Thecus' product revamp is a two sided sword. In this section we're going to look at the new hardware that makes up the physical side. The base of the system is the new Intel Atom D525 processor that was designed and optimized for use in NAS servers like the N5200XXX. Feeding the processor is 1GB DDR3 SO-DIMM memory that is user upgradable to 4GB. The combination is extremely powerful and allows you to have several clients connected to the NAS while still delivering high speed data transfers. You can also run modules on your NAS; these are similar to programs you may run on your desktop or notebook, but in this case they are running on your NAS and working without a PC.
The N5200XXX is a 5-bay unit capable of storing up to 15TB worth of data when using five, 3TB HDDs. An additional eSATA port is on the back of the N5200XXX, so it is possible to connect up to six drives total. The HDDs are cooled by a large fan on the back and it is also responsible for cooling the chipset and processor. Thermal sensors determine fan speed for optimized cooling.
The Thecus N5200XXX connects to your existing home or office network through gigabit Ethernet ports also located on the back of the unit. You get two ports that can be customized to run several different configurations.
After using Google's product search, I was able to find the new N5200XXX available online for 578 USD. This really goes to show the value Thecus talks about in their new Xteme theme. The N5500 which the N5200XXX is replacing cost around 850 USD when I reviewed it and the original N5200 before that cost even closer to 1000 USD. Thecus has made a strong push increasing performance while reducing the cost of ownership with this product refresh.