Yesterday, 10:51 AM
Thanks for reaching out! It's great to hear that you're exploring your options for a NAS, and I'm glad you've been following our content. Both the F4-424 Pro and F4-424 MAX have their strengths, so let’s break it down a bit.
For a first-time buyer primarily looking for an offline backup/storage solution, the F4-424 Pro might be the better fit, especially considering your budget. It offers solid performance and ample expandability, which is perfect for your needs right now. Since you already have a 4 TB Ironwolf HDD, you can easily add two more HDDs to reach your desired storage capacity.
The F4-424 MAX, while more expensive, does offer some additional features that could be beneficial for future needs, like enhanced processing power and potentially better performance for multitasking, especially if you decide to delve more into multimedia streaming down the line. However, if streaming isn’t a priority for you at the moment, the Pro model should serve you well.
Regarding your plan for SSDs to house the OS and cache, that's a smart move. Using SSDs will significantly improve the responsiveness and overall performance of your NAS, especially when accessing frequently used files or applications.
With the price point you're looking at, keeping an eye on those Black Friday discounts is definitely a good strategy!
For a first-time buyer primarily looking for an offline backup/storage solution, the F4-424 Pro might be the better fit, especially considering your budget. It offers solid performance and ample expandability, which is perfect for your needs right now. Since you already have a 4 TB Ironwolf HDD, you can easily add two more HDDs to reach your desired storage capacity.
The F4-424 MAX, while more expensive, does offer some additional features that could be beneficial for future needs, like enhanced processing power and potentially better performance for multitasking, especially if you decide to delve more into multimedia streaming down the line. However, if streaming isn’t a priority for you at the moment, the Pro model should serve you well.
Regarding your plan for SSDs to house the OS and cache, that's a smart move. Using SSDs will significantly improve the responsiveness and overall performance of your NAS, especially when accessing frequently used files or applications.
With the price point you're looking at, keeping an eye on those Black Friday discounts is definitely a good strategy!