The ZimaCube 2 is a six-bay NAS with no software lock-in. At $799, the Standard model suits tinkerers, though the company's Thunderbolt connection claims aren't accurate.
Once upon a time, I had a spare PowerMac 6500. Maybe it was a Performa — that specific is lost to me. This was just-pre MP3 explosion, but I still was generating a lot of data that I'd prefer not lurk constantly on my PowerBook 3400 first, then original PowerBook G3. What to do?
Then, in about the winter of 2002, hardware started aging less gracefully. The 6500 didn't boot one day, so the project to move the home server to a Beige G3 accelerated. Then a series of G4 towers, and more hard drives than was thermally wise in a 1,1 Mac Pro.
After the end of that, I shifted to external drive enclosures connected to a 2012 Mac mini, a 2018 Mac mini, and presently, a M1 Max Mac Studio.
Since about 2012, I've been reviewing network attached storage. Most have been appliances that you cram drives into, with a locked-down OS, and that's about it. Apple's AirPort and Time Capsule peripherals were like this from a file sharing point of view.
Some have been more tinker-oriented, some less. The ZimaCube 2 is on the more-tinkery side of that scale.
IceWhale takes a different view with the ZimaCube 2 that most vendors. Its ZimaCube 2 ships with ZimaOS Plus, but does not insist on it.
The hardware underneath is standard x86 architecture. Any compatible operating system will run, and that openness is the entire pitch.
ZimaCube 2 review: Specifications
| Product | ZimaCube 2 Personal Cloud Home NAS (Standard) |
| Price | $799 Standard; $1,299 Pro; $2,499 Creator Pack |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores, 8 threads) |
| CPU max frequency | 4.4GHz |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics (integrated) |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 1,771 (test unit) |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 8,083 (test unit) |
| RAM (standard) | 8GB DDR5 4,800 MT/s (single module) |
| RAM slots | 2 x SODIMM, user-accessible |
| Max RAM | 64GB (2 x 32GB) |
| System storage | 256GB NVMe SSD |
| Drive bays | 6 x 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA |
| 7th bay | 4 x M.2 NVMe, around 800 MB/s shared on Standard |
| Max storage capacity | 212TB (6 x 30TB SATA plus 4 x 8TB NVMe) |
| PCIe slots | 2 (PCIe 4.0 x4, PCIe 3.0 x2) |
| GPU support | Low-profile, under 75W TDP |
| Ethernet | 2 x 2.5GbE (Intel i226) |
| Thunderbolt | 2 x Thunderbolt 4 |
| Video out | HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 |
| Front ports | USB-A 3.0, USB-C 3.0, audio jack |
| Rear USB | USB-A 3.0 |
| Operating system | ZimaOS Plus, other systems supported |
| Noise | Around 30 dB (manufacturer claim) |
| Power input | 19V DC |
| Warranty | 2 years in EU, 1 year elsewhere |
ZimaCube 2 review: Design
The ZimaCube 2 uses a gunmetal chassis with a magnetic faceplate. It is meant to sit on a desk, not hide in a closet.
Six drive bays sit behind the front panel. A seventh bay handles SSD expansion.
ZimaCube 2 review: Bays at the front
The front also carries a USB-A port, a USB-C port, and an audio jack. The power button sits alongside them.
Around the back are the two Thunderbolt 4 ports and two 2.5GbE jacks. There is also HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-A port, and the power input.
An RGB strip runs across the front. It breathes while working, and pulses red when a drive needs attention.
IceWhale claims noise stays around 30 decibels. We got a bit more than this with our Kanomax meter, but within the accuracy of the reader so we'll call this true. Drive chatter is most of the noise.
The enclosure feels very much like a sheetmetal PC case, and that's not a bad thing. There are no sharp edges, like some of the enclosures we've tested.
There are easily replaced and upgradeable fans, which is also a nice touch, considering they're pretty loud.
In a 36 dBi background noise office, idle the unit didn't add appreciably to that. Under load, both I/O and processing, the fan noise pushed that to about 42 dBi. When replaced by Noctua fans, that number went down to 38 dBi.
ZimaCube 2 review: Storage
As I said, the standard model has six SATA bays for hard drives. Those take either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives.
The seventh bay is a separate module holding four M.2 NVMe slots. That gives ten drive positions in total. These are bandwidth-constrained given the nature of the connection, so don't spend big money on PCI-E 5 drives here.
ZimaCube 2 review: Space for NVMe drives
IceWhale claims up to 212TB of capacity. That figure combines six 30TB drives with four 8TB NVMe SSDs.
The seventh bay is where the Standard model shows a limit. IceWhale rates its bandwidth at around 800 MB/s, shared across all four slots.
The Pro, at additional cost, and Creator Pack reach around 3,200 MB/s in that same bay. That is a four-fold gap for active editing work.
The intended setup is tiered. Fast SSDs hold active projects, while the hard drives handle the archive.
Practically, the SSD max speed saturates a gigabit network speed connection, and not much more. But, all six hard drives, properly RAIDed, can do that too.
ZimaCube 2 review: The Thunderbolt question
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports sit on the back. IceWhale markets these as a 40Gbps direct link to a Mac, which isn't quite right. The ports use Thunderbolt Networking, not a direct storage connection.
