Today you need external hard drive for many reasons. Either to save your favouite photos, music, movies or important files, external hard drive can give you extra comfort. The biggest issue, though, is that this can result in a significant slowdown compared to editing photos via an internal drive, especially SSD or flash storage. What are your options? One possibility is to use an external hard drive enclosure capable of RAID configurations, letting you speed up your storage or mirror the information on your drives automatically for peace of mind. What is the best Terra Master hard disk raid system? The TerraMaster D2-310 Hard Drive Enclosure is one such entry-level RAID enclosure, retailing for $160 (not including the two hard drives it can accept).
With the core competitiveness of excellent hardware design and strong software developing ability, TerraMaster aims at providing the market with more excellent, reliable and most valuable products. Compatible with 3.5 inch 14TB NAS SATA hard drives and 4TB 2.5″ SSD.
Additionally, the devices support multiple RAID configurations such as RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, SINGLE, thus it can provide various applications for users and guarantee more data security. They supports file server, mail server, web server, media server, Rsync remote server, FTP server, MySQL server and other wide variety of server applications, to meet the common needs of small business customers, as well as share storage space for large number of users supporting up to 1000+ users access, which uses RBAC permission management and Windows ACL to set access permission based on user, user groups and folders. Are Terramaster able to cook up your perfect network storage solution?
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test for Mac:
| Storage Type | Read Speed (MB/s) | Write Speed (MB/s) |
|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 276.9 | 269.5 |
| RAID 1 | 149.8 | 137.4 |
| JBOD | 153.5 | 149.1 |
| Single (1st Drive) | 138.2 | 137.1 |
| Single (2nd Drive)1 | 149.3 | 132.7 |
| MacBook Pro Internal Storage | 281.8 | 178.5 |
What is good in Terra Master hard disk raid system?
Design
The Terra Master hard disk raid system is beautifully designed. Like the other models in the series, its aluminium chassis and dual rear fans ensure the precious data is kept safe from overheating. Not only does this case serve a practical purpose, but it also looks very cool — almost Apple like. This enclosure would be right at home underneath an Apple iMac or Mac mini.
Hard drives are installed into quick release caddies, and a simple lever system means they can quickly and easily be removed. The five status lights on the front show when each individual drive is being accessed, and the power button is conveniently placed underneath these status lights.
In the Box
Inside the box you’ll find a power supply, spare rubber feet, user manuals, along with various screwdrivers and more than enough screws for your drives. Curiously, several sheets of VHS style drive labels are provided. These can be used to label your drives, but if you’ve not purchased any additional drive caddies, these are rather pointless.
Included is a USB type A to USB-C cable. It would be nice to have a USB-C to USB-C cable included as well, but it’s not the end of the world.
Interface
There’s not much of an interface. Like a giant flash drive, the D5-300C presents each drive to your computer. Bays one and two, when linked together in RAID are presented as one single drive, and modes are easily changed with the physical switch. A small reset switch has to be held in with a paperclip or other small device. This tells the unit that the RAID mode has changed, and that it needs to update the drives.
No software is provided or required. This is breath of fresh air in some ways, as software written by hardware companies can often be troublesome and confusing. While you do lose some flexibility, particularly with which RAID versions are supported, it’s a worthwhile price to pay for such an easy to use device.
I connected the Terra Master hard disk raid system to my Google Pixel (any USB-C equipped device like the Pixel 2 will work), and all the drives appeared. As my drives already had data on them before installation into the enclosure, Android struggled to read the macOS filesystems. Realistically, if you want to attach such a device to your phone, you should probably format a dedicated drive for it.
Noise and Vibrations
Unlike previous generations of TerraMaster devices, this enclosure is very quiet. Having worked almost exclusively on Apple iMacs and Macbook pros for several years now, I’ve become accustomed to quiet if not silent computers. While the D5-300C does make some noise, it’s inaudible from several feet away, and it’s no noisier than a desktop computer underneath your desk.
A lot of noise is down to your choice of drives. I loaded up several Seagate BarraCuda drives, but fast SSDs would likely be extremely quiet, not to mention lightning fast!
Speed
Much like noise and vibrations, read and write speeds are mostly down to your choice of drive. With my mixed variety of Seagate drives (some brand new, others several years old), I achieved 175MB/s read and write on average.
