Buffalo is no stranger to the network-attached storage world. Surely that means the company has learned all of the lessons needed to build successful products, right?
The technology inside Buffalo's LinkStation 420 is fairly typical of entry-level NAS hardware. Its Marvell Armada 370 SoC consists of a 1.2 GHz ARMv7 processor with 32 KB of L1 instruction and 32 KB of L1 data cache, a 256 KB L2 cache, and a 16-bit DDR3 memory interface. To that bus, Buffalo attaches 512 MB of memory. The SoC includes two Ethernet MAC controllers, support for a pair of SATA ports, and a USB 2.0 controller, so connectivity is somewhat limited. There's a single GbE jack and one USB 2.0 port exposed on the device. USB 3.0 isn't yet standard at the entry-level.
Buffalo gives you a choice of two 1, 2, 3, or 4 TB hard drives already installed in its LinkStation 420, obviating the need to study a hard disk compatibility list and picking storage yourself. The sample we're testing came equipped with a pair of 2 TB Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001-1CH1 3.5" drives.
The LinkStation 420 sports a BitTorrent client, a DLNA server, an iTunes server, a print server, and a USB device server. It can also serve as a Time Machine-compatible backup target for a Mac. When it comes to backing up its own disks, the LinkStation 420 is able to use attached USB drives or another NAS server.
Specifications: Buffalo LinkStation 420
| CPU | Marvell Armada 370 (SoC), ARMv7 based, 1.2 GHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 512 MB |
| Storage | 2 x 3.5" SATA 3Gb/s hard drives |
| 8 TB gross capacity (max.) | |
| 2 x 2 TB Seagate Barracuda ST2000DB001-1CH1 | |
| Connectivity | 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port 1 x USB 2.0 |
| Status Display | Status LEDs |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 5.04” x 3.43” x 8.07” / 12.8 x 8.7 x 20.5 cm |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs / 2.4 kg |
| Price | $340 (as tested) |
Products
Buffalo Linkstation 420 2TB
Buffalo Linkstation 420 4TB
Buffalo Linkstation 420 6TB
Buffalo Linkstation 420 8TB
Pricing
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Buffalo Linkstation 420 2TB
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Buffalo Linkstation 420 4TB
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Buffalo Linkstation 420 6TB
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Buffalo Linkstation 420 8TB
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| Pricing |
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Design: Angular, Black, and Unadorned
Buffalo doesn’t try to get fancy with its design. The LinkStation chassis comes in basic black and is quite small. The front bezel sports but two status LEDs and one button (and that's not the power button; the on/off switch is in the back of the appliance).
Both drive bays are located behind the front bezel.
The hard disks are not latched in the drive bays, and can simply be pulled out. We're not sure that's the most effective way of security storage. But really, the front bezel won't typically be off, either.
The hard disks are mounted in plain, but functional trays.
The back side of the NAS is also quite basic. You'll find one GbE jack and a single USB 2.0 port. Since Marvell's Armada 370 SoC does not sport USB 3.0 connectivity (and indeed tops out with two SATA interfaces, even), the LinkStation 420 can't offer that functionality without a third-party controller attached to one of the processor's two PCIe lanes. This is an entry-level device though, so Buffalo simply sticks to what Marvell integrates. Other manufacturers do offer third-gen USB and HDMI, so the omission of both is a bit of a bummer.
The power switch is just that, a switch, and not a button. If you want to shut down the NAS, you simply turn it off.
In case you cannot find Buffalo's LinkStation 420 on your network, install the NAS Navigator 2 software on your PC. You can also configure the device’s network settings and set an administrator password from this application.
A configuration wizard, which would allow you to configure the NAS device after answering a series of questions, seems to be missing. As a result, you need some basic technical knowledge to manage the LinkStation using NAS Navigator 2. Once you're able to figure out the appliance's IP address (either through NAS Navigator 2 or from your router's own device list), you can fire up the LinkStation's Web-based setup screen by simply pointing your browser at it. The Web interface sports a wizard of its own, albeit a quite basic one.
I say it's basic because you merely have the option of setting the admin password and configuring network shares. Worse, the character set for the administrator password is severely limited, which is a well-known quirk of Buffalo's firmware.
If you want to dive deeper into the LinkStation's available options, you need to use the Advanced Settings screen, which can be accessed from the device’s homepage.
This default landing page features a clean design. It can be accessed without logging in; however, that convenience comes at a cost: you'll continue to be prompted for your password as you navigate from one submenu to the next. Setting the login time-out period to Unlimited does not help, either.
Since we’re on the subject of ways Buffalo could make the setup routine better, its user interface is sluggish. Inputs are processed slowly, and a "Pleas wait" notification appears very frequently. Perhaps we're just spoiled by the Celeron G550 in QNAP's TS-470, also reviewed today. After all, we are dealing with a relatively slow ARM-based SoC.
If you want to access data on the NAS from a smartphone, there is an app for that. Actually, Buffalo offers three apps: one for iOS, one for Android, and one for Windows Mobile 7.5. The company hosts a DNS server, which is configured from the WebAccess settings page and allows you to access your information with a symbolic URL.
