NAD Upgrade

[nas_newbie]

Thanks for reaching out! Given your requirements as a hobbyist photographer, the Synology DS1522+ would indeed be a solid upgrade from the DS224+, especially with your growing storage needs.

Why the DS1522+ would be a good choice:
Storage Expansion: The DS1522+ supports up to 5 drives, allowing you to expand your storage as needed. This would be perfect for your image collection and future growth, especially with the ability to add larger drives as your needs increase.

Performance: This NAS is powered by an AMD Ryzen processor, which provides excellent performance, especially for tasks like running Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and Topaz Photo AI. While most of these applications are run on your local Windows machine, having fast, reliable access to your image library will enhance your workflow.

Data Protection: The DS1522+ supports RAID and Btrfs, ensuring redundancy and data integrity. You’ll be able to implement data protection strategies that keep your photography work safe.

Network Speed: With your cable broadband delivering up to 900Mbps, the DS1522+ supports 2.5GbE (with the optional network card), allowing you to take full advantage of your fast internet connection when working remotely or using cloud synchronization features.

USB Ports & SSD Caching: You can further enhance performance with SSD caching for faster read/write speeds, which could be beneficial when working with large image files.

Considerations:
Wi-Fi Performance: Since you connect mostly via Wi-Fi, you may not be fully leveraging the 2.5GbE potential of the DS1522+ unless you upgrade to a 2.5GbE-capable router or use a wired connection. For better performance, you might consider connecting via Ethernet if possible, especially for tasks that involve large files like images.
Given your £1000 budget, the DS1522+ fits perfectly, especially when considering the flexibility, expandability, and reliability it offers. It’s a great choice for your photography setup, ensuring that you have the storage and performance to support your creative work.

That was my question, so thank you very much for your detailed reply. Looks like I know what my Christmas present to myself is going to be :-)