Surprisingly, RAID 0 did not significantly increase the speed. In real world terms, RAID 1 + 0 (unsupported) is the preferred method of striping data, due to its resilience and speed. Splitting data across two mechanical drives is a risky way of storing it, and it’s only really worthwhile with this enclosure if you’re using SSDs. That said, portable SSDs such as the Samsung T5 are fast enough to edit 4K off, without the need for RAID.
What are the types of Terra Master hard disk raid system?
There are mainly 3 types of storage from TerraMaster
- Naetwork storage
- Direct Storage
- Thunderbolt 3 Raid Storage
Terra Master hard disk raid system comparison
| F2-221: 2-bay Intel Apollo Dual Core 2.0GHz 2GB RAM | F4-220: 4-bay Intel Celeron Dual Core 2.41GHz 2GB RAM | F5-221: 5-bay Intel Apollo Dual Core 2.0GHz 2GB RAM | F5-421: 5-bay Intel Apollo Quad Core 1.5GHz 4GB RAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive Bays | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| CPU | Intel Apollo Dual-core 2.0GHz | Intel Celeron Dual-core 2.41GHz | Intel Apollo Dual-core 2.0GHz | Intel Apollo Quad-core 1.5GHz |
| RAM | 2GB (Upgradable to 4GB) | 2GB (Upgradable to 4GB) | 2GB (Upgradable to 4GB) | 4GB (Upgradable to 8GB) |
| 1GbE LAN Port | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Max Raw Storage Capacity | 24 TB (12 TB drive x 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) | 48 TB (12 TB drive x 4) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) | 60 TB (12 TB drive x 5) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) | 60 TB (12 TB drive x 5) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) |
| USB Port | 2 x USB3.0 | 1 x USB3.0; 1 x USB2.0 | 2 x USB3.0 | 2 x USB3.0 |
| Supported RAID Type | RAID 0, 1, JBOD, Single | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD, Single | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD, Single | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD, Single |
| Power consumption | 25.6 W (Access), 2W (HDD Hibernation) | 36.6W (Access), 2W (HDD Hibernation) | 45.6W (Access), 2W (HDD Hibernation) | 45.6W (Access), 2W (HDD Hibernation) |
| Case Material | Aluminum-alloy | Aluminum-alloy | Aluminum-alloy | Aluminum-alloy |
| Fan | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
What is the best Terra Master hard disk raid system?
1. Best for network storage – Terra Master F5-221 NAS 5-Bay Cloud Storage
Features an aluminum-alloy shell and intelligent temperature control ultra-quiet fan, good in heat dissipation. Support Seagate IHM. Compatible with 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD. For better and stable perofrmance, Seagate IronWolf HDD’s or WD RED ones are recommended.
AES hardware encryption engine encrypts shared folders and network data transmission to keep data from unauthorized access.
Real-time hardware transcoding of up to two concurrent 4K video streaming. Advanced Btrfs file system offering 71,680 system-wide snapshots and 1,024 snapshots per shared folder.
2. Popular for network storge – Terra Master F4-210 4-Bay NAS Quad Core Network Attached Storage
A 4-bay entry-level NAS optimized for home and SOHO users, running the latest TOS 4.1 operating system.
Supports Emby and Plex media servers, which keep your videos, music, and photos personal media beautifully organized,always ready for on-demand streaming to your PC, mobile device, smart TV, or games console.
Compatible with 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD. Each bay supports the HDD up to 16TB (Total of 32TB in RAID 0). The WD red hard drives and the Seagate IronWolf ones are recommended for stable performance. Supports the Plex and Emby media servers.
3. Best for direct storage – TERRA MASTER D5-300 USB3.0 (5Gbps) Type C 5-Bay External Hard Drive Enclosure
D5-300 is equipped with brand new USB type-C high-speed interface and compatible with Mac and Windows computers. Up to 48TB storage capacity. D5-300 can support five (5) SATA hard drives, is compatible with 12TB 3.5 inch SATA hard drive, and has a total storage capacity up to 48TB.
RAID 5 is recommended as the best option for D5-300, which balances between data security and storage capacity. Please use hard drives in the same brand, model and capacity to build RAID. RAID 5 in five (5) hard drives guarantees the best performance. D5-300 comes with TerraMaster official software RAID Manager for building RAID and checking HDD info.
