F4-424 - Pro vs. MAX for first time NAS buyer?

[Enquiries]

Hello there,

Would an F4-424 Pro or F4-424 MAX be the better purchase for a first-time NAS buyer?

I've been watching your content on YouTube for a while, and was initially piqued by the Asustor Nimbustor (the one with 4 SSD slots) as a robust hardware option with lots of expandability before the Terramaster F4-424 series was unveiled/released. I'm looking at a NAS as a primarily OFFLINE backup/storage solution for my sister and I. Multimedia streaming would be nice to implement, but that's not necessary.

I already have an Ironwolf 4 TB HDD previously purchased that can go towards the future NAS. I'd ideally like 2 more HDDs/8 more TB for the mass storage and a pair of bang-for-buck SSDs to house the OS and any cache for the NAS. I sourced my own parts for my tower from 2 years ago, so ~$2,000 would be what I'm comfortable spending (assuming the upcoming Black Friday sale sees the F4-424 Pro discount to $719 CAD again to compare with the $1,199 CAD of the MAX after its coupon).

[ed]

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!