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ONE OF THE BEST NAS DEVICES ON THE MARKET—ON PAPER
When it comes to computer networking products, there are a few companies that always come to mind. Buffalo is one of them. Storage devices have always been a part of Buffalo's repertoire, so including the TeraStation Pro Quad in this roundup was a no-brainer. The "Quad" in the moniker refers to the four drives that come preinstalled in the NAS, with options for 1TB, 2TB, or 3TB drives at various price points. Buffalo chose a dual-core 1.6GHz Atom to run the TeraStation Pro, and 2GB of RAM provides more than enough memory for most purposes. The configuration we tested came complete with four 1TB drives. Inside the box, you'll find Ethernet and power cables, a quick-start guide, and a software and documentation CD. Buffalo also includes 10 licenses of NovaBackup Business Essentials.
Buffalo chose to keep the drive trays accessible from the front of the unit, though they are enclosed behind a locking door. The door locks at the bottom, but the handle is located at the top; this causes the door to flex when you attempt to open the door without first unlocking it. An LCD panel graces the front of the TeraStation Pro and provides simple configuration and diagnostic information. The back of the device has a generous array of connectivity options: two gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0, and two USB 3.0 ports. The USB ports support both external drives and printers, while the Ethernet connections can be configured for load balancing or failover.
Buffalo is all business with the TeraStation Pro Quad. The result is a NAS geared toward the workplace and short on consumer features.
The software end of things is where Buffalo really shows its business bias. The most apparent tools in the web-based interface allow you to locate your NAS through beeps and a flashing LCD, features that are primarily suited to users with several NAS devices. Other prevalent features, such as Active Directory integration are key tools for business environments, but are of little use to home users. BitTorrent downloads are supported, as are DLNA and iTunes servers, though configuration for media-centric functionality is pretty sparse. One rather compelling feature is the WebAccess service, which allows you to create a friendly URL for accessing all of your files.
Performance is the biggest cause for concern in our opinion, as our large-file copy to the NAS took a whopping 2 minutes, 4 seconds. Compare that to Synology's DS411+II coming in at 28 seconds, and you can understand our disappointment.
OUR FAVORITE NAS GETS BETTER, BUT REMAINS PRICEY
When the previous version of a product holds a spot in our Best of the Best hardware rankings (see our review of the QNAP TS-459), it's only fair to have some high expectations, and fortunately, QNAP meets them with its TS-459 Pro II. The TS-459 Pro II ships with power and Ethernet cables and includes NetBak Replicator software to easily manage backups to the device.
Some aspects of the TS-459 Pro II hardware are comparable to the competition, and in other respects, it's just head and shoulders above the rest. A 1.8GHz dual-core Atom powers the TS-459 Pro II, and 1GB of DDR3 RAM comes preinstalled, though you can upgrade to 3GB yourself. The front of the NAS features four individually lockable drive trays that are mounted vertically. The LCD provides quick access to important information and can be used to handle some minor configuration.
QNAP anticipates all your NAS needs with the TS-459 Pro II; it's the compete package.
QNAP offers more connectivity options than most mortals will know what to do with. The dual Ethernet ports are pretty standard for these devices, but QNAP also tosses in four USB 2.0, two USB 3.0, and two eSATA ports. QNAP also gets a leg up on the competition by providing support for SATA3 drives internally, giving it lots of potential when paired with high-performance drives. In addition to all of the standard RAID levels, QNAP also supports a RAID 5+Spare configuration for folks with a phobia about data loss.
On the software side of things, QNAP shows similar attentiveness. The TS-459 Pro II offers three distinct web console interfaces for administration, media playback (Multimedia Station), and file browsing. QNAP's web UI isn't as cutting-edge as what Synology offers, but that doesn't make it any less usable. From an administration perspective, all of the key features and capabilities are easily accessed. The Multimedia Station is especially handy, as the system indexes your media and gives you very usable methods of viewing your pictures or listening to your music away from home. DLNA and iTunes server support are both included with the TS-459 Pro II, though DLNA is handled with a Twonky server plugin.
It might be pricey, but the TS-459 Pro II covers all bases.
The decision about whether to go the NAS route or to purchase/build a Windows Home Server can be a tough call and is similar to the desktop/laptop decision; a big part of the choice comes down to how you plan on using the computer.
Windows Home Server excels at bringing several Windows-based PCs into a single network by integrating into the client computers transparently. Synchronized user accounts, automated integration into file libraries, and automated backups are just a few of the benefits of owning a Windows Home Server. The media sharing and backup capabilities of a Home Server are in direct competition with the NAS boxes in this review, but the NAS devices can't compare to the level of integration achieved by Windows Home Server.
