NAS Advice

[Enquiries]

Hello I need some advice for a system, the goal is to have a local home server with some storage to keep family fotos and videos, run some self hosted services.
I would like to run Immich (I want to replace my google photos), n8n for small automations, NocoDB (again just for small projects), maybe plex or similar , I was thinking on using proxmox or trueNAS as SO, the connection I don't need a super fast but 2 ethernet 2.5 or higher would be nice.

Not sure about what hardware I should buy... NAS or miniPC...
Also would be nice to have at least bay 4, to expand later, first I will start with 2 disks with raid 1, no need to be fast drives.
And last less power consumption is a plus.

I'm a programmer, In my work I also need to do some sysadmin stuff, using proxmox atm, so this project is also to learn more on this level.

Thank you very much,
Tobias Cintrão

[ed]

A Synology or QNAP four bay unit would work, but within four hundred euros you will run into performance limits once you start stacking containers and heavier apps. For your use case and your budget, the best value is a compact mini PC paired with a four bay SATA enclosure. A Minisforum MS 02 or an N100 or N200 based mini PC gives you plenty of CPU for Immich and automation tools, uses very little power, and already runs Proxmox well. Then you attach a USB or USB C four bay enclosure for your RAID 1 storage.

This two piece setup will comfortably fit your budget, let you run Proxmox just like at work, and give you the ability to expand storage later by adding more drives in the enclosure.

If you prefer an all in one NAS chassis instead, the TerraMaster F4 223 is the closest match inside your price range. It has two and a half gig ports, four bays, low power use, and runs Docker well. It will not be as flexible as Proxmox but is a very good balance of cost and capability.

Given your goals, I would lean toward a mini PC with Proxmox plus a four bay enclosure. You will learn more, get more CPU for the money, and stay inside your budget.