NAS for local and remote video editing (TS-464 vs TS-673A vs TS-h973AX)

[Enquiries]

Hi

Just wanted to say what your doing is amazing - really helps noobs out like me.

So I have watched a few videos of yours I have come to the conclusion I would like to go with a QNAP raid system.

My original workflow/storage system was using dropbox

I would upload all of my project files to dropbox (this would be my backup) and I would then use an SSD to edit the project
Use a separate SSD with proxies of the raw footage to edit from
and then host the RAW footage files on an external HDD

I would then reconnect the footage (by this I mean toggling the proxy button in premiere) to export and colour grade.

This system would also allow me to share folders with remote editors so they could sync using the dropbox app just the files they needed. I could also share files with clients too.

This system has seen me well but I am needing more space than 5TB with dropbox and this is costing a lot of money each year. I would like to move away from dropbox whilst trying to keep some of the functionality - like folder sharing, the ability for syncing the files on my local machine if needed and also the ability for my freelance editor to sync the files they only need (like dropbox's files on demand)

I will be using the system locally to mainly edit 4K footage in Premiere Pro and secondary create Motions GFX in After Effects

For my video editing, I do create proxies and edit using them and only use the 4K footage to colour grade and export.

For the NAS I was thinking it would be great to get a least 4 bay system with SSD caching - I will be connecting it via 10GbE with a thunderbolt adapter

I have been looking at 3 QNAP raid systems and this is where I get confused and not sure which way to go

QNAP TS-464 4-Bay Desktop NAS - £587.99
QNAP TS-673A-8G 6-Bay Desktop NAS - £829.99
QNAP TS-h973AX 9-Bay Desktop NAS - £967.49

I know with the 464 and 673 I would need to purchase a PCI card for the 10GbE

Ideally, I think the 9 bay would be better as I have the scope to easily add more drives as needed and also by the time I have purchased the added PCI cards it would be the same amount of money. But the 464 seems to have great reviews and I'm not sure if this would be faster and cheaper than the 9 bay even after the added PCI card.

So my question is which of the above would be best for my case use or are there any alternatives?

Thanks Brad

[ed]

Yes, the new 64 series Qnap models are very tempting. But as you see the model number indicates that 73 series are much better performing NAS (64 vs 73 ). Also true that adding a 10gbe card will make them equally priced.
Having a Celeron CPU is quite handy if you want to share video files without the need to download them before playing (transcoding). Otherwise, Ryzen CPU will be better at delivering those 10gbe speeds. Also having more than 4 drives or having faster NVMe slots can be very handy. More drives mean better speed. Or extra bays allow you to install SSD in few of the bays. Or those who need ultimate performance use NVMe or U.2 slots to achieve superior data transfer speeds. With NVMe drives used for hot storage, there is no real need for cache any more.
Qnap Qsync app is superior compared to Synology. It allows space-saving mode just like dropbox and also give you file version control if you need to revert some files back to previous version.
Basically, Qnap will allow you to keep the original Dropbox-based workflow - with Dropbox now called Qnap. And also you will get much better access speeds locally that might allow you to retire a need for SSD as an editing media.
I would go for TS-h973AX as it is all in one solution.

I hope this helps.


Thank you for your support. This keeps us going.

[TribalHound]

From the mere fact you are editing 4k footage you could well be a candidate who might want the wait for the TVS-hx74 range (early specs available on the US Qnap site) if not only to benefit from the discounts on the TVS-x72X / XT when it hits the market place.

Anything with a Celeron (or lower) processor might not be man enough for your needs. Whilst 10GBE is going to massively increase transfer speeds you should also look at your network capability. eg if your switches are 1GB then you might not benefit from the extra spend - or if you're only running CAT5 cables the same applies.

If it was just data storage / file shares you're after then the TS-673A would give you a superior capacity limit meaning you could start with smaller (cheaper) discs and expand your capacity later - swapping them for larger ones or adding more over time.