NAS upgrade consideration

[Enquiries]

Hi,
I have been using a DS220j for four years for backup, storage and as a media server. With increasing use of DSM—especially Surveillance Station (five cameras)—the system has reached its limits. CPU load is moderate, but RAM usage is constantly above 50%, and since adding a 4K camera, responsiveness (DSM UI) has decreased.
I am considering DS225+, 425+, 725+ or 925+. Two bays are sufficient today, but I want to avoid reaching hardware limits again. I use 8 TB and 12 TB IronWolf drives in SHR; storage is adequate.
Current apps: Synology Drive, Cloud Sync, Media Server, Surveillance Station.
Planned: Docker/Container Manager for network monitoring and home automation, possibly a small web server.
Noise is irrelevant; power consumption matters.
Key considerations:
• 2-bay or 4-bay?
• Celeron or AMD Ryzen (future proof CPU!)?
• RAM?
• HDD compatibility?
• Enough power for Surveillance Station?
Should I buy now or wait for new models?
Thanks and best regards,
Falk

[ed]

If you want something that will last you at least another five to seven years without hitting limits again, go straight to a 4 bay plus class model. The DS425 Plus or DS925 Plus are the two best fits today.

The DS225 Plus is fine for basic home use, but you will run into the same wall once you add more Docker containers or higher resolution cameras. The CPU and RAM ceiling are both too low for your workload.

Between the 425 Plus and the 925 Plus, the difference is mostly headroom. The 925 Plus gives you more cores, more responsive Docker workloads, faster Surveillance Station performance and smoother UI. If you can stretch to it, it is the one that feels truly future proof.

Celeron vs AMD Ryzen matters less than you might expect. Both platforms in the plus series handle your current workloads well. What matters more is core count and RAM ceiling. For busy environments with Drive, Surveillance Station and containers, extra cores give you real long term comfort.

About RAM, you definitely want more than 2GB this time. Six to eight gigabytes is ideal for Docker and SS with multiple HD or 4K streams. You can start small and add later, since Synology models allow memory expansion.

HDD compatibility is not a problem on the plus series. Your IronWolf drives will work exactly as they do now, and SHR remains supported.

Should you buy now or wait? For your use case there is no reason to wait. The current models already give you a big leap in performance and DSM 7.2 has matured well. If new models come later, they will focus mainly on AI workflows, not on the core features you need.

If you want the safest long term choice with the least chance of ever needing to upgrade again, the DS925 Plus is the one I would pick. If you prefer to save some money and still get a big step up, the DS425 Plus is perfectly capable.