![]() ![]() They will periodically do more than these, maybe a VM, more sophisticated backup or use some of the other services ad hoc, but the result is that in most domestic/bog standard home scenarios, a NAS will be switched internally to Idle/Standby after no pro-active use quite quickly and spend 80-90% of the time in low power modes. Perhaps to stream a movie or a couple of TV episodes, run a daily backup, have a couple of cameras in/outside their home that are sending recordings (or more likely just alerts and associated captures) to the NAS and that is about it. Most home users who have a NAS system will use the NAS directly for a significant y smaller portion of time per day than it is actually powered on for. What is the Difference Between a NAS Drive ‘Active’ and in ‘IDLE / Standby’?Īlthough a NAS is designed to be in operation 24×7 and is consuming electricity when running, the actual reality of this and the extent to which it is consuming it is actually alot more nuanced. But what is the difference between Active and Idle activity? Why does it matter? Each test (Active vs Idle) was conducted for 24hrs and the overall electricity usage was displayed in kw (kilowatt). The initial 24hours (used for system initialization and RAID configuration) were NOT included in the power usage monitoring, as although they appear on the graph they are one-off single-event scenarios. Power was monitored with a GOSUND SMART KIT Smart Plug, Mini 13A – Find HERE.The first day of operation (which includes initialization and RAID creation) not counted (but visible at the start of the graph).During IDLE 24hr Tests, the VM was deleted, VM and Surveillance Software disabled, ALL S.M.A.R.T tests disabled and network cable (1GbE) disconnected. ![]() 1 VM running, 1-Core and 1GB Memory, 2x IP Cameras recording non-stop, drive S.M.A.R.T tests scheduled to be hourly During ‘ACTIVE’ 24hr Tests, the NAS was prevented from going into standby/idle.4x WD Red WD40EFZX 4TB (Synology Test in SHR) or 4x WD Red Pro WD221KFGX 22TB Hard Drives (QNAP Test in RAID 5).Synology DS920+ or QNAP TS-464 4-Bay Celeron Powered Desktop NAS.Here is a breakdown of the hardware configurations and test architectures: These were a Synology DS920+ and 4x WD Red Plus HDDs (a very, VERY popular NAS setup over the last 2-2.5yrs) and a QNAP TS-464 NAS and 4x WD Red 22TB NAS HDDs (both Summer 2022 Releases and represent ‘New NAS’ with ‘High Capacity’ users in mind. All in all, there were four separate tests, with 2x tests on each NAS+Media configuration. I DO intend on repeating these tests with several different NAS drives after this, but wanted these first few tests to be focused on the most POPULAR NAS setups, as well as identifying the difference between using newer gen CPUs and Larger drives vs using older generation devices and smaller capacity media. NAS Power Use Test SetupĬhoosing the appropriate NAS drive for these tests was always going to be tough. If you want to learn more about the energy consumption of your PC running 24×7, there is a great guide over on CCL Online that you can read here. Note – this is a guide on energy use on a NAS drive. With so many kinds of NAS available in the market, featuring a mix of CPUs, PSUs, Bays and utilities, PLUS the wide range of HDD/SSD drives in the market to choose from – there are just so many variables when trying to work out how much power your NAS drive is using and how much that is translating to in your monthly energy bill! So, today’s article is about working out how much electricity several popular NAS setup choices will consume, as well as how much that equals to you in £, $ or € per day, month and year! We tested two popular desktop 4-Bay NAS systems, connected them to energy monitors and worked out how much power they used in full active use and in idle. In this energy-aware climate, it can be appreciated that a NAS drive (a 24×7 appliance) seemingly has its cost to the end user in terms of electricity as something of a vague number. Have you SEEN how much electricity costs these days? Because of any one of about a hundred different global factors (local conflict, slow renewable energy uptake, monopolizing energy companies with powerful lobbying – take your pick!) most of us in2022/2023 have seen increases in energy costs. 7.1 Related How Much Electricity Does A NAS Use and How Much Does it Cost to run 24×7?
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