Hi Dekade
You are correct both Sysnology and QNAP are celeron. Sorry for making things confusing, for what you are doing Celeron will be fine. It is just my opinion, I think someone before stated these NAS devices are good.
QNAP for sure is much easier and user friendly. But if you work with computers or have knowledge about computers you should not have any issue setting plex up on any device.
Plus as always we are always here to help too.
Sorry if this got triple posted… I kept fat fingering the shift to make a new line…
TL/DR: Save up for the Synology 718+. It is expandable up to 7 drives, and can handle hardware transcoding without issue.
I started my Plex server on a PC with an Intel i5-3570K and 3 years later moved to a Synology 916+. LOVED it. It consumed less power, I could run it 24/7 and if there was any power loss it could self-regulate with the UPS attached to it. Less than a year later I bought the updated Synology 918+, moved the 916 to my parents house for off-site backup.
I had set up another Plex server for a family friend using the Western Digital PR2100 (2-bay) and regretted it from day 1. It had the same hardware specs as the 916+ but the software was terrible and very limited. When they ran out of storage (I did not do a good job projecting their storage needs) we did a full upgrade to a Synology 918+.
I see people here saying you MUST get an Intel i7-something for your server… My response is no… A higher end CPU will only benefit you if you are NOT using hardware transcoding and/or are sharing out your media server to everybody and their mother. In that case, yes the better CPU you have, the better performance you will get.
If you plan accordingly, you could get by with as little as a raspberry pi!!
The Synology 418play, 718+, and 918+ all have integrated graphics in their CPU. Why does a NAS need a graphics chip? For hardware transcoding!! I can have 4+ people streaming at the same time from my 918+ and the CPU does not jump past 15% (I have not cared/taken the time to test more).
One thing I do is structure my media so that I can Direct Play it on as many devices as possible. Direct Play is exactly as it sounds and plays back the file bit-for-bit without the CPU having to do anything. This is dependent on two things: 1. The format of your media, and 2. The device you use to play back that media.
If you are straight ripping blurays to an MKV file, then those files will have to be transcoded in order to play back on a device like an iPad or Apple TV because they do not support MKV playback.
My 4K Samsung TV and Xbox One S can direct play MKV content, and I can Play my ripped 4K movies seamlessly without my Synology breaking a sweat because it doesnt have to transcode anything. For regular Blu-Rays and DVDs, I use Handbrake to compress them (slightly) into an H.264/MP4 file. Why? Because (almost) EVERY device on the planet can play a MP4 video file with H.264 video codec.
If you are cash strapped then my advice is to save up and get the Synology 718+. Why? Because it can handle more streams/ have better performance when hardware transcoding than the 418play. I have a feeling the 418play might struggle with Live TV if you hook your HdHomeRun into it. The 718+/918+ shouldnt have much of a problem.
ALSO, if in the future you need to upgrade your storage… instead of buying 2 new drives and completely re-configuring your NAS, you can buy the Synology DX517 expansion unit and continue building on the system you already have…
Synology numbers their units to describe maximum drive capacity. That naming scheme is as follows: assuming 4 digits, the first two digits tell the maximum drive capacity of the unit, the last two digits are the model year. So though the ds418play has 4 drive bays, it can only ever have 4 drives. The 2-bay 718+ can hold up to 7 drives with the expansion unit. The 918+ up to 9, and 1018+ up to 10.
OKAY Everyone - I understand the 718+ / 918+ / 418play arguments. SO HERE IS MY FINAL QUESTION:
aaseef021 got me a little off track. Is there ANY REASON AT ALL to be considering a QNAP or the QNAP 451 OVER (again I say “OVER”) a Synology ??? This will be my final chapter on the NAS choice.
By the way SCOTT-M . . . thanks for the ton on input.
IF you’re going to compare hardware EQUALLY:
DS-918+ versus TS-453Be.
The 451 is OLD hardwareI think that is up to personal preference… You can go on the QNAP and Synology websites and try an online demo of their software interfaces and see which one you like best.
One benefit of Synology is it has built-in support for Docker, which could make it extremely easy for you to set up Tautulli if you want to track stats on your server.
QNAP has the same support. “Container Station”.
Synology’s UI is better because the containers can be edited as you need changes.
Hi Dekade
Correct! sorry about confusing you and making things complicated, I was just trying to help finding something that will benefit no matter what you get. Sorry again.
But yah it comes down to what you want, they are both great brands and easy to work with.
Ah, I don’t think they had that when I was shopping around a few years ago. Thanks for the correction. And I agree, I think Synology is generally easier to work with.
My understanding is that both QNAP and Synology are great choices. I have used The Synology, Buffalo, and Western Digital NASs. Of these, Synology has been the best experience.
As for your final choice, I do honestly think that this is one of those things where you pay now or pay even more later. I think the 918+ is worth the extra cost over the 418Play. The two extra cores and SSD Cache ability is good. RAM limits are less of an issue. The reality is, they will take more RAM than the listed max, it’s just not supported.
Ultimately, I wanted a solution that I could set up and forget about. That’s pretty much what I have now. The NAS is tucked away, out of site, and does what it should.
I haven’t dropped out from this thread just yet. To bring you up to speed I have zeroed in on the 918+.
HOWEVER, I have gotten sidetracked just a bit. I am also studying the ramifications surrounding OpenMediaVault. I have no problem building PC’s. I’ve built 6. So, I have gotten off track for a bit to study OMV. I like the idea of being in control of my hardware specs.
" I like the idea of being in control of my hardware specs."
In a PC you can change the RAM, the CPU, the drives , and the graphics card?
ie once you have decided on the motherboard. !
Most new NAS you can change/add RAM and the Drives.
Many you can add a graphics card.
And some can even change the CPU.
Is that control of your hardware specs or did I miss something?
[quote=“spikemixture, post:53, topic:325215, full:true”] . . . Is that control of your hardware specs or did I miss something?
[/quote]
My point exactly. Additionally, think about the price markup factor from manufacturers like Synology and Qnap. They use certain components so they can retain certain profit margins, even in the high end boxes. Then they buy those components in quantity. It’s all about profit margins for them. Whereas, building your own box is only about your pocket. Thus, in a manner of speaking, building your own box sort of puts your finances directly back into your pocket as a result of better performance, dependability, and longevity. Of course though - some people cannot build their own box for one reason or the other and must buy - that’s a given.
You took me explanation wrong so I now assume your term control is different to mine.
I am saying you CAN control most of the bits in a NAS - same as you can with a PC.
I personally went the PC path and 2+ years later find the NAS direction much better (for me).
There is no doubt the NAS will cost more. If you are on a budget a PC might suit.
But down the track a NAS is the way to go.
Update us in a year or 2…
Spikemaster, My apologies. From what I can see there has been a complete misunderstanding as a result of grammar structure. I was conversing with you and not against you. There simply has been a misunderstanding of where I am headed with my network. I am in total agreement with you on NAS. NAS is what I now have in play as of two weeks ago. I am now using a NAS structure in my network through a trial state using Linux Debian OpenMediaVault in a virtual environment while I await components to arrive for my new NAS build. Thanks for your input.
spikemixture, Sorry for my last post and the misspelling of your forum nickname. I meant no harm. I just now saw the error and wanted to apologize.
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