Netgear vs. Synology NAS?

[Enquiries]

Greetings, and thank you for producing such informative content.

I'd appreciate your advice on whether I should purchase a Netgear RR4312X2 or a Synology RS1619xs+ for a high-end residential application.

The residence will have a rack.

The main use will be as Time Machine backup for up to 5 computers running Mac OS X. I would like a set-it-and-forget it backup solution. A secondary use, much less important, will be as a music/video server.

There are two scenarios of interest, based upon the brand of ethernet switch:

• Scenario A: Netgear M4300-52G-PoE+.
• Scenario B: Ubiquiti USW-Pro-48-POE Gen 2.

In each of these scenarios, which NAS is preferred—Netgear or Synology?

Thanks so much.

[ed]

Both of these NAS come with very similar performance. Netgear features 10gbe built-in which is tempting, but a Synology upgrade would cost only £100. Synology also features M.2 cache slots which will improve things. Even though you decide to use a 1GbE switch, do use cat6a or cat7 cabling. This will ensure you get full 10gbe speeds if you decide to use it later on. New MAC will come out with this port and it would be a shame not to use this feature.The real difference which will help you make a decision is total capacity. If you think 4 bays (3 with RAID on) will be enough get Synology.I hope this helps.