I plan to purchase a NAS that uses all SSDs with all or mostly passive cooling elements, so that I can put it in the entertainment console under my TV and receiver and watch TV without massive fan noise and thudding disk drives. I need an Intel CPU for QuickSync for hardware encoding for Plex, and a minimum of 4 SSD slots. I thought about AMD solutions to get more PCIE lanes, but then I would have to find one with a GPU expansion slot, and said GPU would likely be cooled by a fan that then increases noise. I have looked at the Lincstation N2(6 drives, and passive cooling, but meh N100, and limited RAM), the UGREEN NASync DXP480T(Better processor, fewer drives, possibly louder?), and the QNAP TBS-h574TX(5 drives, nice processor, least RAM, possibly louder?, high price) and figure I am missing quite a few comparable options. If I want 4+ SSD slots, as close to silent, an Intel QuickSync processor, enough RAM, 10GBE, and enough lanes to saturate the 10GBE, what are my best options?

Hey!
All the threads i keep finding RE this are 3-6 years old so wanted to confirm.
trying to get Media Composer ultimate 2025.6 up and running with both media and project on the NAS. I have two systems connected (a apple silicon mac studio and a i9 PC) and i'd love to be able to access the project from both.
without getting too deep into the weeds atm - Do I still need mimiq in this day and age? or am I able to make this work without it.

- AllDrives and 3rd party bin locking is enabled on both systems.
- mac connected through NSF connection. PC is SMB atm and fails to make changes to bins / save. *haven't attempted NSF yet as wasn't an option.

Thnx!
Elad.

Hey, are you aware of any third-party apps that will do what SynologyDrive does -- sync UNAS Pro 8/4 with macOS, Windows, etc. computers? I basically want a self-hosted version of Dropbox/OneDrive like SynologyDrive offers.

hello i bought f2-424 max.
i have 4 hdd (12TB) plus 2 ssd m.2.
i want to enable cache.

what do you recommend to do?
i thoght about:
1 ssd for os
1 ssd for cache
4 hdd for main volume/pool.

do you recommend something else?
im going to use the nas for: photos backup, plex/jelyfin server, and 1-3 small vms (i have 64 gb memory)

thanks in advanced.
Amir

Hi. I have a Windows 10 PC laptop server that is getting old and less reliable these days. It serves primarily as a Plex server with DAS in a 4 bay USB enclosure with 4 WD Red 10TB drives. I use Stablebit Drivepool with file duplication. I'm looking to move to a NAS for a more stable/reliable system with 6 bays. I also want to use Unraid instead of native OS. PC also does a few other tasks including a Channels DVR server, HTWebRemote Server (small server for web based control of AV gear), disc rips via MakeMKV all of which I believe can be done with Docker or a VM. I am most interested in the Ugreen DXp6800 Pro or the to be released QNAP Qu604. I was considering the QNAP TS-664-8G until the new QNAP models were announced. Ugreen is available now with great hardware but still a newcomer vs the established QNAP. I would rather not do DIY though. Thanks for your help.

Hello everyone, I am planning to buy a NAS with a slot that supports NVMe SSD for cache or primary storage. The manufacturer offers very high read/write speeds (e.g.,3,500 MB/s), but I want to ask from practical experience:

With popular NVMe SSDs like Samsung 970 Evo Plus or WD Black SN750, what percentage of the actual speed when running on the NAS will be compared to the manufacturer's advertised specifications?

What factors have the strongest influence on speed reduction (e.g., NAS motherboard type, network protocol, RAID configuration, firmware)

Are there any NAS that support NVMe SSDs well to maximize their performance? If so, give me some examples to compare.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing in advance!

Hi,

I have requested an activation email about 5 times in the last 2 days and not received any email so have to make this new thread to reply to you, Ed. Can you merge this to that thread?

I'm going towards the DS923+ more. Is this still a good shout at the below deal price? Or should I be looking at a completely different NAS altogether?

• DS923+ (£536.60)
  
• DS925+ (£582.97) - I believe Synology branded HDDs only downside here(?)
  
• DS423+ (£589.10)
  

• Backups: Mainly for 3 PCs, 2 Macs, and 1 iPhone
  
• Media Storage: Photo library and 2K/4K videos from my iPhone 16 Pro Max (I believe it's 4K 120fps?)
  
• Plex: I'd like to try Plex for films, but it’ll be 2-3 films at a time, once a week—nothing too intense.
  

Quote:Thanks for getting in touch. If you’re looking to upgrade from the DS215j and stick within the £600 range (excluding drives), both the DS423+ and DS923+ are solid options, but they have slightly different strengths.

The DS423+ is the better pick if you’re after something more multimedia-friendly out of the box. It includes integrated graphics, so it’ll handle light Plex use better (like occasional 1080p or basic 4K playback) without relying on the client device to do the heavy lifting.

The DS923+, on the other hand, has more expandability – like upgradable RAM, NVMe bays for storage pools, and 10GbE support (with an optional upgrade). However, it doesn’t include integrated graphics, so Plex hardware transcoding isn’t available. If media playback is minimal and more about raw storage and backups, this is still a strong choice.

Regarding your current drives: yes, you can reuse them if they’re compatible (ideally CMR/WD Red Plus/IronWolf types), but you won’t be able to simply drop the existing RAID or SHR volume from the DS215j into a new NAS. You’ll need to back up the data first, wipe the drives, and set them up fresh in the new unit.

If you want something a bit more flexible or cost-effective, you could also look at QNAP’s TS-464, which often goes for a similar price and gives you HDMI, built-in graphics for Plex, and good app support. Just bear in mind the software is a bit more involved than Synology’s DSM.


ed, 07-25-2025, 08:56 AM

Hello, I'm building a NAS server for personal use- I've started collecting my own movie/show/music so I'm not relying on streaming- and am looking to use as much of my own leftover tech as possible. Here's what I have:

1TB Toshiba HDD
1TB Western Digital Blue HDD
500GB Seagate HDD
500GB Samsung 500GB SSD
1 Dell Optiplex 3070 Micro with an i3 8100T, 128GB M2 SSD, Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics, Intel Wireless-AC 9560, and an external PSU
(https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/optiplex-3070-desktop_owners-manual5_en-us.pdf)

Ideally, I'd like to use as much as possible from the Optiplex as possible. I'm willing to get a new case obviously, likely a Jonsbo, but if I'm able to keep the motherboard that'd be ideal. The problem is, it only accommodates 1 SATA 3.0. I've watched some of your videos on DIY NAS, but I was wondering what advice you have for someone in my specific situation.

Let me know if you need any more info/pictures! Thanks!

i am using jellyfin on my Synology DS925+ but apparently Synology does not support Jellyfin, with its quick connect feature is there a easy fix for this ?

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well! I’m looking into setting up a 4-bay NAS for my home lab and creative workflows, and I’d really value your advice. My main goals are:

Backing up multiple devices (Proxmox server, MacBook, PC, iPhone, SD cards/flash drives)

Editing video and producing music with fast, reliable storage

Maintaining a scalable and flexible setup for the long term

I’ve been considering the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus and Asustor Drivestor 4, and I’m also curious about running TrueNAS on such hardware for more flexibility.

Since you have experience with NAS systems, I’d love to hear your thoughts on:

Hardware choices (UGREEN vs. Asustor vs. others)

Recommended RAID setup and drives for this use case

How to optimize a NAS for video/music workflows

Any lessons learned or pitfalls to avoid

I really appreciate any guidance or suggestions you could share. Thanks so much for your time!

Best regards,
Athina