Newbie question - need help deciding on NAS device and then the configuration

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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I am about to embark on creating a plex media database and want to use a NAS as my server. I am looking at either the QNAP TS-453D, Synology DS920+ or Austor AS6604T. The specs are pretty similar with only a few differences here and there. I am curious of what is recommended between these devices - software, reliability, ease of navigation, etc. I am wanting to start with Two 2 or 4TB drives and just add drives or increase space as needed. Also, I will only stream one, maybe two streams at a time and most of my files will be 1080p with occasional 480p, 720p and 4k. I doubt I will need to transcode very often.

Considering this, how much RAM is needed? 4gb or 8gb? Also, should I install NVMe for caching or will it really make a difference? I assume each of these devices are hot-swappable and if so, does it require a special raid configuration to do that? Lastly, should I start with three 2tb drives or two 4tb drives - what makes more sense from a stability and future-proofing standpoint?

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I was in the same boat recently, and as you, I want to be able to add discs as needed. The best alternative for just that is Synology with their SHR raid alternative. If you go with one of the other vendors, I would future proof with bigger drives right away.

As for your other questions, I really have no idea. Im a NAS newbie too

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I have a NAS that I use as my server too. 90% of the time it works great, but whenever you have a bad client or slow connection you will need to transcode and that’s where things start getting annoying. If you’re not in the budget, I would recommend a NAS to be used as storage only, and a pc with a gpu or intel quick sync technology as a server.

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The models he is considering comes with Intel qsv gpus.

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I’ve a Synology DS918+ and am very happy with it. I’ve no experience using a QNAP or Austor.

The Celeron CPU in the NAS you reference is not very powerful. It will struggle to transcode 1080p. For reliable transcoding, you will need a Plex Pass to take advantage of Hardware Accelerated Transcoding, which uses the onboard GPU ASIC instead of the CPU to transcode video.

See the NAS Compatibility List support article. Also review the NAS Compatibility Guide spreadsheet (linked in the article) for information on the transcoding performance of each NAS.

It will make no difference for streaming. The read speed of 5400 RPM HDDs is more than sufficient to stream video.

QNAP lets you use NVMe SSDs as a volume (verify your model supports this capability). This would let you put the Plex data directory (database, metadata, etc) on the SSD. In theory, this would make Plex Media Server respond faster to tasks such as loading cover art, etc., since the data is read from the SSD not a hard drive.

You could also use a SSD volume to hold the temporary transcode files when video is transcoding. This can assist when you have many simultaneous transcodes. Given the volume you mention, you would not notice any improvement.

Synology does not let you use NVMe SSDs as a volume, they serve as a cache for all activities on the NAS. Adding NVMe SSDs to a Synology would be of zero help for Plex given the usage patterns you mention.

No idea how Austor handles SSDs.

Check the specifications from each manufacturer.

I vote for 2 x 4TB. It leaves you two empty slots for growth.

You should double check with each manufacturer regarding how they handle redundancy (RAID 1/5/etc, SHR, etc).

With Synology using Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR), 2 x 4TB gives you as much room as 3 x 2TB and leaves two open spots for expansion. See Synology RAID Calculator.

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