Test Methodology
Comparison NAS Solutions |
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| CPU | Memory | Disk Drives | RAID Mode | Network Connection | Firmware | Date Reviewed | Reviewed Price | |
| Buffalo LinkStation 520 | 1.1GHz Realtek RTD1195N (dual-core) | 256MB DDR3 | 2x 1TB WD Green WD10EZRX (included) | RAID 1 | Gigabit Ethernet | 2.00-20151016 | Dec 2015 | £155 |
| Iomega StorCenter ix4-300d | 1.3GHz Marvell Armada CP (dual-core) | 512MB DDR3 | 4x 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 (included) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 3.3.4.29856 | Feb 2013 | £263 |
| Qnap HS-251+ | 2.0GHz Intel Celeron J1900 (quad-core, 2MB cache) | 2GB DDR3L | 2x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 1 | Gigabit Ethernet | 4.2.0 | Nov 2015 | £290 |
| Qnap TS-451-4G | 2.41GHz Intel Celeron J1800 (dual-core, 1MB cache) | 4GB DDR3L | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 4.1.3 | May 2015 | £400 |
| Qnap TS-453mini-8G | 2.0GHz Intel Celeron J1900 (quad-core, 2MB cache) | 8GB DDR3L | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 4.1.4 | Jun 2015 | £490 |
| Qnap TS-453 Pro-8G | 2.0GHz Intel Celeron J1900 (quad-core, 2MB cache) | 8GB DDR3L | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 4.1.1 | Dec 2014 | £520 |
| Synology DS115 | 0.8GHz Marvell Armada 375 88F6720 (dual-core) | 512MB DDR3 | 1x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | N/A | Gigabit Ethernet | 5.1-5022 | Feb 2015 | £125 |
| Synology DS1515 | 1.4GHz Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-314 (quad-core) | 2GB DDR3 | 5x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 5.1-5022 | Apr 2015 | £498 |
| Synology DS414j | 1.2GHz Mindspeed Comcerto C2200 (dual-core) | 512MB DDR3 | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 5.0-4482 | May 2014 | £258 |
| Synology DS715 | 1.4GHz Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-314 (quad-core) | 2GB DDR3 | 2x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 1 | Gigabit Ethernet | 5.2-5592 | Jul 2015 | £325 |
| Thecus N4310 | 1.0GHz APM 86491 SoC (single-core, 256KB L2 cache) | 1GB DDR3 | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | OS6.build_809.a | Dec 2014 | £260 |
| Thecus N5550 | 1.86GHz Intel Atom D2550 (dual-core, 1MB cache) | 2GB DDR3 | 5x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ (optional) |
RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 2.03.08 | Feb 2013 | £450 |
| Thecus N5810Pro | 2.0GHz Intel Celeron J1900 (quad-core, 2MB cache) | 4GB DDR3 | 5x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (optional) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 2.05.08 | Jul 2015 | £649 |
| WD My Cloud DL4100 | 1.7GHz Intel Atom C2338 (dual-core, 1MB cache) | 2GB DDR3 | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (included) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 01.06.118 | Apr 2015 | £1,130 |
| WD My Cloud EX4100 | 1.6GHz Marvell Armada 388 (dual-core) | 2GB DDR3 | 4x 4TB WD Red WD40EFRX (included) | RAID 5 | Gigabit Ethernet | 1.06.127 | Mar 2015 | £900 |
Benchmarks |
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| File Copy Test (8.83GB) Intel NAS Performance Toolkit v1.7.1 Power Consumption |
Notes
All of our comparison NAS servers are tested using a single Gigabit Ethernet link with jumbo frames disabled, and are connected to our Intel client machine and network via a TP-Link TL-SG1024 switch.
Taking a look at a basic usage scenario, our file copy test involves moving a mixed assortment of files totalling 8.83GB in size from our client to the NAS. The result is recorded in MB/s.
Our second benchmark - the NAS Performance Toolkit, developed by Intel - is a file-system exerciser specifically designed to provide performance comparisons between NAS devices. Intel's utility focuses on user-level performance using real-world workload traces gathered from typical digital home applications such as HD video playback and record. Intel NASPT reproduces the file-system traffic observed in various traces onto a chosen storage device and records performance in MB/s.
Last but not least, we measure NAS power draw during three states; under load, idle and standby mode if applicable.