08-04-2023, 09:11 AM
Certainly, Ray! Given your requirements of streaming to multiple rooms and setting up PLEX, along with a cloud service for family backups, a NAS with robust capabilities is crucial. Considering your budget of $1000.00 to $1500 AUD, and the need for future upgrades, I recommend the DS423+. It's a 4-bay model equipped with a quad-core Intel Celeron J4125 and a transcoding engine (passmark 2982), which will efficiently handle your media streaming needs. The device is not only capable of backing up photos but family videos as well, allowing remote access with its media-friendly chip. Furthermore, you have the flexibility to link PLEX on your PC back to the NAS where all multimedia will be stored. Another option to consider, especially if you're looking at a 6-bay model, would be the DS1621+. Although it works just fine locally and provides room for expansion, please be mindful that remote streaming might be limited to 1080p videos. Either of these choices should offer a strong foundation for your desired setup, with the DS423+ giving a more rounded package, considering both present needs and future prospects.