Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this ZimaCube 2 review, I take a deep look at IceWhale’s Thunderbolt 4 NAS and ZimaOS to see how it performs as a home server, creator storage system, and network attached storage device. I test 2.5GbE performance, Thunderbolt direct network speeds, RAID 5 storage, SATA hard drives, NVMe SSD performance, Jellyfin transcoding, power draw, thermals, fan noise, backup options, app support, and ZimaOS usability. With six SATA bays, four NVMe slots, PCIe expansion, Intel Quick Sync, and a simple NAS operating system, the ZimaCube 2 is one of the most interesting NAS devices I’ve tested.
Products Highlighted (Amazon Affiliate Links):
ZimaCube 2 - amzn.to/4uJWj3H
WD Red 4TB - amzn.to/3NQA8Iu
Seagate IronWolf - amzn.to/4lIkDzp
TEAMGROUP MP33 1TB - amzn.to/3NMSMkB\
OWC Thunderbolt 4 Cable - amzn.to/3Qm3vE6
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Unboxing
02:43 - Specs & Features
07:35 - Initial Setup
08:20 - What is ZimaOS?
09:18 - Setting Up ZimaOS
10:21 - Creating Storage Pools
11:30 - ZimaOS is Simple...
12:48 - NVME SSD Storage
13:35 - Hot-swap and RAID Expansion Tested
14:34 - Building a 3-2-1 Backup Plan
16:19 - App Repository
17:58 - ZimaOS The Good and Bad!
19:32 - Performance Testing
22:11 - Thunderbolt 4 Network
24:53 - Real Workload Use Cases
25:46 - What's Left on the Table....Speed
27:00 - Protect the OS Drive
27:40 - Stress Testing With Jellyfin
29:00 - CPU Efficiency
30:00 - System Noise
31:11 - Final Thoughts
Find me on Social Media
Patreon: patreon.com/elevatedsystems
X: https://x.com/elevatedsystem1
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Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ300 - amzn.to/2WJnxw6
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens - amzn.to/3quDgM0
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens -amzn.to/3uv13Of
Panasonic LUMIX G Lens, 25mm, F1.7 - amzn.to/3A9f9Vi
Magnus REX VT-5000 2-Stage Tripod - amzn.to/3GxsGJH
Neewer 72.4-Inch Camera Tripod - amzn.to/3fsRuqU
SMALLRIG Parabolic Softbox - amzn.to/3Hyvbxt
SmallRig RC 120D COB Light - amzn.to/3S9Grp4
Kshioe Softbox Lighting Kit - amzn.to/3A5vZEq
Neewer Camera Slider Motorized - amzn.to/3ltX54e
Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Mic - amzn.to/3fziRPv
SAMSON Q2U Dynamic Microphone - amzn.to/3ikExBe
Sennheiser XS Wireless Lavalier System - amzn.to/3ilSIpA
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Studio Monitor - amzn.to/3CcVx4d
Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB DAC - amzn.to/3ZmyOOO
Gator Frameworks Deluxe Boom Stand - amzn.to/3fs7Os3
Glide Gear TMP100 Teleprompter - amzn.to/3CdgIDy
GLEAM Microphone Stand - amzn.to/3A4dth5
Davinci Resolve 17 & Speed Editor - amzn.to/3fsECRG
AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA - amzn.to/3CCH5nV
Apple 2022 Mac Studio - amzn.to/3GXW6mS
LG 40WP95C-W 40” 5K2K Display - amzn.to/3ZtiiN6
INNOCN 15.6" OLED Portable Monitor. - amzn.to/3jEOqgu
BenQ ScreenBar Halo - amzn.to/3XpUZ52
Audio file(s) provided by Epidemic Sound
epidemicsound.com
In this ZimaCube 2 review, I take a deep look at IceWhale’s Thunderbolt 4 NAS and ZimaOS to see how it performs as a home server, creator storage system, and network attached storage device. I test 2.5GbE performance, Thunderbolt direct network speeds, RAID 5 storage, SATA hard drives, NVMe SSD performance, Jellyfin transcoding, power draw, thermals, fan noise, backup options, app support, and ZimaOS usability. With six SATA bays, four NVMe slots, PCIe expansion, Intel Quick Sync, and a simple NAS operating system, the ZimaCube 2 is one of the most interesting NAS devices I’ve tested.
Products Highlighted (Amazon Affiliate Links):
ZimaCube 2 - amzn.to/4uJWj3H
WD Red 4TB - amzn.to/3NQA8Iu
Seagate IronWolf - amzn.to/4lIkDzp
TEAMGROUP MP33 1TB - amzn.to/3NMSMkB\
OWC Thunderbolt 4 Cable - amzn.to/3Qm3vE6
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Unboxing
02:43 - Specs & Features
07:35 - Initial Setup
08:20 - What is ZimaOS?
09:18 - Setting Up ZimaOS
10:21 - Creating Storage Pools
11:30 - ZimaOS is Simple...
12:48 - NVME SSD Storage
13:35 - Hot-swap and RAID Expansion Tested
14:34 - Building a 3-2-1 Backup Plan
16:19 - App Repository
17:58 - ZimaOS The Good and Bad!
19:32 - Performance Testing
22:11 - Thunderbolt 4 Network
24:53 - Real Workload Use Cases
25:46 - What's Left on the Table....Speed
27:00 - Protect the OS Drive
27:40 - Stress Testing With Jellyfin
29:00 - CPU Efficiency
30:00 - System Noise
31:11 - Final Thoughts
Find me on Social Media
Patreon: patreon.com/elevatedsystems
X: https://x.com/elevatedsystem1
My Studio Equipment (Paid Links)
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K Pro - amzn.to/3tA6ScP
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 - amzn.to/2VjqKSR
Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ300 - amzn.to/2WJnxw6
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens - amzn.to/3quDgM0
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens -amzn.to/3uv13Of
Panasonic LUMIX G Lens, 25mm, F1.7 - amzn.to/3A9f9Vi
Magnus REX VT-5000 2-Stage Tripod - amzn.to/3GxsGJH
Neewer 72.4-Inch Camera Tripod - amzn.to/3fsRuqU
SMALLRIG Parabolic Softbox - amzn.to/3Hyvbxt
SmallRig RC 120D COB Light - amzn.to/3S9Grp4
Kshioe Softbox Lighting Kit - amzn.to/3A5vZEq
Neewer Camera Slider Motorized - amzn.to/3ltX54e
Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Mic - amzn.to/3fziRPv
SAMSON Q2U Dynamic Microphone - amzn.to/3ikExBe
Sennheiser XS Wireless Lavalier System - amzn.to/3ilSIpA
PreSonus Eris E3.5 Studio Monitor - amzn.to/3CcVx4d
Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB DAC - amzn.to/3ZmyOOO
Gator Frameworks Deluxe Boom Stand - amzn.to/3fs7Os3
Glide Gear TMP100 Teleprompter - amzn.to/3CdgIDy
GLEAM Microphone Stand - amzn.to/3A4dth5
Davinci Resolve 17 & Speed Editor - amzn.to/3fsECRG
AVerMedia Live Gamer ULTRA - amzn.to/3CCH5nV
Apple 2022 Mac Studio - amzn.to/3GXW6mS
LG 40WP95C-W 40” 5K2K Display - amzn.to/3ZtiiN6
INNOCN 15.6" OLED Portable Monitor. - amzn.to/3jEOqgu
BenQ ScreenBar Halo - amzn.to/3XpUZ52
Audio file(s) provided by Epidemic Sound
epidemicsound.com
