QNAP 459 Pro+? Synology DS412+? Or Thecus N4800?

[daveedtx]

I've narrowed it down to QNAP 459 Pro+, Synology DS412+, and Thecus N4800. They all basically have the same processor, RAM, capacity, sync capacity, media player functions, bittorrent download, etc. And, they all cost exactly the same.

QNAP
Pros
Build, reputation
Cons
No USB 3.0

Synology
Pros
Software, reputation
Cons
None?

Thecus
Pros
Mini UPS internal, would I need a power supply backup then? That saves $50-100.
USB 3.0 on front of machine
HDMI output
Cons
No link aggregation, but probably don't really need that anyway.
What else? Usability? Reliability?

The Thecus just caught my attention because of the UPS and HDMI. I don't have a Media Center PC, yet. I plan to have one eventually, but this might be nice. I could bypass my Blu-ray player (which mainly plays Pandora, Netflix, & DLNA anyway) or just use an HDMI switcher. I guess it also depends on the quality of the AV output it's using. Might not be even close to my Sony BDP or even a quality HTPC. And no separate digital audio out. I just thought might be nice in the meantime. The power supply is a nice upsell. Or not worth it?

Am I missing anything in my comparisons? Again I figure for the price of $650, they are all worth the $75 increase above the Netgear Ultra 4 Pro (dual-core) which has all the same features, but no USB 3.0 and no eSATA out.

Best,
Dave

 

[stevech]

I'm cheap. I decided that a two drive NAS was good enough for my home use. I don't rip DVDs though.
My opinion: Don't try to do video/audio playback from NAS ports. Not enough horsepower for video .. and I prefer to have the NAS other than in people-spaces, so the HDMI cable length is an issue.

Consider too the backup to external drive scheme.. I was going to rely on eSATA, but decided on USB3 and that eliminated some products. I wanted USB3 to simplify plugging the external drives into PCs when needed.

 

[claykin]

Personally, I prefer eSata which allows the NAS to monitor disk SMART data. SMART isn't always so smart, but its surely better than nothing which is what you get over USB.

 

[stevech]

yeah, but that USB drive/enclosure is off 99% of the time, and packed away. It's just backup, not primary.

 

[daveedtx]

Thanks, guys. I know that all three brands are well respected. I'd love the QNAP 459 Pro II but it's just too much more. The Pro+ does have eSATA which I certainly want.

I'm a little concerned about the Synology build quality being less than the QNAP. But my gut is telling me to go with the new Synology 412+. It's the best mix of features for the price.

I will need a UPS which is "built-in" to the Thecus, so I might do a little Thecus research before I pull the trigger, but I'm pretty sold on the Synology at this point.

Keep you posted. I'm looking at Hitachi Deskstar non-green drives. Concur?

 

[Hitokiri_2000]

What did you get?

I was just wondering what you decided to get? I just recently got my self an N4800 and I am very pleased with my choice.

I know they released a newer version of the N4800 where they have named it N4800Eco
They are pretty much the same with the one difference the Eco don't have the buildt in UPS wich was one of the things that made me want the N4800 so I managed to get one but I had to order it from the US as I couldn't find any sellers who had the model with the UPS they all had the Eco in Europe.