For being a small version of the Buffalo TeraStation, the LinkStation Mini does a pretty good job at it.  Being smaller in dimension but not in capacity, the LinkStation also has 1 TB in storage space.  This neat feat is done by stacking up two 2.5 notebook drives to create the LinkStation Mini.  Since it uses notebook hard drives, the LinkStation Mini also features cool and an almost soundless operation.  Since it does not need a cooling unit to be installed, it has saved a lot of space, thus accounting for its compact design.  The cooling is also facilitated through the ventilation slots at the back of the unit.  
LinkStation Mini performance

As a network storage drive, the LinkStation Mini performs as expected.  It has support for different RAID configurations and file transfer protocols.  The good thing is that all the applications for setup are already stored inside the drive.  The RAID function is especially useful as most of the NAS drives in the market only have a single drive with no function for redundancy for backup purposes.  The LinkStation Mini is shipped with a RAID 0 configuration, though you can easily change it to RAID 1 to mirror the drives.  The protocols that the LinkStation Mini can support are SMB, FTP, and HTTPS.  It can also be configured using a web browser or through direct connection through network cable or USB.  

The LinkStation Mini has a USB port for file and printer sharing and additional storage, a network port, and AC port for power.  It also has a Function button, whose exact function will be activated through the firmware update that Buffalo will release soon.  The device also has two security slots on either side to keep the device from going anywhere.  

As to the cons: The LinkStation is a bit pricey compared to its competitors.  Another issue with this NAS drive is that the setup is trickier than normal.  Another problem with the LinkStation Mini is that there is no way to access the drive without having to break the casing, and also the warranty.

But despite the cons, the LinkStation Mini is a good buy if you want a small, quiet drive for your network.  But if space is not an issue, then you can look at other affordable options for your network storage.  They may be bulkier than the LinkStation Mini, but you can sure save yourself a considerable sum with those other options.

The usual suspects when it comes to system upgrades are the processor, the motherboard, and the memory.  Hard drives only get a second mention since these are not much involved in data processing.  But hard drives also can provide your system a great system boost in performance should you know what to do, and what hard drive to get.  For example, if you have Western Digital's VelociRaptor hard drive which features 10,000 RPM, 16 MB cache, and SATA/300 standard, you should feel the difference of having this performance hard drive on your PC.  

Before we tackle the hard drive specs itself, there are things you can do using the software in your OS to improve system performance.  For Windows XP and Vista systems, you can use a part of your hard drive space as virtual memory.  Basically, it’s using a good fraction of your hard disk space for file paging, or your using your hard drive as an additional memory.  For Vista systems, you can also use a whole disk partition to boost up your system through its ReadyBoost function.  Especially if you apply RAID 0 on your drives, you can include a good chunk of your two drives for either virtual memory or ReadyBoost, depending on your OS.  

As for the specs of the hard drive, the 10,000 RPM value indicates that the disks in the drive can spin at that maximum speed.  This means faster reading, seeking, and writing capabilities for the drive.  Faster read and write times also means faster data access, thus increasing system performance.  Add the SATA/300, which indicates that the drive can transfer up to 300 MBs per second, and combine it with the 16 MB of cache, you have one powerful hard drive when it comes to data reading and writing.  

When out shopping for a performance drive, you can look for the same specs as the WD VelociRaptor.  Whether it’s for a notebook, desktop, or workstation, you should look for the same capacities and its compatibility with your existing system.  Of course, you also need to look at your budget as high-performance drives are costlier compared to normal drive.  If you need performance, then be prepared to pay a premium for it.  But when it comes to price, the WD VelociRaptor offers a lot in performance for under $300.  Consider it a good drive candidate for your performance upgrade project.

Since large systems and servers need fast data access and a good backup strategy should things go wrong, RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Drives was developed to address this need.  RAID is a technology that allows one to setup an array of multiple drives and have it recognized by the system as one logical drive.  For example, if one has two hard drives, RAID can allow your system to see those two drives as a single drive.  The advantages of this setup are improved performance for the combined drives for data access and data recovery in case of drive failure, depending on the RAID configuration.  

RAID setup

RAID is setup in two ways: through a hardware RAID controller and through an adapter and RAID driver embedded onto the OS.  Hardware RAID controllers are used for large server systems, while the adapter and driver is sufficient for personal and small systems that use the RAID configuration.  

There are several RAID configurations, depending on the number of drives and the needs of a particular system.  The most common are RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 4, RAID 5, and RAID 10.  

RAID 0, or striped or striping, is the basic RAID configuration.  It requires at least two hard drives to setup.  This configuration will take multiple drives and combine them into a single logical drive.  Data are written in small blocks and are distributed equally among the drives, resulting in quicker data transfer.  One can also enjoy larger storage space since all the drives are combined.  The disadvantage is if one drive becomes defective, all data are lost.

RAID 1, or mirroring, is a configuration mostly for data security.  It also requires at least two drives, wherein one drive is used for backup.  What happens is that the same information is written in both drives, so if one drive fails, the data are safe on the other.  This means that the combined disk storage is divided into two, since one of the drives is used only for backup.  One disadvantage of this setup is slower data access, as information is written twice and the storage space of one drive is not utilized for data processing.  

RAID 4 is an improvement on RAID 1 and as it combines the storage space of the hard drives and still leaves disk space for redundancy and backup purposes.  It does this by using one of the drives as a backup, and the information is preserved through parity calculation.  Even if one drive fails, the information is still safe and accessible.  The disadvantage is that the parity calculation can cause latency on data access.  

RAID 5 is similar to RAID 4.  The main difference is that RAID 5 equally distributes the backup load on all the drives.  It has the same advantages and disadvantages as RAID 4, only that RAID 5 shows quicker performance for data processing.

RAID 10 is a combination if RAID 1 and 0.  It combines the multiple drives into one for faster data access, while also allowing data backup through mirroring on half of the drives.  

Knowing which RAID configuration to use would depend on the needs of a system or network.  For most home users, RAID 1 and RAID 0 are sufficient to cover most needs.  RAID configurations can get more complicated for larger organizations and systems as data access speed and security is essential for those systems.