Once WebAccess is configured, you can reach your data remotely from whichever smartphone app applies to your mobile device. And it's good to know that the information is transferred over an encrypted channel.
Again, our Buffalo LinkStation 420 sample came with two 2 TB Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001-1CH1 hard drives, which we configured as a RAID 1 set. The LinkStation uses XFS as its internal file system. Our test device had firmware version 1.31-0.92 installed.
| Test Client Hardware: Intel Platform | |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH, Rev. 1.0, Intel Z77 Express PCH, BIOS: F11 |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-3220 (Ivy Bridge) 3.30 GHz, 3 MB Shared L3 Cache |
| RAM | Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR3 2 x 4 GB (8 GB) (reduced to 2 GB to minimize the risk of caching) |
| eSATA Controller | Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller |
| Hard Disk | Corsair Force Series 3, 120 GB, Firmware 1.2 |
| DVD ROM | Samsung SH-D163A, SATA 1.5Gb/s |
| Graphics Card | HD Graphics |
| Network Card | Intel Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter |
| Sound Card | Integrated |
| Power Supply | Seasonic X Series 760 W |
| System Software & Drivers | |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit SP1 |
| Intel Network Driver | Version 12.7.27.0 |
| Intel Chipset Driver | Version 11.1.0.1006 |
| Intel NAS Performance Toolkit: | Version 1.7.1 (Test Backup using a trace generated by version 1.6) |
We determined the transfer rates with version 1.7.1 of the Intel NAS Performance Toolkit. If you are interested in details of this test methodology, you can read up about it in Benchmarking With Intel's NAS Toolkit.
Sound Level and Temperatures
The LinkStation 420 does not sport dynamic fan control. However, Buffalo's entry-level NAS appliance remained comfortably quiet through our performance testing, generating an almost-inaudible 29.2 dB(A).
There didn't seem to be a way to read the platform's temperature; maybe there isn't one, or perhaps it's exclusive to the hardware, preventing damage to the SoC. In fact, Buffalo doesn't give us the tools to log much of the LinkStation's behavior, limiting information to some current value without any indication of history.
For instance, the status LEDs turned red to indicate that no RAID array was configured. But it took some digging in NAS Navigator to figure out the root cause. And even then, the software only conveyed an error code that we needed to interpret through a look-up table in the manual. In 2014, that's simply not acceptable. Buffalo should both beef up its logging capability and empower the software to report errors in plain text.
Power Draw
As a dual-drive platform based on an ARM-powered SoC, the LinkStation 420 is not surprisingly a fairly low-power device. With its power switch in the off position, we observed a mere 0.4 W of draw. And when the NAS is running, it tends to remain south of 20 W, except for when it powers up.
Unfortunately, this appliance doesn't support wake-on-LAN. It also can't put its hosted storage into sleep mode. You're exposed to a timer capable of powering the appliance up and down at a regular interval, but that's all. The simple mechanism is no replacement for more intelligent power management. Powered down using the timer, you'll still see around 4.4 W of power consumption, which is more than we'd expect.
| Power Consumption | |
|---|---|
| Off (Standby) | 0.4 W |
| Off (Wake On LAN) | Not supported |
| Disk Power Off | Not supported |
| Sleep (via Sleep Timer) | 4.4 W |
| Idle | 14.5 W |
| Work (Copy Operation) | 18.2 W |
| Peak (Booting) | 33.7 W |
Performance Chart
A network-attached storage device's performance is mostly tied to its processor and system memory, so long as you aren't saturating its primary interface (GbE, in this case). And the LinkStation 420 behaves pretty much as we'd expect, given its internals. It's plenty fast for day-to-day tasks, but it won't push a gigabit connection to its limit.

The LinkStation 420 does not give you the option to encrypt stored data.
After testing the latest and greatest day in and day out, it's hard to get amped up about mainstream hardware. Really, Buffalo's LinkStation 420 satisfies any expectation you might have of a basic network-attached storage device. It's attractive enough, it's small, it's quiet, and it's relatively power-friendly.
It'd be nice if Buffalo would improve its documentation to make setup an easier process. USB 3.0 would be welcomed, too. And don't expect to push the limits of a gigabit Ethernet link with Marvell's little Armada 370 in there, either. But then again, this is a 4 TB RAID-capable setup for $340. Just the disks are going to run you $180 to $200. What remains pays for the platform, enclosure, and software.
Sure, we'd like to see some improvements. The interface needs work; it should be more user-friendly and responsive. A faster and more modern file system like ext4 would be a better choice for the LinkStation 420, too.
Typically, this is where enthusiasts chime in to add that they have a spare case, extra hard drives, and the smarts to deploy FreeNAS. If that's you, and you're able to roll your own storage server, then you stand to save quite a bit of cash going the do-it-yourself route. Otherwise, Buffalo's entry-level solution gets the job done affordably. It isn't going to do any more, though it won't do any less, either. When you make your comparisons to other devices, be sure you're looking at appliances with storage included. Otherwise, the side-by-side isn't fair. In this case, you get what you pay for.















