I’m getting retire my Intel Celeron / Windows Server 2012R2 / DroboPro Plex Server and am seriously looking at the two units below for use as a dedicated Plex Server and File Server for the family. I’ve watched a lot of Videos on both these units and would like to get feedback if anyone else has looked at both and which you chose.
QNAP TVS-872XT-i5-16G-US 8 Bay $1857.34
PRO’s
Very Fast Speed
8 Drive Bays
Quadro P2000 can be installed for better HW Trans coding and is supported
10GB Ethernet
Supports M.2 and SSD Caching
Supports Plex
Good Tech Support
CON’s
Very High Price Tag of $1,857,34
No further Expansion
Synology 5 bay NAS DiskStation DS1019+ (Diskless) $640.00
PRO’s
Low Price $640.00
Another 5-bay expansion unit can be added for $449.00
Actually incorrect regarding the Qnap and expansion options.
Qnap made (not sure if it’s still being made) a Thunderbolt expansion chassis that would work as well as a new SATA chassis detailed here. https://live.qnap.com/en/video/show/5066
You are also comparing apples and oranges between your Qnap model and Synology.
Yes Qnap is more expensive as you have an actual I-series processor, more features, etc.
You could look at something like the Qnap TVS-951x or even TS-453Be if you want to talk something comparable to the Synology price range.
Given I have no need and cant use Thunderbolt and the only thing either of these will be used for as a Plex Server and a file server, I’m just trying to get an understanding of what the best unit would be for what I am going to be using them for.
It really depends upon how much transcoding you would be doing and whether subtitles come into play.
There are a few Plex functions that can’t leverage HW transcoding from the GPU and for these things CPU performance comes back into play.
File servicing isn’t going to put much load either way on the box.
Qnap definitely gives you more hw options and expansion overall vs Synology. The 951x has a good GPU and basic cpu similar to the Synology.
Just remember, while you can do some expansion, CPU is forever (or until the next upgrade) for the smaller more basic boxes. With VMs, Docker, etc becoming more common your usage will likely grow beyond today’s needs.
FWIW, I’m currently running a DS1019+ with Plex server and some multimedia apps. I use Nvidia Shields for most of my viewing. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being minimum use and 10 being heavy use, I probably fall somewhere around 5. The Synology CPU rarely peaks above 70% and I’ve never noticed any issues with the NAS struggling to answer my family demands. It’s been great.
That being said, I was in the same situation as you a few months back and was seriously considering Qnap over Synology. With all the research done, the Qnap was obviously the better choice in capabilities and power. But after adding up all the cost, I simply couldn’t justify the higher price with what I intended to use a NAS for. I don’t feel I’ve cheated myself at all.
If you have the funds for a Qnap, then by all means, satisfy the hunger. It’s a great NAS. The two things that prevent me from suffering “buyers remorse” is 1) the DS1019+ is a champ at what I expect it to do, and 2) sometime in the future I’ll be upgrading my network to 10g and all this will be moot. I think in your situation you’ll be happy with either one. (Unless looks are a concern… the Qnap IS sexier)
One item you mentioned that plays a huge importance is what are the Plex Clients/devices that will be used with the Server.
NVidia Shield will play just about anything as direct play (depending on setup of TV/AVR/etc. ). Something like Plex client for a “smart tv” will be a different story.
It’s not just about the Plex Server, but also the media, clients, local vs remote, etc.
