04-30-2025, 03:02 PM
For your use case, both NAS and DAS could work, but it really depends on your exact needs. Here’s a quick breakdown of each option:
NAS (Network Attached Storage)
Since your primary use is streaming movies and possibly adding personal photos/videos, a NAS would generally be a better choice if you plan to scale your storage, make it accessible over your home network, and eventually use it with services like Plex or Jellyfin for media streaming. The Synology DS1825+ would be ideal, but since you're avoiding the new drive restrictions, I would suggest considering:
QNAP TS-873A or TS-873XU: Both support 8 bays and come with a good range of features, including media streaming support, and can handle your 22TB drives without issue.
Asustor AS6404T or AS5304T: Great price/performance balance, offering good streaming and data management capabilities.
Terramaster F8-422: More affordable and also a solid choice for home media storage with 8 bays and 10GbE support if you need faster transfer speeds.
DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
Since you’re not concerned with remote access and just need local storage, a DAS unit could work if you only plan on using it with a single PC or a few devices connected via Thunderbolt or USB. DAS is simpler to set up and doesn’t require complex network configurations.
Terramaster D8-332 (Thunderbolt 3): Good choice if you're planning to connect it directly to your PC for fast local access. It’s simple, reliable, and can handle your storage needs. However, you will be limited to the devices physically connected to it.
Terramaster D9-320: A more expensive option, but it offers better connectivity and additional features. If you need something with more robust performance, this could be a solid option.
NAS (Network Attached Storage)
Since your primary use is streaming movies and possibly adding personal photos/videos, a NAS would generally be a better choice if you plan to scale your storage, make it accessible over your home network, and eventually use it with services like Plex or Jellyfin for media streaming. The Synology DS1825+ would be ideal, but since you're avoiding the new drive restrictions, I would suggest considering:
QNAP TS-873A or TS-873XU: Both support 8 bays and come with a good range of features, including media streaming support, and can handle your 22TB drives without issue.
Asustor AS6404T or AS5304T: Great price/performance balance, offering good streaming and data management capabilities.
Terramaster F8-422: More affordable and also a solid choice for home media storage with 8 bays and 10GbE support if you need faster transfer speeds.
DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
Since you’re not concerned with remote access and just need local storage, a DAS unit could work if you only plan on using it with a single PC or a few devices connected via Thunderbolt or USB. DAS is simpler to set up and doesn’t require complex network configurations.
Terramaster D8-332 (Thunderbolt 3): Good choice if you're planning to connect it directly to your PC for fast local access. It’s simple, reliable, and can handle your storage needs. However, you will be limited to the devices physically connected to it.
Terramaster D9-320: A more expensive option, but it offers better connectivity and additional features. If you need something with more robust performance, this could be a solid option.