UnifyDrive’s Upcoming UT2 NAS Is For Gamers And Creators

The UnifyDrive UT2 is one of the hottest Kickstarter projects out there, cementing its position as something that is expected to shake up the NAS market considerably in the days to come. It leverages its dual NVMe SSD configuration and a plethora of networking options and ports, including a dedicated HDMI port, to double as a capable NAS drive and what is essentially a media player that can replace most, if not all, comparable solutions in the market for PC gamers.

The UnifyDrive UT2 is a sleek, portable NAS solution that comes with its own silicone case out of the box.

UnifyDrive UT2: Box Contents

The box includes the device, an ethernet cable, a power adapter, an HDMI cable, a printed user manual, and other accessories. This makes it one of the more well-equipped NAS drives in the business, many of which ship with barely anything other than the central device; mostly just the essentials needed to power on. The addition of a screwdriver for installing the M2 drives is another nice touch for first-time users and those who might not have one handy.

The team at Game Rant was offered a review unit of the UT2 for testing. The underlying software is being regularly updated and there may be new features and accessories available now.

The UnifyDrive UT2 looks and feels more like a portable hard drive than a NAS solution at first glance, and it takes one to take a deeper look at its ports to know the difference.

Plenty Of Ways To Access Your Data

The UnifyDrive UT2 is a clear winner versus other NAS options simply thanks to the flexibility it offers. It leverages both NVMe drives that can easily be repurposed to PCs, Laptops, and even game consoles if needed, plus a plethora of options to read said drive. It also offers a built-in 2200 mAh Lithium-ion battery for users wanting to use it as a portable media player, a portable hard drive that works well with mobile devices, VR goggles, or similar solutions, or even as a Wi-Fi-based storage device.

The manufacturer touts Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, with the UT2 capable of hosting its own network, essentially working in both AP (Access Point) and Wi-Fi mode, depending on user needs. With support for both USB-C and USB-A connections, plenty of memory cards, BT 5.0 support, and a dedicated 2.5G Ethernet port that should be maxed out with its PCI-E 3.0 SSD configuration, the UnifyDrive UT2 is one of the fastest portable NAS solutions users can connect to today.

The Unidrive UT2 pictured with its remote (included) doubles as a capable replacement for most media players.

Ease Of Use Is King

Some similar DIY projects are cheaper, but much more complex compared to the UT2, which has user-friendliness on its side, in a great way. It comes with a complete manual and easy-to-follow instructions that direct users to the UnifyDrive application, which does most of the heavy lifting.

The drive status indicators do bombard you with a ton of information, and you might find yourself referring to the manual to see what is going on, especially if one wants to know exactly what is happening at all times. However, ultimately, this gives you more control over the UT2 than most gamers are used to.

The remote works well and is backed by a desktop application for media playback, making it a great way to control the UT2 and access the powerful media player functions to exact more out of what is still a slightly pricey device at $599 (though much cheaper at $399 on Kickstarter at the moment).

For its media needs and its built-in functionality, UnifyDrive uses the Rockchip RK3588 8-core CPU paired with the Mali-G610 MC4 GPU. The latter is a quad-core configuration GPU that users normally encounter on smartphones. It supports encoding and decoding content at up to an 8K resolution. It also offers limited AI support with an NPU that the company states offers six TOPS of theoretical performance, something that does allow it to support features such as natural language search, auto photo or document identification, and smart chronological organization.

That being said, the NPU component, while intriguing, does seem to have limited real-world applications for now, especially for a NAS drive, but maybe we will see more in terms of features in the near future, especially since modern CPUs and GPUs are becoming increasingly capable in that department.

Verdict: A Capable, If Slightly Pricey Offering

UnifyDrive’s UT2 currently has an ongoing Kickstarter event that sees it being offered at a lower price of $399 for backers, versus a planned MSRP of $599 down the road. This makes it a very digestible price, but one should note that the 16TB limit it touts is not one it comes with, though that price would have made it the cheapest SSD offering in the business. Instead, you’ll have to spend extra on SSD storage to get the ball rolling.

This is not news to users who have used NAS drives in the past. The UT2 targets power users, creators, and those who value convenience, backed by acceptable customizable software in tow. Given its limitations on the SSD front, it might be a great time to purchase cheaper, but larger SSD drives including Samsung’s 990 Evo which happens to be on sale at a sizeable discount.

For gamers and users with large music or video libraries, the UT2 might be a godsend, offering terabytes of reliable, portable storage that can be carried in most small bags relatively easily. It isn’t the cheapest option out there, with DIY options offering significantly lower costs, but adding complexity and in some cases, inferior hardware. For some, a simple NVMe enclosure does the trick, offering a fast, portable SSD solution.

For others, the features that the UT2 offers, and how it delivers on each one, make it a compelling buy that is in no uncertain terms an evolution of what modern NAS drives will be in the future.

UnifyDrive’s UT2 offers plenty of accessories as part of its package that makes it a convenient option. Users can get faster read rates (or alternatively, more reliability) by using both of the NVME drives in a RAID configuration with the UT2, as it aims to offer a solution to both tech-savvy and entry-level users alike.