Test Setup

We've changed from using manual file copy tests to Intel's NAS Performance Toolkit. This allows you to obtain results for numerous tasks such as copying individual files, directories, photo albums as well as multiple instances of video streaming.


We perform the following tests:

• Directory copy (copying a large directory tree)
  
• File copy (copying a large single file)
  
• HD Playback and Record (two concurrent 720p video streams (one playback, one record)
  
• Photo Album (browsing a collection of hi-res photos)
  
• Quad-stream video playback (four concurrent 720p playback streams)

The results are recorded in megabytes a second. We use two 2TB Western Digital Red hard disks for 2-bay NAS enclosures and the included hard disks for populated enclosures, along with an SSD in the test system, with both connected to a Gigabit router. The system is limited to 2GB RAM to ensure accurate results (a requirement of the NAS Performance Toolkit). We also configure all NAS enclosures to operate in RAID 1 mode, as this is the most likely scenario for end users as it provides redundancy. However, we use the latest version of the NAS's operating system for each review, and this may result in slightly different results between tests compared to models that use older versions.