If you're not in a Windows-centric environment, NAS devices offer more functionality for users of other operating systems, such as Linux, or mobile platforms like iOS and Android. All of the NAS appliances reviewed offer some sort of iOS application, and both QNAP and Synology also support Android devices. Time spent on proper care and feeding of a NAS can be lower than that of a full-blown Windows Home Server, making it a good option for friends and family who may be less tech-savvy. There may also be situations where you don't want all of your files and folders to be shared with family or roommates.
At the end of the day, the only person who can tell you which storage option is best for your scenario is you. Settle on a price point, determine which hardware and software features you need, figure out which platforms you will use to access your files, and decide how much time you want to spend managing and maintaining the system that is supposed to be making your life easier.
HOW THE BENCHMARKS FIGURE IN TO THE FINAL VERDICTS
In our performance testing, Synology's DS411+II consistently led the pack, though the QNAP TS-459 Pro II wasn't ever far behind. The real surprise was how terribly the Buffalo TeraStation Pro Quad performed when writing to the device, especially given its top marks for read speeds with the large-file test. All of our testing was performed with both the PC and NAS boxes connected to a Netgear GS108E eight-port gigabit switch.
When all is said and done, it's hard to argue against the QNAP TS-459 Pro II, which meets or exceeds every specification and feature of the competition. Though it did fall behind Synology's DS411+II in our performance testing, the breadth of its capabilities makes up for those mostly minor performance differences. From where we sit, the biggest selling points for QNAP are the bevy of connectivity options, SATA3 support, expandable memory, and more software features than you can shake a memory stick at.
The real battle in this competition is for second place. Promise and Synology both deliver quality products, with Promise winning the hardware battle and Synology the software. If forced to decide between the two, we'd have to go with Synology because its control panel and software features show so much attention to detail. Add to that the price difference between the Synology DS411+II and the Promise SmartStor NS4700, and you can see why the former is the clear winner of the pair.
To be fair to Buffalo, the TeraStation Pro Quad is a solid piece of hardware, second only to the QNAP box. The biggest problem we have is the inconsistent performance, which we can only assume to be software-related. Hopefully, the kinks can be worked out with a firmware update in the near future.
| Promise SmartStor NS4700 | Synology DS411+II | Buffalo TeraStation Pro Quad | QNAP TS-459 Pro II | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC to NAS, small (sec) | 11 | 08 | 35 | 09 |
| PC to NAS, large (sec) | 36 | 28 | 124 | 30 |
| NAS to PC, small (sec) | 11 | 08 | 09 | 11 |
| NAS to PC, large (sec) | 37 | 38 | 35 | 38 |
Our test bed features a six-core AMD Phenom II running at 3.2GHz, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB SATA2 WD Caviar Green drive. All testing was done across a Netgear GS108E gigabit switch. Testing consisted of copying a single 2.79GB file and a folder comprised of 659MB worth of files and folders to and from each NAS. Each test result is the average of three test runs.
Comments are closed on this article
karenxiao
January 11, 2012 at 7:18pm
I am very enjoyed for this side. Its a nice topic. It help me very much to solve some problems. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. I think it may be help all of you. Thanks
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caterin
January 05, 2012 at 12:52am
All the products we tested support up to four SATA drives in the standard RAID levels (0/1/5/10), providing exceptional performance and reliability. Phlebotomy Training
QuadraQ
September 20, 2011 at 7:44pm
This is a nice review of some of the pre-built options that are out there. However, this is MaximumPC and is geared toward enthusiasts. We love to build our PC's and tinker with our hardware. Building a NAS box is now a hot area of growth for enthusiasts with terrific options out there such as FreeNAS with ZFS support. A small case with room for 4 or more 3.5" drives and a power efficient cpu can make an incredible NAS box for a LOT less money than the pre-built options. It's time for MaximumPC to do a feature article about such a project, that covers some of the best options out there, at varying price points (preferably a cover article).
mac2k
September 20, 2011 at 8:30am
They really need to do a thing with freenas vs these boxes and see if the options (services) and speeds are a good way to see the differences. Plus Pricing since freenas ia free and all you need is a old computer...
TechLarry
September 20, 2011 at 7:40am
ALL of these things are horribly overpriced.
You can build a WHSv2 Server for around $400, add the WHSv2 server software for $79, and then toss in 4-6TGB of storage and come under the $800-$900 price of these things.
And have increased functionality to boot. Backups with bare metal restores. Internet Media Streaming. DNLA streaming. Remote Access other than FTP. And an add-in system that continues to grow daily.
