Is THIS your next NAS? (Zima Blade Review)

#zimablade #homeserver #nas

Check out the ZimaBlade here:

Some things I used in this video (affiliate links):

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Music (in order):
"If You Want To" - Me
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Gear I Use: (affiliate links)

Recording Gear

Servers and Networking
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Timestamps:
0:00 The worst intro I've ever made
0:24 Why I'm reviewing the ZimaBlade
1:34 What is the ZimabBlade
2:53 Specs
6:10 Skillshare (Sponsor)
7:09 Case and IO
11:52 My favorite thing (NAS Chassis)
14:02 How I put it to use
16:22 Other thoughts and things that bug me
19:06 Is it underpowered?
20:11 The biggest (potential) issue

[RickMunday]

Don't apoligize for the intro! I thought it was funny as hell! But then again, I guffaw at lame Dad jokes! 🤣

[davidg]

Great review. Thanks for covering more of the oddities/weaknesses than other reviewers have done.
I was very excited when this thing was announced. I really like the form factor, the nifty little window case, and especially the drive cage. But my excitement waned quickly due to 3 things:
1/ Noncompliant USB-C power is a deal killer for me. I do *NOT* want a 12V-only USB-C power supply anywhere in my house. As you said, it's only a matter of time before you accidentally plug it into something else and fry your device.
2/ I would've preferred Gemini Lake (late 2017) to Apollo Lake (early 2016). Similar price but significantly better without running hotter.
3/ DDR3? No thanks. I don't have spares laying around anymore, and don't want to spend money on DDR3 in 2023 even if it is cheap.

[marklewus]

Good luck figuring out what charger you need. Like everything USB, the PD spec is a mess. First it used fixed PDOs, (Power Delivery Objects) at 5, 9, 12, 15 and 20v. Then 12 V was deprecated (removed). Then came “Augmented” APDOs where the charger and device can negotiate any specific voltage and current. Just to make it more confusing there are two sets of these, one (SPR) covers 3.3-21V and the other (EPR) covers 15-48 V. This was (mostly) done so your phone could say “I want to fast charge at 15v/3A” while your computer says “I want 28V at 5A, or 48V at 3A.” Great idea, but now there are multiple “PD” chargers in the wild with different capabilities, and very little way for consumers to tell the difference between them.

[nagi]

That 12V-masquerading-as-type-c is a giant red flag that completely breaks it unfortunately.

[otter-pro]

This was an excellent review... with details that most other reviewers missed (like heat issues, pci-e slot location, ...). I'm intrigued and I'd like to try this and compare it with raspberry pi5.

[djvincon]

My biggest problem with different CPU's without knowing which one you get is for clustering. You should always prefer the same hardware for those type of cases.

[Skrillfreak]

The 12v issue is informative and unfortunate

[fatchobok]

I always figured that they would hopefully eventually make an enclosure akin to the Intel NUC Extreme line, essentially like a U shaped riser so the whole unit can be slim, upright, and can be swapped with newer boards down the line. I'm sure designing a PCB for something like this should be relatively simple.

[JMassengill]

Rule of thumb. If you unplug something wait 10 to 15 seconds before you plug it back in for the reasons you state. Great review.

[marklewus]

J3455 is used in the Synology DS918+ NAS. I had one that saturated both 1GBe ports with SMB, did multiple transcodes with Plex, and ran HA in docker. But the N100 would be a vastly better choice for a new board. Same power and 3x the speed, with far more capable built-in graphics for transcodes and such.

[catalystguitarguy]

I recall reading that the Zima blade type C power is just a 12v DC power in type C form factor. It’ll blow up other devices. No power negotiation at all.



Edit: I see you addressed the type c being a barrel jack in the video.

[MisterEmoto]

I think you're being too nice. This is a poorly executed but well-intentioned product.

[sinisterpisces]

Great review. :D I've gone one on pre-order, but I might cancel after seeing this.

The proprietary USB-C power-in is just asking for something to end up exploding, as you note.
And the lack of clarity on which CPU you'll get is something I missed entirely, and means that when you buy this you're buying a product without knowing its specs.

Either of these alone would be a deal-killer, but both together are just ... an aggravating no, especially for something I figured I could just just carry around in a pocket or bag and whip out when I needed a tiny computer for tiny computer emergencies.

Really glad i pre-ordered a Pi 5. :)

[dynaram]

Thank you for the video and for adding the amazon part for the riser cable.

[bokami]

Great review, especially pointing out the little niggle's you've got with the USB-C power and the USB 2.0 headers not being accessible with the case on. i suppose since the top half of the case is plastic, you could cut out an access hole to the USB 2.0 headers but as you pointed out, you'd think Zima would have done that already.

[DBTechYT]

I really like your riser cable solution!

[LeoLijo]

I love the hdd cage rack thing and i love how it includes 2 sata ports

[EvanBoldt]

10:18 Yes. Barrel jack would have been better. Safer for compatibility and cheaper since there's so many 12VDC power supplies with that connector already.

[elmestguzman]

I thing is a good concept but the non-standard USB C power brick makes it dangerous.

[GuardianEngraving]

damn thank you, I almost got me one. But no one has actually mentioned any of the problems. Thank you for the great work. I take it many vlogger are now just about the hype rather then facts and testing. It shows on all the pi5 reviews, its a terrible board but everyone is drooling over it. Just cant trust reviewers anymore. Again thank you for the hard work.