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Hi, been checking out all your videos and find the content really good. I have been rocking a Synology DS413j for a long time with 4 X WD Red WD40EFRX disks that are still in very good condition.
But the performance is terrible and I am biting the bullet and replacing it.
I short I want it all, 4-6 X SATA bays plus at least 2 internal M.2 slots Gen 4X4, Intel graphics for Transcoding, CPU and Memory for some VM's, 10GBe running Unraid. I can decide between a mini PC with a qnap disk stack connected via Oculink :-) or USB4 :-( or just doing a Josnbo DIY build, or holding out for some newer devices this year. Don't want to replace my 4 X 4TB disks with NVMe (too expensive atm)
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Sounds like you’ve been pushing that DS413j for as long as possible, but yeah, at this point, upgrading will make a huge difference in performance. Since you’re looking for something that can handle UnRAID, Plex, VMs, and 10GbE, while keeping your existing 4TB drives, you’ve got a couple of solid options depending on how much flexibility you want long-term.
Going the mini PC + disk expansion route is a great way to keep things compact and power-efficient, but there’s no real Oculink expansion in QNAP (unless you're thinking of PCIe-based storage enclosures). The best alternative for this setup would be using a mini PC with a USB4 or eSATA disk expansion, though USB4 RAID enclosures tend to have performance bottlenecks. If you go this route, I’d recommend something like the Minisforum MS-01 with an Intel i9-12900H, since it has QuickSync for Plex, PCIe 4.0 lanes for NVMe storage, and 10GbE support. You’d then need a separate RAID enclosure (like ORICO or Yottamaster USB4 units) to hold your hard drives. This is the more compact option, but also the most limited in terms of expandability.
If you want real long-term flexibility, though, a Jonsbo N3 DIY build is definitely the better option. With a full-sized motherboard, you’ll get more PCIe lanes, native SATA ports, and easier 10GbE expansion. Something like an Intel i5-13500 or i7-13700 with ASUS PRIME B760M-A D4 gives you 6 SATA ports, 2x NVMe slots, and PCIe for a 10GbE NIC. That way, you can keep your existing 4TB drives, run NVMe for cache/VMs, and add more storage over time without being limited by external expansion enclosures.
If you’re not in a rush, it might actually be worth waiting a little longer this year to see what new NAS-friendly Mini PCs and motherboard options come out, since there are definitely some better PCIe-based solutions on the horizon. But if you want something now, I’d say go DIY with the Jonsbo N3—it’ll give you way better long-term value and performance compared to a mini PC + external drives.
