Video summary
The video provides an honest and unsponsored review of the Zema Cube 2, a NAS device developed by Icewell that serves as an improved successor to their earlier models which faced some limitations. Although the reviewer received this unit from the manufacturer for testing purposes based on their use of Casa OS, he explicitly states his preference for running Trunass instead and found the alternative operating system unsuitable for his needs. Currently priced at $799 for the standard Intel Core i3 model with 8GB of RAM, the device is utilized primarily to keep video editing files in sync between locations using Sync Thing, while also functioning as an off-site backup solution and providing storage for a friend's projects. The reviewer notes that despite current market volatility in August 2026, this system offers excellent value by allowing users to run Trunass effectively with just 8GB of RAM, debunking the common misconception that ZFS requires significantly more memory to function at all; while additional RAM is preferred for caching performance gains, the machine remains highly performant even without it.
In terms of hardware specifications and storage architecture, the unit features a dedicated seventh bay designed specifically as an M.2 slot rather than just another hard drive location, which allows users to configure fast boot drives or utilize them within a RAID array alongside four other bays for primary storage. The motherboard includes one PCIe 4.0 x4 lane and one PCIe 3.0 x2 lane, with the reviewer opting to install an inexpensive SFP card in the available slot to achieve 10 Gigabit networking speeds since the built-in Intel i226-V controllers only support up to 2.5 Gbps. Connectivity options are robust for a compact form factor, including Thunderbolt 4 support via two rear USB-C ports, four USB-A 3.0 ports, display outputs like HDMI and DisplayPort, as well as an audio jack, though the system relies on an external power brick with a non-locking barrel connector that can be easily disconnected if needed.
The reviewer concludes his assessment by highlighting minor drawbacks while maintaining overall enthusiasm for the build quality of Icewell's latest creation. His primary complaints focus on the lack of toolless drive sleds and a faceplate secured only by magnets, which he finds slightly difficult to remove due to short fingernails but acknowledges is largely a personal preference regarding aesthetics versus convenience. Despite these small inconveniences involving screws and magnetic retention, he praises the integration of the seventh M.2 bay as a standout feature that enhances flexibility for caching or boot configurations without sacrificing dedicated storage space. Ultimately, he considers it a well-built device worth recommending to those interested in home server solutions, expressing anticipation for future products from Icewell while directing viewers to additional deep-dive reviews and community forums for further discussion on the platform's capabilities.
Read the full video transcript
When Icewell released the Zema board, I
bought one for some projects and found
it to be a great little device. Then
they released the first Zema Cube and it
was found by many to have some well not
so great limitations. But they took that
advice and built the Zema Cube 2 and
offered to send me one. I said yes and
I've been using it now for a few months.
Even though they sent me this, this
video is not sponsored. All opinions are
my own. Icewell has no editorial input
on this video. They did ask that I test
out their Zema OS which is based on Casa
OS. I did take a look at it, but it
really wasn't for me. My preference for
this project was to go with Trunass.
More specifically, this system has been
used to keep videos in sync for editing
with my friend. I have a video linked
down below showing how I set that up
using Sync Thing and Trunass. This box
is also holding some of my off-site
backups and my friend storage needs as
well at his place. It is August of 2026
and prices of course have been wild.
Currently, the ZimmaQ2 personal cloud
home starts at $799. Now, this is for
the standard i3 model. They do have a
pro i5 model and then they have a crater
pack they offer which is the i5 plus and
rtx pro 2000. When you go down here the
specifications they have more details of
course where you have the Intel i5 for
the pro versus the Intel Core i3 for the
standard edition that I have. Memory
wise we have an 8 gig with the standard
versus 16. And I left it at 8 gig on
purpose. And I know people will tell you
you can't run Trinass with 614 TBTE
drives and only eight gigs, but actually
you can. That was something I mentioned
in the other video and I wanted to
continue using it with well a smaller
amount of RAM. Yes, I have access to
more memory. Yes, I could have just
bought more memory, but I know that's
not in everybody's budget. So, I
purposely wanted to test it as shipped
and it's actually been performant with
only 8 gigs of RAM. It's not going to
perform as well. what you're really
sacrificing is that extra RAM that could
cache everything. But even though I
don't have a lot of that memory in here,
it's still a good machine. I just wanted
to make sure that point was made clear
because there's so many people that get
confused about ZFS, and I've covered
this many times, and you can find lots
of videos on my channel about ZFS. It
does not absolutely require, but it is
preferred for performance reasons to
have more memory than 8 gigs. There's
not this hard limit that people like to
confidently say in forums. Coming a
little bit further down though, it does
have a 256 gig MVME storage that I use
for the boot drive. It comes with one
PCIe 4.0 by four lane and one PCI 3.0 by
two lane. The 7th bay, which is
interesting because we have six bays,
but that seventh bay is a M2 drive bay.
This is really nice because I have the
onboard M2, but then having a few more
to set up for your RAID array, so you
can have a really fast set of drives or
maybe use them as caching drives with
ZFS. I just really like how they
integrated the Seventh Bay as
essentially a slot in card. And you do
have another onboard M2. So, if you
wanted to have dual drives for your
boot, which is not a bad idea to have
that resiliency, it is possible to set
this up. But having those four other
ones to be dedicated for your storage,
like I said, something I really like.
One big downside, of course, is these
are not toolless. I do really prefer
toolless sleds, but hey, putting a few
screws in isn't really that hard, but
obviously a lot of people have strong
opinions on this. I'm definitely on
team. Everything should be toolless. For
the networking, we have dual Intel i226
2 and 1/2 gig. And 2 and 1/2 gig still
feels pretty anemic here in 2026. So, I
popped in an SFP 10 gig card. These are
readily available for relatively low
prices. So, taking advantage of one of
those PCI slots to throw a 10 gig card
is a easy way to get 10 gig performance.
If you go with the Pro version, it does
come with 10 gig builtin. So, that's
something to take into consideration.
Save a few dollars if you don't need the
extra performance and just get an
inexpensive card. This system also comes
with Thunderbolt 4 support, has two rear
USBC's, four USBA 3.0's, and one USBC
3.0. We also have display port and HDMI
and an audio port if you felt the need
to use that. It does not have a built-in
power supply. Instead, it has a power
brick that is 19volt 13 amp 247 watts.
Uses a barrel connector, but there is no
locking for the barrel connector, so it
can easily be pulled back out. Now, I
haven't had any problems in the 3 months
I've been using it as far as the system
itself goes. My only complaints are, as
noted, I wish it had toolless sleds and
that the face plate is a little bit
tricky to take off. It's just held on
with magnets, but I don't really have
any easy way because I trim my
fingernails too short to pop it out. But
I think it looks better with it off, but
that's a personal preference and it's
really not that big of a deal. Overall,
I think they built a good device. I look
forward to more devices from them. I'll
also leave another video about the ZMA
Cube 2 by my friend at NAS Compares.
He's done a really nice deep dive and
in-depth covering more of Zemos for
those that are interested and of course
a review of this device as well. Reach
out to me on the socials at
launchsystems.com,
like and subscribe and all those fun
things. And love to hear from me in the
comments or hit me up in the forums at
forums.lordsystems.com
for more in-depth discussion about this
and other topics. Thanks. [music]
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