This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.
Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here.
expired
ORICO 5-Bay DAS USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure for 3.5" SATA HDDs
$122
$200
39% off
+ Free S/Hat Amazon
Top Comments
You'd have better luck recovering from software RAID, which is compatible with every DAS.
And if I recall, that one might have issues with USB-WAKE from boot, so it might be annoying to use with power outages.
There's also a much higher overhead with a dedicated NAS, even if you go with an underpowered consumer grade Synology or QNAP.
And even if you did need a NAS, you could get one of these and hook it up to a mini PC, which will outperform anything Synology currently offers.
It also simplifies expansion, as you can just buy a second DAS.
That's why most people avoid them. You're locked into the ecosystem.
Community Reviews
This ORICO 5-bay USB 3.0 enclosure is best suited for a DIY storage setup with a mini PC, where it can act as a cheaper alternative to a full NAS and still handle backups, media streaming, and even light server use. The enclosure is described as plug-and-play with Windows Storage Spaces or Linux NAS software, and the listed 22TB per bay limit is treated as a testing figure rather than a hard ceiling. Main cautions are that hardware RAID and USB-based parity pools can be troublesome, and some setups have seen boot, disconnect, heat, or BitLocker issues. It is a practical choice if you want expandable direct-attached storage and can work around USB quirks.
Common Questions (5)
It is better suited as a backup target than as part of an Unraid parity pool. USB disconnects can throw parity out of sync, so using it for rsync or backup storage is the safer setup.
Yes. A mini PC or laptop connected by USB can turn it into a DIY NAS, and common free options include Open Media Vault, TrueNAS, unRAID, and StableBit DrivePool. In typical home setups, the network is usually the bottleneck unless you have faster-than-2.5GbE LAN.
Yes. The 22TB-per-bay figure is just what was available when it was produced, and the enclosure should accept larger drives without issue. The listed capacity is a testing limit, not a hard ceiling.
Yes. The OP model does not have hardware RAID, and software RAID should work on both this model and ORICO hardware-RAID versions. That makes it a better fit if you want recovery and compatibility across different DAS units.
BitLocker reportedly does not work with this device. If you need encrypted external storage, this enclosure may not be a good fit.
AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
69 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
It is $121 after coupon but it supports USB-C and upto 10Gbps speeds (we will be limited SATA III speed limit of 6Gbps)
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
First time hearing of StableBit. What OS are you running to use that?
I don't think you CAN disable the hardware raid.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!