Finalizing my NAS choice and would love some feedback

[ntepperman]

Hi all:

Ok, I've done my homework and I'm in the end phase of trying to make my decision about which 4-bay NAS to buy. This will be my first foray into NAS.

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I'd love to get the feedback of the group:
- did I miss anything?
- anything else I should consider?
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Background
Location: North America

Pupose:
- Media Server (music; photos; video) to notebooks & other devices
- iTunes server
- Media Storage (music; photos; video)
- Time Machine back-up destination for home users, all on notebooks

1st Place (currently): Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra 4 Plus ($699 diskless)
Pros (in prioritized order):
- 1.6GHz Atom dual core
- X-RAID2 (seems to get very good reviews)
- 3 year warranty
- Dual gigabit ethernet
- LED screen
- Hot swappable
- 64 bit (probably won't be dealing with huge file sizes)
- Nice looking product

Cons:
- Price
- No USB 3.0 ports
- No eSATA ports (I can back-up at night)

Competition
The rest of the pack of close contenders included:
- Thecus NS4200Eco ($660)
- QNAP TS-439 Pro II+ ($858); QNAP TS-459 Pro+ ($879)
- Synology DS411+ ($629)

It's currently leading over the Thecus NS4200Eco because:
- Warranty; name recognition; access to support

It's currently leading over the QNAP line because:
- QNAP has a shorter warranty and because I've read the interface is getting dated
- QNAP 419P+ has less memory; is 32 bit; has less firmware memory;
- QNAP 459 Pro+ is more expensive without offering a ton more beyond the eSATA

It's currently leading over the Synology DS411+ because:
- Dual core; Dual gigabit ethernet; 3 year warranty; LED screen; hot swappable
- I felt these were worth more than the eSATA that the ReadyNAS is lacking

 

[thiggins]

Dual Ethernet ports doesn't buy you anything unless you want redundancy (and have a smart / managed switch that supports it) or to connect to two different LANs.

XRAID isn't really that much of an advantage. All the other candidates support online RAID expansion and level migration.

NAS RAM size isn't that much of a factor unless you are using a lot of small files.

I wouldn't worry about the admin GUI being "dated". How often will you be interacting with it anyway?

Warranty is a good factor to consider.

eSATA is definitely an advantage for attached backup.

Do not rely on RAID to keep your data safe. Have a backup on a separate device.

 

[ntepperman]

Thanks for the comments, Tim.

So the 'meaningful' pro's are:

XRaid2:
it's fine, but not head/shoulders above what is offered by other players.

RAM:
We will be using lots of small files, since it will be a picture server for our baby pictures (lots of out of town family), the iTunes server for all of our music (there's a lot) and the repository for other media (movies, possibly AppleTV, etc.).

Warranty:
3 years is more than 2 years is more than 1 year, and more is better.

... and the 'meaningful' con's are:
- no eSATA
- price
- no USB 3.0 (not huge)


So... do you think I'm headed in the wrong direction? Is there a product I should be looking at instead of the ReadyNAS Ultra 4+?

I feel inclined to go w/ the newest product to try and ensure longest maximum life of the purchase. I know there's no 'right' choice in all of this, but I'm not an expert; I've never used any of these products; and I want to make the best educated guess I can... just like everyone else who's posting similar posts.

 

[teknojnky]

I have an ultra 4 (not plus), a pro business, and an nv+.

The u4 is a good solid machine.

the lack of esata is a sore spot with me, as well as no support for network teaming (only available on 'business' models).

Other than those gripes, I am pretty happy with the device.

I run the subsonic addon for it, and stream audio over 4g to my htc evo.

I generally don't make use of the readydlna or itunes server functions, and no macs (other than a hackintosh that I never boot up).

The readynas forums are usually pretty great. I've checked the other brands support forums and they always left much to desire whenever I visited.

If you have any specific questions about it I'll be happy to try to answer.

I don't have any experience with the other brand nas's, so can't make any comparisons other than what you already have made yourself.

 

[thiggins]

You're not asking a lot from a NAS. The QNAP, Synology or NETGEAR would all suit your needs.

Just a matter of how much you want to spend for what performance. Again, your requirements aren't extreme. You could even go back a generation or two to save some money and still be happy.

 

[wlai]

Are there any particular older models you'd recommend? I was looking at the Qnap 4-bay models. The new TS-412 sounds like it's quite favorable in terms of price/performance tradeoffs.

 

[ntepperman]

Here are a few models I suspect would fall into this list:

ReadyNAS NV+
ReadyNAS NVX Pioneer
Synology DS410
Synology DS411j
Thecus N00503

 

[ntepperman]

Ok, as I've continued to look for someone who's got the ReadyNAS Ultra 4+ in stock, I've also continued to prowl user forums and I've now started to second-guess myself.

I'm going back and forth between two ReadyNAS products (Ultra 4, Ultra 4+) and the Synology DS411+.

(I've also started to consider looking the DS710+ as a stand-alone for today, w/ the future expansion option of the DX510... but that's muddying the waters even more, and I really can't see myself needing that amount of disk space).

All in all, it seems to be a pretty close race.

Price
: ReadyNAS Ultra 4 is $550; Ultra 4+ is $699; DS411+ is $619
: Synology is right in the middle
: no points awarded

Performance
: DS411+ seems to outperform the ReadyNAS Ultra 4 by a wide margin on some benchmarks, but falls in a close 2nd on others.
: +0.5 Synology... ?