Not to mention performance. You can use left-over parts from an older PC that are assuredly more powerful than these Atom based boxes (mine uses a 'retired' E6700 on a BadAxe-2 Motherboard).
I just don't see the value in these any longer. At least not at this price point. If they sold for $199, which is about all the hardware there is there plus a bit for the customized Linux OS, then they would be more in the market.
tferrill
September 20, 2011 at 2:33pm
It seems you haven't read the full article. Specifically your comments regarding Internet Streaming, DLNA, Remote Access, etc. Several of these devices feature all of the above, and handle those features better than WHS. Also, performance is is a trade-off. Power management is also a key feature for a device that could potentially be running constantly for a number of years.
Your concern with price is valid, but you have to remember that these devices are targeted at Small Businesses, not consumers. The intent of the article was to compare the devices, not necessarily to present them as the end-all solution for your storage needs.
siph7
September 20, 2011 at 3:44am
At around $400, this would be a much nicer alternative and gives more flexibility.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/HP_Proliant_MicroServer
AlBSure
September 19, 2011 at 8:16pm
I frequently look at the price of these preconfigured NAS and just smfh. about 2 years ago i built one myself and its been the best thing:
Norco 2u case w/8 hotswap - $160
MB I had sitting around from an old PC
Bought another 2u from a guy that didnt want it for $50 to harness the PSU
filled drives 0 - 3 with 500GB drives and bout to fill the remainder 4 with either 1TB or 2TB drives
OS - Openfiler
all the different protocls work nice for me since I left M$ for Linux a few months ago and my Mac friends,TV's, PC's, Apple TV, Roku, WDLive find it with no problem. and the uptime was almost 1k Days lastime i looked
Kaldesh
September 19, 2011 at 3:27pm
Best NAS Solution? Easy.
1 old computer -- $0
2TB Hard drives -- $69.95ea
Install FreeNAS on an old USB Key and attach to computer -- $0
--- ---? ??? -- ??? --- Profit? Me thinks... yes.
illusionslayer
September 19, 2011 at 7:03pm
Where exactly are you getting a free computer and a thumb drive?
don2041
September 19, 2011 at 10:07pm
I got 4 Optiplex 170L Dells from the free store at the local dump. P4s 2.8 ghz, 2Gigs ram, attatched 2 external 2terabyte drives to each. bulky but they work just fine They stack up nice and I can do lots of other stuff with them other than just storage.
ps also attached a 4 port kvm switch a friend gave me.
JeyNyce
September 19, 2011 at 2:33pm
This is great and all, but how about doing a story about building your own NAS. With the price of Hsrd Drives falling it may be better to build your own
nedwards
September 19, 2011 at 2:41pm
We've done that before and will be doing another one soon. Specifically, once FreeNAS 8.1 comes out.
QuadraQ
September 20, 2011 at 7:51pm
That's excellent news! Please make it a cover article - this is one of the hottest growth segments for DIY PC builders, and FreeNAS is truly exciting. I've been looking to build one of these beauties myself, and there are a dizzying amount of options. I'd love to get a MaximumPC article to help sort some of it out. Information on power usage would also be very helpful. (Please be sure to include some points on how to leverage old hardware, and standard PC cases - not just the NAS specific hardware out there.) I'd also like to see a comparison to Drobo, since it offers similiar features.
h e x e n
September 20, 2011 at 4:33am
Excellent. I have tons of old HDD's just laying around, I'd like to know how to put them to use and the benefits of having a NAS in your home network. Looking forward to the next "build it".
A few questions though: How many computers would one need attached to a network to see real usability from a NAS system? What, besides storage, can you do with these devices? Are they easy to set up and maintain?
I'm completely in the dark here. My external 160gb western digital passport has been my trusty backup now for over 5 years and I have yet to understand the benefits and features of a NAS system. Any input from people running them would be great.
dwellman
September 19, 2011 at 7:06pm
Right. But did you mean 8.1 or 8.0.1?
Anyway, pursuant to the curent crop of 8.0.x releases, I wouldn't expect the blazing-est performance numbers especialy using he now intended default ZFS. ZFS on BSD has always been. . . meh. UFS faster, but sometimes, not by much and slower in SoftwareRaid mirror. Also all the "consumer" level widgets from 7 are gone, namely, Transmission.
But then again, my little NAS cost $212 initially (including 2 2.5 inch drives) two years ago, but I recenty (two weeks ago) had to replace the mainboard, but I got an OK deal at $74 for a D510 based and I bought another stick of RAM for $12.
