NAS/Plex Advice

[Enquiries]

This would be my first NAS/Plex Server. I mainly want to back up family photos and videos while also storing movies that would generally be accessed by a few devices within the home for the rest of the family. I have built multiple PCs over the past 20 years for myself and family members. I had been looking at a Synology 423+ previously, but now am considering a QNAP system.

[ed]

It’s great to hear you’re diving into NAS and Plex for the first time! With your background in PC building and the goal of storing family photos, videos, and movies for Plex, both Synology and QNAP are excellent choices, but there are a few things to consider based on your budget of $1200 and storage needs.

1. Synology DS423+
The Synology DS423+ is a solid choice for a beginner NAS with 4 bays and a focus on ease of use, especially with DSM (DiskStation Manager), which is highly regarded for its intuitive interface. This model would be great for backing up family photos and videos, as well as streaming movies through Plex to a few devices in the house. However, for Plex server functionality, it’s important to note that hardware transcoding isn’t a feature on the DS423+, so software transcoding will take up more CPU resources, especially if you plan on streaming 4K or high-bitrate content. If transcoding is a priority, you might want to explore models with Intel Celeron processors like the DS923+, which has better transcoding capabilities.

2. QNAP Options
QNAP offers a variety of options with more focus on performance and flexibility:

QNAP TS-464: This NAS would be a good option for you as it offers a quad-core Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of RAM (expandable). It provides better transcoding capabilities for Plex due to the hardware transcoding support, which makes it a great fit for streaming 4K content to multiple devices in your home. Plus, the QTS software allows you to do more advanced configurations if needed.
QNAP TS-453D: Another potential option within your budget, this model also features an Intel Celeron chip with hardware transcoding for Plex and supports 4 bays for expanding your storage.
Storage Considerations
For 12TB of storage, you could start with 2x6TB drives or 3x4TB drives depending on your budget. Both Synology and QNAP are compatible with various drive brands and provide redundancy options, so you can set up RAID 1 or RAID 5 for data protection.

Conclusion:
Synology DS423+ is a more budget-friendly option with an easy-to-use interface, but you may encounter limitations with Plex transcoding, especially for 4K content.
QNAP TS-464 or TS-453D will provide better performance, especially for Plex streaming, and include hardware transcoding support for smoother media playback.
If you’re planning to use Plex extensively with multiple devices, especially for 4K content, a QNAP system might be the better choice, but the Synology DS423+ will still serve you well if you don’t mind software transcoding.