QNAP TS439 or Thecus N5500

[raffyboi]

Ok, should really compare the N5500 with the 509 ($1450), but in terms of price difference here in Australia, these are the closest two:

TS439 = $1177
N5500 = $1054

So in theory, using 1.5tb drives priced at $140 per drive:

TS439 + 4 drives = $1737 / 4.5tb:RAID5 = $386 per tb
N5500 + 5 drives = $1754 / 6tb:RAID5 = $292 per tb

So the Thecus offers more value for money.

But the biggest question is about usability.

I basically want to use the system in a raid5 for:

**Media storage (audio and video)
**DLNA streaming (PS3 and to maximum 3 pc's on wired network)
**BitTorrent Downloading
**Print server would be nice

What am i better off with? Qnap looks like its all in the box whereas I guess the Thecus requires module setups to be able to BT download.


Bottom line, do I go quality and friendly usability with the Qnap or the value for money with the Theucs?

 

[thiggins]

I'd ask around in local forums for how Thecus support is down under. And QNAP is a bit ahead on installed apps and others that you can install.

 

[raffyboi]

So in terms of software features, Theucs CAN match the QNAP, but the bits and pieces need to be installed individually?

Looks like the QNAP has a lot more support than Thecus down here...the website looks a lot better too ^_^

 

[thiggins]

So in terms of software features, Theucs CAN match the QNAP, but the bits and pieces need to be installed individually?

I believe so. But you need to check the available Thecus modules for yourself to be sure everything you want is there.

As for Xbox360 streaming, check Thecus forums and do some search homework to see if people have had success or problems. DLNA / UPnP AV support has been a problem for both QNAP and Thecus (and Synology).

 

[raffyboi]

See, the N7700 is $1210, so if i went this and bought 4 drives for the time being, I'd still spend $1770 with the option of being able to add 3 more 1.5 drives...

This sounds like a great option, but again, is it easy to add drives to a RAID 5 array?

Head is hurting with all these options!!

 

[raffyboi]

Oh, and thanks for the live advice =p Going mad....havent had any sleep because of the thought of nas nas nas nas nas nas nas nas nas....

 

[linkup]

As for Xbox360 streaming, check Thecus forums and do some search homework to see if people have had success or problems. DLNA / UPnP AV support has been a problem for both QNAP and Thecus (and Synology).

Only one company whose products I am considering wasn't in your list, and that was Netgear.

Will I be able to reliably use a Pro with a PS3 and some other wireless media player OK?

Since that is one of my priority applications, I wanted to be sure the NAS I bought would work well with media players.

Thanks!

 

[thiggins]

Since that is one of my priority applications, I wanted to be sure the NAS I bought would work well with media players.

Only way to know is to hit the user Forums of the NAS you're considering. Media streaming to PS3 / Xbox360 can be twitchy due to variation in DLNA implementations.

 

[jp2325]

Just say no!

... to Thecus.

Horrible interface. Horrible documentation. In my opinion, they're a half-assed company that needs to do some serious work to resolve some major issues.

'tis a shame, too ... their hardware is nice. It's just useless with such poorly written firmware/software/documentation.

 

[linkup]

Thanks for the reply...a $200 rebate from Netgear swung me over that way. I really miss the eSATA port both QNAP and Thecus offered. I also didn't notice the Netgear was missing camera support.

BTW, I only paid $10 more than your pricing to buy 2TB Hitachi drives... $154 ea including shipping and tax.

As far as PS3, it works fine with the Netgear's DLNA support.

Thanks