QNAP TS-639 vs. NETGEAR ReadyNAS Pro Pioneer

[mjacob]

Hi everyone! Longtime lurker, first time poster.

I've been doing my research over the past several weeks, and I think I've narrowed the choices down to the TS-639 from QNAP and the ReadyNAS Pro Pioneer from NETGEAR. My core requirements are pretty simple, but since this is my first appliance NAS, I wanted to get a second opinion. (In the past, I've just built my own NAS boxes mostly from spare parts.)

Here's what I want:

• 6-drive capacity
• RAID 6 to handle 2 simultaneous drive failures
• Gigabit NIC (obviously)
• Standard protocols: CIFS, AFP, rsync
• Stability and reliability are more important than lots of features
• $1200 or less

Having said that, the QNAP satisfies all my needs and then some, but the ReadyNAS seems to have faster speeds, a better warranty, and a more polished UI. I know for sure that NETGEAR has been around longer, but I'm not sure about Infrant because pre-acquisition news is hard to come by.

The ability to do rsync over SSH from the NAS to another server is a nice-to-have, but the most likely scenario for me will probably be mounting a NAS share on a Debian box and using JungleDisk to mirror the most critical stuff offsite. I think only the QNAP supports rsync'ing to another box; the Pioneer edition of the Pro does not.

Lastly, there seems to be some confusion within NETGEAR as to whether the Pro Pioneer actually supports RAID 6 like its bigger brother. There's no consensus on their website, as one page clearly says RAID 6 and another says RAID 0, 1, 5. Even the PDF data sheet makes the same mistake. This worries me.

Thanks in advance for any feedback! I'm looking to buy something within a couple weeks, so your advice is invaluable.

 

[claykin]

While I will agree with you that Netgears Pro Pioneer documentation could use some improvement, this device does support RAID6 and XRAID2. If you do not require dual WAN, AD, Secure Rsync, longer warranty, etc then the Pioneer should suit you just fine.

 

[mjacob]

Good to know that RAID 6 is possible on the Pro Pioneer. I'm not trying to decide between the Pro and the Pro Pioneer, though. I'm trying to decide between the QNAP and the ReadyNAS.

 

[spider2009]

Hi MJacob,

Did you make your choice? Which device did you go with? What's your experience?

I'm trying to make a choice myself between these two devices?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[mjacob]

I actually ended up getting the QNAP TS-509 Pro. I decided that I didn't actually need 6 drives, and running 5 drives in RAID 5 was just fine for what I'm doing with it. Here were my reasons for getting the 509 instead of the 639 (and the QNAP instead of the NETGEAR):

• eSATA
• iSCSI
• Form factor (I like the vertical layout better than the horizontal layout)
• Updated UI via new firmware
• Best benchmarks (509 faster than 639 in some tests)
• $200 cheaper (509 vs. 639)

So far, so good. I haven't had a chance to play with it much, but it's been up and running for a couple weeks. I hope to experiment and do some heavy transferring to it this weekend.

 

[spider2009]

Thanks for your reply.

How noisy is the unit.

I got an impression reading Tim Higgins's review that ReadyNAS Pro is a bit quiter: "Figure 2 shows the Pro's rear panel, with nice big case and power supply fans. Both are variable speed and run suprisingly quietly, except for boot-up when they ramp up to full speed before falling back to their normal quiet hum."
See: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30647/75/

whereas QNAP TS-509 Pro: "As for noise, the almost 5" fan is speed controlled and so helped keep the 509 Pro relatively quiet. But with five 7200 RPM drives spinning away, it was noisier than my Core 2 Duo desktop. The clunks and taps from the drives were particularly loud and seemed louder from bouncing off the cabinet sides."
See: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30549/75/

what is your experience vis-a-vis noise?

Thank you again for your response.

 

[mjacob]

I don't have much of a basis for comparison with other NAS appliances, but in my opinion, the noise isn't overwhelming by any means. When our laptop fans start spinning, they're louder than the TS-509, and when my wife and I are having a normal conversation in the office, it completely drowns out the fan noise.

I don't know about you, but our house is rarely ever silent, what with passing cars and normal house noises and everything. I was going to put the TS-509 in my office closet if it was too loud, but as of right now, it's perfectly fine sitting on an industrial wire rack in the corner of the room.

Matt