Upgrade from DS115j

[Enquiries]

Hi NasCompare
Our old DS115j (first NAS) is getting slower and sloooooower.
It was bought as a way to store our photos etc. and my wife likes to use it for managing photos to create (physical) photo albums annually. For the past couple of years the speed has decreased and response times increased. I back-up the data every few months on a separate HDD which we then use for going through photos as the interface to the DS115j is just painfully slow.
I have thought about the DS224+ as an upgrade as I want something better. Would it be worth going to the DS723+?
Your latest review on the two would suggest that the 723 is the better value for money and I am happy to spend the money but I feel it may be overkill.
On the other hand, what we use the NAS for now may very well be limited by the lack of power of the DS115j.
What are your thoughts?
BR Christian

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out! You’re absolutely right — the DS115j is a very basic unit, and over time, as photo libraries grow and file indexing increases, it can start to feel painfully slow. Upgrading is definitely a good idea to make managing your photos smoother and future-proof your setup.

Between the DS224+ and DS723+, here’s the breakdown:

DS224+:

Perfect for photo management, backups, and general home use.
It has a more user-friendly Intel CPU, which makes it better for tasks like photo browsing and indexing.
If your current needs revolve around photo storage, organizing, and annual album creation, this will already feel like a massive upgrade from the DS115j.
DS723+:

More powerful AMD CPU and upgrade options (e.g., adding NVMe caching, 10GbE networking), making it better suited for future scalability.
However, for primarily photo management, the extra power may not be fully utilized right now.
If you think your needs will remain focused on photo storage and browsing with some backups, the DS224+ is likely more than sufficient and gives you excellent performance without overspending.

On the other hand, if you anticipate adding heavier tasks (e.g., running virtual machines, video editing, or expanding into 10GbE networking down the road), the DS723+ is a more future-proof investment.

In short:

DS224+ = More than enough for photo storage and better responsiveness.
DS723+ = Future-proof and great value if you foresee growing demands.