Test Methodology
Comparison NAS Configurations |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Qnap TS-453D |
Synology DS220+ |
Synology DS418 |
Synology DS920+ |
| CPU | Intel Celeron J4125 |
Intel Celeron J4025 |
Realtek RTD1296 |
Intel Celeron J4125 |
| CPU Architecture | 64-bit |
64-bit |
64-bit |
64-bit |
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 |
2 / 2 |
4 / 4 |
4 / 4 |
| Peak Frequency | 2.7GHz |
2.9GHz |
1.4GHz |
2.7GHz |
| System Memory | 4GB DDR4 |
2GB DDR4 |
2GB DDR4 |
4GB DDR4 |
| Drive Bays | 4 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
| Drives Installed | 4x 8TB Seagate IronWolf |
2x 8TB Seagate IronWolf |
4x 8TB Seagate IronWolf |
4x 8TB Seagate IronWolf |
| RAID Mode | RAID 10 |
RAID 1 |
RAID 10 |
RAID 10 |
| Firmware | 4.4.3.1421 |
6.2.3-25426 |
6.2.3-25426 |
6.2.3-25426 |
| Date Reviewed | September 2020 |
September 2020 |
N/A |
July 2020 |
| Reviewed Price (exc. drives) |
£520 |
£330 |
£360 |
£520 |
HEXUS 2020 Test Platform |
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|---|---|---|
| Component | Product Page | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 3950X | amd.com |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula | asus.com |
| CPU Cooler | Corsair Hydro Series H150i Pro RGB | corsair.com |
| Graphics Card | Sapphire Nitro+ RX 5700 XT 8G GDDR6 SE | sapphiretech.com |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3200 (2x16GB) | gskill.com |
| Storage | 2TB Corsair MP600 | corsair.com |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 1,000W | bequiet.com |
| Network Card | Asus XG-C100C 10GBase-T PCIe Adapter | asus.com |
| Chassis | Fractal Design Define 7 Clear Tempered Glass | fractal-design.com |
| Monitor | Philips Momentum 436M6VBPAB | philips.co.uk |
| Keyboard | Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 Low Profile Rapidfire | corsair.com |
| Mouse | Corsair Ironclaw RGB | corsair.com |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro | microsoft.com |
HEXUS NAS Benchmark Suite |
||
|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | Test | Description |
| CrystalDiskMark | Sequential Read Q8T1 | A 1GB sequential read using a 128KB block size. |
| Sequential Write Q8T1 | A 1GB sequential write using a 128KB block size. | |
| 4K Read Q32T16 | A random spread of 4KB reads at a queue depth of 32. | |
| 4K Write Q32T16 | A random spread of 4KB writes at a queue depth of 32. | |
| PCMark 10 | Data Drive | Three-stage trace test involving 339 JPEG files totalling 2.37GB. |
| Windows File Transfer | File Copy to NAS | Transfer of 3 files totalling 16.4GB from client to NAS. |
| Directory Copy from NAS | Transfer of 16.9GB folder containing 4,718 files from NAS to client. | |
| Intel NASPT | HD Playback and Record | 2 files, 99 per cent sequential, combined read and write. |
| Content Creation | 98 files, 39 per cent sequential, 95 per cent writes up to 64KB. | |
| Office Productivity | 607 files, 81 per cent sequential, 1KB reads and writes. | |
| Photo Album | 169 files, 80 per cent sequential, 100 per cent reads of various sizes. | |
| Power Consumption | NAS power draw recorded at idle and while writing data. | |
| Noise | A PCE-318 meter is used to record noise output at idle and while writing data. | |
Notes
All NAS servers are tested using a single Ethernet link and are connected to our AMD Ryzen-based client via an Asus XG-C100C 10GBase-T PCIe Adapter and Qnap QSW-1208-8C 10GbE switch.
There are myriad ways of testing a network server, and with so many potential variables at play, we choose to keep things relatively simple with just a single client connected to the NAS. Drives are always configured as either RAID 1 on a dual-bay NAS or RAID 10 on a NAS with four or more bays, using the EXT4 file system.