Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#85049 12-Jun-2011 16:55
Send private message

Have been doing a bit of shopping this weekend, just ordered a D-Link DNS-320 NAS and hard drives to go with. The NAS has a gigabit interface, and I have a gigabit switch, but my laptop only has a 100Mbits interface. So Im considering buying a Cardbus (PCMCIA) gigabit NIC (Edimax PCM-LAN4203, its only ~$20).

So can I expect to get any speed improvement over inbuilt 100Mbits with a gigabit NIC running off cardbus? Can cardbus support these kinds of speeds in the real world? Will the D-Link become a bottleneck?

I realise that for all sorts of reasons I wont get anywhere near gigabit speed when transfering a file in the real world, but since the NIC is only $20, i think it will be worthwhile for me even if it only increases transfer speeds by 5mbps.

Cheers

Create new topic
Spyware
3728 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #480372 12-Jun-2011 17:49
Send private message

Comment: Dlink NAS boxes are dreadful products, I can't image it sustaining fast Ethernet speeds let alone better.




Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.


sbiddle
30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Biddle Corp
Lifetime subscriber

  #480375 12-Jun-2011 18:01
Send private message

Yoru best bet is to search and see what sort of performance the NAS offers. Most low end Gigabit units don't offer any significant performance gains over 100Mbps.

nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #480387 12-Jun-2011 18:27
Send private message

Thanks spyware, really helpful. Ive done my research and know its not the best available but it meets my needs the best for the price.

@sbiddle Ive looked around and ive seen reports of it peaking at ~25MB/s so it seems gigE will provide some benefit.

Equally important to this is how cardbus handles gigE NICs. In the abscence of any specific advice, I might buy the NIC and give it a go



CYaBro
4560 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #480393 12-Jun-2011 19:04
Send private message

I wouldn't bother.
I have one of those D-Link NAS units and had it running on a gigabit LAN for a while but still got horrible transfer speeds to/from machines with gigabit NICs.
Have it running on 100Mbps now.




Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.


nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #480404 12-Jun-2011 19:24
Send private message

CYaBro: I wouldn't bother.
I have one of those D-Link NAS units and had it running on a gigabit LAN for a while but still got horrible transfer speeds to/from machines with gigabit NICs.
Have it running on 100Mbps now.


Thanks, good to know

raytaylor
4006 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #480806 13-Jun-2011 23:20
Send private message

I would expect that a windows pc to windows pc on a standard hard drive would run at 300mbit when doing a large file transfer on a gigabit network connection.

But i agree, the dlink units are pretty crap so i wouldnt expect this speed from the nas.




Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here


nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #482540 18-Jun-2011 13:50
Send private message

Have been quite happy with the d-link. Firmware is a bit buggy and basic, but transfer speeds have been consistent, at just under 10MB/s. Not the best, but about what I expected for the money, so Im happy.

I decided to order the cardbus adapter yesterday, and with it have been getting ~20-30MB/s over gigabit, albeit with more variability than fast ethernet. Only problem is that the 20M patch cable i had previously installed under the floor doesnt want to do gigabit, so Im hoping its just a case of dodgy crimping rather than dodgy cable, otherwise its time for yet another upgrade lol



jjnz1
1356 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #482590 18-Jun-2011 16:01
Send private message

I have just thrown out my DNS-320. Well not quite thrown out, but I no longer use it.

I was using WD 'green' drives which had advanced formatting (4K drives). The speeds I got from it were dreadful.

Over 1000Mb/s, I was getting about 5-10MB/s read and write. A friend using his DNS-320, gets around 20MB/s not using advanced format drives.

I have moved onto PC based Freenas 7 for my green drives and now get around 70-105MB/s. (Freenas 8 doesn't yet cope with 4K drives, as the 20MB/s speed reflects). 

If you can, spend a little bit more money and grab a second hand PC off trademe. Speeds will be much better than a cheap standalone NAS unit, plus you most probably can install more HDD's.

