NAS buying advise

[Enquiries]

Looking at buying my first NAS which will mainly be used for photo/file backup but may want to run a Plex server on it later on. Have budget of £500 but this might be able to budge. Like the idea of auto organised photos etc and some expandability. Have looked at Synology DS224+ with WD Red Plus 4TB which is within budget but dont like that I will only have 2 drives to play with. Like the idea of a DS423+ but its a bit too much money. Am I asking too much?

[ed]

You’ve got a great starting budget and clear priorities, which makes narrowing down your options easier. Let’s break it down:

Your Requirements:
Primary Use: Photo/file backup with potential future use as a Plex server.
Expandability: Prefer a 4-bay NAS for more flexibility with storage.
Auto-organization for photos: Synology’s DSM is excellent for this with Synology Photos.
Budget: £500 (potentially flexible).
Key Considerations:
2-Bay vs. 4-Bay NAS:

A 2-bay NAS like the Synology DS224+ is sufficient for backups and light Plex use but limits your future expandability.
A 4-bay NAS like the DS423+ allows for more storage capacity, better RAID configurations (e.g., RAID 5), and long-term scalability.
Plex Server Capability:

For Plex, you'll want a NAS with hardware transcoding capabilities, ideally with an Intel processor (e.g., Celeron series). Both the DS224+ and DS423+ fit this bill.
Recommendations:
Option 1: Synology DS224+ (Best Within Budget)
Price: ~£310.
Pros:
Excellent for photo/file backups and running Synology Photos.
Powerful enough for light Plex use (direct play preferred; transcoding is limited).
Expandable with an eSATA expansion unit (DX517) if needed in the future.
Fits well within your budget when paired with two WD Red Plus 4TB drives (~£180 for both).
Cons:
Limited to 2 drives, which restricts storage expansion.
Option 2: Synology DS423+ (Stretch Budget Option)
Price: ~£490.
Pros:
4 drive bays for better RAID options (e.g., RAID 5) and future expansion.
Ideal for photo/file backups and more robust Plex capabilities (hardware transcoding support with Intel Celeron J4125).
Long-term flexibility for additional apps and storage.
Cons:
Slightly over budget but offers excellent value for a 4-bay NAS.
Option 3: QNAP TS-464 (Affordable 4-Bay Alternative)
Price: ~£450.
Pros:
4 drive bays for expandability.
Intel Celeron N5105 processor (similar Plex performance to the DS423+).
More affordable than the DS423+ while offering comparable hardware.
Flexible and feature-rich, with apps like QuMagie for photo organization.
Cons:
Slightly less polished software compared to Synology DSM.
Drive Recommendations:
For any of the above, WD Red Plus 4TB drives are an excellent choice. RAID 1 (mirroring) with 2 drives is a safe starting point, and with a 4-bay NAS, you can expand to RAID 5 later.