Compared to WD PR2100, PR4100 has a larger storage capacity, advanced RAID technology, enhanced local backup, more space variants, and better layout features. However, it has larger dimensions and comes at a higher price.
Differences/Similarities of Both NAS Devices:
- PR2100 is lightweight and has a smaller size.
- PR4100 has better design features like an LCD display and scroll button.
- PR2100 has lesser RAID efficiency than its competitor.
- Both devices carry the same processor and RAM.
- PR4100 has more space variants in comparison.
- PR2100 offers relatively lesser storage capacity.
- Both tools come with the same warranty from the manufacturer.
- PR4100 is priced comparatively higher than its contestant.
The WD PR2100 is a two-bay NAS that works on the SATA interface and offers a good storage solution for large-sized files.
You can build a personal media center using this NAS as it enables 4k media transcoding for Plex and other streaming systems.
On the other hand, the WD PR4100 is actually a magnified version of the competitor, so, it has larger storage, size, and weight.
With advanced RAID technology, it provides a better backup facility and increased tolerance against accidental data loss.
Likewise, the updated USB interface accounts for its enhanced storage and backup capacity.
Table of Contents
Side By Side Comparison:
| PR2100 | PR4100 | |
| Processor | Intel Pentium N3170, Quad-core 1.6 to 2.56 GHz | Intel Pentium N3170, Quad-core 1.6 to 2.56 GHz |
| Installed memory | 4 GB DDR3L | 4 GB DDR3L |
| RAW capacity | 0TB(Diskless), 4TB, 8TB, 12TB, 16TB, 20TB, and 28TB | 0TB (diskless), 8TB, 16TB, 24TB, 32TB, 40 TB, 56TB, 64TB, 72TB |
| Drives included | yes | yes |
| Compatible Drives | 2 x 3.5-inch SATA HDD | 4 x 3.5-inch SATA HDD |
| Interface | SATA | SATA |
| Number of bays | 2 | 4 |
| Ports | 2 x GbE RJ-45 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | 2 x GbE RJ-45 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 |
Speed
Both these devices are members of the same series, containing the same Quad-core processing unit and 4GB installed memory hence, they also show the same processing speeds.
Due to AES encryption and multiple Ethernet connections, their data transfer rate is quite high as compared to other 2-bay or 4-bay cloud devices in the market.
The transfer speed for these NAS is recorded up to 1000 Mbps.
Design
Both systems show similar designs; these are sleek, black-colored, vertically oriented NAS.
Their drive bays are covered with sleeve-textured handles, opening on the front side.
Besides that, there are power and copy buttons, a USB 3.0 port, and LED indicators for each drive on the front panel.
The rear view shows a fan exhaust, external ports (Ethernet, DC supply, USB 3.0), a reset button, and the security slot.
WD tools are well-built and show resistance to extreme conditions, they can bear storage temperatures from -40°C to 70°C without losing their efficiency.
Comparatively speaking, WD PR4100 is larger than its competitor and 4 drive bays, hence double storage volume.
Its layout shows additional features like an LCD screen and a scroll button on the front that make it relatively user-friendly.
Furthermore, it allows more USB-enabled connections as it has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the back panel.
Conversely, PR2100 is a compact and lightweight storage device.
It is a two-bay system and lacks a scrolling knob and LCD display.
It also has fewer USB inputs as only one port is present on the rear panel.
| PR2100 | PR4100 | |
| Height (mm) | 216.10 | 232 |
| Width (mm) | 108.6 | 170 |
| Depth (mm) | 147.80 | 192 |
Available models and space variants
Although these models belong to the same series but there are various space variants available for both 2-bay and 4-bay versions.
The WD PR4100 has a higher number of variants, offering greater variety and massive storage volume as compared to the contestant.
It comes with installed capacity of 0TB (diskless enclosure), 8TB, 16TB, 24TB, 32TB, 40 TB, 56TB, 64TB, 72TB.
On the other side, fewer variants are available for WD PR2100 including the diskless device, 4TB, 8TB, 12TB, 16TB, 20TB, and 28TB space variants.
Cloud storage interface
Both these Western Digital products enable users to store data on a private cloud network and access it remotely through all associated devices and user accounts.
My cloud web portal provides an efficient remote database; its contents are regularly synchronized to back up all of the NAS data.
Make sure to turn on the “remote access” in settings and download the WD sync app for automatic synchronization.
Moreover, these devices allow mutual sharing and synchronization with two commercial cloud services; Amazon S3 and ElephantDrive.
Supported OS and browsers
These tools are compatible with various versions of Windows and macOS including Windows 10, 8, 8.1 or 7, and macOS X Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, or Mountain Lion.
For streaming multimedia content these devices also support DLNA/UPnP or Plex-enabled devices.
When it comes to web browsers, these devices are compatible with Internet Explorer 10, Safari 6, Firefox 30, and Google Chrome 31.0 or the higher versions of these services.
Sharing
Both Pro gadgets allow data sharing through the cloud network.
As the NAS owner, you have an admin account and can allow access to other users, users can also store their files on NAS.
You can also create exclusive groups for efficient collaboration on different projects.
Specific quotas can be allocated to each user and group to manage the disk space effectively.
To access NAS files on different devices, the WDMyCloud app is available.
Similarly, the company provides different media streaming apps to utilize multimedia content.
These devices offer remote backup via their own cloud database and association with Amazon S3 and Elephant Drive.
Backup
Although sharing and remote backup abilities of these devices are the same they do differ in the local backup proficiency.
WD PR4100 takes the lead as it enables higher RAID versions (Spanning, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10).
Thus, its mirroring efficiency is markedly higher than its competitor.
Moreover, it has twice disk-fault tolerance as it can hold four storage disks at a time.
In contrast, WD PR2100 does not allow RAID 5 or 10 and shows a lesser mirror backup efficiency.
Likewise, its backup capacity is half in comparison as it is a 2-bay NAS, having one disk fault tolerance only.
Setup
If you choose a WD device with pre-installed HDDs, it is very easy to set up these devices because you only need to connect the power supply.
However, if you have bought a diskless enclosure, you need to install the storage by yourself according to these easy steps;
- Open the drive bay by pulling its handle outwards.
- Slide a compatible storage disk into the drive bay. Make sure to set it in the proper direction.
- Push the handle down to shut the opening of the drive bay.
- Now power up the device and it’s ready to use. Provide internet connection for cloud settings.
Use My Cloud Dashboard to configure your storage system, now, you can back up your files locally on these systems.
To establish a cloud network, connect with the internet and sign in to the MyCloud web portal.
Warranty
These WD devices have well-built hardware and established processing and memory chips, leading to optimized performance for several years.
Western Digital provides 3 years replacement warranty for all pre-configured variants of these devices.
However, the diskless variants come with a warranty for two years only as more damage is suspected when the consumers install and replace storage disks by themselves.
Price
PR4100 is comparatively expensive equipment because it provides massive storage, possesses a more efficient layout, and offers a superior backup facility. If you opt for pre-configured versions the price is high, according to the storage capacity of the variant.
Conversely, PR2100 is lower priced yet you will get a good storage volume, effective data protection, and cloud networking services.
