04-21-2023, 03:40 PM
For your use case, a 2-bay NAS like the DS220+ or DS720+ should be sufficient. The main advantage of a 4-bay NAS would be the ability to expand storage capacity in the future, but since you plan to use RAID 1 with two 8TB drives, a 2-bay NAS would meet your needs for a while.
The DS220+ is a good choice for a basic setup, but if you want more advanced features and better performance, the DS720+ would be a better option. It has a faster CPU and more RAM (2GB vs. 4GB), which should help with handling a large number of photos.
Upgrading the RAM to at least 10GB would be a good idea, especially if you plan to run VMs in the future. However, keep in mind that Synology NAS systems use non-ECC RAM, so if you choose to go with ECC RAM, you may experience compatibility issues.
Overall, I would recommend the DS720+ for your use case. It offers good performance and expandability options, while still being affordable.
With a 4-bay you can take advantage of RAID5 which use less storage space for parity.
The DS220+ is a good choice for a basic setup, but if you want more advanced features and better performance, the DS720+ would be a better option. It has a faster CPU and more RAM (2GB vs. 4GB), which should help with handling a large number of photos.
Upgrading the RAM to at least 10GB would be a good idea, especially if you plan to run VMs in the future. However, keep in mind that Synology NAS systems use non-ECC RAM, so if you choose to go with ECC RAM, you may experience compatibility issues.
Overall, I would recommend the DS720+ for your use case. It offers good performance and expandability options, while still being affordable.
With a 4-bay you can take advantage of RAID5 which use less storage space for parity.