot drive, 32GB RAM stick and 6E) which, all have reasonable cost. The 480G drive was only $8 so that seemed like a obvious upgrade, the 10G a bit more expensive at $46 but for 2 x 10G NIC, insane value. Now just to see if a physical object arrives 😀
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      423. I backed the project and was nice to see the pledge manager. I believe this project will be fulfilled but not at 100%. The last 25% of backers, or so, to pledge are the ones that will be left disappointed. More specifically, the ones just buying the base model and no upgrades or add-ons are likely to be the ones whose rewards are not fulfilled. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed this is not so.
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      424. I backed the project and was nice to see the pledge manager. I believe this project will be fulfilled but not at 100%. The last 25% of backers, or so, to pledge are the ones that will be left disappointed. More specifically, the ones just buying the base model and no upgrades or add-ons are likely to be the ones whose rewards are not fulfilled. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed this is not so.
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      429. NASes are overpriced AF! And they always will be, it’s not a secret. I still wouldn’t buy something like this and I still have to get my first NAS. I don’t know why but this doesn’t stand out as something reliable to me
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      430. NASes are overpriced AF! And they always will be, it’s not a secret. I still wouldn’t buy something like this and I still have to get my first NAS. I don’t know why but this doesn’t stand out as something reliable to me
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      431. Happy to see your videos on this – I am a backer. Mostly confident. The cost of decking the system out locally would be 2-3 times higher than the Pledge Manager, so I think I am just going to pay for what I want and hope for the best!
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      432. Happy to see your videos on this – I am a backer. Mostly confident. The cost of decking the system out locally would be 2-3 times higher than the Pledge Manager, so I think I am just going to pay for what I want and hope for the best!
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      433. My faith is restored a wee bit simply because they are highlighting beefier power-supplies.
        Good that they didn’t get overwhelmed by the potential success and make them run away.
        Kudos for that!
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      434. My faith is restored a wee bit simply because they are highlighting beefier power-supplies.
        Good that they didn’t get overwhelmed by the potential success and make them run away.
        Kudos for that!
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      439. haha i backed it up, if i found your video before, i think i will not have done it. I can report what happened. But i backed a lot of kickstarter campaigns, i never failed until now 🙂
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      440. haha i backed it up, if i found your video before, i think i will not have done it. I can report what happened. But i backed a lot of kickstarter campaigns, i never failed until now 🙂
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      441. I like new toys to play with, this will be my third Kickstarter, so far I’ve had one refund (Norm Glasses, others are still waiting for a final product 3 years later) one arrival (TinyPump), then there’s this, could be a win, could be someone’s going on holiday with a lot of someone else’s money…
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      442. I like new toys to play with, this will be my third Kickstarter, so far I’ve had one refund (Norm Glasses, others are still waiting for a final product 3 years later) one arrival (TinyPump), then there’s this, could be a win, could be someone’s going on holiday with a lot of someone else’s money…
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      447. I just cancelled my pledge. I hope it does turn out well, I’ve backed too many Kckstarters that have taken 3+ years to deliver anything other than promises. There is enough missing technical information that I just don’t feel like taking the risk or the wait.
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      448. I just cancelled my pledge. I hope it does turn out well, I’ve backed too many Kckstarters that have taken 3+ years to deliver anything other than promises. There is enough missing technical information that I just don’t feel like taking the risk or the wait.
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      449. I’m really glad you decided to back Storaxa. From all the backers NASCompares makes the most sense to (hopefully) get the product and share your unbiased experiences with thousands of your followers. I’m looking forward to next updates about this awesome project. It’s really tough to get a small form factor build that freely supports open source software. Anything mITX based that one would build himself would definitely be bigger in size. I was hoping for “I hate seagulls” in this episode, but I’ll have to wait till the next one ????Great job! Keep us updated and keep up the good work!
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      450. I’m really glad you decided to back Storaxa. From all the backers NASCompares makes the most sense to (hopefully) get the product and share your unbiased experiences with thousands of your followers. I’m looking forward to next updates about this awesome project. It’s really tough to get a small form factor build that freely supports open source software. Anything mITX based that one would build himself would definitely be bigger in size. I was hoping for “I hate seagulls” in this episode, but I’ll have to wait till the next one ????Great job! Keep us updated and keep up the good work!
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      451. I am a backer, but I do have doubts and at least match my hopes for this project, but I do like the fact you’ve chucked your hat in the ring for the sake of the community – bravo, sir.

