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I have a 3 bay QNAP at the moment with 3 2tb drives running raid 5. I want to expand up to 4 drives and want to replace the really slow TS351 I have (QTS runs like a dog on this even with 16gb memory). I want to expand to a 4 bay nas but have nto got a lot of money to do it with. I am opent to ideas to perhaps NAS's which are a little older or available second hand that are 4 bay.. Ultimatly I would go for something like a TS-462/4 but costs are too high really. I hate terramaster with a passion as I had a 2 bay one of those and it was forever screwing up when an update was applied and you needed a degree in Linux to fix it or loose or your data. open to ideas to be honest for a cost effective solution. I do have an matx motherboard and intel i5-6500 on it that I could use for a server but I think I would struggle with the set up of a something like trunas for example and it's size would just be prohibative too... Regards Darren
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I hear you on the TS-351—it’s known for sluggish performance, even with maxed-out RAM. If you’re looking for an affordable 4-bay upgrade without going the full DIY route, here are some good used or budget-friendly options:
1. Used QNAP Models
Since you like QNAP but want something snappier, look for a used TS-453A, TS-453B, or TS-453Be. These models have a quad-core CPU, run QTS much better, and are often available second-hand for £200-300. They also support M.2 caching & PCIe expansion, which helps with performance.
2. Budget-Friendly New NAS
QNAP TS-431K (~£250) – Basic 4-bay, but only ARM-based (not great for apps).
Asustor AS3304T (~£280) – Better performance than your TS-351, but UI isn't as refined.
3. DIY Alternative – Repurpose Your i5-6500 Build
Since you already have a mATX board & Intel i5-6500, you could use UnRAID instead of TrueNAS. It’s way easier to set up, supports RAID-like flexibility, and has a nice GUI—much more beginner-friendly. You can build a much faster NAS than any QNAP for less money.
What I’d Recommend:
If you want a plug-and-play solution, look for a used QNAP TS-453Be or TS-453A.
If you’re willing to experiment a little, setting up UnRAID on your i5-6500 would give you way better performance than any budget QNAP.
