The other major factor in deciding between the R610 and R710 was the number and size of drive bays. The R610 offers space for up to eight 2.5″ drive bays, and the R710 offers space for up to six 3.5″ drive bays. As great as having up to 40TB (8x5TB drives) sounds, 2.5″ drives are more expensive and, from what I’ve seen available, come in fewer reliable makes/models than their 3.5″, used-by-enterprise-buyer counterparts. Plus, if I ever get to the point of needing more than 18 to 30 TB, I’ll more than likely be in the position to move on to a dedicated NAS to use in conjunction with whatever else I’ve got going at the time. Finally, I won’t come close to needing that level of storage density in any home set up, so it’s the R710 for me.
The Pursuit of Homelabs, Part 3 – How I Learned To Love the R710
