In case you don’t know, a NAS is a system for mass network storage or, in other words, for storing the most valuable data. Hard drives for NAS have been around for many years, but in SSDs they are rarer. Also, NAS SSDs are typically used for caching to speed up performance, not mass storage.
What is the difference between a “normal” SSD and an SSD for NAS?
We must first understand that Hard disk The ace differences They are larger between models “regular” and those intended for SIN. Above all, they add additional read/write heads, larger caches and technologies to reduce mechanical vibrations, among others.
All these elements are not applicable to the SSD. First of all, these types of storage units have no moving parts, so there are no vibration problems. Also, the difference in read/write speed depends more on the controller and the type of connection interface. An M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD is faster than a PCIe 3.0 and much faster than SATA.
The difference between the two unit types is much more subtle. It is mainly in the memories used and the operation of the controller. Higher quality memories are used in NAS SSDs that support more write cycles. In addition, the controller is more advanced and handles writing to memories differently.
Basically, here are the main differences between an SSD for gaming and/or laptop computers, and one for NAS:
| “REGULAR” SSD | NAS-SSD | |
|---|---|---|
| MAIN USE | Personal computers (desktops and laptops) | Specific for network storage systems |
| WORKLOAD | Intended for light workloads and single sign-on (single user/system) | Designed for high workloads and multiple accesses (more than one user/system) |
| MEMORY TYPE | They use memories of three, four or more bits per cell, prioritizing capacity | They generally use memories of two bits or, at most, three bits per cell, because durability takes priority over capacity. |
| TEMPERATURE CONTROL | “Generic” temperature management technology | They add specific technologies for temperature control |
| WEAR RESISTANCE | They are not intended for intensive data writing | Designed to withstand intensive data writing |
| RAID SUPPORT | Support for RAID 0/1/5/JBOD configurations | They support more specific RAID configurations such as RAID 6, for example. |
| MTBF | Between 1 and 1.8 million hours | Between 1.75 and 2 million hours |
| PRECIO | They are around 60-75 dollars (1TB SATA models) | They usually cost over $100 (1TB SATA models) |
We compare commercial models and NAS models
You now have, more or less, an overview that allows us to tell the difference between a “normal” SSD and one more specific to SIN. In fact, there aren’t many manufacturers that offer these two types of units on a commercial level (we won’t get into solutions for data centers and the like).
Solo Western Digital and Seagate offer specific solutions, as both have a tradition in these fields. Remember that these are two of the main manufacturers of hard drives on the market that offer a wide variety of solutions in this area. Thus, the comparison is made between the products of the two manufacturers and of the different ranges.
The data is as follows:
| WD SA500 NAS | WD BLUE SA510 | GREEN WD | SEAGATE IRONWOLF 125 | SEAGATE FIRECUDA 120 | SEAGATE BARRACUDA Q1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABILITY | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 960 GB |
| READING SPEED | 530 MB/s | 560 MB/s | 545 MB/s | 560 MB/s | 560 MB/s | 550 MB/s |
| WRITE SPEED | 560 MB/s | 510 MB/s | 465 MB/s | 540 MB/s | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s |
| MTBF (mean time between failures) | 1,750,000 HOURS | 1,750,000 HOURS | 1,000,000 HOURS | 1,800,000 HOURS | 1,800,000 HOURS | 1,800,000 HOURS |
| TBW (TERABYTES ESCRITOS) | 600TBW | 400TBW | 320TBW | 1400TBW | 1400TBW | 300TBW |
We see that, in terms of read and write speeds, they are all more or less similar. The worst written unit is the WD Green, which are the only units that drop below 500 MB/s. In addition, these drives are the worst in terms of time between failures, well below other solutions from Western Digital and Seagate.
We must also take into account the pparameter written in terabytes. An average user adds a process of between 20 and 50 GB/day, approximately. Of course, for typical use, the lifespan in the worst case is more than 15 years, which is more than the lifespan of a computer.
So which SSD is worth it?
It doesn’t make sense to buy a NAS SSD for a home or gaming computer because you’ll be switching computers before you see performance issues in the storage unit. We will see the units and with the data, taking into account the price, we will give you our opinion.
WD Red SA500 NAS 1TB
From our point of view, it is a little better than the other models of the brand that we list. It has good value for money and durability. It could be a great option if we are going to do intensive writing work on our computer.
WD Blue SA510 1TB
Perhaps the best solution of all those listed here. It has good performance, great durability and the price is very well adjusted. It is an all-terrain solution.
WD Green 1TB
It is without a doubt the worst of all Western Digital solutions and on this list. The tolerance between faults is very low compared to the rest of the units, the capacity of written terabytes is average and the write speed is less than 500 MB/s.
Seagate IronWolf 125 1TB NAS
For a personal computer, this device makes no sense for the price. This drive is 100% focused on NAS drives with its 1400 TBW, more than double that of the WD SA500 drive. Very good unit to do the caching function in a NAS, which is its function.
Seagate FireCuda 120 1TB
This FireCuda drive is directly oriented gaming and its performance depends a lot on the SATA interface, so it is very limited. Regardless of its features, this device is completely out of the market for the performance it offers. Supporting up to 1400 TBW is fine, but unnecessary for the gaming market. Meaningless.
Seagate BarraCuda Q1 960 GB
These drives are currently discontinued, offering no 2.5-inch solution for the general market. Its performance was normal, but in terms of TBW it is the worst of all the units. In the event of marketing, if it were less than 75 dollars, it would be a unit to be taken into account.
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