Page 4 - Performance Benchmarks
For our tests, the QNAP TS-409 is placed in the networking room in my basement, where all the network outlets in my house leads to. The test system is two stories away from the NAS to simulate real world performance in a centralized networking environment. A NETGEAR GS-108 Gigabit switch handles the communication between the two.
Test system as follows:
- Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 @ 3.50 (333*10.5, Yorkfield/12MB L2)
- Noctua NH-U12P w/Noctua NF-P12 + Arctic Cooling MX-2
- Asus Striker II NSE
- Super Talent Project X PC3-14400 2x1GB @ 6-6-6-18
- Western Digital 500GB AAKS 7200RPM 16MB PMR SATA2
- NEC AD-7170A 18X DVD+/-RW
- Gigabyte Radeon HD 4850 1GB Passive
- Auzentech X-Fi Prelude
- Silverstone KL-02; Noctua NF-P12 - Front (Asus Q-Fan), Noctua NF-S12-1200 - Back (Asus Q-Fan)
- Seasonic M12II 500W
- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1
In our benchmarks, we used our standard test folder to calculate performance of the drives. Our test folder contains thirty additional folders inside. Inside the folders are 515 files; consisting of EXE, INI, DAT, BIN, DLL, ZIP, JPG, AVI and more. The total combined file size is 399 MB (418,666,235 bytes).
We also used a single 399 MB file (418,666,235 bytes) by adding the 515 files and 30 folders listed above to an uncompressed ZIP file for single file performance. Each test was ran at least twice to ensure accuracy.
- Write means copying from the test file from our test system to the device. (Write performance test)
- Copy means to copy the file from the reference device to our test system. (Read performance test)
Real-world throughput for our Multi File benchmark was really consistent while reading our networking performance graph -- not lag spots or sudden drop in data output. Consistent input/output is especially important for media streaming. We measured the N4100PRO's read performance to be very good at 15.84MB/s for both read and write.
With our Single File Benchmark, the Thecus N4100PRO demonstrated a series of very impressive results. While the read performance did not match the write performance, either is very good for its class. We measured the Thecus N4100PRO's read performance to come in at an excellent 25.29MB/s; while the write speed is also very good at 20.48MB/s. This results that in both benchmarks, the Thecus N4100PRO is significantly faster than the QNAP TS-409 in all our tests. The TS-409 is fast. The Thecus N4100PRO is even faster. They weren't joking in at least half the time with its "Unmatched Speed and Total Security" slogan haha.
The Thecus N4100PRO is actually a relatively power efficient NAS -- uses just slightly more power than the QNAP TS-409. Our test unit only has one Serial ATA hard drive installed; power measurements correct to 24W idle and 29W load. However, it should be noted that the QNAP TS-409 with two hard drives under load, the maximum power consumption is only 28W. In idling state, the N4100PRO takes 24W of power with one hard drive. Not that the approximate 10-15W difference between the QNAP NAS and the Thecus N4100PRO is a lot, but for something that usually runs 24/7, you'll want the power consumption to be as low as possible in the long run.
Page Index
1. Introduction and Specifications
2. A Closer Look
3. Configuration and User Interface
4. Performance Benchmarks
5. Final Thoughts and Conclusion
