Readynas or Buffalo? - URGENT

4 bays instead of 2?
Double the performance?

That product is more comparable to the ReadyNAS Duo than an Ultra model

Double check the warranty too - IMO the key strength of ReadyNAS products is the quality of their hardware which they stand behind with a good warranty, even on consumer models

Does the client use Windows Active Directory (or is there a chance in the near-to-mid future)? If so, he'll need the "Pro" version, not the "Ultra". Ultra is for home use and does not support AD. Pro also has 5 year warranty and a number of other features useful in a business environment (SNMP, snapshots, rsync-over-ssh, ethernet bonding/teaming, VLANs, etc.).

The other major benefit of the ReadyNAS is the very active developer community. There are a number of folks who compile add-ons to add additional functionality to the NAS, such as Wordpress & Drupal CMS, media streaming, torrent & usenet clients, and tons of other things: http://www.readynas.com/?cat=75.

Thanks for the info.

I have the Ultra 4 at home, and hate the way the permissions work..

Currently there is no Active Directory at the customer site - only work group permissions.

Is the pro version that much more expensive?

Only one USB connection (versus 3) the power switch seems to be a slide switch on the back rather than a power button on the front. Looking at the ratings on Newegg.com, even though there were only 3 customers who rated the unit, only one give it as high as an average (3 eggs out of 5) and the other two gave it a one. The one rating they quoted most was SLOW. From some of the description, it is about the speed of the Duo (25MB/s) on file transfers. If the customer doesn't want to go to the Ultra2, then I would wait for the Duo v2 to be available (RND2000-200EUS in your area). It is much, much faster because of a new (Marvell) processor.

The warranty (at least in the U.S.) is only one year versus the Duo (v1 and v2).

Will the Buffalo support drives larger than 2TB? The new Duo v2 (and NV+ v2) will and of course all the Ultras and Pros do as well.

There will be a price advantage because the models with drives have been in the pipeline for a while and unless the retail stores have raised them on their own have not yet seen the price increases that hard drives have encountered of late.

FWIW, I have noted that the new Duo v2 as listed on Newegg in the U.S. is only about 10% higher for the diskless version over the v1 diskless. For an entry level machine that is a very good price point.

As for prices on the Pro, you would have to search sites in your area. In the U.S. on Newegg the Duo v1 is $180, the Duo v2 is $200, the Ultra 2 is $300, the Ultra 2 Plus is $390 and the Pro 2 is $450 (all prices are diskless and include shipping). While Netgear is price competitive, it will never be the cheapest out there.

PapaBear wrote:
Will the Buffalo support drives larger than 2TB? The new Duo v2 (and NV+ v2) will and of course all the Ultras and Pros do as well.

Yes - a 6TB model is fully available. Based on the specs on the Buffalo pages, that appears to be the only significant difference vs the Duo v1. While the Duo v2 solves that limitation it doesn't actually appear to be available yet so that might not really be an option if the end user is in a hurry to buy

It does take a little longer for the product to get over there. It is now on the websites here though, so perhaps before long. But, even though it is more expensive, I firmly believe the Ultra/Pro series 2 bay models to be far more robust. (I personally prefer the 4 bay models, but fully understand the pricing issue).

I checked Amazon.com - Duo v2 is still listed as out of stock

I posted that Newegg (US only) is actually having a sale on both the Duo v2 and the NV+ v2. About $30US off their normal price through the 22nd. Unusual move for a new product, but then Newegg is successful because they do things differently.

PapaBear wrote:

Only one USB connection (versus 3) the power switch seems to be a slide switch on the back rather than a power button on the front. Looking at the ratings on Newegg.com, even though there were only 3 customers who rated the unit, only one give it as high as an average (3 eggs out of 5) and the other two gave it a one. The one rating they quoted most was SLOW. From some of the description, it is about the speed of the Duo (25MB/s) on file transfers. If the customer doesn't want to go to the Ultra2, then I would wait for the Duo v2 to be available (RND2000-200EUS in your area). It is much, much faster because of a new (Marvell) processor. The warranty (at least in the U.S.) is only one year versus the Duo (v1 and v2). Will the Buffalo support drives larger than 2TB? The new Duo v2 (and NV+ v2) will and of course all the Ultras and Pros do as well. There will be a price advantage because the models with drives have been in the pipeline for a while and unless the retail stores have raised them on their own have not yet seen the price increases that hard drives have encountered of late. FWIW, I have noted that the new Duo v2 as listed on Newegg in the U.S. is only about 10% higher for the diskless version over the v1 diskless. For an entry level machine that is a very good price point. As for prices on the Pro, you would have to search sites in your area. In the U.S. on Newegg the Duo v1 is $180, the Duo v2 is $200, the Ultra 2 is $300, the Ultra 2 Plus is $390 and the Pro 2 is $450 (all prices are diskless and include shipping). While Netgear is price competitive, it will never be the cheapest out there.

What is the limiting factor for giving 25MB/s? is it the raid controller?

Most likely the processor. The just replaced NV+ has an older Sparc based processor (the new NV+ v2, RND4000-200NAS has a Marvell processor and is faster), and it's expected file transfer speed, even on Gigabit networks is about the same. I have a 4 1/2 year old one that is good as a file server, but won't support much in the way of a lot of add ons.

The Ultra 4 from all reports is somewhat faster than my 1 1/2 year old NVX because of the faster 64 bit processor. I can count on 50-70 MB/s and have seen as high as 90MB/s on large files. Large files will of course transfer faster than a similar volume of small files.

It could also be the raid controller or other aspects of the design, I don't really know. Another comment on one of the reviews was that their UI was very slow as well. This could indicate the OS is a contributing factor as well. It would take one with a lot more experience with the various machines than I have to definitely say one way or another.

If your customer is looking for a 2 bay rather than a 4 bay, I would recommend the Ultra 2 with 2 pre-installed 2TB disks. (Unless they need more space) Currently Newegg is showing the RNDU2220-100NAS for $525 delivered. Purchasing the RNDU2000-100NAS and 2 2TB drives will run $700 delivered. In the past, it has generally been more cost efficient to buy the units diskless and add your own. However, with the current hard drive situation, the pre-populated models have not seen the price increase - yet. The RNDU4220-100NAS (Ultra 4 with 2x 2TB drives) is $700, the RNDU4000-100NAS with two separately purchased 2TB drives will run $960. (2TB drives on Newegg are $200 and up).

Amazon UK is showing the Ultra 2 with 2x2TB drives anywhere from 530 to 700 Pounds. (Sorry, US keyboard has no pound symbol).