NAS differences and transfer speed via different generations of products

[Roxy]

I appreciate there's lots of variables to these products and what they offer.

Though as a general rule of thumb, how much better or faster(network transfer) are current and even last generation NAS versus some of the grandfather products?

I've read here at SNB that some newer NAS, no longer use jumbo frames and yet are still faster than their predecessors.

There's tons of variants and options available to purchase, particularly used and it's difficult (also at times misleading) choosing the best option for your money.

An example for myself personally was when I came across a Ready Nas RND4000 NV+ (what looks to be v1) and I struggled to find a good comparison with the Ready Nas RND2000 Duo v2.

Obviously the 4000 hold more storage and has some other amenities, but from a quality and networking point of view, which would I invest in?

What do you think? Which would you choose?

 

[stevech]

I appreciate there's lots of variables to these products and what they offer.

Though as a general rule of thumb, how much better or faster(network transfer) are current and even last generation NAS versus some of the grandfather products?

I've read here at SNB that some newer NAS, no longer use jumbo frames and yet are still faster than their predecessors.

There's tons of variants and options available to purchase, particularly used and it's difficult (also at times misleading) choosing the best option for your money.

An example for myself personally was when I came across a Ready Nas RND4000 NV+ (what looks to be v1) and I struggled to find a good comparison with the Ready Nas RND2000 Duo v2.

Obviously the 4000 hold more storage and has some other amenities, but from a quality and networking point of view, which would I invest in?

What do you think? Which would you choose?

I'd choose (and did) Synology or QNAP. ReadyNAS, not in my solar system.
Go to the on-line demos of Synology and QNAP. Make your decision based on software features, ease of use, etc.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
OP did not mention what he is going to do with NAS. Rather than comparing generation difference have to narrow down what model he is interested ie. how many bays, etc. For general purpose all around use in the house I picked Synology too. Photo station is well liked
by family members for an example. I like surveillance station.

 

[stevech]

Yes, focus on what you want to do, and what software features in the NAS you need. I think people put too much emphasis on transfer speeds.

 

[Roxy]

I appreciate that speed isn't everything and I've definitely looked for some that have features I required.

The main use is to be a media vault for films/music as well as back up installation files for multiple computers around the home. Most files will be downloaded straight to the drives and/or transferred from one computer to the NAS.
I guess my requirements aren't bespoke or particularly specific outside the norm - and thus general quality and throughput is definitely important to me as well.

Why spend XX amount an older unit (even if it was 'good' back then), when I can get the same features and better performance from a newer model at the same cost.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[mdgm]

Though as a general rule of thumb, how much better or faster(network transfer) are current and even last generation NAS versus some of the grandfather products?

There are performance charts on SmallNetBuilder and reviews with some performance numbers.

I've read here at SNB that some newer NAS, no longer use jumbo frames and yet are still faster than their predecessors.

Jumbo Frames is more trouble than it's worth in my view unless you are an advanced user who likes tinkering with things to get maximum performance.

You need the NAS, switch and the ethernet NIC in your PC all to support Jumbo Frames and if there is a setting to turn on Jumbo Frames have it enabled. You also may have to do some troubleshooting to get the MTU right.

Newer NAS models, at the same price point, generally have faster CPUs which usually means there will be greater performance.

An example for myself personally was when I came across a Ready Nas RND4000 NV+ (what looks to be v1) and I struggled to find a good comparison with the Ready Nas RND2000 Duo v2.

The NV+ v1 was discontinued back in 2011. The Duo v2 was discontinued last year (however you do need to confirm that the Duo you are looking at is not actually a Duo v1): http://www.rnasguide.com/2012/01/09/how-to-tell-whether-i-have-a-duo-v1-or-duo-v2-or-nv-v1-or-nv-v2/

Obviously the 4000 hold more storage and has some other amenities, but from a quality and networking point of view, which would I invest in?

What do you think? Which would you choose?

I would go with a newer model than either of these.

The NV+ v1 performance is 20-30 MB/s for reads, a bit more than that perhaps if you use NFS. The v1 is essentially an evolutionary changed from a product released in February 2006. The NV+ v1 has a Sparc CPU.

The Duo v2 is much faster with an ARM CPU. The duo v2 is a very different product to the v1.

Why spend XX amount an older unit (even if it was 'good' back then), when I can get the same features and better performance from a newer model at the same cost.

Exactly. A newer model is the way to go.

An older discontinued unit if you are buying new would likely have been sitting on a shelf for quite some time. If you're buying second hand, how are you really going to know what state the unit is in before you purchase and will it last you as long as a new unit?

Look at reviews for different models from different brands (these will generally show you some pros and cons for the devices), consider what features you want/need and make a decision.

 

[Roxy]

Thank you for the detailed and specific answers.

I went with a duo V2 and so far it's doing well. I think the bottleneck in my setup is actually the router - to be replaced soon!

 

[mdgm]

Wi-Fi is a bottleneck. Even 802.11ac (note need client e.g. laptop and router to have this to use this) will not be as good as a wired gigabit connection.

If the router only has 100Mbit not gigabit then that is a bottleneck as well.