Plex NAS using Synology DS1520+ vs Dell XPS-8900 PC

[Enquiries]

I am currently running plex media server on my Dell XPS-8900 pc with the following specs:
Intel® Core™ i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz 4.01 GHz
16 GB Ram,Windows 10Pro, 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor.

I have tweak settings within PMS to allow my system to serve as a viable PMS. At times, I get buffering when watching videos that are either in 1080P or 4K. I have watched the system dashboard and my system does not seem to ever be really ever taxed but yet I get buffering on occasions. When I look at Synology DS1520+ units that seem to have great reviews acting a PMS, they seem to have specs that don’t match current system running even though my system is 7+ years old. Why would a Synology DS1520+ unit would be expected to run better than my current PC? Just trying to make sure I don’t invest in a mid-level nas system & still have buffering due to other issues in my set-up that to other issues in my set-up causing my buffering.

[ed]

Yes, first of all, you need to identify the cause of buffering.
Technically local streaming should cause no buffering at all. Especially if you say there is no spike in CPU usage. This means it can be a transcoding issue.
DS1520+ is a network device and theoretically would work better as a network media server. Only in case of transcoding your i7 PC would outcompete a NAS.
Try and make a note of every video that is buffering. Then try and stream it directly via USB dongle connected to a TV. If you stream via WiFi, it is slow at some times. Wifi6 would help with it.

I hope this helps.