Zima · NAS buying guide
Zima ZimaCube 2 Pro NAS Buying Guide
Product facts and dated cost
Zima ZimaCube 2 Pro · Exact identity: ZCU021-R2
6 primary bays · Intel Core i5-1235U · 16GB DDR5 · 1 × 10GbE + 2 × 2.5GbE · Diskless: hard drives cost extra
Catalog amount: $1,299 · recent · Price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00. Tax and shipping excluded.
Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store.
ZimaCube 2 Pro: specifications and dated store comparison →Same i5 as last Pro — you are buying 10GbE, 16 GB, and a faster M.2 tray
ZCU021-R2 · Intel Core i5-1235U · 16 GB DDR5-4800 · 256 GB OS SSD · 6 × SATA + 4 × M.2 · 10GbE + 2 × 2.5GbE · 2 × Thunderbolt 4
Based on official shop/OS records and original Pro articles from ServeTheHome, It’s FOSS and La Razón. STH benchmark figures were visually inspected. ChooseCompute has not tested this NAS. See the review evidence ↓
Is the ZimaCube 2 Pro right for you?
10GbE homelab / creator desk with lots of bays
Onboard Marvell AQC113 10GbE, dual 2.5GbE, dual TB4, six SATA, four M.2, two PCIe slots, 16 GB upgradeable to 64 GB.[1][8]
Quiet bedroom NAS or ECC server
STH measured 36–38 dB(A) idle in a 34 dB(A) room. ECC is not advertised. i5-1235U trails modern Ryzen AI boxes in Geekbench threads.[8]
Key exact-configuration specifications
Full specifications ↗Follow any specification for its full conditions and sources.
Living with it
Hardware, software and ownership tradeoffs
What STH actually measured
STH measured 25–27 W idle without data drives, 61–63 W steady load and 36–38 dB(A) idle in a 34 dB(A) room. Original Geekbench figures are retained, with a version mismatch in the Geekbench 6 comparison; its article contains no SMB table.[8]
Software and the It's FOSS month
It’s FOSS used separate migrated SSDs without RAID, found native photo sync buggy, and needed NVENC setup for its added Ada GPU. La Razón measured local FIO on HDD RAID5/NVMe RAID0 and VAAPI encoding; its AI agent called an external model API. Port and CPU-power wording in that article is corrected in the review boundaries.[8][10][4][14]
Backup claims and installation caveats
Official docs claim backup versions and restore points, but retention controls and a user-data snapshot restore procedure remain unverified. A/B recovery restores the OS boot path. Check exact-drive compatibility and allow space/cooling for a slot-powered GPU; a dual-slot card can cover both expansion positions.[5][6][7][13][1][8]
What original Pro tests found
Our buying advice combines official specifications with the original reviews below. We have not tested this product ourselves. Expand a review for its setup, measurements and limitations.
ServeTheHome
Ryan SmithMay 26, 2026
ServeTheHome
Four M.2 slots sit on an ASMedia ASM2824 switch: each slot can see PCIe Gen3 x4, but upstream is one Gen3 x4, so only one SSD gets full bandwidth at a time. SATA six-pack is ASM1166 on PCIe Gen3 x2, not Intel native SATA.
Read the original reviewTest setup, measurements & limitations
ServeTheHome: ZimaCube 2 Pro review (10GbE, Thunderbolt, PCIe)
Tested: ZimaCube 2 Pro, black, i5-1235U 2P+8E, 16 GB DDR5-4800 (2×8 GB SODIMM), Kingston 256 GB PCIe Gen4 x4 OS SSD, ZimaOS Plus. 10GbE Marvell AQC113 + dual Intel i226 2.5GbE. Pages 1–5 opened.
Applies to: Direct to ZCU021-R2 Pro. Not Standard (no 10GbE, 8 GB/i3, 800 MB/s 7th bay) and not factory Creator Pack (no RTX Pro 2000 / 64 GB / 1 TB). Companion YouTube 77lK-5D6Xd8 is the same experiment; description opened, no ASR/frames this round.
