Test methodology
Network-attached storage
| Thecus N4200 | QNAP TS-439 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (without HDD) | £550 | £620 |
| CPU | 1.66GHz Intel Atom D510 (dual-core, 1MB L2 cache) |
1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 (single-core, 512KB L2 cache) |
| Memory | 1GB DDR2 | 1GB DDR2 |
| Disk drive(s) | 4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ | 4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ |
| RAID mode | RAID 5 | RAID 5 |
| Network connectivity | Dual Gigabit Ethernet | Dual Gigabit Ethernet |
| Firmware | 3.02.01 (26/04/2010) | 3.2.6 Build 0423 (28/04/2010) |
Client
| CPU | 3.2 GHz Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1,024MB | |
| Graphics driver | Catalyst 10.3a | |
| Motherboard | ASUS P6X58D Premium | |
| Motherboard BIOS | 0703 | |
| Mainboard software | Intel Inf 9.1.1.1025 | |
| Memory | 2GB Corsair DDR3-1,067 CL7 | |
| Memory timings and speed | 7-7-7-20 1T @ DDR3-1,066 | |
| Network connectivity | Marvell Yukon 88E8056 GbE | |
| PSU | Corsair HX1000W | |
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP - 2,560x1,600px | |
| Disk drive(s) | Corsair Nova V128 SSD | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit | |
Software
| Benchmarks | Iometer v2008.06.18-RC2 Intel NAS Performance Toolkit v1.7.1 File copy test (8.83GB) Power draw |
|---|
Notes
For comparison's sake, we've included benchmark results for a rival NAS solution; the QNAP TS-439 Pro, which features a previous-generation Intel Atom processor. Readers should note that QNAP does now offer an upgraded model in the form of the TS-439 Pro II.
Both the Thecus and QNAP units are configured with the latest available firmware releases, versions 3.02.01 and 3.2.6 Build 0423, respectively.
Four Samsung 1TB drives (model HD103SJ) were used in a RAID 5 configuration, with a default stripe size of 64KB. Both units were tested using a single Gigabit Ethernet link with Jumbo frames disabled, connected to our client and network via a Netgear GS108 switch.
Iometer, a familiar benchmark in our test suite, is an I/O subsystem measurement tool. For the purpose of our NAS testing, we set a queue depth of 16 (outstanding I/Os) and run the following four benchmarks:
- 64KB transfer, 100% sequential, 100% read
- 64KB transfer, 100% sequential, 100% write
- 64KB transfer, 100% random, 67% read and 33% write
- 1MB transfer, 100% sequential, 100% read
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 these traces onto a chosen storage solution and records performance in MB/s.
Taking a look at a simple usage scenario, our file copy test involves copying a mixed assortment of files totalling 8.83GB in size from our client to the NAS. The result is recorded in time taken to complete.
Last but not least, we measure NAS power draw during three states; under load, idle and standby mode if applicable.
