The Basics:
The Thecus W4000+ has the typical look of a NAS server, since it is a small black box with a few bays and buttons out front. What makes it more uniquely identifiable as a Thecus product is the LCD screen, which they use to share system status and performance information. In the below left image we see the screen at the top of the unit's front panel, with a vented door covering the four drive bays below that. Along the left edge we see an illuminated information panel, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and the power button.
The above right image shows the rear of the unit, which is dominated by the exhaust fan... which operates with minimal noise and kept the installed drives cool while in use. Other features include an expansion slot (I do not know what might be able to go in there), a DC power jack, 1/8" audio jack (line out), a VGA port, an HDMI port, two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port, and two Gigabit LAN jacks. While the device can function just fine as a headless unit, the presence of the VGA and HDMI ports let you hook it up to a monitor or a TV for direct access. The HDMI port connected to a TV can also allow you to use it as a rather robust media player, and you can access all your movies and music directly, without a network connection.
The promotional image above, as well as my photo below on the left, shows the drive bay door opened. What we see is four individual drive cages with locks, that will allow you to secure your drives to the unit. The below right image shows the inside of the drive bays with the cages removed. What we see is that instead of a daughterboard with SATA data and power connections, Thecus has used individual connectors wired back to the motherboard. This leaves the area fairly wide open, and since you can see so much of the exhaust fan, it seems obvious that the air flow to the drives will be pretty good.
The next three images take a look at one of the drive cages, and the general process of mounting a drive. You slide your drive in to the cage and align the holes on the bottom of the drive with the holes on the cage, then secure the drive using four screws. While I would honestly prefer / expect something like this to be tool-less... installing a few screws is not the end of the world. What was odd is that the cage is not a perfect fit to a 3.5" drive, and I actually did have to align it to the holes, and not just slide it in expecting it to fit perfectly. I realize 2.5" drives may have to be held in place while attaching screws since they are smaller and have to be aligned, but typically a 3.5" drive will just fit without room to move.
Overall, the W4000+ feels well made, and you don't feel that any corners were cut with the design or construction. Everything comes together well and it has the solid feel of a high quality product.
