Looking for fast/instant NAS to use as iTunes server/hub

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traverseinsound

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Dec 26, 2017
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Hey,

I recently purchased a WD My Cloud Home 2TB NAS drive.
After being overwhelmed by options on the market, in the end I opted for a simple option, which I now realise was a huge mistake for the requirements I have.

I'm looking for a NAS drive that will allow me to have instant playback of music on my laptop at home (I no longer own a desktop PC), through iTunes, as well as mirror the content for added security.

The WD has proved to be very, very slow on the read front when it comes to selecting a new track. Well I guess that what happens when you invest in a 5400rpm drive running on a wireless connection... -____-

I'd also mention that I'd like to ability to use the drive for 4K video playback when I upgrade my TV probably sometime next year. Essentially something that will be relatively future proof for the next 3-5 years.

I've been looking at the Qnap TS-253a (and 253b) at the moment.
The 253b is looking quite pricey for my budget, which sits at about £500 all in, for the enclosure and a 1TB SSD drive. I'd buy a second SSD later on and keep the content backed up on another external storage, until I can mirror it.

I'd be very, very grateful for any alternative suggestions.
 
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"It" has no performance over...
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derekullo

derekullo

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Jan 25, 2009
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A single 5400 rpm drive over a wireless connection is indeed a losing battle.

I recommend turning any old desktop computer into a nas using NAS4FREE or FREENAS ran from a flash drive.

An old desktop with an i3 and 4 gigabytes of ram will run circles around any off the shelf NAS.

I use a $100 desktop I bought off newegg with an i3-2100 and 4 gigabytes of ram as an ftp server using NAS4FREE.
I of course upgraded the hard drives to 3 - 4 terabyte WD reds and added another 4 gigabytes of ram for 8 gigabytes total.

NAS4FREE and FREENAS are able to use the ram in the computer as a read cache allowing you to retrieve any file in cache at pretty much gigabit speed. (More ram means more data can fit in cache which improves read performance)

Since you most likely won't have ecc memory in such a cheap computer, due keep another backup of your data in another spot.
I keep a copy of my ftp server data on another computer with ecc ram, but I've never had any problem with my NAS4FREE ftp server.

Whisper me if you need more information.
 
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traverseinsound

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Dec 26, 2017
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Unfortunately being wired isn't an option at the moment, as the router is downstairs in the living room and I'm renting. I use the laptop pretty much solely upstairs and frankly don't want to have to plug it in every day to be able to play a few tunes.

I also don't have the space for converting an old desktop, hence wanting a solid out of the box, all in one solution.

Sorry if this narrows it down a bit, but that's why I'm asking for an alternative NAS that will do the same job as the QNAPs...
 
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traverseinsound

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Dec 26, 2017
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Actually maybe I wasn't clear the first time around.

The drive itself is wired to the router, but the laptop is obviously wireless over the network, upstairs. The laptop will stay wireless for any future solution. My budget is also fairly flexible for the right solution.

Cheers...
 
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derekullo

derekullo

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Jan 25, 2009
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Having wireless for any step of your data's journey will limit speed.
Think of it as a traffic light on the interstate.

Having said that, if you must access your wired NAS over the WiFi of a laptop you would be wise to ensure that you have a strong signal in the area of where the laptop wil be and that you are using the fastest wifi your laptop supports.

For instance, if you have a Wireless-G (54 megabits) router and a laptop that is able to do Wireless-AC (800 megabits+) then you would want to replace your router with a Wireless-AC router.

I would do the above first before you buy a new NAS or build a custom nas4free/freenas server.

 
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derekullo

derekullo

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Jan 25, 2009
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Thinking outside the box a little ...

I'm assuming the hard drive/ssd on the laptop is limited in size or you would just install iTunes on it.

I'm also assuming your music collection is smaller than 128 gigabytes.

Would something like this work?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA1K03SE9064

Just keep that small hardly noticeable flash drive plugged into your laptop at all times.

Then move the iTunes library to the flash drive.

https://www.seagate.com/do-more/how-to-move-your-itunes-library-to-an-external-drive-master-dm/

You don't need to backup iTunes songs due to being able to re-download them from iTunes if the computer becomes inoperable / flash drive dies.


This won't fix the 4k video playback issue, but it is an alternative for iTunes.
 
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traverseinsound

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Dec 26, 2017
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I've got a 15" lappy with a 1TB SSD and 128GB SSD, with the music collection being around 500GB. I've had this one over two years and I'm essentially aiming to scale down to a 13" with one 512GB SSD in around 18 months (probably the new quad core Dell XPS 13s when they come down in price), but I want to get a future proof solution for my music collection, which is accessible and instant, well ahead of when I replace my current laptop. I hope that makes sense!

I have ample external storage space where the collection is already currently backed up (Buffalo Ministation Extreme and some Sandisk CZ880s) which I would rather not have plugged into the laptop when loading more tracks into the iTunes library, but I'll definitely give your other points above some pause for thought before investing in a NAS so cheers for that!
 
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traverseinsound

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Dec 26, 2017
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Hi mate

This actually isn't quite out of my budget. A diskless 4GB Ram version is currently £425 on Amazon and I'm happy to be stuck with just one drive for the time being.

Does the screen on this particular QNAP give you a health status of each drive bay? I really like that feature on QNAP devices, it's one of the reasons I was swaying to a TS-253B until I saw the price of a diskless one!
I'm also keen to hear it's performance over WiFi, as that's really the main sticking point with my requirements.

Thanks.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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"It" has no performance over WiFi...it is wired directly to the router. Any WiFi performance depends on whatever WiFi your device will do.
Playing a music playlist in SongBird goes to the next track seamlessly. No pause.
4 x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf drives, I upped the RAM to 16GB (even though it only says it supports 8GB, it recognizes the entire 16)

I use it to stream music and movies to the HTPC and TV, or to a tablet/laptop, or whatever.
It is also the repository for all the backups, and other central data.

Drive status? I keep mine in a closed cabinet. I just use the web interface on my PC to monitor and manage.
nIPyGnL.png
 
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