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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?
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Great question — you’re narrowing in on a fairly specialist corner of the NAS world, since most off-the-shelf units assume noisy HDDs and active cooling. Let’s break down your needs:
• Silent/near-silent design: SSD-only NAS makes sense here, as you avoid spindle noise and vibration. The main factor left is fan noise. Passive or near-passive cooling is rare, so you’ll need to focus on models with low-RPM fans, or DIY with quiet Noctua replacements.
• Intel Quick Sync: This rules out the AMD-only Synology/QNAP lines and many ARM/low-power boxes. You’ll want an Intel iGPU-equipped CPU (11th–13th gen Core i3/i5 or Xeon with UHD). That ensures Plex can leverage hardware encoding properly.
• 10GbE + bandwidth: To actually saturate 10GbE with SSDs, you need enough PCIe lanes. This is where many compact boxes fall short, since they dedicate lanes to M.2 slots and leave the NIC lane-starved.
Options worth considering:
• QNAP TBS-h574TX – Best turnkey option. It gives you 5× M.2 NVMe slots, Intel Core i3 (Quick Sync capable), and built-in 10GbE. Downsides: limited RAM expansion (max 32GB), active fans (not silent, but you can swap them for quieter ones), and the highest price of your list. Still, it ticks nearly all your boxes.
• LincStation N2 – Fanless and compact, but you spotted the main issue: the N100 CPU is very weak for Plex, especially with multiple 4K streams. Fine for backups, not great for heavy Plex.
• UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus – Stronger CPU than the LincStation, multiple M.2 bays, and reasonable pricing. It does use fans, so not silent, but with SSDs only the fan curve is usually very light. OS is still young though, so you may prefer to run TrueNAS or Unraid.
• DIY Mini-ITX Build – For absolute control, consider a Jonsbo N2 or N3 case with a low-power Intel 12th/13th gen CPU. Add a passive or semi-passive cooler (Noctua NH-P1 or Scythe Big Shuriken), use 4–6 NVMe via bifurcation card or U.2 adapters, and add a silent 10GbE NIC. With careful fan choice, you can achieve near-silent operation while keeping full Plex Quick Sync power. This route costs similar to the QNAP but gives you more flexibility and RAM headroom.
My recommendation: If you want a ready-to-use NAS, the QNAP TBS-h574TX is still the closest match to your checklist. If you’re open to a little DIY, a Jonsbo-based Intel ITX build can be made quieter, more upgradeable, and often cheaper long term.
