Which NAS is the best for me ?

[Enquiries]

Hello dear people of NAS-Compares,

I am looking for a NAS-system and I hope you can advise me. What am I looking for? At this moment I have about 20TB of files (music and movies). A lot of the movie files are 4K Ultra High Defenition files. I am not planning to enlarge the libraries a lot but maybe in future it can be 40 or 50 TB. But not at this moment, 20TB or 25TB is enough for me for the next few years.

I have a backup of all my files on a couple of external hard disks, so for me it's not necessary that the NAS has a build-in backup-system. I want to use my NAS primarily for home use but I also want to be able to use it if I am on a holiday in another country. And it would be nice if I can share my music and movie files with family and friends.

What am I looking for: Not the top-level NAS. Just a NAS which can store (max) 30TB of data, which I can connect to when I am in another country and which I can share with friends. I hope you can help me with the right NAS.

[ed]

Hey there!

For your needs, I recommend going for a Celeron-based NAS if you're primarily aiming for one 4K stream remotely. These systems are affordable and efficient for single-stream 4K playback. Here are a couple of great options:

Synology DS423+

Pros: This is a budget-friendly NAS with a Celeron CPU, perfect for handling your 4K streaming needs for a single user. It supports up to 36TB (with 4x 8TB drives) and offers excellent remote access features through Synology’s DSM system. It’s simple to set up, and you can use Plex or other media apps for sharing with friends and family.
Cons: Limited for multiple simultaneous 4K streams, but great for your single-stream needs.
QNAP TS-464

Pros: Another great Celeron-based NAS with good support for remote access and 4K streaming. It also has HDMI output, which is a nice bonus if you want to connect the NAS directly to a TV or monitor. The 4-bay configuration is perfect for up to 32TB storage, which should be sufficient for your current and near-future needs.
Cons: Same as the DS423+, it’s not the best for multiple 4K streams simultaneously, but it will easily handle one.
If you anticipate needing more than one 4K stream remotely, then you might want to consider something like the QNAP TS-74 series. These NAS units can support GPU cards, allowing them to offload processing power for multiple streams or more intensive media processing tasks.

For a starting point with one 4K stream, I recommend the DS423+ or TS-464, but if your usage grows to more simultaneous streams in the future, the QNAP TS-74 with GPU support would be a solid upgrade.