Test Methodology
Client |
|
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5 2500K (3.3GHz, 6MB L3 cache, quad-core, LGA1155) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti |
| Motherboard | Intel DP67BG |
| Memory | 2GB Corsair DDR3 |
| Power supply | Corsair AX750 |
| Monitor | Dell 30in 3007WFP |
| Disk drive | Intel SSD |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit |
Network-attached storage configurations |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo LinkStation Pro Quad | QNAP TS-439 Pro |
QNAP TS-469 Pro | Synology DiskStation DS411+ |
Thecus N4200 |
|
| Approx. price | £400 | Discontinued | TBC | £480 | £360 |
| CPU | 1.6GHz Marvell | 1.60GHz Intel Atom N270 (single-core, 512KB cache) |
2.13GHz Intel Atom D2700 (dual-core, 1MB cache) | 1.66GHz Intel Atom D510 (dual-core, 1MB cache) |
1.66GHz Intel Atom D510 (dual-core, 1MB cache) |
| Memory | TBC | 1GB DDR2 | 1GB DDR3 | 1GB DDR2 | 1GB DDR2 |
| Disk drives | 4x 1TB Seagate ST31000528AS (included in price) |
4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ (optional) |
4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ (optional) |
4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ (optional) |
4x 1TB Samsung HD103SJ (optional) |
| RAID mode | RAID 5 | RAID 5 | RAID 5 | RAID 5 | RAID 5 |
| Network connection | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Firmware | 1.54 | 3.2.6 Build 0423 | 3.6.0 Build 0220T | 2.3-1167 | 3.02.01 |
Benchmarks |
|---|
| Iometer v2008.06.18-RC2 Intel NAS Performance Toolkit v1.7.1 File copy test (8.83GB) Power draw |
Notes
To get a true feel of what the TS-469 Pro is capable of, the NAS should be configured with four high-speed SATA 6Gbps SSDs and connected to a network environment that supports high-performance port trunking. We're working to source the components that will make such high-end test scenarios possible, but for the meantime, we're slotting QNAP's latest into our existing test suite to see how it fares when equipped with four affordable hard disks.
All of our comparison NAS servers are tested using a single Gigabit Ethernet link with Jumbo frames disabled, and are 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 MB/s.
Last but not least, we measure NAS power draw during three states; under load, idle and standby mode if applicable.
