For an overview of how each NAS compares to one another check out the chart bellow. This is a weighted comparison of different criteria which where assessed and found to be of importance during the review of each NAS. Each category has been given a scaling factor in order to determine the influence it has on the overall decision of which NAS system is better equipped for the intended use-case.
The default scaling factor of each criteria is my personal opinion; it is intended that you can edit these scaling factors to better match your requirements / intended use-case scenario. This can be achieved simply by inputting your desired value in the appropriate scale cell. Upon input the values will be calculated anew and the results will immediately be updated.
Review Criteria Table Legend
Scaling Factor:
| unimportant, won’t be used | 0 |
| minimal importance | 1 |
| normal importance | 2 |
| important | 3 |
| very important | 4 |
Points:
| unusable solution | 0 | ||||
| significant shortcommings | 1 | ||||
| minimal shortcomings, use if necessary | 2 | ||||
| good solution, no shortcomings | 3 | ||||
| very good solution, exceeds expectations | 4 | ||||
Make sure NOT to reload the page, as then the default values will be inserted into the table and the initial results will be calculated and displayed. In order to load the default values which I have given the scaling factors, you can either reload the page or press the RESET button below the table.
A full review of each NAS can be viewed by pressing the corresponding NAS name below, or by pressing the image of the desired NAS above the appropriate table column.
| Grading Criteria | Scale | Lockerstor 4 | DS920+ | F5-422 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (s) | Points (P) | P*s | Points (P) | P*s | Points (P) | P*s | |
| First Impression | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Hardware Design | 4 | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Quality | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Accustics | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Operating System | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Ease of Installation | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Ease of Use | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Setup | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Speed | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Apps | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Configuration Possibilities | 3.5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Performance | 4 | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| CPU | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| RAM | 3 | 1 | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Network Bandwidth | 3.5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| SSD Cache | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| CAD usage | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| CAD with a VM | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| CAD with an ISCSI Drive | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Gaming with ISCSI | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Scalability / Diverse use-cases | 3.5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
|
∑ |
|||||||
| Result without scaling: | |||||||
| Result with scaling: | |||||||
The results displayed above are twofold. Once, the result is calculated as a percentage of the total possible score without considering the scaling factor. Second, the same is done while this time taking the scaling factor into consideration. The percentages displayed give an account of how well each NAS system holds up to the ideal NAS system which I desire for my use-case. A NAS which fulfills all requirements adequately will receive a 75%. Thus anything above 75% is considered good, with 100% being the ideal, very good solution which surpasses all requirements and as such is not very likely to exist.
For a direct comparison of the specifications, see below.
As can be seen in the results, the Lockerstor 4 by Asustor was the best equipped to handle the scenario of a heavy workload CAD user. If you are in the same situation as I and need a reliable NAS system to increase your CAD storage space and enable on the go lightweight CAD usage, then this is the NAS system to check out. I found the Lockerstor 4 to be very reliable and capable of handling what I threw at it. For the full review /overview check out here.
If you are in the need of a system which is more tuned towards professional use-cases with vast configuration options to tailor the experience specifically to what your business needs while not breaking your bank account, then the DS920+ by Synology is just what you are looking for. The DS920+ was very reliable throughout the entire testing phase. It proved a bit more difficult to set up the way which was desired; however once setup, the NAS simply worked the way it was intended to without a single interruption. This level of reliability is exactly what is required in the business / professional scenario. To view the full review / overview of the DS920+ follow this link.
Lastly, the F5-422 by TerraMaster. I must say, this one took me quite by surprise! I was not expecting this system to be able to keep up with such popular and well situated companies in the NAS scene; it was a close call. TerraMaster is a company which is making a name for itself with affordable but also good NAS solutions. They are becoming more known and with good reason. For a NAS system with 10GbE networking, TerraMaster is hard to beat with their affordability. Even though this NAS was in last place for my use-case, this does NOT mean that it is in last place for your intended scenario. I would advise anyone with 10GbE networking integration or the desire to future proof their NAS to check out the F5-422. Furthermore, if you have a high need for speed and want to get every bit of throughput possible out of your NAS system, then I would advise you to give this NAS from TerraMaster a shot. To find out more and read my full review / overview of the F5-422 click here.
Below is a list of specifications camparing the key features of each NAS system with the other two tested systems.
| Model / Criteria | Lockerstor 4 | DS920+ | F5-422 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Manufacturer
|
Asustor
|
Synology
|
TerraMaster
|
|
Tested Firmware |
ADM 3.5.3.RBH1
|
DSM 6.2.3-25426 Update 2 |
TOS 4.2.07-2012241608 |
|
Hardware |
|||
|
CPU / Speed |
Intel Celeron J4125 /
Quad Core 2.0GHz (burst up 2.70 GHz) |
Intel Celeron J4125 /
Quad Core 2.0GHz (burst up 2.70 GHz) |
Intel Celeron J3455 /
Quad Core 1.5GHz (burst up 2.30 GHz) |
|
RAM / max. RAM |
4Gb / 8Gb |
4Gb / 8Gb |
4Gb / 8Gb |
|
Number of HDDs / NVMe SSDs |
4 HDDs / 2 NVMe SSDs |
4 HDDs / 2 NVMe SSDs |
5 HDDs / 0 NVMe SSDs |
|
Tray mounting |
Screws, no tools included
|
No Screws or tools needed for 3.5″, only for 2.5″, no tools included
|
Screws, tools included
|
|
LAN ports / max. Speed
|
2×2,5GbE / 5Gbps with link Aggregation
|
2x1GbE / 2Gbps with link Aggregation
|
2x1GbE and 1x 10GbE / 10Gbps
|
|
USB Ports
|
3x 3.2 Gen 1
|
2x 3.0
|
2x 3.0
|
|
Further connections
|
HDMI 2.0a, Kensignton-Lock
|
1x eSATA, Kensignton-Lock
|
HDMI (not with EU version)
|
|
Size (HxWxD mm)
|
185.5x170x230
|
166x199x223
|
227x225x136
|
|
Read (MB/s) tested with CrystalDiskMark (RAID 1)
|
295 |
118
|
658 |
|
Write (MB/s) tested with CrystalDiskMark (RAID 1)
|
223 |
118 |
198 |
|
Read (MB/s) max. possible (RAID 5)
|
591 |
225 |
670 |
|
Write (MB/s) max. possible (RAID 5)
|
590 |
225 |
670 |
|
Price ($) as of 01.2021 (Diskless)
|
549.00 |
549.99 |
599.99 |