ASK NC

My first foray into NAS
I'm looking for a quiet NAS with storage to accommodate 3 PC backups. Also to use as a Plex server. Eventually to store surveillance camera video, plus store about 400GB photos and 1TB of video. 2.5 GbE network connectivity and integrated graphics required. My initial stab at 12TB may be over the top. I like to think I'm computer literate, I was an IT performance tester for many years, now retired. I'm leaning towards a 4 bay Qnap, Synology will also do, is this a good choice and how much storage and what RAID would you recommend? Thank you.

es, a 4-bay QNAP or Synology NAS would be a good choice for your needs. Here are some recommendations:

For storage, you can start with a 4-bay NAS and two 4TB hard drives configured in RAID 1 for a total of 4TB of usable storage. This should be enough to accommodate your PC backups, photos, and some video storage. As your storage needs grow, you can add more hard drives or upgrade to larger ones.
For RAID configuration, RAID 1 would provide data redundancy in case one of the hard drives fails, but it would reduce the total usable storage capacity by half. RAID 5 or 6 would provide both data redundancy and more usable storage capacity, but they require at least three or four hard drives, respectively. You can choose the RAID configuration based on your priorities for data redundancy vs. storage capacity.
For quietness, look for a NAS with a low noise level rating and consider using hard drives designed for low noise and vibration, such as the WD Red or Seagate IronWolf NAS drives.
For network connectivity, look for a NAS with 2.5 GbE network ports, which should provide faster data transfer speeds than standard 1 GbE ports. You may also need to upgrade your network equipment (such as switches and routers) to support 2.5 GbE.
For integrated graphics, most modern NAS models have built-in hardware transcoding capabilities, which should enable you to stream 4K video to your devices without stuttering or buffering. However, check the specific model's hardware specifications to ensure it meets your requirements.
I would look at Qnap ts-464 and few SSD inside instead of HDDs. This will be quite.