Thunderbolt Networking sends ordinary network traffic over a Thunderbolt cable. macOS calls this Thunderbolt Bridge, and it sits in Network settings.
The practical difference is significant. The Mac mounts a network share, not a directly attached drive.
ZimaCube 2 review: Ports around the back
Real-world speed with that Thunderbolt Bridge tops out around 20 gigabits per second. That is half the 40Gbps headline figure.
IceWhale's own copy promises no network setup, which also isn't quite right. Thunderbolt Networking is network setup, just over a different cable.
It is still a genuine upgrade over the Ethernet ports, though. Two 2.5GbE jacks, even multiplexed with the right router, cannot approach 20 gigabits per second.
The marketing language oversells what is happening, and that's disappointing. This is a fast network link, not DAS-level direct storage.
ZimaCube 2 review: Performance and memory
The Standard model runs an Intel Core i3-1215U. It is a six-core, eight-thread mobile chip that boosts to 4.4GHz.
Two of those are performance cores. The other four are efficiency cores, an arrangement familiar from Apple Silicon.
Our test unit scores 1,771 in Geekbench 6 single-core. Multi-core came in at 8,083.
ZimaCube 2 review: Geekbench single-core results
Those numbers mean more in Apple terms. The 2020 M1 Mac mini averages 2,367 single-core and 8,445 multi-core.
So the ZimaCube 2 nearly matches that M1 Mac mini in multi-core. It sits about 4% behind, close enough to call even.
Single-core is a different story. The M1 leads by roughly a third, and single-core speed drives everyday responsiveness.
ZimaCube 2 review: Geekbench Multi-core results
The current M4 Mac mini stretches the gap much further. It averages 3,788 single-core and 14,727 multi-core.
That makes the M4 more than twice as fast in single-core. It is around 80% faster in multi-core.
None of this makes the i3 a poor NAS chip. Serving files and running most containers is not demanding work.
It does frame expectations, though. This is a competent home server processor, not a workstation.
Memory is the tighter constraint. The Standard ships with a single 8GB DDR5 module at 4,800 MT/s.
Two SODIMM slots sit under the lid, reachable after four screws. IceWhale rates the maximum at 64GB, using two spendy 32GB modules.
The single-module configuration carries a hidden cost. With one stick fitted, the memory runs in single-channel mode rather than dual.
Adding a second matching module improves memory bandwidth. For 8GB and Docker containers, that upgrade is worth budgeting for.
ZimaCube 2 review: Software and the Docker app store
ZimaOS Plus ships preinstalled. IceWhale says the hardware runs other operating systems too.
The app store is where ZimaOS differs from its rivals. Every app in it is a Docker container.
Docker packages software together with everything it needs to run. Each app then sits in its own isolated container.
ZimaCube 2 review: Supplied in box
That means the catalog is effectively the whole Docker ecosystem. Hundreds of one-click apps are available, plus anything else containerized.
The trade-off is polish. These are community containers, not first-party apps built for the platform.
Synology offers fewer apps with tighter integration. ZimaOS trades that for breadth and freedom.
For anyone comfortable with containers, this is the appeal. For anyone who is not, it is a learning curve.
ZimaCube 2 review: Expansion
Two PCIe slots sit inside, one Gen4 and one Gen3. IceWhale pitches them as a blank canvas.
A graphics card fits, within limits. It must be low-profile and under 75W TDP.
That rules out most modern graphics cards. An external dock on those Thunderbolt ports is the alternative for anything larger.
Other options include network cards and SSD expansion. Few NAS boxes at this price offer that freedom.
ZimaCube 2 review: Open hardware, oversold cables
The ZimaCube 2 Standard makes a clear pitch at $799. It is open hardware without software lock-in.
That openness is the real product. Anyone wanting to run their own operating system is well served.
ZimaCube 2 review: Cooling at the rear
The ZimaCube marketing oversells the capability of the Thunderbolt ports. Thunderbolt Networking is useful, and so is the possibility of adding a fast external enclosure or eGPU, but it is not direct-attached storage.
For Mac users, the Thunderbolt Bridge link is still worth having. It beats 2.5GbE comfortably for large file work.
On processing power, the i3 lands near a 2020 M1 Mac mini in multi-core. That is enough for personal cloud, backups, Docker, and self-hosting.
Anyone editing 4K daily should look at the Pro instead. Budgeting for a second memory stick is wise either way.
ZimaCube 2 Pros
- Open hardware with no operating system lock-in
- Dual PCIe slots and four-slot NVMe expansion bay
- Whole Docker catalog through the app store
ZimaCube 2 Cons
- Thunderbolt is networking, not direct-attached storage
- Single 8GB module means single-channel memory
- 2.5GbE only, as 10GbE needs the Pro
Rating: 4 out of 5
The ZimaCube 2 is pretty good. The operating system is mature enough. The hardware not fighting you if you want to install something else is the main selling point.
If you want Windows, install Windows. If you want TrueNAS, use that. No jumpers, no disassembly, and no nonsense.
The PCI-E card is a nice touch and is not common at the entry price.
Overall, the The ZimaCube 2 is a NAS that doesn't try to get in your way sometimes, like elephant-in-the-room Synology is doing more and more.
Where to buy the ZimaCube 2
ZimaCube 2 is available from Zimaspace directly for $799. It is also available from Amazon for $769.40.