- Four M.2 slots sit on an ASMedia ASM2824 switch: each slot can see PCIe Gen3 x4, but upstream is one Gen3 x4, so only one SSD gets full bandwidth at a time. SATA six-pack is ASM1166 on PCIe Gen3 x2, not Intel native SATA.Source location: Page 2 internal hardware / ASM2824 / ASM1166
- ZimaOS Plus is preinstalled; RAID 5/6 in GUI; Btrfs default; ZFS CLI-only. Hardware also runs TrueNAS/Unraid/Ubuntu/Proxmox/Windows.Source location: Page 3 OS
- Original Geekbench 6 figures show 2,390/8,525 on Cube 2 Pro v6.7.1 versus 2,993/15,059 on N5 Pro v6.5.0; versions differ. Geekbench 5 uses v5.5.1 on both: 1,730/7,935 versus 2,295/15,013.Source location: Original Geekbench 5 and 6 figures
- 247 W external brick, barrel jack without a lock. Idle 25–27 W no drives, 29–30 W with tray SSDs; load burst 76 W then 61–63 W. Package power ~28 W, cores ≤53 °C in the long load they showed. Noise 36–38 dB(A) idle in a 34 dB(A) studio, 41–43 dB(A) load.Source location: Page 5 power and noise
| Measurement | Result | Conditions & source location |
|---|---|---|
| Idle power, no drives | 25–27 W | Wall, ZimaCube 2 Pro, no storage drives.Page 5 — measuring at the wall |
| Idle power with tray SSDs | 29–30 W | A few SSDs in the 7th-bay tray.Page 5 — adding a few SSDs |
| Load power | Burst 76 W, then 61–63 W steady | After turbo window expired.Page 5 — under load |
| Idle noise | 36–38 dB(A) | STH studio ~34 dB(A) ambient. Not silent.Page 5 — noise |
| Load noise | 41–43 dB(A) | Full load in the same studio.Page 5 — ramping up to a full load |
| Geekbench 6 single/multi | 2,390 / 8,525 | v6.7.1; N5 Pro comparison v6.5.0 is a version mismatch.Geekbench 6 figure |
| Geekbench 5 single/multi | 1,730 / 7,935 | v5.5.1 Tryout on both systems; N5 Pro 2,295 / 15,013.Geekbench 5 figure |
Limits to keep in mind
- Pages 1–5 read; /6 repeats page 1. Six original benchmark/topology/OS figures visually inspected.
- Geekbench 6 comparison uses different versions; RAID5 wizard is not proof of the benchmark RAID.
- No SMB/iperf table; noise distance unspecified; sample origin unspecified; affiliate links present.
- Companion video not fully watched/transcribed.
It's FOSS
Abhishek PrakashJun 4, 2026
It's FOSS
IceWhale offered the unit. Pro silicon matches original ZimaCube Pro (same i5-1235U/16 GB/256 GB/six SATA); the Standard SKU is the real generational jump. Reviewer would not upgrade from gen-1 Pro/Creator for hardware alone.
Read the original reviewTest setup, measurements & limitations
It's FOSS: month with ZimaCube 2 Pro (and an added RTX 2000 Ada)
Tested: ZimaCube 2 Pro (i5-1235U, 16 GB DDR5, 256 GB OS SSD) offered by IceWhale (gift versus loan unspecified). Reviewer added an NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada 16 GB in a PCIe slot — that GPU is related to Creator Pack, not the factory ZCU084-R2 kit (RTX Pro 2000 + 64 GB + 1 TB).
Applies to: Direct qualitative Pro experience (cooling/noise, ZimaOS RAID GUI, drive migration). GPU transcode/AI remarks apply only to this add-in Ada card, not factory Creator Pack and not stock Pro.
