• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

NAS Replacement & Selection

R

RhoXS

Senior member
I am currently using a D-link DNS-323 in a RAID 1 configuration. Its purpose is to allow access to files (such as our music library, photographs, data files, etc.) from any of the computers on our home network. It is also used as a convenient and secure (RAID 1) backup location for our various computers.

Although it works, there are a number of issues:

- Transfer rates are just way too slow.
- It does not wake up quickly when an application (e.g. iTunes) is started and needs to access files on it. This sometimes causes problems with the apps needing access to it.
- It has this pathetic little exhaust fan that, imo, is insufficient. As a result I perceive it runs too hot internally, reducing the life and reliability of the two HDDs with the precious data contained on them.

I want to replace it. After some research the contenders are as follows:

1. Synology DS212 2 bay Server $300 + $10 Shipping

2. QNAP TS-219PII-US 2 bay $310 + $10 Shipping

3. NETGEAR ReadyNAS Ultra 2-bay $310 + Free Shipping

I would appreciate opinions with respect to the performance of the three listed above in comparison to the DNS-323 I am currently using. For example, am I going to achieve a sufficient improvement in performance to justify $300?

Also, are the much less expensive QNAP TS-212 ($190) and Synology DS212J ($200) worth considering?

I do not want to use FreeNAS. I certainly have the equipment but I just do want to allocate very limited space for a machine/monitor/keyboard and deal with the associated care and feeding of it.
 
When I upgraded from my ARM based readynas (Duo v2) to my Intel based ReadyNas (Ultra 4 Plus) my transfer speed went from 15 MB/s to 40 MB/s.
 
Of that bunch I would say the Synology DS212 is probably going to give you the most improvement although by how much I really couldn't say. Personally I still recommend the FreeNAS solution as it's really no big deal to get a small mini ITX case with a lower power consumption CPU to use for NAS duties. And there is no need to hook a monitor, mouse & keyboard up to them either. My server (it's more than a NAS) is just a Dell PowerEdge SC420 running Amahi. It really doesn't take up much space and I just ssh/web interface/VNC into it to do occasional maintenance and that's pretty rare. From a transfer speed comparison I average about 110 MB/s as opposed to alfa147x's 40 MB/s. Your call though
 
okay. I remembered wrong. Here are test results:

NETGEAR ReadyNAS Ultra 4 Plus:
klbkd.png


NETGEAR ReadyNAS Ultra 2 Plus:
4May5.png


Desktop SSD
A48Xd.png


Desktop 7200 RPM HDD 1TB:
1DHSd.png


Mid 2011 i5 Mac Mini
500 GB 5400-rpm SATA HDD
4VTo5.png


Desktop Specs:
MSI Z77A-GD80 Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3770K
16GB DDR3
120 GB OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD MacSales
1TB Samsung Drive

Test Machine:
2011 MacBook Pro i5
8GB DDR3 RAM
120 Corsair Force Series 3
Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid 500GB

Software:
Blackmagic Speed Test

Network:
Netgear WNR3500L
HP V1810-24G (Managed 24 port gigabit switch)
5 port gigabit switch (Unmanaged)

Route:
Desktop / NAS -> HP V1810 -> 5 port switch -> MBP
MacMini -> 5 port switch -> MBP

I'm guessing using the unmanaged 5 port switch wasn't the best idea. But I was in my living room. Also the speed might have been affected by my gf streaming video off of the Ultra NAS 4 Plus. But I doubt it.

Let me know if you want me to test any other way. Hope this gives you a good idea.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the responses.

I've pretty much decided on the Synology DS212. I think the Synology and Qnap machines both will have about equal performance but the Synology device has a few features that could prove useful to us.

I did learn a little more about FreeNAS. If I can convince myself I can set it up as a black box that requires no more attention than something like commercially available $300 range NAS devices, I might go with it. I need to do a little more research to 1) find out what kind of transfer rates I can expect to see and 2) how much an influence the CPU and amount of RAM has on transfer rates.
 
I've actually done a complete hands on sampling of thecus, qnap and synology. The hardware is pretty much the same throughout as long as it's using the atom 525 chipset. The main differences are with the firmware and features. Thecus is the cheapest and is basically just a NAS. It has a few add on modules but that's it. Get it if you simply want a network backup location or some place to store files. The qnap is the next step up with the features you get. It has a few more features in it's web admin that allow you to do things directly with it. But this only comes into play if you plan on getting into the web based admin/gui on a regular basis. If you only want a system for backups and file storage, it really won't make a difference for you IMO.

Synology has the firmware where Qnap will probably be using in a year. It's firmware GUI is more to me like a remote web based computer GUI. It gives you a quasi desktop that you can customize. Both qnap and synology both have firmware demos on their website that I'd recommend you take a look at. I went with qnap as the extra features you pay for with synology I wasn't interested in at this point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top