4. Mostly used as direct storage – TERRA MASTER D2-310 USB Type C External Hard Drive RAID Enclosure
Adopts real SUPERSPEED USB3.0(5Gbps) Type-C interface, the read/write speed is up to 410MB/s. Copy a 1GB video in only 2-3 seconds.
Multiple RAIDs supported. D2-310 supports RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD and SINGLE which can better satisfy various demands of users. In RAID 1, data will be in a mirror backup. When there is a damaged hard drive, you can directly replace the hard drive, and the data will be recovered automatically. This provides an absolute security guarantee for the data.
5. Best for Thunderbolt storage – Terra Master D8 Thunderbolt 3 Professional-Grade 8-Bay External Hard Drive Enclosure RAID
Ideal Thunderbolt 3 storage solution for professionals especially those with strict speed and safety requirements, including 4K video editing.
Two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, transfer speeds up to 1600MB/s (with SSHD in RAID 0). Compatible with 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD. For better and stable peroformance, the Seagte IronWolf hard drives or the WD red ones (except for the 8TB) are recommended.
Capitalising on the Thunderbolt 3 and DP interfaces, the D8 Thunderbolt 3 supports multi-screen display with up to 3 screens.
6. Popular Thunderbolt storage – TERRA MASTER D5 Thunderbolt 3 Professional-Grade 5-Bay External Hard Drive Enclosure RAID
Ideal Thunderbolt 3 storage solution for professionals especially those with strict speed and safety requirements, including 4K video editing.
Two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, transfer speeds up to 1035MB/s (with SSHD in RAID 0). Compatible with 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD. For better and stable peroformance, the Seagte IronWolf hard drives or the WD red ones (except for the 8TB) are recommended.
Capitalising on the Thunderbolt 3 and DP interfaces, the D5 Thunderbolt 3 supports multi-screen display with up to 3 screens.
Does Terra Master support popular NAS Applications?
The TerraMaster NAS devices run a Linux-based TerraMaster TOS operation system. As TOS interface is simple and friendly, any new users can easily get started. It supports Time Machine backup, USB external storage backup and Rsync remote backup, efficiently protecting your data security. Additionally, the software supports DLNA/UPNP protocol and iTunes server, which can server as a home media server.
The server streams the multimedia files through smart TV, set-top boxes or mobile device. As well as being able to support direct NAS applications, the units also support Dropbox cloud storage synchronization, which can synchronize file in the Dropbox directory with TerraMaster TNAS, making file sharing more easy and efficient – providing excellent off-site tasks and backup options.
Of course for quicker access, TerraMaster provides Windows and Mac OS users with TNAS desktop application that can assist users to connect device, access file, set system and supply technical support easily. Are you a mobile device user? Fear not. TerraMaster provides Android and iOS users with TNAS mobile application software through which users can share information on social media on their mobile devices, synchronize and backup phone music, photos and video files.
Can you add a memory stick to TNAS?
Since the TNAS motherboard is hidden inside the chassis, when you want to add a memory stick, you need to unscrew the chassis with a screwdriver to open it, install the memory stick into the slot and close the chassis. When installing the memory stick, make sure that the memory stick is installed in place, otherwise the system will not boot.
Does Cloud Drive sync with TNAS?
Yes. You can install the Cloud Sync application in TOS to synchronize your Cloud Drive. Currently supported Cloud drive has Baidu Cloud, Dropbox, more Cloud Drives are in the update, please pay attention to the official update information.
Can you upgrade TNAS RAM?
Some models do, some don’t, check the official spec sheet before you buy. For models that can upgrade RAM, 2GB can be upgraded to 4GB and 4GB can be upgraded to 8GB, but you must use the memory stick provided by TerraMaster, otherwise the system may not boot properly.
Can TNAS be used as an USB External Hard Drive?
No. TNAS is a networked storage device that cannot transmit data directly to a computer via a USB interface. You need to transfer data over a network. The USB interface of TNAS is used only for external USB storage devices.
Does TNAS work with all Hard Drives?
TNAS can install 2.5 inch SATA hard drive, 3.5inch desktop SATA hard drive or 2.5 inch SSD. Since TNAS is kind of storage device that needs to work long hours, even work for 24 hours a day and seven days per week, so not all kinds of hard drives are suitable for TNAS because of high demand on hard drive, it is recommended to use dedicated NAS hard drive. Please visit the official website of TerraMaster to read the contents of Hard drive Compatibility to select a proper hard drive for TNAS.