NAS Solution - help!

[Enquiries]

Thanks so much for providing all the info you do! I'm trying to find the best solution for storage as my desktop is running out of space and there are so many options! Here is some background.

- Current environment is Windows desktop with 4 TB
- Moving to Mac laptop within 6 months
- primary application is storage of photos (Lightroom/Photoshop)
- would like to do more video in future
- do most of work at home with ability to direct connect
- not looking for cheapest solution but wanting to invest in best value
- speed is important!
- I'm in IT so can figure out the tech setup

I'm thinking a 4 Bay unit with ability to directly connect when I'm at home and starting with 3 *GB drives in RAID 5.

Thanks!

[TribalHound]

Hi - sounds like you've got quite a bit going on in terms of requirements, and since your 'Tech savvy' then the QNAP range maybe be better suited for expandability, since QNAP require a little more know how than Synology.

The TS-453D or TS-464 could be just what you need with the ability to add PCIe NVME SSD Cache and link aggregate Ethernet ports for faster data transfer / access. Obviously for remote access you'll be governed by your upload speeds. Both allow you to add an expansion unit of 2 or 4 bays. There's not a lot between the two models in spec, but the 464 is just released, so would provide slightly longer support, but the 453D will be getting you a bit of a price discount being the older model.

For a simpler setup (less tech savvy requirements) the DS420+ or DS920+ by Synology would compare, but for expansion capability the 920 has the edge for sure and benefits from an eSata port.

The fact you're moving to Mac and looking to do more video (I'm assuming you're including editing as well as storage) you should consider the QNAP TVS-x72 range - it's 2018 models had some spec updates along the way and there are still some older versions around. However there's a whole newer range just released, so expect to see prices drop for what's been the best all round NAS for some time.

Raid 5 is great - even if the 4th disc is just a Hot Spare, but you might want to consider a pair of raid 1s in a 4 bay unit.
1st pair using Sata SSDs for your NAS system & apps, plus the ability to edit your active photos / videos with the faster access. Use the 2nd pair as regular 3.5" larger SATA HDDs (now available over 20TB) for your storage / completed videos. With the PCIe SSD caching you'll get some great speeds.

Since RAID is NOT a backup, I'd suggest either an external HDD enclosure plugged in via USB (or another cheaper 2 bay NAS in Raid 1) that you backup to on a scheduled basis. The benefit of the HDD enclosure is you can rotate multiple backups and remove to another site.

Of course, in the interest of fairness, there are other brands available, but these two have been leading the field for some time. Sure the gap is closing, but it's your data, so naturally you want to entrust it to the best providers.

Hope this helps.