In case you don’t know, a NAS is a mass network storage system or, in other words, to store the most valuable data. HDDs intended for NAS have been around for many years, but in SSDs they are more rare. What’s more, NAS SSDs are typically used for cache to speed up performance, not for mass storage.
What is the difference between a “normal” SSD and an SSD for NAS?
We must first understand that HDD the differences They are bigger between the models “normal” and those intended for NAS. Above all, they add additional heads for reading/writing, larger caches, and technologies to reduce mechanical vibration, 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 speeds is more dependent 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 both types of units is much more subtle. Mainly, it is in the memories used and the operation of the controller. Higher quality memories are used in NAS SSDs that support a greater number of write cycles. Also, the controller is more advanced and handles writing to memories differently.
Basically, these are the main differences between an SSD for a gaming computer and/or laptop, and one for NAS:
| “NORMAL” SSD | NAS SSD | |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY USE | Home computers (desktops and laptops) | Specific for network storage systems |
| WORKLOAD | Intended for light workloads and single sign-on (only one user/system) | Designed for high workloads and multiple access (more than one user/system) |
| MEMORY TYPE | They use memories of three, four or more bits per cell, prioritizing capacity | They usually use memories of two bits or, at most, three bits per cell, since durability is prioritized 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 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 |
| PRICE | They are around 60-75 Euros (1 TB SATA models) | They usually cost more than 100 Euros (1 TB SATA models) |
We compare commercial models and NAS models
Now you have, more or less, an overview that allows us to differentiate between a “normal” SSD and one more specific to NAS. Actually, there are not many manufacturers that offer these two types of units on a commercial level (we are not going to go into solutions for Data Centers and the like).
Only Western Digital and Seagate offer specific solutions, as both have a tradition in these fields. Remember that they are two of the main HDD manufacturers on the market that offer a wide variety of solutions in this field. So the comparison is made between products from both manufacturers and different ranges.
The data is the following:
| WD SA500 NAS | WD BLUE SA510 | WD GREEN | SEAGATE IRONWOLF 125 | SEAGATE FIRECUDA 120 | SEAGATE BARRACUDA Q1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABILITY | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 960GB |
| READING SPEED | 530MB/s | 560MB/s | 545MB/s | 560MB/s | 560MB/s | 550MB/s |
| WRITE SPEED | 560MB/s | 510MB/s | 465MB/s | 540MB/s | 540MB/s | 500MB/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 WRITTEN) | 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 unit in writing are the W.D. Green, which are the only units that drop below 500 MB/s. Also, these drives are the worst in time between failures, falling far short of the other solutions from Western Digital and Seagate.
We must also take into account the parameter of Terabytes written. An average user adds a process of between 20-50 GB/day, approximately. Of course, for conventional use, the life in the worst case is more than 15 years, which is more than the life of a computer.
So which SSD is worth it?
It makes no real sense to purchase a NAS SSD for a home or gaming computer, since you will change computers before you see performance problems 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 a 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
Possibly the best solution of all those listed here. It has a good performance, great durability and the price is very well adjusted. It is an off-road solution.
WD Green 1TB
It is without a doubt the worst of all Western Digital solutions and on this list. The tolerance between failures is very low than the rest of the units, the capacity of Terabytes written is average and the speed of writing is less than 500 MB/s.
Seagate IronWolf 125 NAS 1TB
For a home computer this unit is totally meaningless for the price. This drive is 100% focused on NAS drives with its 1400 TBW, which is 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 focused on gaming and its performance depends a lot on the SATA interface, so it is very limited. Regardless of its features, this unit is completely out of the market for the performance it offers. Supporting up to 1400 TBW is fine, but unnecessary for the gaming market. Without sense.
Seagate BarraCuda Q1 960GB
These drives are currently discontinued, not offering a 2.5-inch solution for the general market. Its performance was normal, but in terms of TBW, it is the worst of all units. In case of commercialization, if it were below 75 Euros, it would be a unit to take into account.
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