- IceWhale offered the unit. Pro silicon matches original ZimaCube Pro (same i5-1235U/16 GB/256 GB/six SATA); the Standard SKU is the real generational jump. Reviewer would not upgrade from gen-1 Pro/Creator for hardware alone.Source location: Opening comparison / 'not a new machine'
- Noticeably quieter than gen-1 Pro, still a faint whir under load; placement away from the desk matters. TerraMaster comparison is subjective.Source location: Fan noise is handled a lot better now
- ZimaOS GUI RAID is easy. Reviewer skipped RAID because of mismatched 1 TB + 500 GB SSDs and split app data vs user data instead. Migrated two SSDs from original ZimaCube.Source location: The ZimaOS Experience / RAID note
- Jellyfin NVIDIA build with the add-in RTX 2000 Ada initially transcoded 4K on CPU (~90%) until the reviewer fixed configuration — a software/setup issue on a non-factory GPU, not a Creator Pack result.Source location: Jellyfin as a media server
- Native photo sync was buggy for this reviewer, who preferred PhotoPrism. Immich ML felt faster with the added GPU but the author forgot numerical benchmarks.Source location: Photo backup and Immich sections
- Ollama with Open WebUI/AnythingLLM and 7B/13B models was tried on the added Ada GPU without quantization or tokens/s measurements. Windows VM availability and UPS GUI were discussed without actual VM/outage tests.Source location: AI, ZVM and UPS sections
Limits to keep in mind
- Manufacturer-offered sample.
- Added RTX 2000 Ada is not factory Creator Pack (different GPU SKU, RAM, OS SSD).
- No timed network table.
- Linux Consultant reprint of this article is the same originalTestGroup.
- Manufacturer offered the unit; gift versus loan not specified.
- Daytime use with shutdown at night; not 24/7 reliability testing. Linux ZimaClient absence refers to the June article.
- No measured concurrent transcode count; NVENC configuration fixed high CPU use on the added GPU.
La Razón
Luis YáñezMay 7, 2026
La Razón
Agent/container setup used an external model API. No local LLM tokens/s or installed discrete-GPU test.
Read the original reviewTest setup, measurements & limitations
La Razón: ZimaCube 2 Pro storage and self-hosting test
Tested: Pro i5/16 GB (2×8), 256 GB Samsung OS SSD, ZimaOS 1.6.1/Linux 6.12; two Exos 18 TB plus IronWolf Pro 14 TB RAID5; SN770 1 TB + Crucial P3 Plus 2 TB RAID0. Manufacturer-sent unit; exact drive MPNs unspecified.
Applies to: Direct Pro local FIO/VAAPI and container experience. No factory Creator GPU test; AI agent used an external model API.
- Agent/container setup used an external model API. No local LLM tokens/s or installed discrete-GPU test.Source location: AI implementation
- Article calls ports 1/5/10GbE, conflicting with actual dual 2.5GbE plus 10GbE. Its 11/35.7 W figures concern CPU package, not wall power.Source location: Networking and power text
| Measurement | Result | Conditions & source location |
|---|---|---|
| Local HDD FIO 1 MB sequential | Read 463; write 427 MB/s | Three mixed-capacity HDDs RAID5; local FIO, not SMB; direct-I/O/cache mode unspecified.FIO table |
| Local NVMe FIO 4 KB QD32, four jobs | Read 569,315; write 139,517 IOPS | Two mixed NVMe RAID0; cache/direct-I/O unspecified.FIO table |
| Local NVMe FIO 64 KB mixed 50/50 | Read 1.58; write 1.58 GB/s | Reported simultaneous mixed directions, not sequential single-direction network throughput.FIO table |
| VAAPI encode | 4K60 H.264 94 fps; HEVC 70 fps; 4K to 1080p H.264 131 fps | Presets/bitrates incompletely specified; no actually tested simultaneous-stream count. QSV/libmfx failed in this build.FFmpeg section |
| Reported iperf3 connection | 4.71 Gbps for 30 s, zero retransmits | Article says 5GbE but misidentifies physical ports; connection identity unresolved, not proof of native 5GbE port.iperf3 section |
Limits to keep in mind
- Manufacturer-sent sample; gift versus loan unspecified; promotional code present.
- Local FIO cache/direct-I/O details missing; no SMB benchmark inferred.
- Power and network identity errors disclosed; 11 W is not NAS idle wall draw.
- AI calls external API; proposed future Proxmox/TrueNAS/VM setup not tested.
- Original written body read; figures not separately visually inspected.
Common HDD combinations
Examples ordered by recorded drive unit price, which may be historical or an editorial reference. Check capacity, vendor compatibility, included storage and price evidence before choosing. These are component checks, not compatibility certifications.
- ZimaCube 2 Pro + 2 × WD Red Plus 2TB (WD20EFPX, 2TB each) →
Component total: $1,608.98 · historical · Oldest price record: 2026-10-09T01:23:41.974420+00:00 · 4TB raw, before redundancy.
