Got 4 WD Reds With The BBY Deal...Can Someone Suggest A Decent NAS?

T

TripleAgent77

Limp Gawd
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I wasn't really in the market for a NAS, but I couldn't pass up the deal. I also built my wife a gaming rig, so she will need storage beyond her SSD, so I said why not? I've worked with SANs, but i have no experience with home/prosumer level NAS. Could someone point me to a reliable 4-bay that hopefully isn't too expensive? This will be used for general file storage, backup and maybe some media streaming down the line. TIA
 
Synology is a bit more expensive, but they've got the best OS and ecosystem. IIRC, the DS-916+ is their top-of-the-line 4 bay NAS, and the DS416play is the "prosumer" 4-bay.

QNAP is cheaper (compared to Synology for similar hardware) but their OS isn't as nice in the long run. They have a LOT more models and options, so it's hard to say what's best without knowing your budget.

I personally prefer Synology, since a NAS is something I want to buy and have it run without fail for 4-5 years. They've always been rock-solid in my personal experience. I do know a lot of people happy with QNAP too though, their only complaints seem to be the NEW QNAP apps...the basic NAS stuff is just as good as Synology from what I've heard.
 
Bandalo said:
Synology is a bit more expensive, but they've got the best OS and ecosystem. IIRC, the DS-916+ is their top-of-the-line 4 bay NAS, and the DS416play is the "prosumer" 4-bay.

QNAP is cheaper (compared to Synology for similar hardware) but their OS isn't as nice in the long run. They have a LOT more models and options, so it's hard to say what's best without knowing your budget.

I personally prefer Synology, since a NAS is something I want to buy and have it run without fail for 4-5 years. They've always been rock-solid in my personal experience. I do know a lot of people happy with QNAP too though, their only complaints seem to be the NEW QNAP apps...the basic NAS stuff is just as good as Synology from what I've heard.
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Thanks for the reply. Budget isn't a huge concern, although the wife isn't thrilled I just dropped $600 on hard drives. Had to explain how she'll benefit lol. I just would like to not overbuy, because I doubt I'll do anything too hardcore with it. I do value reliability, and I don't want to spend too much time tinkering, so I'll check out the Synology models you mentioned.
 
TripleAgent77 said:
Thanks for the reply. Budget isn't a huge concern, although the wife isn't thrilled I just dropped $600 on hard drives. Had to explain how she'll benefit lol. I just would like to not overbuy, because I doubt I'll do anything too hardcore with it. I do value reliability, and I don't want to spend too much time tinkering, so I'll check out the Synology models you mentioned.
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I'd look at the 416play then...it'll do everything you need, and probably last you 4-5 years if not longer. The 916+ is probably overkill for a home-use NAS. This is HardOCP though...
 
Its pretty much Qnap and Synology for off the shelf NAS boxes. I've been happy with my Qnap unit. One thing to think about, some units these days include a hdmi port and let you use them as a computer if need be. A nice feature to have in your data backup machine in emergencies.
 
Bandalo said:
I'd look at the 416play then...it'll do everything you need, and probably last you 4-5 years if not longer. The 916+ is probably overkill for a home-use NAS. This is HardOCP though...
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Comparing the 416 and the 416 play. Looks like the extra 60 dollars just buys hardware 4K transcoding, and an upgraded CPU. Does the CPU make that much of a difference (besides transcoding)? I don't exactly see myself needing that, but I'm all about 4K.

Ranulfo said:
Its pretty much Qnap and Synology for off the shelf NAS boxes. I've been happy with my Qnap unit. One thing to think about, some units these days include a hdmi port and let you use them as a computer if need be. A nice feature to have in your data backup machine in emergencies.
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Took a look at some QNAP models, too. Reading on them REMOVING features with firmware updates. Is this true? That sounds bad. Also, people claiming Synology's software is better in general.
 
TripleAgent77 said:
Comparing the 416 and the 416 play. Looks like the extra 60 dollars just buys hardware 4K transcoding, and an upgraded CPU. Does the CPU make that much of a difference (besides transcoding)? I don't exactly see myself needing that, but I'm all about 4K..
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2 years from now, you'll be happy you spent the extra $60 on the CPU. A NAS is a long-term "investment", so it's worth it (IMO anyway) to spend money and get the best within your budget. You'll have it a long time.

I have a DS-1511+ I got almost 6 years ago now, and it's still running strong!
 
Bandalo said:
2 years from now, you'll be happy you spent the extra $60 on the CPU. A NAS is a long-term "investment", so it's worth it (IMO anyway) to spend money and get the best within your budget. You'll have it a long time.

I have a DS-1511+ I got almost 6 years ago now, and it's still running strong!
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Sounds reasonable. Guess I'll go with the play model.
 
TripleAgent77 said:
Took a look at some QNAP models, too. Reading on them REMOVING features with firmware updates. Is this true? That sounds bad. Also, people claiming Synology's software is better in general.
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I've not heard anything about it myself, so can't comment.
 
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