Upgraiding Raid - Which drives for low cost and decent performance?

[Centimgs]

Hi,

So, my first post to the community.  I'm going to upgrade from my current Raid 1 array (2 of WD1600JD) to a NAS box and I'm looking for cost effective 1TB HDD's.   I don't need enterprise standards, just reasonably quick and very quiet, any suggestions?

[ricochet]

Welcome,

Since your requirements are not enterprise level...  any drives can be used for your application.  What's more important is selecting drives which share similar characteristics (example) rotational speed, cache size, etc.  Disk size is less of an issue however, the overall size of the array depends on this, and on the RAID Level used.

Take your time selecting the NAS box and do a little research.  Ensure it supports the protocals needed for your network and intended application.  I'd also recommend looking into it's chipset and amount of installed memory.  This can directly effect sustained throughput regardless of the speed of the ethernet port 10/100/1000.  Most typicaly operate at 100 so a GIGABIT network means nothing.    

[JGene]

I recommend buying drives from WD's Enterprise family of drives.  Yes, they cost more but at least they're known to work reliably within a RAID environment.

[ricochet]

Centimgs,

The following is from WD's KB ANSWER ID1397.  It outlines the biggest difference between RE and non RE disks.  I'm sure your non RE "JD's " have performed reliably and served you well.  With non RE disks, you're basically giving up the TLER feature. You'll have to decide the value vs. cost benefit.

[Centimgs]

Thanks guys.  I assumed I could enable/disable TLER as required but after your replies I checked again and find that the WDTLER utility is no longer available and modern WD drives are "fixed" as RAID or Non RAID.   Having suffered from losing arrays in the past I dont want that to feature in a new solution, even though I have a fairly robust rackup regime.  Guess it will have to be enterprise unless other brands have the feature available on desktop models.

I was looking closely at the QNAP TS-439P or Synology DS509+ configured as Raid5+spare, to be used as a web server, store business records, family users folders and stream video/audio around the home.  I would expect only the streaming to generate any great traffic.

[Someone]

That TLER utility never worked I've heard - From what I gathered all it did was make the drive think it had TLER, but did not increase the stability etc. - I was told by support that there are other differences besides TLER as well which contribute to the increased stability in a RAID.

[Centimgs]

Seems rather odd that an app which at one time was supplied only on demand by WD support, never actually worked!  There are also lots of reports of satisfied users on the web.  Try searching "wdtler.zip" to see what I mean.

[twostime]

I'm sure you'll check manufacturers sites first. . .  I did, but between ordering and receiving a pair of 1.5TB WD Caviar Green drives Synology discovered problems with the drives ; http://forum.synology.com/enu/viewforum.php?f=151  Good luck. 

[Centimgs]

Thanks for the heads up on that one, I will be watching the forums very closely before committing.

[ricochet]

Very interesting...  and was why I mentioned researching a box before purchase.  Its helpful when a manufacturer includes a compatibility list for products which have been tested and certified to work with a piece of hardware.  Unfortunate when you have already chosen and purchased something that doesn't work (well).  Synology does make an excellent product IMO.