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Best fit - Enquiries - 02-20-2025
I like to have minimum 4 bay nas with 8tb/HD. I want some redundancy maybe like raid 5 (still researching this topic). My current setup I have a mini pc i3-12th gen and it does some transcoding. I have 10 total users but never been above 3 on plex at same time. Im currently running off a 8tb external WD hd that's almost full so im ready to expand. What's the best machine out there in your opinion currently that would fit the criteria. budget can go up if needed as well. Thanks for your time!
RE: Best fit - ed - 02-21-2025
Given your requirements for a minimum 4-bay NAS with 8TB per drive and redundancy, here are some solid options to consider:
QNAP TS-464:
Price: Around $450
This 4-bay NAS offers RAID 5 support, 2.5GbE connectivity, and can easily handle Plex transcoding needs, especially with your i3-12th Gen mini PC. It also supports NVMe SSDs for caching, which could be useful for improving overall performance. It provides a good balance of features for home use.
Synology DS920+:
Price: Around $550
This 4-bay NAS offers great software (DSM), supports RAID 5, and offers hardware transcoding which could be useful for your Plex needs. It’s also reliable and flexible with a large selection of third-party apps for automation and security. Plus, the DSM environment is simple to use, making it an excellent choice for beginners.
ASUSTOR AS5304T:
Price: Around $500
The AS5304T is a great budget option for a 4-bay NAS that supports RAID 5 and comes with a 2.5GbE port. It also offers hardware transcoding, which can offload some of the work from your mini PC when streaming to multiple Plex clients.
Given your budget range of $350-$650, these NAS options offer great expansion and flexibility for both storage and performance, with RAID 5 redundancy support to ensure your data is protected.
Since you’ve mentioned you rarely go above 3 concurrent Plex streams, any of these should handle the workload just fine. The added 2.5GbE ports on the models will help with streaming and backups, especially as you grow your media library.