09-26-2025, 12:42 PM
• 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.
• 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.