Hitachi Ultrastar VS Deskstar NAS as archive drives

[Toxikaraidur]

On PCPartPicker, there are Hitachi Deskstar NAS drives (specifically the 3TB 7200RPM drives) that cost 120USD each, wheras the Ultrastar(3TB 7200RPM drives) cost only 90 dollars.

Which one is better for a NAS based on lifespan, how quickly data can be transfered between (assume gigabit specs) it and another computer? (Also please assume wired/wireless is "optimal")

I have seen the UserBenchmarks site compare normal Deskstar and Ultrastar, but I have searched many a site, including Tomshardware and Tomsguide for advice on this particular matter, and there seem to be none.

Granted, I know that no matter which one I could go with, the lifespan and reliability would be far above and beyond, but a premium of 120 vs 90 is a bit hefty when you're thinking about RAID10.

 

[Lutfij]

Hefty it may be but there is a clear difference in the sort of hardware used when building a NAS drive and a desktop grade drive. Desktop grade drives end up being used anywhere between 6-12 hours everyday but a NAS drive tends to be active for 24hrs a week over a span of it's lifetime. That being said, what sort of a setup are we looking at? You could look into WD's Red range of drives as they are marketed for being the perfect companion for NAS environments although down in my region(Bangladesh) I have seen WD drives show the highest failure rate.

 

[Toxikaraidur]

Hefty it may be but there is a clear difference in the sort of hardware used when building a NAS drive and a desktop grade drive. Desktop grade drives end up being used anywhere between 6-12 hours everyday but a NAS drive tends to be active for 24hrs a week over a span of it's lifetime. That being said, what sort of a setup are we looking at? You could look into WD's Red range of drives as they are marketed for being the perfect companion for NAS environments although down in my region(Bangladesh) I have seen WD drives show the highest failure rate.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Krayven/saved/RMj23C
That is the setup I have picked out currently. The processor and RAM are "overkill" for a nas. And yes, you're right, it would be if I didn't intend to use it for anything other than file storage. It will be accessed very often for somewhat intensive tasks: I also intend to use the NAS for video downloads such as Kodi and whatnot.
I also generally tend to pick things that are specced above what I need and use them for only what I need that way I'm not stressing out the components and therefore it has much increased lifetime.
I want this thing to last upwards of 10 years before I have to replace anything in it.
Thank you for telling me the difference between a deskstar and the ultrastar though. I didn't know that.

 

[Lutfij]

You're welcome! I only mentioned that a NAS grade drive will see better read and writes at continued exposure within a server/continually access device.

Hmm, looking through your PCPartPicker link, it's definitely looking like a content creator's workstation machine, well almost! You forgot to include a GPU in that build though and I think you can defintely go with lower spec'd hardware and run off a B150 board since this is only going to be a file server of sorts. Speaking of file's, what sort of an array are you looking at? If data is backed up in an ample manner, you can deal with going for cheaper desktop grade HDD's and give them a spin. Given that you can rebuild an array(provided 1 out of 4 is damaged) or if you plan to stick to RAID1 only then you can bear with a dead HDD and only purchase a replacement down the road.

If you don't like how the NAS is working you can always swap the current drives out for NAS grade drives.

 

[Toxikaraidur]

You're welcome! I only mentioned that a NAS grade drive will see better read and writes at continued exposure within a server/continually access device.

Hmm, looking through your PCPartPicker link, it's definitely looking like a content creator's workstation machine, well almost! You forgot to include a GPU in that build though and I think you can defintely go with lower spec'd hardware and run off a B150 board since this is only going to be a file server of sorts. Speaking of file's, what sort of an array are you looking at? If data is backed up in an ample manner, you can deal with going for cheaper desktop grade HDD's and give them a spin. Given that you can rebuild an array(provided 1 out of 4 is damaged) or if you plan to stick to RAID1 only then you can bear with a dead HDD and only purchase a replacement down the road.

If you don't like how the NAS is working you can always swap the current drives out for NAS grade drives.

I decided to go with the Ultrastar drives so I could run them as long as I wanted without feasable worry.
I intend to run the four drives in a RAID10 (two for performance/storage and two for online redundancy). I went without the GPU for a few reasons:
A: The content will be transfered/loaded onto another set of independent rigs that will boast GTX 1080's (one each, no SLI/Crossfire)
B: adding a GPU to the NAS would ramp up the power bill a bit. I also don't know if there would be any network or miscommunication issues between two different types of GPU's. like a radeon r7 to a gtx 1080 for theoretical example and i don't want to go down that route if i don't have to.
C: The power bill might be a tad hard to justify even if no other issues arise. My brother already thinks that the nas is overkill as it is. adding a gpu will only trip his trigger.

 

[Lutfij]

Why not just forgo buying a Xeon and get one with an onboard GPU. You're not going to game off of it but it will serve as a GUI capable unit. In retrospect, you could also invest in a KVM switch to manage the system without a display. Nah you won't see that issue come up with using two different branded system with different branded GPU's in each.

If you don't intend on going for a lower cost, lower powered build than the Xeon you picked out, you may want to think about a passively cooled GPU like the GT720 or lower or even older gen cards that were meant for HTPC use.

He's right to think that IMHO...what software are you going to run off of it? You're not looking into freeNAS, now, are you?

 

[Toxikaraidur]

Why not just forgo buying a Xeon and get one with an onboard GPU. You're not going to game off of it but it will serve as a GUI capable unit. In retrospect, you could also invest in a KVM switch to manage the system without a display. Nah you won't see that issue come up with using two different branded system with different branded GPU's in each.

If you don't intend on going for a lower cost, lower powered build than the Xeon you picked out, you may want to think about a passively cooled GPU like the GT720 or lower or even older gen cards that were meant for HTPC use.

He's right to think that IMHO...what software are you going to run off of it? You're not looking into freeNAS, now, are you?

Yes, I looked into Freenas, and I thought the processor I picked out already had an onboard GPU, Intel graphics pro 530 or something or other. Since we're not going 4K (2K at the utter ridonkulous maxium) we won't need a dedicated/discrete GPU.
much of the RAM is because of freenas 16TB (storage) to 16GB (RAM). 64gb would be too expensive, not to mention overkill.

 

[Lutfij]

^ I had a brainfart! Sorry, you're right the Xeon has an integrated GPU on the CPU die. You seem to be set, then?

 

[Toxikaraidur]

^ I had a brainfart! Sorry, you're right the Xeon has an integrated GPU on the CPU die. You seem to be set, then?

Seems so. Thank you for sorting me out! *hits the upvote button on your profile (If I can find it XD)*

 

[Lutfij]

Thank you for awarding my post as the Best Answer. I only hope it has answered your question.

 

[Toxikaraidur]

Thank you for awarding my post as the Best Answer. I only hope it has answered your question.

You answered all of my questions, not just the one I posted in this thread. I had about a dozen or so other things to work out, and you solved em all! XD

 

[Lutfij]

Heh, you're welcome!

If you need more assistance there are a couple of videos by Crit tv/level1tech(YouTube) about FreeNAS...conveniently titled NASferatu(or something like that), might be worth checking out.

You'll be fine with each GB of ram for each TB of HDD space and the RAID setup should keep you happy for the foreseeable future albeit some failed drives here and there. Oh and I almost forgot, you may want to look at this case:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Cgs8TW/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5tiw
for use as your NAS. It's been very popular with folks setting them up as servers and whatnot. Handy with the number of HDD caddy's in there and room for more.