Group test: what's the best NAS device?

5. QNAP TS-419P II

• Reviewed on: 23 May 12
• RRP: £425 inc VAT
• Rating:

QNAP’s TS-419P II is one of its most affordable four-bay NAS drives at around £425 without disks, but it can still form the hub of a versatile and capacious online storage system.

4. Iomega StorCenter ix2-200

• Reviewed on: 3 January 13
• RRP: £180 inc VAT (2x1TB model)
• Rating:

The Iomega StorCenter ix2-2 is let down by its relatively slow file transfer speeds. Although the software features are good, not everyone will use them, as for some people a NAS is only for backup and storage, in which case a faster NAS with simpler software might be a better choice. But if any of the ix2-2's sharing functions appeal, slightly longer file transfer times may be less of an impediment.

3. Zxyel NSA325

• Reviewed on: 9 February 12
• RRP: £145 inc. VAT
• Rating:

If you need a NAS drive for storing and sharing files on a network, you have two choices: buy a unit prestuffed with hard drives that's simple to set up and use, or get a diskless enclosure to which you must add your own storage. If you're willing to sacrifice the simplicity of a pre-built unit in return for greater configuration control, and demand strong performance and useful functions, you're exactly the type of user Zyxel had in mind when it designed the NSA325.

2. Synology DiskStation DS412+

• Reviewed on: 24 May 12
• RRP: £520 inc VAT
• Rating:

Like QNAP, Synology is a Taiwanese brand that focuses solely in NAS technology – and this specialisation shows. The Synology DiskStation DS412+ is an extremely capable network storage unit that will have a very broad appeal. It also has superb read/write performance. Thanks to its best-in-class interface it can be tackled by non-specialist users, whether applying it into service as a powerful home media server or business storage and virtualisation device.

1. Synology DiskStation DS413

• Reviewed on: 17 February 13
• RRP: £400 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Synology DS413 sits comfortably between Synology’s entry-level DS413j and lauded DS412+ NAS products. A novel RISC processor choice in the DS413 provides a little more performance than faster-clocked ARM processor NAS drives at around the same price, and power consumption was also usefully low to keep it a wisely economical choice. With its comprehensive and approachable software interface and satisfactory hardware performance, the Synology DS413 comes recommended.