Video Summary - The worst NAS review ever

Product Reviewed

Austtor AU Store WTR Max — a compact “desktop NAS” style device with 7 drive bays (described as 6 HDD/2.5” bays + 1 SSD-related bay/slot) and multiple high-speed expansion/network options.

Key Hardware / Features Mentioned

Drive Bays / Storage Layout

7 bays total
- Six for hard drives
- One SSD area (plus additional NVMe support)
Includes a caddy holding 4 SSDs, described as possibly intended for caching or fast pools.
Toolless drive sleds (no screws required).
Mentions mounting points for SSDs.

NVMe Configuration

Multiple NVMe slots; the listing notes lane/speed per slot (e.g., “two x2 and another x2” style information).
Example installed drive mentioned: Crucial P4 1TB Gen4 (benchmarked later).

Build & Cooling

All-metal build
Two rear fans, plus a bottom fan for cooling VRM/RAM
Tested as very quiet
CPU max temperature reported: ~71°C under benchmark load

Ports / Connectivity (Standout)

Front

Screen
SD card slot
USB-C
USB-A
Power button

Back

Headphone jack
DisplayPort
HDMI
Multiple USB-A ports
USB-C (USB 4)
Oculink
Dual 10Gb SFP+
RJ45 Ethernet (reported as 2.5Gb)

The reviewer highlights that SFP+ and Oculink are uncommon on off-the-shelf NAS units.

Compute Platform

Default configuration discussed:

96GB ECC RAM (DDR5)
AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS enterprise CPU
Price mentioned: ~$1,239 (default) or ~$1,300 depending on the option shown

Benchmarks were performed in Windows (not a dedicated NAS OS).

Software / User Experience (Major Theme)

Ships with Windows (Unexpected)

The device ships with Windows, and the reviewer expected a NAS OS.
First boot includes a Windows setup experience.
The reviewer claims users can install alternative platforms themselves if desired:
- TrueNAS
- Unraid
- OpenMediaVault
- Proxmox

Friction in Windows Storage Spaces

Storage Spaces initially fails with:

“No drives work with storage spaces”
then an error about “physical disc sector size not supported”

The reviewer reports needing to delete/reformat/reset to proceed.

Oculink Experience (Major Negative)

Using an Oculink dock + GPU resulted in:

Freezing
Extreme lag
Black screen / restarts

The reviewer concludes the setup doesn’t behave intuitively, noting it “should just work.”

Benchmark Results (Context Only)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-core)

801
Positioned as roughly between:
- very old Threadripper 1950X
- Ryzen 7 5800X
Slightly above Apple M1 Max (as described by the reviewer)

Geekbench 6

CPU single-core: 2388
CPU multi-core: 1217
Mentions integrated GPU: Radeon 780M
Notes hardware encoders for H.264 / HEVC / AV1

CrystalDiskMark (Crucial P4 1TB Gen4)

Reported speeds:
- ~3500 reads
- ~3400 writes
(Exact meaning depends on test setup.)

Power

Reported usage: ~57W while running with:
- four drives + two NVMe drives

Pros (Explicitly Mentioned)

High-end hardware capability
Quieter-than-expected operation
- Max CPU temp reported: ~71°C
Excellent port selection for the price class:
- dual 10Gb SFP+
- Oculink
- multiple display outputs and USB options
Toolless sleds and strong physical build (all metal)
Reasonable power efficiency for the performance (~57W in the stated configuration)
NVMe slot performance / lane labeling called out as a nice touch
Front screen branding noted as a “fun” feature (light joking)

Cons (Explicitly Mentioned)

Windows instead of a dedicated NAS OS
- Forces review/testing as a PC rather than a NAS appliance.
Storage Spaces setup/compatibility issues
- Sector-size support error and need to wipe/reformat.
Oculink + GPU unreliability
- Freezes, lag, black screens, and restarts observed.
Reviewer’s conclusion: not recommended despite strong capabilities

Comparisons Made

Broader market trend: more companies producing “NAS-like” devices (similar to earlier mini PC hype).
Benchmark comparisons to:
- Threadripper 1950X
- Ryzen 7 5800X
- Apple M1 Max
“NAS appliance” vs “install-anything PC”:
- Reviewer contrasts it with typical NAS devices that ship ready for Docker/VMs/storage using a dedicated NAS OS.

Unique Points Mentioned (Consolidated)

NAS market saturation; many brands now offer desktop NAS-like devices.
Austtor AU Store WTR Max reviewed.
7 bays total: described as 6 HDD slots + SSD-related slot/bay, with a 4-drive SSD caddy included.
Toolless drive sleds (no screws).
Multiple NVMe slots with lane/speed labeling.
All-metal build with two rear fans + one bottom fan.
Front I/O: screen, SD, USB-C, USB-A, power button.
Back I/O: headphone jack, DisplayPort/HDMI, multiple USB including USB4, Oculink, dual 10Gb SFP+, RJ45 (2.5Gb).
Uncommon mainstream NAS features: SFP+ and Oculink.
Default config: 96GB ECC RAM + Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS, ~$1,239–$1,300.
Reviewer expected a NAS OS but found Windows.
Windows allows installing: TrueNAS / Unraid / OMV / Proxmox.
Noise: fans described as not loud; overall quiet besides hard drives.
Windows setup described as “painless.”
Benchmarks: - Cinebench 801 - Geekbench single 2388 / multi 1217 - CrystalDiskMark ~3500 read / ~3400 write - CPU max temp ~71°C
Integrated graphics: Radeon 780M, with encoders for H.264/HEVC/AV1.
Hardware info mentions Intel network controllers for 10Gb and 2.5Gb NICs.
Storage Spaces issues: initial drive support and sector size error.
Oculink + dock + GPU caused lag/freezing/black screen/restarts.
Power: ~57W with 4 drives + 2 NVMe.
Final stance: not recommended.

Speakers / Perspectives

The summary indicates one primary reviewer/speaker provided essentially all points.
No additional perspectives were presented beyond brief moments.

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

Overall: Not recommended.

Despite strong potential hardware (quiet cooling, robust ports like dual 10Gb SFP+ and Oculink, and good build quality), the reviewer says the experience was harmed by:

Windows-first setup
Storage Spaces compatibility friction
Unreliable Oculink behavior (freezing/black screens)

The reviewer explicitly ends by stating they would not recommend buying it.

The worst NAS review ever

Key takeaways