Also, have a look at http://www.pp.co.nz/products.php?pp_id=AA21652

I have two of these drive bays, and they are great, especially with SATA hotswap enabled. 

raytaylor
4006 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #482593 18-Jun-2011 16:09
Send private message

If the cable under the floor doesnt go around too many bends, you could use it as a draw line and pull through a cat6 cable?

Arent most cat5 cables rated to do 1gbit at short distances?




Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here


nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #482602 18-Jun-2011 16:25
Send private message

raytaylor: If the cable under the floor doesnt go around too many bends, you could use it as a draw line and pull through a cat6 cable?

Arent most cat5 cables rated to do 1gbit at short distances?


Luckily it was just the terminations that were the problem - one plug that I had terminated had mangled outer pins, and the original plug on the other end had two pairs terminated, and two pairs sitting just above the pins, not making contact, so was only running at half duplex. Re-terminated both ends and now Im away laughing at gigE.
This cable is cat5e but I think cat5 would also support gigE
Yep using it as a draw wire would have been plan b.


nickb800

2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #482614 18-Jun-2011 16:48
Send private message

jjnz1: I have just thrown out my DNS-320. Well not quite thrown out, but I no longer use it.

I was using WD 'green' drives which had advanced formatting (4K drives). The speeds I got from it were dreadful.

Over 1000Mb/s, I was getting about 5-10MB/s read and write. A friend using his DNS-320, gets around 20MB/s not using advanced format drives.

I have moved onto PC based Freenas 7 for my green drives and now get around 70-105MB/s. (Freenas 8 doesn't yet cope with 4K drives, as the 20MB/s speed reflects). 

If you can, spend a little bit more money and grab a second hand PC off trademe. Speeds will be much better than a cheap standalone NAS unit, plus you most probably can install more HDD's.

Also, have a look at http://www.pp.co.nz/products.php?pp_id=AA21652

I have two of these drive bays, and they are great, especially with SATA hotswap enabled. 

Thats good to know - I wont go taking apart my WD external drive in that case then.
I went for a seagate ST2000DL003, 2TB and 4K but the d-link handles it.

I was tempted to go the PC route, but I dont need a huge amount of storage so this suits me fine. The main limitations are the basic torrent client and lack of direct connect support (we run a dc network in the flat). Ive had a go installing fun plug but my command-line skills are nil so its a bit tedious lol. If I cant get funplug working then i might end up going the PC route.

Whats the advantage of Freenas over say ubuntu? Low use of system resources?

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Bolt Launches in New Zealand
Posted 11-Jun-2025 00:00


Suunto Run Review
Posted 10-Jun-2025 10:44


Freeview Satellite TV Brings HD Viewing to More New Zealanders
Posted 5-Jun-2025 11:50


HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch Review
Posted 3-Jun-2025 14:40


Flip Phones Are Back as HMD Reimagines an Iconic Style
Posted 30-May-2025 17:06


Hundreds of School Students Receive Laptops Through Spark Partnership With Quadrent's Green Lease
Posted 30-May-2025 16:57


AI Report Reveals Trust Is Key to Unlocking Its Potential in Aotearoa
Posted 30-May-2025 16:55


Galaxy Tab S10 FE Series Brings Intelligent Experiences to the Forefront with Premium, Versatile Design
Posted 30-May-2025 16:14


New OPPO Watch X2 Launches in New Zealand
Posted 29-May-2025 16:08


Synology Premiers a New Lineup of Advanced Data Management Solutions
Posted 29-May-2025 16:04


Dyson Launches Its Slimmest Vaccum Cleaner PencilVac
Posted 29-May-2025 15:50


OPPO Reno13 Pro 5G Review 
Posted 29-May-2025 15:33


Logitech Introduces New G522 Gaming Headset
Posted 21-May-2025 19:01


LG Announces New Ultragear OLED Range for 2025
Posted 20-May-2025 16:35


Sandisk Raises the Bar With WD_BLACK SN8100 NVME SSD
Posted 20-May-2025 16:29









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.







GoodSync is the easiest file sync and backup for Windows and Mac