RE: Replacing the 2-bay DS215J

[Aurisynne]

Hi,

I have requested an activation email about 5 times in the last 2 days and not received any email so have to make this new thread to reply to you, Ed. Can you merge this to that thread?

I'm going towards the DS923+ more. Is this still a good shout at the below deal price? Or should I be looking at a completely different NAS altogether?

• DS923+ (£536.60)
  
• DS925+ (£582.97) - I believe Synology branded HDDs only downside here(?)
  
• DS423+ (£589.10)
  

My usage:

• Backups: Mainly for 3 PCs, 2 Macs, and 1 iPhone
  
• Media Storage: Photo library and 2K/4K videos from my iPhone 16 Pro Max (I believe it's 4K 120fps?)
  
• Plex: I'd like to try Plex for films, but it’ll be 2-3 films at a time, once a week—nothing too intense.
  

My broadband connection is 1.6Gbps.

Thanks for getting in touch. If you’re looking to upgrade from the DS215j and stick within the £600 range (excluding drives), both the DS423+ and DS923+ are solid options, but they have slightly different strengths.

The DS423+ is the better pick if you’re after something more multimedia-friendly out of the box. It includes integrated graphics, so it’ll handle light Plex use better (like occasional 1080p or basic 4K playback) without relying on the client device to do the heavy lifting.

The DS923+, on the other hand, has more expandability – like upgradable RAM, NVMe bays for storage pools, and 10GbE support (with an optional upgrade). However, it doesn’t include integrated graphics, so Plex hardware transcoding isn’t available. If media playback is minimal and more about raw storage and backups, this is still a strong choice.

Regarding your current drives: yes, you can reuse them if they’re compatible (ideally CMR/WD Red Plus/IronWolf types), but you won’t be able to simply drop the existing RAID or SHR volume from the DS215j into a new NAS. You’ll need to back up the data first, wipe the drives, and set them up fresh in the new unit.

If you want something a bit more flexible or cost-effective, you could also look at QNAP’s TS-464, which often goes for a similar price and gives you HDMI, built-in graphics for Plex, and good app support. Just bear in mind the software is a bit more involved than Synology’s DSM.


ed, 07-25-2025, 08:56 AM

Link: https://ask.nascompares.com/showthread.p...8#pid18298

[ed]

• DS923+ (£536.60) – Still a very solid choice in 2025. It has enough CPU power for backups, photo/video storage, and running Plex if you stick to direct play (your devices must natively support the video format, since there’s no hardware transcoding). It also still allows third-party drives, so you won’t hit compatibility issues with your existing disks.
• DS925+ (£582.97) – This uses the newer Ryzen CPU, but like the DS923+ it has no hardware transcoding. The bigger drawback is Synology’s newer policy: it expects Synology-branded drives only, which makes upgrades and replacements pricier.
• DS423+ (£589.10) – The only one of the three that still supports hardware transcoding, so Plex is smoother if you have mixed devices. It also accepts third-party drives without complaint. The trade-off is that it’s not as powerful if you ever want Docker, VMs, or 10GbE in the future.

For your needs (backups, iPhone 4K video, and light Plex once or twice a week), the DS923+ is still the sweet spot. It gives you more headroom than the DS423+, keeps drive flexibility (unlike the DS925+), and is a good balance of performance and long-term support.

If Plex transcoding is a must, then the DS423+ edges ahead. But if you’re mainly direct playing, stick with the DS923+ deal.