        If we all get scammed together, well… misery loves company.
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      452. #2 The system is up and running. He proceeds to load 5 discs to the NAS. He directly goes to the laptop and starts showing the Proxmox with TrueNAS and OpenWRT and goes to each interface. When he is in TrueNAS, he has one disc shown. I don’t think TrueNAS has this seamless hot swap. You need to take the disc out of the pool and replace it and resilver it. At least some some kind of error message should be there with red on the bell icon, how come there no any warning about missing Pool and the recovered Pool?? Anyone who is a backer, can you check? What do you think @NASCompares?
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      453. #1 NO NETWORK ACTIVITY ON THE “Uncut, Unedited Demo”! Lol, I just saw the new video and the plugged-in network cable does not appear to have activity (solid green only) as those lights are usually rather bright and due to the slightly dim lighting I think we should have seen that flashing. Anyone who is a backer, can you check? What do you think @NASCompares?
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      454. haha I saw my name as you were scrolling through the comments XD around 2:56

        That said can you for the love of god include performance metrics in your NAS reviews? I feel like 80% of them (I have not watched more than 10-15) are about features, hardware, software and never do I see a test showing the peak throughput, IOPS, etc over the stock LAN and any possible upgrades. There’s like 2-3 actual videos with performance checked. why is that or did I miss something?
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      455. Not seeing all of the video yet I think that a router nas will be a good option for a consumer user with a company building it and actually have a router that’s built with network storage as a thing unlike modern routers that have a USB hard drive with samba 1 that’s insecure.

        Alot of people don’t have the technical knowledge, or would rather buy a product more for a warranty.

        For people like me that run vm servers from home, I will stick to a dedicated nas on a vlan from the services that don’t need to access it.

        I do see a market for this device since netgear, tp-link etc don’t have a decent router nas solution.

        It is a more consumer focused product.

        I have backed some kick-start projects and some have not completed the project while the majority have.

        The problem with kick-starter projects is that most are very early in developement and are a side job for people until the project takes off, why would some one leave there secure job for a project that might fail.

        Develope the project, make it, deliver the product to backers and open it to the market, then leave you’re job..
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      457. Hey chief, am enjoying your channel. As someone who is beginning with ProRes Raw I’m looking at DAS setups because of limited network options where I am. Could this storaxa system potentially be used as external storage system which we could raid or is it gonna be limited to NAS? Apologies if stupid question, but I’m trying to rustle up money for a Thunderbay 8 and that plus all the drives will be a small fortune. I’d rather hold fire if something like this could be an alternative. Cheers!
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      460. Did Storaxa respond to your contact for comment? I wouldn’t have made a new video until they responded. All these comments are potentially fake accounts from the company until proven otherwise. Unfortunately we are in a social media environment that allows easy AI comments and responses. This could be a majority of fake AI comments designed to gain the attention of more backers and media reviews (by yourself).

        Be careful with this situation until you get official contact from the Storaxa!

        Your investment (backing) of Stroraxa is nothing more than a business expenditure. You either get a new box to review for a video, or you have to write off the loss of funds as a business loss for the year on your taxes. It’s far less risky of an investment for you with the ability to make a video about the box, or getting your money taken, or sent a box that doesn’t work as advertised. You can’t loss in your position.

