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Thanks guys for doing this!
Looking to upgrade my Phtogography-/Videography store solution from multiple external harddrives to a NAS. I want to be able to ingest large amounts of pictures (through Lightroom) or video files (for cutting with Resolve) and edit them on my MacBook Pro. Additional files would ony be business-related file storage, nothing personal, no media server, etc.
Best Regards
Eric
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Given your budget (1200–1500€), storage needs (around 8TB), and a MacBook Pro editing setup, here’s what I’d recommend:
1. NAS Choice – QNAP or Synology
If you’re aiming to edit directly from the NAS (especially video in Resolve), then network speed becomes critical. A NAS with 2.5GbE or 10GbE is a must to avoid bottlenecks.
• QNAP TS-464 or TS-453E: Both support 2.5GbE, have decent CPUs (Intel Celeron), and can handle photo ingestion and light video editing over a fast connection. The TS-464 has newer hardware and an HDMI port if that’s useful.
• QNAP TVS-H674 or TVS-472XT (if found discounted/refurbished): These include 10GbE and better CPUs (Core i3 or higher), which are better suited to video-heavy workflows, though they’re pricier.
• Synology DS923+ or DS1522+: Also 2.5GbE capable (or upgradeable to 10GbE), solid for Lightroom workflows, and excellent for ease of use. However, Synology doesn’t support hardware video transcoding, which isn’t an issue unless you also plan to use Plex later.
2. Connectivity – Direct Speed Matters
If your MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt, pair it with a 10GbE-to-Thunderbolt adapter (like Sonnet Solo 10G or OWC 10G adapters) and connect it to a 10GbE switch or directly to the NAS via a point-to-point 10GbE link. This gives you ~1,000MB/s bandwidth for editing directly from the NAS — ideal for large RAW and video files.
If you’re sticking with 1GbE or 2.5GbE, real-world speed caps at around 100–280MB/s, which is fine for photos but less ideal for 4K+ video.
3. Drives – Storage and Performance
If you’re going with 8–16TB, you can use:
• 2 x 8TB IronWolf or WD Red Plus in RAID 1 (mirrored for safety)
• Or 3 x 4TB in RAID 5 (for redundancy + more capacity)
• For performance, you might consider 2 SSDs in a fast volume for editing work-in-progress, then move to HDDs for long-term storage
4. Software
QNAP and Synology both support SMB for network shares, and you can mount those directly in Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve. For fast access, ensure your NAS is using macOS-optimized SMB settings (you can tweak packet signing and indexing for faster performance).
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Bottom line:
If you’re leaning toward more editing from the NAS, go QNAP with 10GbE or upgradeability. If you want the best UI and easier setup, Synology (with a 10GbE upgrade card) is a good choice — just be aware of the recent drive compatibility lock-ins on newer models (e.g., DS925+ only takes Synology-branded drives).
