Network Attached Storage Unit

[atifpolitici]

Hello, I am going to be buying an NAS Server, in January. My question, concerns the fact that can I use typical hard disk drives in my NAS or are the NAS drives better? Please, explain I am so confused!

 

[jay.wooster]

Can you let us know what you plan on using the NAS for ?

Not to be nosy but in some cases Software on a basic PC can be used to manage network sharing rather than a NAS

 

[jimmysmitty]

You can use nomrmal desktop drives in NAS systems however NAS based drives are typically rated for NAS operation, 24x7.

One benefit is that NAS drives typically have a better warranty and some include data recovery services, for example the Seagate Ironwolf Pro drives include 2 years of it.

 

[atifpolitici]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I make alot of game videos for self improvement and I want to store them on a NAS, as well as my information that I have for over a decade.

 

[jay.wooster]

Gotcha, was thinking of freeware like Plex for a media server. I was looking into getting a NAS as a media server for my local network and remote login for family and ended up using a cheap old PC and Plex software at no cost to setup a media server that works a treat !!!

 

[derekullo]

NAS drives have a feature called TLER or time limited error recovery that gives them more time to recover data in the event that an error does occur during a data transfer.

Most normal hard drives, Western Digital Blue/Black, don't have TLER.

Western Digital Red, Red Pro and Gold do have TLER.

For a raid like raid 1 normal drives are fine because if an error does occur you have a known good copy just waiting to replace it.

For a raid 5 or raid 6 you definitely want to use a drive with TLER, although nothing stops you from using WD Blue if you like to live dangerously.

 

[USAFRet]

Hello, I am going to be buying an NAS Server, in January. My question, concerns the fact that can I use typical hard disk drives in my NAS or are the NAS drives better? Please, explain I am so confused!

Yes, you can use regular drives. But the NAS rated drives are a bit better for that specific use case.
The firmware has routines to take care of many drives in a very close space, and the associated vibration.

WD Red or Seagate Ironwolf.
I use 4x Seagate Ironwolfs in my Qnap NAS.
But initially, I was using 4 regular drives in it.

 

[atifpolitici]

So I make alot of gaming videos for self improvement and reflection, I make them though the XBOX Windows 10 app. So for a gaming scneario, you wonderful guys are saying to buy 4 NAS hard drives? Okay, I understand the benefits but is paying the extra money worth it for my use case scenario?

 

[USAFRet]

So I make alot of gaming videos for self improvement and reflection, I make them though the XBOX Windows 10 app. So for a gaming scneario, you wonderful guys are saying to buy 4 NAS hard drives? Okay, I understand the benefits but is paying the extra money worth it for my use case scenario?

That all depends on what drives you have now?
If you're going to buy new drives...yes, get the NAS specific ones.

They're not that much more

Seagate Barracuda 4TB - $98
https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-BarraCuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST4000DM004/dp/B0713R3Y6F

Seagate Ironwolf 4TB - $120
https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-IronWolf-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST4000VN008/dp/B01LOOJBQY

 

[atifpolitici]

Okay, thank you everything will be bought new in January so I'll be sure to buy NAS hard drives, can NAS hard drives withstand more writes than the typical hard drives? Because gaming and recording videos, for over an hour surely write to the hard disk alot.

 

[USAFRet]

Okay, thank you everything will be bought new in January so I'll be sure to buy NAS hard drives, can NAS hard drives withstand more writes than the typical hard drives? Because gaming and recording videos, for over an hour surely write to the hard disk alot.

"3-year product warranty and 180TB/year workload limit "

That would be 500GB a day, every single day, just to meet the warranty level.

 

[atifpolitici]

Oh that’s really awesome, thank you for your informative answers! So buying a 4 bay nas server, can I populate it with two drives to start with or is it more better to get all four drives together? Thanks!

 

[USAFRet]

Oh that’s really awesome, thank you for your informative answers! So buying a 4 bay nas server, can I populate it with two drives to start with or is it more better to get all four drives together? Thanks!

Yes, you can put whatever number of drives you want it in. 1, 2, 3, 4. It will probably wun with any combination.
Be aware, though...if you add drives later, and have instituted some form of RAID...you' might have to reformat everything if you add drives and change that later.

Which NAS are you considering?

 

[atifpolitici]

Sir, I am considering the Qnap TS-431P server with 4 bays!

 

[USAFRet]

Sir, I am considering the Qnap TS-431P server with 4 bays!

I have a Qnap TS-453A. 4 x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, RAID 5.

 

[atifpolitici]

Hello, Sir that’s exactly the setup I am thinking of LOL. Thanks for all your answers! I’ll keep you guys posted about how it goes!

 

[atifpolitici]

That must have cost you over £1,000?

 

[USAFRet]

That must have cost you over £1,000?

Including drives and a RAM upgrade, it was right at $1,000 USD.
And has given flawless performance, in 20 months of 24/7 operation

 

[atifpolitici]

There must be something good about NAS hard drives! With a NAS hard drive, would you still recommend a schedule when not in use to power down or should it remain on?

 

[USAFRet]

There must be something good about NAS hard drives! With a NAS hard drive, would you still recommend a schedule when not in use to power down or should it remain on?

I leave mine on. At idle, it uses very little power.

Boot up time is pretty slow, and that idle time at night is when my other systems do their backups to it. Or it does its own backup to a USB drive.

 

[atifpolitici]

Ah okay, so did you get backup software with it or did you use your own? Because if their do not provide it, I am thinking of using Acronis True Image to backup!

 

[USAFRet]

Ah okay, so did you get backup software with it or did you use your own? Because if their do not provide it, I am thinking of using Acronis True Image to backup!

For my systems, I use Macrium Reflect.
Read here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3383768/backup-situation-home.html

For the NAS backup to the USB drive, that is part of the Qnap OS.