Yesterday, 12:32 PM
Thanks for sharing the details, that helps narrow things down. Your DS416+ has done well, but RAID 1 in a 4-bay setup does limit you. Moving to RAID 5 would give you more usable space, but it’s worth keeping in mind that RAID is not the same as backup. Since you’re working with irreplaceable family photos, it’s best to combine a resilient RAID (RAID 5 or RAID 6) with an actual backup routine, whether to an external drive or a cloud target. Synology’s Hyper Backup is free and works well without any subscription, so you don’t need to worry about the new subscription trend you’ve seen elsewhere.
With your budget of around 1500 CAD and a capacity target of 24–32TB, I’d suggest looking at either the Synology DS923+ or the new DS925+. The DS925+ is the more recent model but requires Synology-branded drives if you want to stay in full warranty. The DS923+ is still current, allows a wider choice of drives, and is often the better value. QNAP’s new Qu series (Qu405, Qu605, Qu805) are interesting if you want something fresher on the hardware side, but Synology still has the edge in backup software, long-term updates, and stability.
UGREEN has good hardware for the price, but their software is still relatively new compared with Synology and QNAP. Since you’re dealing with critical family archives, I’d lean toward Synology for its proven backup tools and community support. You can pair the NAS with NAS-rated drives like Seagate IronWolf or WD Red Plus. For example, here’s a current option: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Seagate+IronW...bite_yt-20
If you go with RAID 5 on four 8TB or 10TB drives, you’ll be in the 24–30TB usable range you want. Just make sure you also have an external drive or cloud sync as a secondary backup, since RAID alone won’t protect against accidental deletion or ransomware.
With your budget of around 1500 CAD and a capacity target of 24–32TB, I’d suggest looking at either the Synology DS923+ or the new DS925+. The DS925+ is the more recent model but requires Synology-branded drives if you want to stay in full warranty. The DS923+ is still current, allows a wider choice of drives, and is often the better value. QNAP’s new Qu series (Qu405, Qu605, Qu805) are interesting if you want something fresher on the hardware side, but Synology still has the edge in backup software, long-term updates, and stability.
UGREEN has good hardware for the price, but their software is still relatively new compared with Synology and QNAP. Since you’re dealing with critical family archives, I’d lean toward Synology for its proven backup tools and community support. You can pair the NAS with NAS-rated drives like Seagate IronWolf or WD Red Plus. For example, here’s a current option: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Seagate+IronW...bite_yt-20
If you go with RAID 5 on four 8TB or 10TB drives, you’ll be in the 24–30TB usable range you want. Just make sure you also have an external drive or cloud sync as a secondary backup, since RAID alone won’t protect against accidental deletion or ransomware.