I'm currently using my computer (which was never purchased with this intent) to host a Plex server. Everything I have is on a single 4TB HDD (HUS726T4TALA6L4). I keep running out of space and have even copied some files over to one of my EX950 SSDs for a bit. I've been wanting to setup a NAS for a while and looking around at options for years now. I have really valued the videos and text content from NasCompares as well. Currently, I'm able to stream over Wifi 6 to my Hisense U8K in the living room without problem via Direct Play on Plex. My PC has a Ryzen 3900X and 16-16-16-36 3600 Mhz RAM.
A higher bitrate file example from my collection is below:
![[Image: KumBpHc.png]](https://i.imgur.com/KumBpHc.png)
I'm looking to start off with a 4-bay NAS and two 8 TB HDDs (edit: can't post a link so I'd like to note I'm referring to the 8 TB HUS728T8TALE6L4). I'd like to avoid purchasing Plex Pass but in the future I may be willing to do so. I don't really have a need for transcoding, provided the NAS will get the job done as good or better than my PC does. I will almost always be using this to play things myself on my TV on my own network -- but it's nice to have the option to stream remotely. I'm currently using a Hitron CODA56 modem and ASUS RT-AX58U router. I intend on upgrading the router this year to one which supports WiFi 6E and has 2.5 GbE support. Keeping in mind that the drives I'm buying are $340 for two, and I'd like to buy a small UPS for $50-75 for the NAS, it would be nice to keep the NAS around $450-500. I REALLY like the Lincstation N1, but I can't really budget for all those NVME M2 drives in the size I'm looking for.
Considering that, I've recently been taking a look at the following options:
$500 TERRAMASTER F4-424 (8 GB DDR5, N95 CPU, 2x 2.5 GbE)
$529 Asustor AS5404T (N5105, 4 GB DDR4, 2x 2.5 GbE)
$552 TERRAMASTER F4-424 PRO (N305, 16GB DDR5, 2x 2.5 GbE) *
$557 QNAP TS-464-8G-US (4 GB DDR4, N5095 or N5105, 2x 2.5 GbE)
* After making this post I hit play on a video tab I had in queue from Nas Compares and found this NAS has a coupon on Amazon right now making it $52 more than the non-pro version.
It seems like to me the major differences for my use case may be a preference for software and physical design, and what I want the M2 NVME slots to be capable of.
Am I missing any options I should be considering? Are any of these not a wise choice for my needs? Is there a way I can get what I want at a lower price? In this case I'm only interested in purchasing from Amazon, for various reasons. My experience level is above average with experience running servers and websites, building computers, troubleshooting on Windows and linux/unix based systems, and very light work in code. It shouldn't be an obstacle if I have to do something extra, but I would prefer a simple point and click experience I can just setup and use as a Plex server.
A higher bitrate file example from my collection is below:
I'm looking to start off with a 4-bay NAS and two 8 TB HDDs (edit: can't post a link so I'd like to note I'm referring to the 8 TB HUS728T8TALE6L4). I'd like to avoid purchasing Plex Pass but in the future I may be willing to do so. I don't really have a need for transcoding, provided the NAS will get the job done as good or better than my PC does. I will almost always be using this to play things myself on my TV on my own network -- but it's nice to have the option to stream remotely. I'm currently using a Hitron CODA56 modem and ASUS RT-AX58U router. I intend on upgrading the router this year to one which supports WiFi 6E and has 2.5 GbE support. Keeping in mind that the drives I'm buying are $340 for two, and I'd like to buy a small UPS for $50-75 for the NAS, it would be nice to keep the NAS around $450-500. I REALLY like the Lincstation N1, but I can't really budget for all those NVME M2 drives in the size I'm looking for.
Considering that, I've recently been taking a look at the following options:
$500 TERRAMASTER F4-424 (8 GB DDR5, N95 CPU, 2x 2.5 GbE)
$529 Asustor AS5404T (N5105, 4 GB DDR4, 2x 2.5 GbE)
$552 TERRAMASTER F4-424 PRO (N305, 16GB DDR5, 2x 2.5 GbE) *
$557 QNAP TS-464-8G-US (4 GB DDR4, N5095 or N5105, 2x 2.5 GbE)
* After making this post I hit play on a video tab I had in queue from Nas Compares and found this NAS has a coupon on Amazon right now making it $52 more than the non-pro version.
It seems like to me the major differences for my use case may be a preference for software and physical design, and what I want the M2 NVME slots to be capable of.
Am I missing any options I should be considering? Are any of these not a wise choice for my needs? Is there a way I can get what I want at a lower price? In this case I'm only interested in purchasing from Amazon, for various reasons. My experience level is above average with experience running servers and websites, building computers, troubleshooting on Windows and linux/unix based systems, and very light work in code. It shouldn't be an obstacle if I have to do something extra, but I would prefer a simple point and click experience I can just setup and use as a Plex server.