Testing:
With the Vantec NexStar LX configured, it was time to put it to good use. I first tested the speeds via USB, and then switched over to a network connection where I intend to use the drive for both SMB and FTP access. In USB mode the drive was detected by Windows XP and quickly made available as any other USB drive would be. None of the SMB or FTP settings apply when used in this mode, but I wanted to test the speed anyway.
A folder consisting of 80 MP3 files and a total size of 341 MB was passed to and from the drive to test the read/write capabilities. These same files were then passed to and from the drive using an Ethernet connection using SMB and FTP. The NexStar LX was connected to a 10/100 Mbps router/gateway, which in turn was tested to the computer used for all file transfers.
The table below details the results of the transfer using USB and SMB, while FTP transfer results will be discussed below. The yellow values are the transfer rates in MB/s, while the parenthetical values in grey are the actual transfer times. (the test system was rebooted after each transfer).
As compared to other USB enclosures, the NexStar LX provides great transfer rates. If you do decide to only take advantage of the USB connection on this, you will be pleased with its performance. The Ethernet transfer may look poor in comparison, but they aren't bad.
The FTP test is not charted as too many other variables might impact performance, such as the speed of the Internet connection on either end, routing on the Internet, and software/settings on the remote PC. That said, the host Internet connection is a 30 Mbps download / 2 Mbps upload cable connection, and the remote Internet connection is a business class DSL of unknown speed (although it is remarkably slower than the cable connection). The remote computer was using Filezilla to access the Vantec NexStar LX, and although the physical distance was about 21 miles, who knows what route the data actually took from point to point.
Filezilla pushed/pulled two files simultaneously during all transfers and was able to sustain speeds of 85-160 Kbps. Not bad, considering I rarely see download speeds that high when accessing files from the Internet on that connection.
As a further test, the NexStar LX was used to share a single file 3.355 GB in size. This time the file was accessed from thousands of miles away (from NJ to CA) and sustained download speeds of 214 Kbps were achieved, with a total transfer time of about 4 hours and 14 minutes.
Although not really setup for multiple users to access simultaneously, I was able to maintain reasonable transfers while hitting the NexStar LX from two to three machines at once. It isn't the device's fault really, and I doubt it was intended to be an enterprise class storage device, but perhaps only for personal or small office / home office use.
One improvement that might help the NexStar LX is to provide it with a Gigabit network connection. Many motherboards support this now, and it really does make a difference over 10/100 Mbps connections. The system I test on (an ABIT AW8D) actually includes two Gigabit NICs, so it would be quite convenient to let one connect to the LAN, while the other connects directly to the NAS. Instead, it is just as easy to plug it into a router or switch and connect at 100 Mbps.
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