        I would like to see a video about reaching out to Linus Sebastian (LTT/LMG) to get more information about this new NAS software OS company they are launching. Their comments sound like they want to align themselves closer to a user friendly DSM OS and not an intimidating TrueNAS OS.
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      462. So I have backed a few kick starters and generally it is a good sign to see the actual people behind it speaking in a video, it would be far better if they did an interview with somebody in the industry to boost the confidence, again real people talking with reputed individuals within the industry goes a long way with trust and confidence. (The risk of failure is still on the table as that is what you accept but, better than being scammed.)
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      463. I have put thousands of $ into Kickstarter Projects in the past. Most have gone to my satisfaction. For me 80% of a successfull Kickstarter Campaign is about credibility, experience and a track record.
        Having a completely new Company with a totally blank record coming out of nothing and promising the the sky is a red flag for me instantly. When it sounds too good to be true it rarely is. Also it helps if the company behind it has something to loose, but a chinese startup really has no reputation or credibility to loose here and would never be prosecuted for fraud in their home country.
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      465. If this Nas thing takes off and has a couple of bug fixes and updates I wonder if it would be sold to the ordinary people and at what price … I’m in the market for my first Nas …
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      467. Well, you have a new subscriber I guess 😀 I absolutely agree with you that there is currently a huge gap in the market.
        In my case, the “factory” NAS solutions are not really enough anymore. I used a Synology NAS at one time and it was perfect in what it was designed for. However, as I went down the usual homelab rabbit hole, I quickly realized that I needed more computing power, more ram, etc…
        Unfortunately, since I live in an apartment, the standard server route is not possible for me at the moment. At the same time, I don’t really wanna build an ATX/mATX system either, because I wouldn’t really know where to put it (for example, the Fractal Define 7 is really great, but it is just too big for me). An ITX solution would be perfect… But you always has to give up something on most of the ITX boards, either only gigabit ethernet, or there are only 2-4 SATA ports (my Node 304 could fit up to 6 HDDs, but I need a motherboard with that much ports..), and it would be good to leave the PCIe for the GPU useful for transcoding and other things…. I am currently using a Kontron KTQM87/mitx board, but it would be nice to move up from the 4th generation processor…

        So in my case, that’s why I decided to back the project… There are peoples out there, who are perfectly happy with open source solutions… but would still appreciate it, if properly hardware existed for these kind of things. And yea, right now it looks like it is a really niche market, but who knows… Maybe there is just no demand for what there is no supply for? 🙂
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      469. You had a lot of good points in your original video. And most seemed valid. However, Storaxa made solid rebuttals of your concerns. One of their best rebuttals was minimizing your questioning of the actuality of the project. Without giving away all their trade secrets I believe they did well to give us as much information as they could without divulging details they could have been stolen or misappropriated. Allowing only backers to see this information was particular smart on Storaxa behalf. At the end of the day, if I have concerns the project is a hoax I will drop out before it too late. They IMO I believe they have done as much as they to prove this project will be a reality and we all will receive our rewards.
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      472. First!
        Oh wait, this is not that kind of channel ????
        And those seagulls, they really do like to be in your videos often.
        About this kickstarter, to me it is about trust and no room for second-guess afterwards.
        It is/was opportunistic but some real technical issues that they seems to have overlooked at worst or chosen to ignore for the moment, at best. But especially for you Robbie, I truly hope I’m wrong and you do get your unit. (and for everybody else!)
        And to Storaxa: next time get a truly technical person involved and balance the marketing jumbo mumbo with (correct!) technical facts please. The newer models with (multiple!) USB 3.2 (10GBe version), more PCIe lanes, faster NVMe’s, even U.2 versions, and newer various CPU’s (Intel 1235U has a TDP of 15 watt, but with a max of 55w with virtually no further headroom so with the same 120W power supply, impossible in my books?
        Hope I’m wrong!
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      475. Note. I have made a follow up video to this explaining this video, addressing some corrections and discussing how/why some subs were asking me about this innovative project – https://youtu.be/RQEb02PKgSA
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      476. *A quick few notes to add since this was recorded earlier*. There have been new updates to the project on the official page and as much as I want to show these on camera, they are currently shown in a ‘backer’s Only area’, so I am concerned that sharing them would constitute invalidating that choice to concentrate on backer support. These may well be added to a project timeline in the future. I’m looking forward to following this project with you all in the coming months! Either this breaks the industry, or it breaks the bank, let’s follow this together!
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      480. Hah, this just happened: “Your pledge for Fully Customizable Home Cloud Storage with Remote Access NAS has been canceled
        Our Trust & Safety team reviewed a request to remove you from this project. Your pledge has been canceled, and you won’t be able to back it again. ”
        So Soraxa complained and asked to be removed. If you wanted more signs…
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      481. Reading all the comments here feels amazing , great community
        Im a backer and love the idea of an extra NAS company, but I think that this project is going a tad above their heads, they mean well but high risk of failing
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      486. I’m interested to know how iX Systems feel about these things, I would have assumed they can foresee a lot of support calls for basic issues that are not their responsibility. If you buy a TrueNAS system from iX Systems, you get some support included and then you can pay for it. I’m curious what support package this kickstarter is proposing. When there’s more CGI models than actual physical models, I’d be concerned.
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      487. Only a really minor point, but if you can use an external hard drive for additional game storage for PS5’s, a NAS ‘could’ do it too. I don’t have direct experience of this with PS5’s, but it can be done with PC games. Like you say though, the user needs to be proficient at config and it appears marketed at non-tech users, which is a conflicted situation!

