DS411 vs readyNAS Ultra

[oostertoaster]

I've looking at buying a NAS for home use, and have come across three specific models that interest me:
1)Synology DS411
2)Netgear readyNAS ultra (4-bay)
3)Thecus N4200
4) readyNAS NVX Pioneer with iSCSI (RNDX400E)

As you can probably tell from the models i've picked out, I'm interested in a 4-bay atom-based NAS that will primarily be used for data storage and moderate media streaming. I'm leaning towards the DS411 or the readyNAS ultra right now due to price.

My biggest questions are:
1)How much performance boost will I see from a dual-core atom vs. a single core (like the readyNAS Ultra has)?
2)Newegg has a great deal on the NVX Pioneer right now, with a free hard drive too! How would this model compare to the other ones I've picked out?

I've spent some time researching on these forums as well as the readyNAS forums, but haven't really seen a direct answer to my questions. (And now that I've said that I'm sure someone will link to several posts that I missed ) Any insights or related comments would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[claykin]

The D410 (single core) versus D510 (dual) is about a 2x performance improvement. That assumes all aspects of the firmware can take advantage of a dual core CPU. 2x raw performance improvement does not necessarily mean you'll get 2x the performance in read/write speeds.

The NVX series uses an Intel Tolapai Pentium M based architecture running @ 1.06Ghz. Its performance is about 15% less than the single core D410 (Ultra 4).

Something else to consider is that the NVX CPU is 32 bit while the D410/510 Atoms are 32 bit with 64 bit instruction capability. This means they are capable of larger filesizes.

EXT4 32 bit - max file size 2TB, max iSCSI LUN 2TB, max Timemachine 2TB
EXT4 64 bit - max file size 16TB, max iSCSI LUN 16TB, max Timemachine 4TB

The above does not mean the NVX cannot have a large volume, this relates to individual filesizes. Not many people have 2TB files. However, the larger iSCSI LUN capability and Timemachine capacity (for Mac users) is interesting to some users.

I would stick with the Ultra 4 or if you wish to get the DS411+ just make sure it uses the D510 Atom. Older Atoms don't support 64 bit instructions.

BTW, Synology NAS' don't yet support EXT4. Support is supposedly coming in the next firmware update.

I cannot comment on Thecus as I haven't used their products. I would rate them lower than Netgear and Synology overall.

 

[claykin]

4) readyNAS NVX Pioneer with iSCSI (RNDX400E)

You must be hanging out on the Readynas forums. iSCSI was added to the Pioneer edition NAS' officially today with the release of V4.2.13 firmware. Good catch!

 

[oostertoaster]

Thanks for the great response claykin.

I would stick with the Ultra 4 or if you wish to get the DS411+ just make sure it uses the D510 Atom. Older Atoms don't support 64 bit instructions.

Everything I've seen seems to indicate the DS411+ uses the D510 Atom (here and here). However I haven't seen any actual teardown pictures to confirm it.

The D410 (single core) versus D510 (dual) is about a 2x performance improvement. That assumes all aspects of the firmware can take advantage of a dual core CPU. 2x raw performance improvement does not necessarily mean you'll get 2x the performance in read/write speeds.

So I guess my followup question would be: What advantages does the Ultra 4 have compared to the DS411+? I doubt I'll make use of the dual NICs on the Ultra, simply because it won't have the CPU horsepower to make a difference. I mean, there has to be some reason the Ultra costs the same amount as the DS411+

 

[claykin]

The Ultra overall has less features than the DS411+, but for most home users the differences are irrelevant. For instances the Ultra 4 cannot join a Windows domain. Again, you probably don't care...

The Ultra 4 does have a front panel LCD for status info and warnings and a 3 year warranty. Netgear included Tivo, Orb and Skifta integration if that excites you.

The DS411+ has no LCD, a 2 year warranty but has an eSata port for backup of your NAS data. Many people find the eSata port helpful as it will allow backup jobs to run faster. On the other hand, if your backups run in the middle of the night, you won't care either way...

Probably the biggest differences between the two are their support practices and the overall robustness of their firmware. Here I'd say Netgear has a lead, but thats my opinion.

 

[oostertoaster]

So what I'm hearing is that the Netgear costs more, but has better firmware and support. I'm currently leaning towards the Netgear for that reason, even if it does only have a single core CPU. After all, a dual core CPU won't do me any good if its running buggy firmware

On the other hand, a dual-core atom NAS for only $669 also sounds pretty good. (edit:changed incorrect price)

I'd really love if we could get the DS411 added to the charts. (I'm assuming the Ultra4 is similiar enough to the NVX as far as the charts are concerned). Is there anything in the current performance charts that would be similar to the DS411?

 

[HDClown]

Is there anything in the current performance charts that would be similar to the DS411?

QNAP TS-459 Pro uses the D510 and is in the charts. It also supports EXT4, so I'm guessing that is what was used for the QNAP tests.

 

[oostertoaster]

This may be a stupid question, but does ext4 improve NAS performance? I know it allows for larger volumes/file sizes, but was unaware of any performance improvements.

QNAP TS-459 Pro uses the D510 and is in the charts. It also supports EXT4, so I'm guessing that is what was used for the QNAP tests.

 

[HDClown]

Yes, performance is different. EXT4 introduced extends to replace traditional block mappings, which has an effect on performance.

Here is something random I found online comparing ext2/3/4, and is very recent

http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/A+Comparison+of+Ext2,+Ext3+and+Ext4+Performance

 

[claykin]

To be clear, I'm not saying Synology firmware is buggy. Synology makes some fine products, as does Netgear and QNAP. That said, I way prefer Netgears support practices over the other two companies.

 

[oostertoaster]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'm currently leaning towards the DS411+ because of the D510 that it includes for almost the same price as the Ultra4. One remaining question I have is about how the DS411+ stacks up against the N4200 from Thecus (if this needs to be a question for a new thread let me know). I've read in a few places (including this thread) that Thecus is not quite on par with the other manufacturers (QNAP, Synology, Netgear). However the specs for the N4200 look pretty good for the price. Is the Thecus firmware and support that much worse than the other guys?

 

[claykin]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'm currently leaning towards the DS411+ because of the D510 that it includes for almost the same price as the Ultra4. One remaining question I have is about how the DS411+ stacks up against the N4200 from Thecus (if this needs to be a question for a new thread let me know). I've read in a few places (including this thread) that Thecus is not quite on par with the other manufacturers (QNAP, Synology, Netgear). However the specs for the N4200 look pretty good for the price. Is the Thecus firmware and support that much worse than the other guys?

I'll put it this way, stick with the DS411+.

Have you checked stock of the DS411+? I quickly looked at both Newegg and Amazon and neither has it. Newegg shows it as "unavailable" not just out of stock. Saw similar threads discussing on Synology's forums. Hmm...

 

[oostertoaster]

Interesting. It was in stock yesterday on Amazon when I was checking prices. However you are correct, it is definitely out of stock everywhere now. Well, looks like I have some more time to make my decision

Have you checked stock of the DS411+? I quickly looked at both Newegg and Amazon and neither has it. Newegg shows it as "unavailable" not just out of stock. Saw similar threads discussing on Synology's forums. Hmm...

 

[thiggins]

I've read in a few places (including this thread) that Thecus is not quite on par with the other manufacturers (QNAP, Synology, Netgear). However the specs for the N4200 look pretty good for the price. Is the Thecus firmware and support that much worse than the other guys?

Thecus performance will be as good or better than QNAP / Synology NASes with same processor. But Thecus still is playing catch up on support. Compare their Forum and website support section with QNAP and Synology's.