NAS or DAS?

[Enquiries]

Hello, im looking for large/fast/simple/ and budget friendly storage solution. Im looking at the QNAP 288TB TVS-h1688X 16-Bay NAS Enclosure but Im not sure it would be fast enough.

If I set up the four 2.5" drive bays with SSDs, or use the two M.2 drive bays with 2 x 4tb drives as a cache, and only connect via thunderbolt 3, would that get me faster speeds when working directly off the h1688X?

Or would I be better off running raid 6 on a large array or drives in a DAS? Downside = future storage growth and not supporting multi users connected.

We have a small office, of 3 people, and I could run all three work computers to the h1688X via the thunderbolt 3 card connections with 6 to 10ft cords so that we are running the fastest line to the h1688X. But I feel like there is quite a bit of setup and might not be the simplest solution, or the h1688X has way more than I need in terms of apps and settings.

Maybe a rack would be best with some sort of software running on my Mac?

Thanks

[ed]

QNAP TVS-h1688X (NAS with Thunderbolt)
This system gives you the flexibility of shared NAS functionality, multi-user access, and Thunderbolt 3 direct-attached speed when using the QXP-T32P add-in card. You could:
• Use M.2 NVMe drives for read/write caching to boost performance during peak activity
• Use the four 2.5” bays for SSDs as a tier or for performance-critical tasks
• Connect 2–3 editors directly over Thunderbolt for fast I/O
• Still benefit from RAID 6 on HDDs for redundancy, plus future expandability and network access if needed later

However, this setup will require a bit of configuration—especially balancing tiered storage or caching with the ZFS-based QuTS Hero OS, which is powerful but more complex than average. Thunderbolt connections also have driver and compatibility considerations, especially with macOS updates.

If you’re confident with system setup or have an IT-savvy person on your team, this setup offers the best mix of speed, capacity, redundancy, and flexibility. It’s overkill for some offices, but for real-time 4K+ editing with centralized storage, it fits.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage with RAID Controller)
Going with a large RAID 6 DAS gives you raw speed and simplicity—connect via Thunderbolt or USB-C and start working. But:
• Only one system can connect at a time unless you run a Thunderbolt network or use additional hardware like a Thunderbolt sharing switch (complex and expensive)
• No native multi-user management, snapshots, backups, or network sharing
• Scaling storage requires replacing or swapping the DAS entirely
• No built-in redundancy services like hot spares or remote backup features

It’s a strong choice for solo editing workflows or studios that archive frequently, but less ideal for shared environments unless you only need one editor connected at a time.

Other Considerations
• If you’re open to rackmount setups, a custom build running TrueNAS SCALE with 10GbE could offer shared speed and flexibility, especially if your team doesn’t need Thunderbolt specifically.
• If you want the simplest setup possible, a high-speed DAS for each user and a separate NAS for archive/backup might be the least technical path, but also less integrated.
• You’re right that the h1688X is feature-rich, but you don’t have to use everything. It’s better to have headroom than be stuck with limitations a year from now.

Final Thoughts
If real-time multi-user editing is key, and you’re okay with some setup work, the QNAP h1688X with Thunderbolt and caching is your best all-in-one solution. If simplicity matters more and you’re okay with one-user access at a time, a large RAID 6 DAS will be faster out of the box, but less flexible long-term.