Dlink DNS-323, Synology DS207+, or Netgear ReadyNAS Duo?

[rtilghman]

So, finally getting ready to abandon my old desktop and move everything over to a nice, small NAS. I've narrowed my choice down to these three options, but I'm having trouble picking. Any help or thoughts from unit owners would be appreciated.

To give you some context, I'm going to connect this to my local network and access it with laptops and local media players as needed. I have loads of music I'll be streaming off it, and will likely be looking to implement a 2tb RAID 1 set-up (1TB of storage). May also connect some older drives via USB as needed.

My current take on each is below.

Dlink DNS-323
The toaster... not a huge fan of the design, but it seems like a nice, simple, relatively inexpensive unit with good performance. My concern with this one is that the unit is an older design, and it lacks some of the features of other options. I also don't like the lack of Jumbo framerate support or the weak uPnP and other features. One plus with the Dlink... I can get it at BestBuy, meaning if I don't like it I can return it.

Synology DS207+
Looks like a great unit, with lots of control over the drives. However, it's a little pricey for a BYOD NAS ($350+). The fact that it doesn't have slimserver support (or not natively) is another weakness... I've been eyeing adding a squeezebox or other player to my stereo, and would like the option of going with this route. One thing I can't figure out... is it worth going with the "+" unit, or is the old 207 adequate? It's a lot cheaper...

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo
This is obviously the most expensive option, and is about on par with the Synology unit from a performance perspective. I like the fact that it has Slimserver as a native option... seems very well rounded. Also has internal NFS support, which both the other units lacked. Negative seems to the weak photo sharing app (requiring a local install) and the lack of drive controls (RAIDX being the only option). The fact that the 1TB unit costs $600+ also sucks... I want a 1tbx2 setup, and I can get a nice 1TB drive for a HELL of a lot less than the $275+ that's the difference between the 500gb and 1tb versions of this sucker. Basically means the 1 drive is a throw-away for me, which sucks....

Any help is appreciated. Struggling with this choice, which is probably why I still have the stupid old desktop!

Thanks,
Rick

 

[iwod]

Well if your PC server is working good i suggest you keep it.
All current NAS have very bad performance and i am still waiting for Intel 's atom based NAS.

But if i HAD to choose one i would go for Dlink, Cheap and Simple and get the job done for now. Although i seriously think it is due for an upgrade coz it is more then 2 years old now.

 

[Bart]

A little Off Topic, but I can't resist: Intel's Atom is also not a good choice (for now). Sure, the CPU only consumes a couple of watts... unfortunately the chipset which HAS to be used in combination with it uses 20-25 watts, effectively annihilating any power consumption benefit the Atom CPU provides.

But don't fear: this is only version 1.0 of the Atom. With version 2.0, the chipset will be integrated into the CPU.

For now it's better to go with Via if you want some real low-power consumption CPU's.

 

[rtilghman]

Unfortunately...

Neither of you actually answered my question! Well, one of you did, but only in passing.

As for the criticisms of the Syn and Duo, that's in direct contrast with all the reviews I've found (in which just about every user is very happy). Speed is an issue for crappier units (like the WD junk) that don't have jumbo frame rate support or fast ethernet connections.

If there is anyone out there that has experience with the Duo or Syn and can post it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
rt

 

[corndog]

If the readynas Duo uses the same embedded CPU as the ReadyNAS NV+, then you'll find the D-Link to be MUCH faster. If I recall correctly, the Synology doesn't have hot-swap, so if a drive dies you need to disassemble it. Kinda dumb...

 

[rtilghman]

Bought the Synology...

Thanks for the response. Interesting to hear about the Netgear CPU... that was something I hadn't realized, and makes me a little happy I didn't pick the unit.

In the end I went with the DS207+. You are exactly right btw; the lack of hot-swappability and the need to disassemble the case was a LARGE reason I held out as long as I did. However, I finally decided that the Synology:

1. Seemed to have more robust capabilities than either of the other units.
2. Seemed to have a more active development community and support (Synology seems motivated)
3. Looks better than any of the other units... I can actually put it on a table.
4. Gives me the best price/performance breakdown... I don't waste money buying a drive I don't want (Duo) or a unit with no drives but less features.
5. Reviews indicate it's support for uPnP is more stable than either of the other offerings.

We'll see the 207 lives up to all the hype. It's a little bit of overkill (I really don't need bittorrent, etc.), but I'm looking forwarding to seeing how it works out.

Thanks again for the help.

-rt

 

[pohm pohm]

In the end I went with the DS207+.

What drives did you use in the end?

As I can't see any tested 1TB drives for the DS207+ that don't have some form of problem. The only one is the WD10EACS and that has hibernation problems.

http://www.synology.com/enu/support/help-page.php?q_id=130