        It’s done via iSCSI / ZVOL in TrueNAS, it isn’t a turnkey setup though.
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      488. ive really been looking for something like this ,
        and i did back this on the 2nd tier before the possible upgrades ,but pulled my pledge last week,
        if it does get fulfilled it’ll be a winner ,especially on home lab front
        but will put my pledge towards a self build with a fractal design case ,so if anyone has suggestions on a mitx board ?

        also in the video it was mentioned terramaster can run truenas ,is this via their software or can i wipe and load proxmox – truenas -pfsense?
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      489. They’ve replied to the comments in your video, then, oddly, a ‘Superbacker’ says the following

        ‘Storaxa be careful! In the video they admit it is a competitor that asked them about the campaign and they spend some time to praise the product of that competitor. There is definitely a hidden agenda here. They get commission from sales with the links in their videos. You may need to advertise with them to get them on your side.’

        I must admit I was 3d printing some stuff while listening to your video, but I don’t remember you talking about a competitor or mentioning that it was a competitor that asked you to look into Storaxe..
        To me, that’s another red flag tbh
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      493. It isn’t good to be true. This small company is low cost because there aren’t many people to work and to pay for. They just have to assemble a few components which they can buy for cheap because of the large quantity. They don’t have to manage software because it is 3th party software. Just think about how the Chinese market work with large quantities.
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      496. It won’t be pretty. the n6005 has 8 pcie lanes. Look at the AMD upgrade and how they’re splitting that up. Simple math tells you you’ll need a perfect storm to realize 2.5 gb/s out of that thing. I want to believe, but it’s just not realistic until you’re upgrading, and even then they’re claiming things a $1500 NAS has trouble doing.
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      497. What Kickstarter projects have been doing recently is sending early production samples to reviewers/YouTubers to prove that the product is realized, I think they need to do this otherwise risk is quite high.
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      501. This should only be used for hobby play, no mission critical data! Pre-built NAS is all about the OS, if it’s not better than what is already on the market, then might as well DIY build their own NAS with existing software like your video last week. Why risk any mission critical data on a new untested brand (with suspicious Kickstarter math). Until they prove themselves it’s only for hobby data.

        I’m also curious what this new (easier to use) NAS software Linus Sebastian LTT has invested in? ????
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      502. I have been caught out by Kickstarter “too good to be true” for several backed projects and I am still waiting for my pledges 3 years down the road. Beware as Kickstarter has not provided any help at all and one was a blatant Fraud which they washed their hands off it.
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      503. What I find interesting is not that this kickstarter may never actually produce what they are advertising, but the amount of interest that something like this produces. It tells me that these companies like Synology are not creating the value in their products that potential customers want in the devices they sell. I am a amateur photographer and my current portfolio occupies about 3 tb of External hdd drive space. I am currently using two external usb drives that I manually save files to both (a poor man’s Raid 1) and I create an image file on a backup drive that I keep at my neighbors (effectively I am using a bastardized Raid 6 because I can lose two drives and still have a copy of my photos). I could easily occupy a 5 bay NAS with 8 tb drives for $500 to $600 dollars but I don’t see the value of paying the same amount for a stripped down NAS case. Their definitely needs more competition in the NAS market to drive cost down and value up.
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      506. FYI, it is possible to download and store PS5 games to a NAS, you can even play PS4 games directly from a NAS.

