Plex NAS recommendations

[Enquiries]

Hi!

I have a WD MyCloud PR2100 that I have been using as a plex NAS and also with separate partition for Mac Time Machine backups.

Now looking to upgrade to a unit (potentially rack mounted) that can stream 4k content to devices outside of home network without transcoding (and buffering) to play at a lower resolution.

I’ve heard recommendations to run Plex OS and movie info from a SSD and then have the actual movie files from a HDD but haven’t yet figured out how to do that. I think my new upgraded unit would need both SSD and HDD drive slots?

I would like to have 3+ computers back up to the NAS as well if possible. Not sure if they should have dedicated drives for this functionality within the NAS or if partitioning alone is adequate?

Ideally the new unit would have two 10 GbE ports and upgradable RAM - would like to make it “future proof” for 10 years or so if possible.

Let me know if you need more info and otherwise which devices you recommend. Thanks for your help!!!

[ed]

Thanks for providing all the details—this makes it easier to recommend the right NAS for your needs. Based on your requirements for 4K Plex streaming, multiple backups, SSD+HDD setup, and rack-mounted form factor, here are some excellent options to consider:

QNAP NAS Recommendations:
QNAP TS-864eU-RP: Intel N5095, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay, redundant PSU – $3334
QNAP TS-864eU: Intel N5095, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay – $3334
QNAP TS-873AeU-RP: AMD V1500B, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay, redundant PSU – $1669.63
QNAP TS-873AeU: AMD V1500B, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay – $1349
QNAP TS-855eU-RP: Intel C5125, 8GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay, redundant PSU – $1999
QNAP TS-855eU: Intel C5125, 8GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay – $1999
Synology NAS Recommendations:
Synology RS1221+: AMD V1500B, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay – $1367.02
Synology RS1221RP+: AMD V1500B, 4GB RAM, 2U rack, 8-bay, redundant PSU – $1784.22
Additional Considerations:
SSD Setup for Plex: All these NAS units support SSD caching, which can speed up metadata and Plex OS operations. Consider adding two SSDs (e.g., 1TB each) in RAID 1 for Plex system files.
HDD for Storage: Use the remaining bays for high-capacity HDDs (e.g., 8TB or 16TB drives) for media storage and backups.
Backups: For 3+ computers, you can use either dedicated drives in a separate storage pool or partitioning within the existing storage pool. Synology and QNAP both have excellent tools (e.g., Hyper Backup, Hybrid Backup Sync) for managing backups.

https://nascompares.com/nas-builder/?sel...upgrades=1