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Hi there,
I've seen your youtube channel and your website and I'm very impressed by your thoroughness. I don't work directly with servers in any capacity and am learning as I go here.
I currently have a Plex Home Server with 5Terabyte Hard Drive I maxed out today. I've been adding to this server nonstop through manual DVD rips over the past 2 years. I need to level up and I'm hoping to take advantage of some black friday deals. I would love a simple recommendation of a NAS that would be appropriate for the next 10 years. Thoughts on what that might look like?
Thank you!
Luke
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Thank you for reaching out and for the kind words about the content! It sounds like you’ve done a fantastic job building your Plex library, and now you’re ready to take the next step with a NAS. Based on your needs, budget, and future goals, I’ve put together a recommendation that I think will work perfectly for you.
For your use case, I suggest the Synology DS423+. It’s a versatile and budget-friendly NAS that is well-suited for Plex and general home data storage. Here’s why it stands out:
Why the Synology DS423+?
The DS423+ offers a balance of performance, scalability, and affordability, making it ideal for home users who want to set up a reliable Plex media server and a long-term storage solution. It comes with a quad-core Intel Celeron processor, which supports hardware transcoding for Plex, enabling smooth playback of HD and even some 4K content on non-compatible devices.
With its four drive bays, you can start small and expand as your storage needs grow. It also supports Synology’s intuitive DSM software, which makes managing your NAS and setting up Plex easy, even if you’re new to servers. The DS423+ is also energy-efficient, quiet, and designed to last for many years, making it a solid investment for your home setup.
Recommended Drives
Since you’re already at 5TB and growing, I recommend starting with at least 2x 10TB Seagate IronWolf drives. This will give you 20TB of raw storage, and if you configure it in RAID 1, you’ll have 10TB of usable space with redundancy. As your library grows, you can add additional drives to expand your storage capacity.
If your budget allows, you can also consider larger drives, such as 12TB or 14TB, to future-proof your setup even more.
Budget and Black Friday Opportunities
Here’s an estimate to help you plan:
Synology DS423+: ~$500
2x Seagate IronWolf 10TB Drives: ~$400 (Black Friday deals may lower this cost).
This setup comes in slightly over your $800 budget, but Black Friday deals could help you stay closer to your target. Alternatively, you could start with smaller drives (e.g., 8TB) and expand later.
Long-Term Benefits
The DS423+ is a great option for the long term because it supports features like snapshots, file versioning, and Synology’s easy-to-use backup tools. Even if Plex isn’t your primary use in the future, this NAS will still serve you well as a central hub for your home data storage and backup needs.
Setup Suggestions
Use hardware transcoding in Plex for smooth playback, especially for devices that don’t support certain formats natively.
Set up regular backups for your NAS using an external drive or cloud service to protect your data.
Invest in a 1GbE or 2.5GbE switch for better performance when streaming multiple files or transferring large amounts of data.
Final Thoughts
The Synology DS423+ offers excellent value and functionality for your needs. It’s reliable, expandable, and user-friendly, making it perfect for someone like you who is building a home media server and data storage solution for the next 10 years.