        It takes a bit of effort and additional hardware, so
        I’m not suggesting many folks would bother setting this up, or that it was a good unit of measure. They could have used PC games to seem less “iffy”, but as “NAS guys” y’all probably shouldn’t say things can’t be done when they can.

        Good looking out and a good video though. Thanks.
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      509. Nice to see you taking the “too good to be true” stance. There are many suspicious aspects, and no guarantee of any kind (like you said, some sort of a working prototype) that they intend to deliver. I won’t repeat them.
        And yeah, good point about cooling. Not only the HDDs, but also the 4 NVMe. I see there’s a front cover which would almost block the airflow, and a SSD cover as well. One can’t really become a NAS manufacturer as a weekend hobby project, right?
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      510. This kickstarter is a FAKE! As anyone with an engineering degree would know, you need power to run anything. The puny 120 W power supply is the biggest evidence that shows how fake this kickstarter is. I think the scammers think everyone’s stupid when they listed the power consumption at 18 W at idle and 80 W at writing.

        Just do a little research and you’ll find a decent NAS HDD would require 5~10W each for regular operation, while each NVME would require 2~4W. And the Intel N6005 package is known to draw up to ~30 W by itself while a 32 GB of DDR4 RAM would consume 1.5~4W! All that added up will give 10W * 6 SSD (including OS drive) + 4W * 4 NVME + 30W * 1 N6005 + 4W * 2 DDR4 RAM (32GB) = 114 Watts when the NAS is working full blast! And we still haven’t accounted for the two cooler fans or the daughterboard that’s connecting the NVME drives.

        I’ve tried to put together my own NAS in the past and ended up using a Synology, because the power / cooling was always a headache in a DIY solution. If the kickstarter project turns out to be not a scam, it will have to move the power supply out to an external power brick–because the designers would have realized that with the drives all loaded up you’ll need at least a 200W power supply easy, which won’t fit in that tiny little package. Then they’ll realize that they’ll have even less profit and go bankrupt.

        You’ve all been warned. Stay away from this scam.
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      511. This project is a sham. Running proxmox to run truenas isn’t user friendly and no chance it’s plug and play to just backup simple devices. The pricing doesn’t line up at all and 3 months from design to shipping is insane. I don’t trust the pic of the guy with the picture holding the NAS. His face says I’m gonna steal your money. Nothing makes sense here at all. Stay away!
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      512. Sounds great. But, I bought my Diskstation because of the Software and the support I hope to get from Synology. Can I rely on storaxa? Yes, hardware sounds awesome.
        Btw: do we know, how much Ram the NAS is equipped with? TrueNas is quite ram- hungry, I thought.
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      514. By the way, everything will be running on vms over proxmox. This is very efficient of course but you can’t really go more advanced than this. You also need to manage security and updates for all these. Sure, it is doable and lot of fun, but need to have a sys/network admin background.
        Not sending test units to reputable sources is a red flag too.
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      518. *Important* – The big takeaway from this video should be that as good a platform as Kickstarter is for allowing the development of hardware and software to be crowdfunded (and therefore provide products that are directly created with the audience input), you should always be cautious about donating towards any project that might make promises that seem almost too good to be true, as all too often that can be the case! I will continue to watch the Storaxa Network Solution, as I genuinely hope that it proves our initial doubts wrong and turns into a major NAS player in years to come! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE prove my doubts wrong and make this NAS a reality, at this price! Also, apologies for the audio sync issues during parts of the Zoom call with Eddie the Web Guy – Always a possibility with zoom.
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