Yesterday, 12:06 PM
Thanks for getting in touch, and I really appreciate the detailed rundown of your setup. That Lacie 5Big has done a solid job over the years, but after 11 years in service, you’re right to start planning its replacement — especially with your move to a mobile workstation setup.
You mentioned leaning toward Synology, especially based on your positive experience with the DS118. Until recently, the natural upgrade path would have been something like the DS1522+, but Synology has just launched the DS1525+ and DS1825+. While these new models bring some nice hardware updates — like the AMD Ryzen R1600 CPU, 8GB ECC RAM (upgradable to 32GB), NVMe SSD caching, and 2.5GbE networking — there’s one major catch that’s important to flag.
Unlike earlier models, the DS1525+ and DS1825+ now enforce full drive lockdown. That means you can only use Synology’s own branded hard drives (HAT3300 or HAT5300 series), and if you try to install DSM with non-Synology drives, the system will refuse to proceed. This isn’t just about warning pop-ups anymore — DSM won’t install at all. So if you’re planning to reuse existing drives or want flexibility in sourcing more affordable third-party options, these new models will unfortunately block that entirely.
If DSM is a must-have and you’re happy to invest in Synology drives, they’re still solid choices with excellent software and great backup tools — ideal for Time Machine, Plex (with direct play), and general creative workflows. But if you want more freedom with your hardware, it might be worth looking at alternatives.
QNAP offers a few good options around your budget, like the TS-664 or TS-673A. They support third-party drives without issue, have similar performance potential, and offer flexible expansion and caching features. The software isn’t quite as user-friendly as DSM, but it’s powerful and well-supported, especially for solo professionals.
You mentioned leaning toward Synology, especially based on your positive experience with the DS118. Until recently, the natural upgrade path would have been something like the DS1522+, but Synology has just launched the DS1525+ and DS1825+. While these new models bring some nice hardware updates — like the AMD Ryzen R1600 CPU, 8GB ECC RAM (upgradable to 32GB), NVMe SSD caching, and 2.5GbE networking — there’s one major catch that’s important to flag.
Unlike earlier models, the DS1525+ and DS1825+ now enforce full drive lockdown. That means you can only use Synology’s own branded hard drives (HAT3300 or HAT5300 series), and if you try to install DSM with non-Synology drives, the system will refuse to proceed. This isn’t just about warning pop-ups anymore — DSM won’t install at all. So if you’re planning to reuse existing drives or want flexibility in sourcing more affordable third-party options, these new models will unfortunately block that entirely.
If DSM is a must-have and you’re happy to invest in Synology drives, they’re still solid choices with excellent software and great backup tools — ideal for Time Machine, Plex (with direct play), and general creative workflows. But if you want more freedom with your hardware, it might be worth looking at alternatives.
QNAP offers a few good options around your budget, like the TS-664 or TS-673A. They support third-party drives without issue, have similar performance potential, and offer flexible expansion and caching features. The software isn’t quite as user-friendly as DSM, but it’s powerful and well-supported, especially for solo professionals.