Recently Dell announced an all-flash version of their SC4020 Array that they position as more economical than other All-Flash Arrays. In this article we cover six ways that a TrueNAS storage array is the real storage disruptor and explain where TrueNAS provides better value than the Dell SC4020.

1. Superior Performance Resources

• More CPU/RAM = More Performance (Dual Intel Xeon E5s vs. One E3 and 64GB vs.16GB)
• OpenZFS self-healing file system (Learn why you should use OpenZFS)
• Unified SAN/NAS (Dell requires a costly NAS gateway)

2. Supports I/O Intensive Applications

• Our SSDs are rated for three full drive writes per day

3. High Reliability

• We use enterprise SSDs¹; Dell uses consumer grade flash in their SSDs

4. Preferred Support

• Unparalleled & award-winning US-based support; Dell offshores many support calls

5. All-inclusive Feature Licensing

• File and block protocol support – File protocols are not available on the SC4020
• Unlimited, space-efficient snapshots – Dell supports 4,096 locally and 1,024 remotely
• OpenZFS end-to-end data integrity capabilities – Dell’s block-only architecture depends on the client file system, such as those provided by Windows or Linux, for data integrity protection

6. Superior Density 

• 1.3x – 5x Denser – For 300TB of storage capacity2, TrueNAS consumes 3U, Dell consumes 14U³

Learn more about the TrueNAS architecture here. You can also email us at sales@ixsystems.com or call us at 1-855-473-7449 to discuss your needs with one of our consultative account managers.
TrueNAS Team

¹Talk with our consultative account managers and learn more about our enterprise-strength dual ported SSDs
²Compression rates vary by application. 10x is used for the Z50 TrueFlash, which is reflected in the capacity.
³TrueNAS is 1.33x more dense when a 2U FS8600 NAS gateway or a 2U SC220 is added to the SC4020 and compression is used; combination consumes 4U for 300TB of effective capacity.
Source: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/dell-compellent-sc4020/pd