Thecus N0503 or Synology DS410j or QNAP TS-410

[Daveh]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, this a great site with tons of information. Had a read on the various articles to educate myself:
1. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas/nas-basics/30060-smart-sohos-dont-do-raid
2. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas/nas-basics/30107-how-to-choose-the-right-nas-for-you

I am looking to purchase a NAS after my desktop (with all my 4 HDDs) died on me. The prices of the above 3 models seem to start with the Thecus and going up to the QNAP.

These are some of my plans for the NAS:
1. Centralized storage for the family to store/access files/pictures/movies
2. Printer server for my Canon Ip3000 printer
3. Stream my HD videos (many formats with sizes up to 4GB) to my PS3
4. Should have a torrent client
5. Supports step by step expansion (plan to start with 1HDD first)

I have 3 XP laptops at home with a MAC on the way. From reading in the forum, It seems CPU speed and RAM is always a factor to consider. Looking at all three models, the Thecus seem to have similar features as the Synology and QNAP. Maybe someone can share some light on the differences? The Thecus GUI sucks but I can deal with that since I would only probably use it to set it up. The specifications of the Thecus looks extremely attractive considering the price it is going for.

Any advices would be much appreciated.

 

[thiggins]

CPU is more of a performance factor than RAM, especially if you're dealing with large files.

Don't count on print serving working for all features of your printer. The print servers in NASes and routers tend to be very simple.

"Step by step" expansion may be more of a hassle then you'd like with any of these. None support starting with one drive and then going to a RAID array without having to recreate the entire array (and backup and restore your data).

If you're looking for a grow as you need solution, look at Windows Home Server based NASes (like the HPs) or NETGEAR ReadyNASes.

 

[Daveh]

Hey Tim,

Many thanks for the recommendation. Sadly, the HP mediasmart servers (and/or even the Acer easystore) are not available in my country (Singapore). Since the Thecus/Synology/QNAP all do not support the gradual growth of HDD (w/o rebuilding), then the Thecus' performance/price looks looks hard to beat.

I saw in another thread that you have no plans to test the Thecus N0503. Any reason?

 

[thiggins]

I saw in another thread that you have no plans to test the Thecus N0503. Any reason?

So many products. So little time.

 

[automator]

Daveh, have you decided yet which unit to go with?

I narrowed my selection down to those 3 units as well (and maybe the Synology DS410), but I also would like to test my ESXi server with iSCSI. This is a pretty difficult decision for sure, reviews are all over the map for these devices.

 

[Daveh]

So many products. So little time.

:-D understand completely.

From a specifications/price standpoint, I think it would be an interesting to see it stack up against the competition. I personally think it should do pretty well and the move from the AMD Geode processor (on the n3200 pro) to the Intel ATOM.

 

[Daveh]

Daveh, have you decided yet which unit to go with?

I narrowed my selection down to those 3 units as well (and maybe the Synology DS410), but I also would like to test my ESXi server with iSCSI. This is a pretty difficult decision for sure, reviews are all over the map for these devices.

I am definitely leaning towards the Thecus. The price difference compared to the Synology Ds410j and QNAP TS-410 is around USD100 and USD150 respectively. That could get me a HDD with the enclosure if I go with the Thecus.

My only concern now is the uPNP/DLNA integration with my PS3 (which seem to be buggy). I have read that, if transcoding is required for decoding various video files for streaming to the PS3, the NAS would not be capable for this. (See this thread http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=1494&highlight=transcoding). I could consider dropping the uPNP/DLNA support and just use the NAS as a centralized storage. With a PC connected to my TV (such a waste of the PS3).

The only NAS that confirms support for my Canon IP3000 printer is the synology.

I am now digging into the various forums to read about user problem with teh Thecus.

BTW, do you have the same needs as me?

 

[Daveh]

Hi automator,

BTW, if the HP mediasmart 495 is avialable in my country, I think that could actually meet my needs!

If your needs are similar to mine, maybe you want to consider the HPs.

 

[automator]

My needs are fairly simple, I want to store all my media and other various files on the system, mostly to protect against hard drive failure (I already have a good multiple-layer backup system in place). I'll be streaming the media to various media centers (SageTV based), so I have no real need for transcoding etc. I was hoping to also play with iSCSI, but it is a lower priority.

The Thecus unit does look good on paper, but I keep hearing complaints about the user interface, plus I really wanted 4 bays, so not sure what to do now.

I am definitely leaning towards the Thecus. The price difference compared to the Synology Ds410j and QNAP TS-410 is around USD100 and USD150 respectively. That could get me a HDD with the enclosure if I go with the Thecus.

My only concern now is the uPNP/DLNA integration with my PS3 (which seem to be buggy). I have read that, if transcoding is required for decoding various video files for streaming to the PS3, the NAS would not be capable for this. (See this thread http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=1494&highlight=transcoding). I could consider dropping the uPNP/DLNA support and just use the NAS as a centralized storage. With a PC connected to my TV (such a waste of the PS3).

The only NAS that confirms support for my Canon IP3000 printer is the synology.

I am now digging into the various forums to read about user problem with teh Thecus.

BTW, do you have the same needs as me?

 

[Daveh]

I am not particularly concerned with the interface as long as it provides me with the access to the various features. After configuring it, I don't think I will go back to changing the configuration again.

Is there a reason you want 4 bays? More capacity? Planning to run raid?

My needs are fairly simple, I want to store all my media and other various files on the system, mostly to protect against hard drive failure (I already have a good multiple-layer backup system in place). I'll be streaming the media to various media centers (SageTV based), so I have no real need for transcoding etc. I was hoping to also play with iSCSI, but it is a lower priority.

The Thecus unit does look good on paper, but I keep hearing complaints about the user interface, plus I really wanted 4 bays, so not sure what to do now.

 

[automator]

Yea, I want to run a RAID5 configuration.

 

[syno.franklin]

"Step by step" expansion may be more of a hassle then you'd like with any of these. None support starting with one drive and then going to a RAID array without having to recreate the entire array (and backup and restore your data).

Greetings all

Just to clarify everyone about the expansion abilities of multi-bay Synology DiskStations, we support

1 Disk Basic mode --> 2 Disk RAID-1
2 Disk RAID-1 --> 3 Disk RAID-5
x Disk RAID-5 --> x+1 Disk RAID-5, where x is greater or equal to three
y Disk RAID-6 --> y+1 Disk RAID-6, where y is greater or equal to four

For the DiskStation DS509+/RS409+ Series models, we support further expansion to the Synology Expansion systems, DX5/RX4 respectfully for each model (one is desktop oriented, the other is 1U Rack Mount design), where using the Expansion systems will add an additional five or four bays, to the DiskStation

DiskStation DS509+ with DX5 = 10 Bays of storage
DiskStation RS409+ with RX4 = 8 bays of storage

Using any of these expansion methods would not require you to destroy the volume, but I would always suggest having a backup before executing a RAID level migration.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[TanGu]

"Step by step" expansion may be more of a hassle then you'd like with any of these. None support starting with one drive and then going to a RAID array without having to recreate the entire array (and backup and restore your data).

Are you sure of that ? Qnap advised it as :

Online RAID Level Migration enables users to install one hard drive for setting up TS-509 Pro and migrate the RAID redundancy level in the future to increase data protection. The migration process can be done without turning off the server. All the original data retained.

Example #2 or #3:
http://www.qnap.com/pro_features_RLM.asp

 

[thiggins]

syno.franklin's information is correct.