Historical price estimate. Calculated from separately purchased components, not a complete-system offer. NAS price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00; drive price record: 2026-10-09T01:23:41.974420+00:00. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Historical price observation. Recheck the price and availability before buying; this is not a current offer. Recheck component prices, stock, shipping and tax at the stores before purchase; even recent checks do not guarantee live prices.
- ZimaCube 2 Pro + 2 × IronWolf 4TB (ST4000VN006, 4TB each) →
Component total: $1,678.98 · recent · Oldest price record: 2026-10-09T03:58:24.994342+00:00 · 8TB raw, before redundancy.
Dated price estimate. Calculated from separately purchased components, not a complete-system offer. NAS price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00; drive price record: 2026-10-09T03:58:24.994342+00:00. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Recheck component prices, stock, shipping and tax at the stores before purchase; even recent checks do not guarantee live prices.
- ZimaCube 2 Pro + 2 × WD Red Plus 4TB (WD40EFZZ, 4TB each) →
Component total: $1,688.98 · historical · Oldest price record: 2026-09-27T13:58:17.239646+00:00 · 8TB raw, before redundancy.
Historical price estimate. Calculated from separately purchased components, not a complete-system offer. NAS price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00; drive price record: 2026-09-27T13:58:17.239646+00:00. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Historical price observation. Recheck the price and availability before buying; this is not a current offer. Recheck component prices, stock, shipping and tax at the stores before purchase; even recent checks do not guarantee live prices.
- ZimaCube 2 Pro + 6 × WD Red Plus 2TB (WD20EFPX, 2TB each) →
Component total: $2,228.94 · historical · Oldest price record: 2026-10-09T01:23:41.974420+00:00 · 12TB raw, before redundancy.
Historical price estimate. Calculated from separately purchased components, not a complete-system offer. NAS price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00; drive price record: 2026-10-09T01:23:41.974420+00:00. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Historical price observation. Recheck the price and availability before buying; this is not a current offer. Recheck component prices, stock, shipping and tax at the stores before purchase; even recent checks do not guarantee live prices.
- ZimaCube 2 Pro + 6 × IronWolf 4TB (ST4000VN006, 4TB each) →
Component total: $2,438.94 · recent · Oldest price record: 2026-10-09T03:58:24.994342+00:00 · 24TB raw, before redundancy.
Dated price estimate. Calculated from separately purchased components, not a complete-system offer. NAS price record: 2026-10-16T01:31:19.414406+00:00; drive price record: 2026-10-09T03:58:24.994342+00:00. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Price observed at the store on the shown date. Confirm the current price and availability at the store. Recheck component prices, stock, shipping and tax at the stores before purchase; even recent checks do not guarantee live prices.
Before you buy
US product pages and ownership costs
Current US factory PDP
Variant 52317031825700 $1,299 in stock 11 Sep 2026 09:57 UTC. Earlier same-store observation is retained in the audit, not counted as another offer.[11]
The $500 over Standard
STH: you get faster CPU, more RAM, and 10GbE. In 2026 drive prices dominate, so that $500 can be a small slice of a populated system. It is still not a new generation of Pro silicon.[8][10]
Other US stores
Newegg 0 hits. No verified Amazon Pro PDP this round.[12]
Compare stores for this exact model
ZCU021-R2 · Intel Core i5-1235U · 16 GB DDR5-4800 · 256 GB OS SSD · 6 × SATA + 4 × M.2 · 10GbE + 2 × 2.5GbE · 2 × Thunderbolt 4 Check the total delivered price at the store.
Lowest observed price
$1,299
In stock at observation
1 store · 1 recent price observation
Zima
Sold by Zima
$1,299
Observed price
In stock at observation · New
Observed Oct 16, 2026, 1:31:19 AM UTC[15]
View exact product at ZimaZima
Sold by Zima
$1,299
Historical price
Stock not confirmed · New
16GB DDR5; 256 GB OS SSD; 6 × SATA + 4 × M.2; 10GbE + dual 2.5GbE; diskless data drives
FAQ: dispatch normally within 72 hours excluding holidays; general delivery estimate 5–7 business days to most countries. US checkout shipping cost and delivery promise unverified. Diskless; user data drives not included. 14-day money-back after delivery per shop FAQ. Price before tax.
