full image - Repost: Help me choose my first NAS (DS925+ or DS1525+) based on my needs. (from Reddit.com, Help me choose my first NAS (DS925+ or DS1525+) based on my needs.)
Mining:
Exchanges:
Donations:
Sorry if this post doesn’t make sense or sounds a little weird — I hope you can understand me (I’m totally new to Synology). I want to buy my first NAS and I need your help. I bet I'll understand most of things later over the years when I use the NAS.I’m a Mac user: all the computers in my home are Macs.I’m a software developer dealing with servers and related tech, so I don’t think I’ll have any problems setting up the NAS.⸻The big question:Should I go for the DS925+ ($512) or the DS1525+ ($640) ? (current Black Friday prices), $128 difference.⸻Why I want a Synology and don’t care about other brands?The main reason is the operating system — DSM. I don’t want to deal with immature OSes like UGREEN UGOS. Sure, I could install TrueNAS or Unraid, but I don’t want to spend my time on installation and ongoing maintenance of those. With a Synology, I just power it on and everything works straight out of the box.Overall I like everything I’ve seen in DSM compared to others!!!The only other product that caught my attention is Ubiquiti. The OS looks really nice, but I think it’s designed mainly for pure storage (no Photos, no Plex, etc.). Another problem is that I don’t have enough rack space. I like that a Synology is a compact cube that fits nicely on a desk, and that’s exactly what I need.⸻My needs:I don’t need — or want — to expose the NAS outside my home network for security reasons. I also don’t need access to the data when I’m away from home. I need to provide “storage space” to two or three family members’ computers. That’s one of the big reasons why I want the NAS. You know like "hey this is your cloud space on the NAS, use it as you need". I want access to my data 24/7, that’s one thing what I think the NAS shines, is possible keep it on 24/7, right? I never turn off my mac. Of course I bet it put sleep and all that. This is really important, I'm sick to have individual drives and all the info all over the place, non accessible when I want it. Can I back up all the computers with Time Machine to the NAS? (I need to research this more, but I remember reading that there are some issues.) I need one TV to access videos stored on the NAS.This is where Plex (or others), transcoding, AMD vs. Intel, codecs license, bla bla come into play, right?My question: isn’t this solved by simply using an Apple TV? Doesn’t the Apple TV handle the codecs and processing needed for transcoding?I have large physical movie collecting, 4Ks and more but I don't think I need rip all that, I'm fine with the physical discs. Well it would be nice a backup of that, but I can do storage that on standalone disks on a DAS, I just say... Cameras – I only need two.Does it make sense to use the Synology for the cameras, or is a dedicated camera system better?Also, do I need a separate hard drive just for camera recordings? Should that drive be its own storage pool, separate from the others? That really confused me.I have some of this cams: https://ift.tt/BGmS1Uj they do the job but I hate there’s no mac desktop app, only mobile, also I don’t want pay montly suscription for recording bla bla, also I don’t trust on my data on their servers. I want to access my photos from my phone and my computer.⸻The controversy about Synology drives:In a way, I don’t really care. I understand the issue: Synology forces us to buy their branded drives, and if a model isn’t available when we need it, we’re stuck and face problems.My question is: if the price of the “non-enterprise” (teal) Synology drives is the same as IronWolf or WD Red, what’s the problem with using Synology-branded drives?Yes, I know some people prefer EXOS because they’re reasonably priced and considered enterprise-grade — arguably better than Synology-branded ones.I know that with the new DSM 7.3 they accept all drives. Do you think Synology will “lock” us again in the future? lolWhat do you think about this? 👇👇👇https://preview.redd.it/tsjexb02633g1.png?width=753&format=png&auto=webp&s=a4f111088e6178bdc52330fad437fed0c4597f0a⸻Hardware comparison (4-bay vs. 5-bay)• Both models have the same processor and support up to 32 GB of RAM. • An extra drive bay is always welcome, so the additional bay is a plus.But does it really matter for my needs?⸻RAM• The DS1525+ ships with 8 GB of RAM, but if I upgrade to 32 GB I’ll have to remove the existing modules. What’s the point of buy the 5 bay for the 8 GB if I will remove it? On the other hand, I could probably live with 8 GB for my current needs? • Can I use non-Synology RAM? I believe so — I’ve seen recommendations for compatible brands/models here on Reddit.⸻10-GbEThe option is there. I may never use it, but I’d like to see how a 2.5 GbE connection performs (remember, I’m new to this).⸻NVMeDoes Synology force me to buy Synology-branded NVMe drives?Can’t I use Samsung or other brands that cost much less than Synology NVMe drives?⸻ExpansionMaybe in the future I’ll want to expand, but for now I want to see how the 4-bay or 5-bay models work for me before adding anything else.⸻Misc (maybe out of scope of this post but)• I’m a Proton Visionary user (6 TB), so I’d like to back up some parts of my NAS to Proton Drive. I think this isn’t possible yet. • I have a Terramaster D4-320 DAS — can I use it to back up the Synology NAS locally?⸻One thing on my mind — and maybe it’s just wishful thinking — is this:The processors and specs in the 2025 models are old, I know… and now Synology has real competition from UGREEN and others. Do you think Synology might start refreshing their units more often? Maybe they’ll be forced to release something later in 2026 or early 2027 with better specs?If that happens, maybe the 2025 models won’t be worth buying, and it would be better to wait?THANK YOU!!!
Social Media Icons