Warranty
: ReadyNAS has 3 years WA; Synology has 2.
: This does make a difference to me as an end user.
: +1 ReadyNAS

eSATA
: ReadyNAS has 0 eSATA; Synology has 1.
: This does make back-up easier
: +1 Synology

Capacity
: DS411+ is capable of 3TB drives/ 12TB max; ReadyNAS is 2 TB/ 8TB max.
: +1 Synology

Ethernet
: ReadyNAS has 2 ports; Synology has 1
: I really don't know if I'm going to use dual ethernet ports or not... how many home users actually make use of this?[/b]
: +0.5 ReadyNAS... ?

Hot Swappable
: ReadyNAS can; Synology cannot
: It's a nice touch, but not a deal breaker.
: +0.5 ReadyNAS... ?

Interface
: Synology's DSM3.x is up-to-date and seemingly loved; ReadyNAS's Frontview is reviewed as good, but also slower, dated.
: +1 Synology... ?

User Support
: Everyone seems to say that ReadyNAS's user support is the most active and responsive, and that they're the best in terms of firmware updates, etc.
: +1 ReadyNAS

LED & Exterior Appearance
: ReadyNAS has it; Synology does not
: It's a nice touch, but not a deal breaker.
: +0.5 ReadyNAS

At this risk of driving people nuts... can anyone help me out?

 

[teknojnky]

Capacity
: DS411+ is capable of 3TB drives/ 12TB max; ReadyNAS is 2 TB/ 8TB max.
: +1 Synology

any of the ultra, nvx, pro models can support 3tb drives with the current beta firmware. It adds the necessary GPT partition support required for over 2tb drives.

There are no HCL/qualified 3tb drives yet, but there are a couple threads on the readynas forums with folks who are trying the various drives and their experiences.

Have you checked the synology forums for feedback regarding 3tb drive support?

 

[ntepperman]

Have you checked the synology forums for feedback regarding 3tb drive support?

Nope- frankly, I wasn't aware of the 2TB/ 3TB support point you make; I took the 3TB statement at face value; and didn't realize there was any need for me to further investigate. I looked at it as a product feature detail- no different thant the statement that the device has 4 drive bays.

 

[ntepperman]

Tim, thanks again for your comments regarding the different features and the relative benefit of those features. I kept coming back to those, and doing more research based on those comments, which has been very helpful.

After all of that, I've decided to go in another direction. It looks like I'll be going with a DS-710+.

I ultimately chose the DS-710+ for the following reasons:
- First of all, I took a realistic look at my use. While a 4-bay, 8TB machine might be nice, I won't **need** more than the 4TB I can have from a 2-bay device.
- The DS-710+ has a 3 year warranty.
- I decided that eSATA was actually a good thing to have.
- I took the demo of the DSM management software- looks great.
- It's got good scalability with the DX510 if I want it
- If I decide to add a 4-bay device at some point, then the DS-710+ will make a great back-up solution.
- It's not a bad-looking device. Certainly prettier than the DS411+.

DS-211+:
I thought about the DS-211+, but the DS-710+ has an extra year of warranty, plus better read AND write times, for less than $100 more.

DS-1511+:
I would have loved to choose the DS-1511+, but it's just way too expensive for my current needs. It's also WAY more machine than I need.


The only remaining question:
The DS-411+ is about $130 more than the DS-710+. Have I overlooked a compelling reason to shell out the extra money for the uglier (but beefier) DS-411+?

 

[thiggins]

The only remaining question:
The DS-411+ is about $130 more than the DS-710+. Have I overlooked a compelling reason to shell out the extra money for the uglier (but beefier) DS-411+?

Slightly higher performance in the 411+ (Atom D510 vs. D410).

 

[ntepperman]

Yep- but based on what my usage is going to be (media streaming, file serving, client back-up) I don't know how important the different between the two actually is.

 

[Breezy]

The DS 710 is a great choice. It's as fast as you're gonna find and expandable to more drives if needed. I would have gotten one if it were not for my budget.

I wound up with the QNAP 119P+ which is the fastest of the single drive models. Not as fast as the 710 though. I decided I don't want to raid so a multi bay unit didn't make much sense for me. For me 1tb is way more space than I need and I can easily mirror to an external drive for backup. Of course I can also jump to a 2tb drive or larger in the future should I need it.

Get yourself a good dependable set of drives. I was able to get a Samsung F3 raid optimized drive with a 5 yr warranty, made specifically for servers. It was more expensive but I want a rock of a drive without sacrificing performance.

 

[teknojnky]

uhm, ntepperman, you do realize that you will not get 4tb out of any 2 bay device without STRIPING/RAID-0 (meaning NO REDUNANCY). If either disk fails at any point, you will lose all data on the device.

 

[ntepperman]

uhm, ntepperman, you do realize that you will not get 4tb out of any 2 bay device without STRIPING/RAID-0 (meaning NO REDUNANCY). If either disk fails at any point, you will lose all data on the device.

Yep- I do understand that, but I appreciate you bringing it up just in case.

In a best-case scenario, I'll have 2x 3TB drives in a RAID-1 (mirror) configuration (leaving me 3TB active storage) on this, and I'll be doing a USB back-up until I can plan a more robust back-up solution via eSAT.

If I don't go w/ 3TB drives, I'll do the same thing w/ 2TB drives.

 

[ntepperman]

I just wanted to follow-up on this and say a big 'THANK YOU' to everyone who provided feedback or other comments to this thread.

I've since purchased the DS710+, with a pair of 2TB drives for it; a UPS to keep it running; and my old 500GB WD MyBook USB has been called into duty as a temporary back-up solution for the key files.

Synology's DSM 3.x is working great (and is a really nicely put together UI, I must say) and the management tools provided on the setup CD worked very smoothly on both Windows7 and OSX.

Now I'm just trying to find the time to actually get the user accounts, files and services into place!

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[louisw]

Which UPS did you end up getting?

 

[ntepperman]

We had an APC kicking around (APC Battery Back-Up (BE550G-CN) I think) so that's what I'm running it on now.