Observed Sep 11, 2026, 9:57:53 AM UTC[11]
View exact product at ZimaPrices are dated observations. Confirm the model, seller, condition, stock and delivered total at the store. Older prices remain visible as history. Links may earn a commission.
Questions before buying
Is this a new Pro computer versus original ZimaCube Pro?
Mostly no. Same i5-1235U / 16 GB / 256 GB / six SATA. Cooling, ZimaOS, and Standard-tier changes are the story. It's FOSS would not upgrade from gen-1 Pro for hardware alone.[10][8]
How fast is the 7th bay?
IceWhale claims about 3,200 MB/s shared versus ~800 MB/s on Standard. STH: four NVMe slots share one upstream PCIe Gen3 x4, so one SSD can be full-speed, four cannot all be.[3][8]
Does it support ECC?
ECC is not advertised, and the reviewed Pro SODIMMs are non-ECC. No ECC data-protection capability is credited.[8][3]
Where to buy new in the US?
Verified: IceWhale shop $1,299 in stock on 11 Sep 2026. No other US new PDP opened successfully.[11]
Sources
Research updated Sep 11, 2026. Individual source check dates are listed below. Measurements belong to the named reviewers; tested configurations and software versions may differ from the product you buy.
- [1] ZimaCube 2 Personal Cloud Home NAS (shared shop PDP) ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Title, description, Edition selector, FAQ accordion (model choice, OS, 7th-bay MB/s, ~30 dB, warranty/shipping)
- [2] Shopify product.js variants (SKU, price, availability) ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · variants[].sku/title/price/available/barcode/id
- [3] ZimaCube 2: Open NAS for AI & Self-Hosting ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Standard/Pro/Creator sections; 240×221×220 mm; Pro 3,200 MB/s 7th bay; Creator RTX PRO 2000
- [4] ZimaOS RAID Configuration Reference ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · RAID 0/1/5/6 and JBOD; Settings > Storage > Combine; RAID 5 steps
- [5] ZimaOS 3-2-1 Backup ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · RAID is not a backup; Backup app from/to Cloud LAN USB Zima; schedule
- [6] ZimaOS computer backup (ZimaClient) ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · ZimaClient folders; restore via Finder/Explorer; Wi-Fi vs wired vs Thunderbolt caveats
- [7] ZimaOS Slot A/B recovery ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · GRUB Slot A/B; user data on separate volume
- [8] ServeTheHome ZimaCube 2 Pro review ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Pages 1–5: specs, ASM2824/1166, ZimaOS RAID, Geekbench note, 247 W / dB(A)
- [9] Notebookcheck ZimaCube 2 review ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Standard sample; 1 m noise; wall power; 70 W GPU; spec table
- [10] It's FOSS ZimaCube 2 Pro month-long notes ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Manufacturer-offered Pro; added RTX 2000 Ada; noise; RAID GUI; Jellyfin GPU caveat
- [11] Zima selected PDP variant 52317031825700 ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Selected Edition JSON-LD Offer InStock NewCondition
- [12] Newegg search ZimaCube 2 / MPN ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · 0 items matching ZimaCube 2
- [13] ZimaCube disk installation and compatibility notes ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Installation and complete compatibility table; model/generation caveats
- [14] La Razón: ZimaCube 2 Pro analysis ↗
Checked Sep 11, 2026 · Luis Yáñez, May 7; FIO, VAAPI and externally backed AI; power and port errors qualified
- [15] Zima product price observation ↗
Checked Oct 16, 2026 · shopify-json-with-currency-evidence; sha256:92f7a03e96eeb36360a1203bb230c2ca7c7df7ef3404a90242c2998bef0457d2
Research and review record
- Research: Grok 4.6 · Source research and data update
- Self-check: Grok 4.6 · Researcher self-check
- Independent review: GPT-6 (Codex) · Independent exact-model primary/original-written-source review; six STH and four Notebookcheck figures visually inspected. Creator exact-bundle performance remains unknown; videos and blocked images excluded.
- Editorial integration: GPT-6 (Codex) · Editorial integration and validation
Independent review completed for the scope recorded in the audit.
Source evidence and review history (JSON)