I like what TerraMaster is doing with NAS servers in general; the brand polished its software last year, delivering a clean interface with plenty of useful features. At the same time, it refreshed its design, with new models like the F4-424 Max coming with a sleek design and better ventilation.
Where the brand really stands out is with its all-SSD enclosures such as the F8 SSD and F8 SSD Plus, and they let you make the switch to M.2 storage with minimum hassle. Now, TerraMaster took the idea of the F4 SSD and turned it into just a storage drive, resulting in the D4 SSD. This is just an SSD enclosure that can house four 8TB M.2 2280 drives, giving you 32TB of storage.
The D4 SSD doesn't have any internal hardware, so you can't use it as a NAS. However, if you need to extend the storage of your Windows or macOS notebook or just want an all-SSD external storage drive that you can connect via USB-C, the D4 SSD is a pretty great choice. And right now, the D4 SSD is down to $239 for Cyber Monday, which is $60 off its usual selling price of $299.
✅Recommended if: You want a robust SSD enclosure. The D4 SSD needs external power, and it can easily slot in four M.2 SSDs. It connects over just about any USB standard: USB 3.0, USB 3.1, USB 3.2, USB 4, and Thunderbolt 3/4/5. Regardless of what device you connect it to, you will be able to take advantage of this enclosure.
❌Skip this deal if: You need a portable SSD storage drive. As it needs to be plugged in, the D4 SSD isn't portable.
The D4 SSD looks nearly identical to the F4 SSD, and what I like the most about it is that there's active cooling — which is a must-have in an SSD enclosure. It's easy to slot in SSDs into the device, and it has good passive airflow thanks to the vents located up top. You get a built-in fan, but it isn't loud, so if you have this positioned on a desk, it's not going to annoy you.
The D4 SSD has the ability to house four NVMe drives, going up to 8TB each. That means you get 32TB of addressable storage, and that is higher than what's possible with most products in this category. The only issue is that the D4 SSD isn't portable; it needs to be connected to a wall outlet, so you can't just throw it in a bag and take it around.
Connectivity is where the D4 SSD truly shines, with the USB-C port integrating all USB standards, including USB 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, and USB 4.0. It also gets Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 3, so you can be guaranteed that you can use this thing with just about any device. With a 40Gbps bandwidth, you can easily move data to and from the device, and it is an ideal choice if you need a fast external drive to store videos — that's how I used the D4 SSD over the last six months.
Obviously, the bandwidth is reliant on the drives you slot in, and I used the D4 SSD with WD's excellent SN770 Gen 4 SSDs, and it proved to be a great choice. If you want to extend the storage of your workstation and need an all-SSD solution, the D4 SSD gets my recommendation. With the deal bringing it down to $239, now is as good a time as any to buy the enclosure.
