FTP transfers were, as usual, faster than SMB transfers, with read speeds hitting an impressive 69.3MB/sec using this method. FTP encryption, which businesses may like the look of, is missing though, which the Terastation III does handily.
Shining example: one of the biggest and brightest LCDs we’ve seen on a Nas
Power consumption is superb, thrashing the 4-drive TeraStation III and the 2-drive (4-bay) Promise SmartStor NS4600. Noise levels are accordingly low, with no noticeable hard drive rattle. The ix4-200d has no scheduled on/off capability, so the ix4-200d may end up drawing more energy than its competitors, just not Buffalo’s energy hog the Terastation III – the ix4-200d’s idle power consumption is as low as the Terastation’s hibernate mode.
The ix4-200d isn’t a webserver like Qnap and Synology models (it won’t render php files) and it’s missing a hibernate function and Raid 0 capabilities, so it’s not the most functional Nas server. It’s underlying performance and features are good though and a two year warranty for European punters will give a bit of extra comfort to business users. Let’s not forget VMware users, who will struggle to get more peace of mind than this.
Verdict
The Iomega StorCenter ix4-200d doesn’t as many tricks as Synology or Qnap boxes, but its operating system is responsive and stable. If you need a Nas for VMware use, then the ix4-200d is a logical choice. ®
More Nas Reviews...
Synology DS409Slim |
Buffalo Terastation III |
Promise Smartstor NS4600 |
Cisco Linksys Media Hub |
Iomega StorCenter ix4-200d
COMMENTS
Too risky to use.
Old PII tower, RAID/network cards as needed, a handful of HDDs and FreeNAS. Although a few pounds less to buy and more hours work to set up initially, being able to fix the damned thing when it breaks is worth (often literally) thousands.
"Power consumption is superb"
And the power consumption (in watts) would be what exactly, I don't remember where "superb" fits in the standard units, how many libraries of congress is that?
It's great to know it thrashes it's competition, but a real watt figure would be more useful.
