Synology Upgrade

[Enquiries]

I am currently tossing up between the TS-464 and DS423+. It will generally be used for Plex usage, constant surveillance recording for Reolink cameras, as well as general photo and other backup solutions. I wouldn't say I'm a power user so I do have hesitations about QNAP usability but worry that this Synology is likely the end of the line for hardware transcoding. Was wondering if you could also provide general advice on the best hard drives to pair with any solution.

[ed]

Thanks for getting in touch! Between the Synology DS423+ and the QNAP TS-464, both are solid choices, but they do serve slightly different strengths — especially for your intended use case of Plex, surveillance, and backups.

If ease of use and a more user-friendly ecosystem is your priority, Synology is the safer bet. The DS423+ runs DSM, which is polished and intuitive, with strong apps for backups and excellent stability. However, as you rightly pointed out, it doesn’t support hardware transcoding — which could be a limitation if you’re streaming Plex to devices that can’t handle direct playback (e.g. older TVs or mobile devices without native codec support).

On the other hand, the QNAP TS-464 offers hardware transcoding, HDMI out, and generally more multimedia features. It’s well-suited for Plex — especially if you’re streaming to different devices with varying codec support. The trade-off is that QNAP’s software, while powerful, can feel more technical and less intuitive out of the box. That said, once set up, it’s extremely capable and flexible — especially for surveillance with Reolink and local streaming.

Recommendation:
• If you want the easiest experience with good performance, go with the Synology DS423+ and stream in native formats only via Plex.
• If you want transcoding, HDMI output, and better multimedia flexibility, go for the QNAP TS-464.

Hard Drive Advice:

For either setup, I’d recommend:
• WD Red Plus or Seagate IronWolf NAS HDDs – 4TB–10TB range depending on your capacity needs.
• For surveillance, ensure your drives are rated for 24/7 use, and avoid SMR-based drives.
• Stick to 5400 RPM drives for quieter operation and better longevity unless you need high-speed write performance.