Qnap 410 or Synology 410(j)

[randfee]

Hey guys,

first of all: Great website, read and learned lots about NAS and router performance here during the past days.

I've been looking into getting me a NAS for my home LAN for a while now and I'm willing to make the move soon. I've been looking at rather cheap 4-bay solutions that are capable of RAID5. I've come across the Qnap TS-410 and the new Synology DS410 but none of them has been tested here. The difference between both 409 models suggests a huge performance advantage for Synology, altough I know that both testing procedures might not be comparable at all.
I don't have a Gigabit Switch at home yet, planning on getting a new Router with that included.

Usage scenario:
Most of my traffic will consist of media files and mirrors of my documents. I'll have two Macbook Pros running time machine backups on the NAS plus I want to be able to access several TB worth of photos and videos without having to get the backup HDDs and DVDs out of my shelf. Two more Windows PCs are hooked up to the LAN.
I plan to to do all future backuping from the notebooks via time-machine and iSCSI folders on the NAS and its backup functionality to backup to another (slower/cheaper) NAS or external hdd.

Who can tell me something about the performance of those newer models? I'd appreciate some insight on the Synology DS410j as well since it is roughly 150€ cheaper than the DS410 but has the same software/feature without eSATA. What performance hit can I expect from that?
I'm NOT willing to spend more than these models cost (slightly over 400€) without the drives.

What are my options? Any advice is appreciated!

thanks!

edit: please move thread to "NAS buying advice", did not see that category or else I would have posted it there!

 

[thiggins]

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=2556

 

[randfee]

yeah, saw that one. I was curious to know whether someone has gotten his hands on the Synology DS410 with its Freescale mpc8533e PPC processor, but I just saw that the 409+ has had the same CPU for some time now. I wonder what changed. Besides that, Synology claims on their website:

RAID 5 average read speed = 110MB/s
RAID 5 average write speed = 54.9MB/s

these numbers would suggest an extensive performance boost over the 409+ from what I can see. Obviously that kind of performance would make the DS410 a very strong competitor towards higher end QNAP solutions like the TS-439Pro that cost almost 200€ more.

Thus my question regarding the DS410, does it hold what is promised on their website?! If so, my decision is clear

 

[thiggins]

The 409+ does not have the same processor. The MPC8533e in the DS410 has hardware encryption. The MPC8533 (used in DS409+, DS509+, DS209+II) does not.

I'd say the performance of the 409+ and 209+II will be indicative of what the DS410 will do with unencrypted volumes.

But if you'd like to believe Synology's numbers, be my guest!

 

[randfee]

I'd say the performance of the 409+ and 209+II will be indicative of what the DS410 will do with unencrypted volumes.

But if you'd like to believe Synology's numbers, be my guest!

Exactly... that is why I ask . I knew about the hardware encryption but as far as I can tell there is no architectural difference otherwise, thus... no reason for a huge performance improvement as claimed on their site.

My notion so far is:
At 409+ performance-level I might as well stick to a DS410j and save the extra 150 bucks. The remaining question then is: Am I gonna kick my own butt six months from now that I didn't get a higher performance unit. The only ones that I can think of as alternatives are the QNAP TS-419P and 439P, which are 80€ and 200€ more expensive respectively.

What puzzles me is the fact that the Qnap SS-439 seems to have the same hardware as the 3,5" counterpart but a much lower price tag (375€). WHY? Obviously going for this one is no alternative since the 2,5" drives are way more expensive per MB plus they still lack the capacity I'm looking for. Still, makes me wonder if the TS-439Pro is just overpriced.

 

[thiggins]

FYI. Synology passed along this info regarding the DS410's performance:

There are a few reasons the DS410 is faster than the DS409+, DS209+II, or other unit with the MPC8533 (non 'e') processor.

- In addition to hardware encryption, the MPC8533e also has a 4 way XOR engine that substantially increases RAID 5 performance.

- A design change in the DS410, an external NIC, boosts performance about 10% in our lab tests.

- DSM 2.3 was used to bench in our lab tests. We don't just add features and capabilities with each new version of firmware, we optimize the firmware for deeper integration with our hardware which results in faster performance. These differences can be noticed on older models as well, users can expect a jump in performance just by upgrading the DSM 2.3. In fact, we've seen marked improvements in the DS209 and DS109 in some recent tests here with DSM 2.3.

 

[randfee]

Thanks for the info, thiggins. I'm pretty sure now that the DS410 is faster than the equally priced Qnap 419P but many claimed the Synology might be way louder, which would be a no-go too.

I still can't make up my mind which way to go. I could just buy the 410j and try it out, keep it as a Backup-Solution if I want more speed and get the 410 or something else....

 

[louisw]

Given the new chip, is there any chance of getting the Synology DS410 into the charts?

I would also love to see the QNAP TS-410 and QNAP TS-419P in the charts as these are the three NAS I am looking at.

 

[randfee]

sine this is exactly my price area as well, i'd also love to get an idea of how well it performs. Can't find a proper comparison. I guess there is still quite some headroom for the DS410+. Anyone?!

 

[nightviper]

Hi, new to SNB, but would like to second randfee and DrNeutron on how great this site is , being a Mac user in search of a good and reliable NAS, and how little information are out there...<sigh>

I too am looking between Synology's DS410 vs Qnap's TS-419p.

Another point in Synology's favor/performance is that the DS410 is on a 64-bit bus, which is why it's much faster than DS409's 16-bit.

- Comparison spec on Synology; and also reported here.
- This is another comparison that i find.

But it would really help if there are tests not done by them...<nudge...nudge> SNB to the rescue?

randfee, do you use a Network media player like AppleTV, AC Ryan or the likes to access your movies in the NAS?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[nightviper]

Bumped into this , Lonestar there has gripes about QNAP's faults as found here. As real world experience as it gets, on one of QNAP's feature. Just FYI.

 

[thiggins]

But it would really help if there are tests not done by them...<nudge...nudge> SNB to the rescue?

I requested a DS410 quite some time ago. Synology tends to be slow to supply product. Try nudging them...

 

[gnasher666]

Hi guys and gals,

New to this forums but wanted to let you know after a fair amount of research I decided upon one of the following NAS units, either the Synology DS410 or the Thecus N0503. I couldn't decide which to go for so I've purchased both.

The Synology should be with me in a few days time with the Thecus following a week or so later - if you want me to perform a load of tests while waiting for SNB to get a unit to review I will be more than happy to oblige.

 

[louisw]

I requested a DS410 quite some time ago. Synology tends to be slow to supply product. Try nudging them...

Any update on this?

 

[thiggins]

Any update on this?

Nope. No product and no idea when / if it's coming.

 

[louisw]

Nope. No product and no idea when / if it's coming.

Is it safe to assume that a DS 411+ has not shown up for a review either?

 

[oostertoaster]

I've asked a similar question in another thread and gotten no response. I'm guessing the DS411+ will also be delayed. Just a guess though.

Is it safe to assume that a DS 411+ has not shown up for a review either?

 

[Damo78]

I'm Guessing Synology is to blame for no review equipement/comparison on SNB?
What are they scared of? I'm very new to NAS' and from what I've read all over the interent and magazines synology is always being elevated to the top of the list but how is this justifed with no testing.

 

[thiggins]

I'm Guessing Synology is to blame for no review equipement/comparison on SNB?

Please check the NAS Charts and reviews. You will see plenty of reviews of Synology NASes.