SilverStone TS431S 4-Bay DAS Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

Whether you think the SilverStone TS431S is expensive or not, that’s a thing that comes down to each individual. I for one think it’s very fair priced at $184.99 at Amazon, £131.28 at Scan UK and €179.99 at Caseking.

Overview

The SilverStone TS431S is a very simple unit to deal with, especially since its 100% plug and play ready. No tools, no drive trays and no extra configurations are needed. Just slide your drives into the unit, connect it to your PC, power it on, and you’re ready to go; I like that.

It is a very solid build unit, from start till end. The overall weight of the device gives it a firm stand on the four large rubber feet. Every part of the case is connected to each other far better than would be needed, making sure that nothing will rattle lose, vibrate or otherwise misbehave even after long periods of use. The black finish and aluminium front door also give the unit a sleek look to go along with the functionality.

Using a TS431S is a great way to expand the storage of a PC or server that doesn’t have room for any more drives. Using the miniSAS connector allows us to gain the same benefits and speeds as if they drives were connected internally.

The two 60mm fans in the unit did a great job of keeping the drives cool. My Western Digital RED drives stayed below the 40 degrees marker, even after days of continuous benchmarking.

The built-in PSU is another thing I see as a bonus. It will provide a more stable and efficient power than an external brick, but in return sacrifices the ability to easily replace it in case of failure. The security and stability does take priority for a DAS enclosure that most likely will be running 24/7 and SilverStone has certainly made all the right choices here.

Pros:

• Plug and Play
• Hot swap
• Tool and tray-less
• miniSAS interface
• Internal PSU

Cons:

• none

Neutral:

• Price might be too much for some

“The SilverStone TS431S could very well be the perfect DAS enclosure. It allows for easy expansion of systems with limited drive bays without sacrificing configuration abilities or speed.”

Thanks to SilverStone for providing us with this test sample