NAS storage drives

squads · Jan 26, 2012

So I am pondering getting a Synology DS212 NAS device for streaming video and audio files. I was looking around at drives and I would like to get 2x2gb drives in RAID 1 array. I will probably wait it out a few months longer since prices appear to be dropping down to less insane pricepoints.

I would like a couple of quiet drives, so the WD or Seagate green drives seem pretty good for that, but the spin down properties worry me. If the drives need to spin up for 10-15sec every time I go to browse files, it will will irritate me to no end. Does anyone have experience with these types of HDD in an NAS device and how they fare?

jokers_greg · Jan 26, 2012

I currently use a DNS-323

and I have a 1TB WD green drive in there. The spin-up feature is really only a few second delay when accessing the drive, it's really not a big deal. I bought this NAS specifically however, because it runs on linux, and I was able to run some fun_plug stuff into it via Putty.

It now has mediatomb loaded on it, and streams very nicely to my PS3, but I can also stream easily from all the computers on my network.

Couple of tips/notes:

a) MAKE SURE your NAS is on a gigabit wired connection (wireless, or 10/100 ethernet connections will drive you absolutely mad)

b) If you're looking to stream HD movies (especially to something like a PS3 or xbox) I suggest building a media server. I'm very happy with my solution, but full 1080p movies can't be transcoded fast/well enough by the little processor featured in this NAS. Maybe the newer ones can, but I'm not sure

c) Give all the PC's on your network (and your new NAS) static IP's. This will save you headaches later on when mapping the drive on whatever devices you choose.

squads · Jan 26, 2012

Yeah i currently stream to my PS3 from my PC (with PS3 media server). I am in the midst of transcoding all of my DVDs into H.264 into a format that plays natively on the PS3, so transcoding on the fly will not be necessary.

I might for now just run a RAID array in my PC as you noted, but it idles at roughly 100W, so I like to let that sleep after 1hr instead of being always on. The Synology only runs about 20W, so it would save roughly $100 a year in electricity. Transfer speeds are pretty decent for an NAS box apparently.

SeeThruHead · Jan 27, 2012

build a cheap unraid server with cache drive. much more expandability and it will solve your spin up problems.

Pinky · Jan 27, 2012

I used the DNS-321 (slightly lower end model as the 323)... re: gigabit speeds, the 321 CLAIMED gigabit but it's fact that it only runs 100megabit max. The 323 apparently has a better network chip/processor and exceeds the 321's transfer rates.

Be sure to read a lot of reviews on the NAS before purchasing. The 321 was a solid device but the lack of true gigabit support was frustrating when doing gig+ backups and transfers. Had I read reviews before hand, I would not have purchased the 321 for this reason.

There's also a lot of gigabit routers with USB connections for upnp, so in theory you could have the files on a local hard disk copied to the USB for sharing (this effectively keeps a backup copy on separate devices for redundancy). It just requires a little manual management to copy the items to the external drive. Or just upgrade the hard drive in your PS3 and do the same thing. With the cost of drives right now, it may take a while for prices to fall back to where they were pre-flooding. I'd save yourself the trouble and money unless you know of a specific function the NAS could provide, and just use an alternative workaround. Network storage made a lot of sense before hard drive prices went through the roof.

If you want/insist on Raid1, there's eSata external devices that offer raid support and multiple drives. They're basically external enclosures with a minimal OS for disk management. eSata is screaming fast compared to usb or gigabit. I'm never going back!

I also used WD green drives and the spinup was maybe 5 seconds delay.

squads · Jan 27, 2012

Yeah it seems like a pricey proposition for the time being. Right now I have two WD6400AAKS drives, which covers both storage and OS (no RAID). I have changed to all low noise components and fans and these drives are the loudest thing in the case and cause some vibration. Maybe I will look into getting an SSD and a single 2tb 5400 or 5900 rpm drive to quiet it down and bump storage a little bit. That wouldn't be as costly and would probably speed up the computer a lot.

jokers_greg · Jan 27, 2012

Pinky said:
I used the DNS-321 (slightly lower end model as the 323)... re: gigabit speeds, the 321 CLAIMED gigabit but it's fact that it only runs 100megabit max. The 323 apparently has a better network chip/processor and exceeds the 321's transfer rates.

Be sure to read a lot of reviews on the NAS before purchasing. The 321 was a solid device but the lack of true gigabit support was frustrating when doing gig+ backups and transfers. Had I read reviews before hand, I would not have purchased the 321 for this reason.

There's also a lot of gigabit routers with USB connections for upnp, so in theory you could have the files on a local hard disk copied to the USB for sharing (this effectively keeps a backup copy on separate devices for redundancy). It just requires a little manual management to copy the items to the external drive. Or just upgrade the hard drive in your PS3 and do the same thing. With the cost of drives right now, it may take a while for prices to fall back to where they were pre-flooding. I'd save yourself the trouble and money unless you know of a specific function the NAS could provide, and just use an alternative workaround. Network storage made a lot of sense before hard drive prices went through the roof.

If you want/insist on Raid1, there's eSata external devices that offer raid support and multiple drives. They're basically external enclosures with a minimal OS for disk management. eSata is screaming fast compared to usb or gigabit. I'm never going back!

I also used WD green drives and the spinup was maybe 5 seconds delay.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The DNS-323 does luckily have a true gigabit connection, and streams quite well. On top of that file transfer is pretty quick too.

I may have to review some script writing and change all my videos to .H264 format, although there's about 700GB... might take some time haha. Transcoding on the fly with a NAS is NOT recommended

edit: spin-up is really not an issue. And only exists if you buy a 'green' drive really. Once it spins up, you're set. I like the energy savings

NAS storage drives

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