Which Synology NAS should I buy?
Daniel Martin
Updated on February 17, 2026
Here are our recommendations for most people looking to get in on the Synology game at home: Media and App Servers: If you want a four-bay NAS that handles 4K UHD on-the-fly video transcoding and has enough power for running other types of apps, consider the DS918+ ($539 without hard drives).
Correspondingly, what is the best Synology NAS for home use?
Synology DiskStation DS218+
Subsequently, question is, which is better Synology or QNAP? Both Synology and QNAP units offer support for PLEX Media Player – one of the main reasons why users decide to purchase a NAS device. However, QNAP units are more efficient with transcoding than Synology counterparts.
Also, what RAID should I use for Synology?
RAID 1 is the best method: Writes identical data to both drives simultaneously and provides data redundancy. This method will slow down your host a little if you use your Synology for web-hosting like me, but should make it more secure and safer in case of disk damage.
Why is Nas so expensive?
NAS tend to be expensive because they are basic computers as they need to have enough processing power to manage the drive array, network and fileserver.
Related Question Answers
Is QNAP better than Synology?
Synology support is better than QNAP. This is very important if this is for business use. However, I would be cautious of using either as production level storage for anything other than basic file sharing, and even then, I'd want 2 units with replication.Do I need a NAS at home?
The majority of consumers probably do not need a network attached storage device specifically. If you happen to have just one or two computers around the house, it is generally easier to use standard USB drives for backups and using the network sharing features in the computers rather than getting an NAS.What file system does Synology use?
BTRFSCan you use SSD in NAS?
In a NAS device you'll typically want to use an Enterprise SSD, rather than a consumer-grade SSD (see the link above for why). Most of the speed of a NAS device is hindered not by the drives, though, but by the network connectivity.Can you access a NAS from anywhere?
If you're just using your device inside your home, though, you're missing out. Part of the point of having a NAS device that's always on is that you can access it from wherever you have an internet connection. It can also give you access to your ?les wherever you are in the world.How much does a NAS cost?
NAS devices aren't necessarily cheap. A NAS that deals with a lot of multimedia files will cost you at least $500, and that does not include the size of the hard drives, which can cost anywhere from $50-$200.How long do NAS drives last?
three to five yearsWhich is best NAS for home use?
The Best NAS for Most Home Users- Our pick. Synology DiskStation DS218+ Best NAS for most home users.
- Runner-up. QNAP TS-251B. Also a very good NAS for most home users.
- Upgrade pick. Synology DS418play. For extra data protection and storage.
Which NAS is best for Plex?
The Best NAS for Plex. The WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 is a very interesting choice if you're looking for the best NAS for Plex and transcoding, as it offers an excellent mixture of performance and value.How much storage do I need for a home NAS?
Size matters when it comes to NAS The capacity you should go for depends on what you will store on the drive. If you're using the NAS for home storage, you can usually get away with one to two terabytes of space.What is the best NAS drive?
The best NAS drives you can buy in 2020- Synology DiskStation DS218j. Excellent all round performance.
- QNAP TS-332X. Feature-packed and budget-friendly.
- Drobo 5N2. An emphasis on ease-of-use.
- Buffalo LinkStation 520.
- Synology DiskStation DS916+
- My Cloud Expert Series EX2 Ultra.
- QNAP TS-128.
- Netgear ReadyNAS 214.
What is the best NAS hard drive?
Best NAS hard drives of 2020: Network attached storage for home office and small business- Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD.
- Western Digital Red NAS Hard Disk Drive.
- WD Gold 4TB Enterprise Class Hard Disk Drive.
- WD Red Pro WD6003FFBX 6TB.
- Seagate Exos 12TB Internal Hard Drive Enterprise HDD.
What does diskless NAS mean?
Diskless. A Diskless NAS unit is sold without drives and allows the user to plug in their own hard drive, thereby setting their own storage capacity. There are several benefits to a diskless NAS: Diskless NAS systems allow for users to replace drives. Diskful drives often have restricted access.Is WD Red worth it?
In the case of WD Reds versus, say, Greens, they are more or less identical however the extra cost is paying for TLER (time-limited error recovery), greater expected reliability, and an additional year of manufacturers warranty. You're paying for the firmware and warranty, which is worth it.How do I setup a NAS drive at home?
Make sure to connect the gigabit router with the Cat6 Network Ethernet Cable to your HTPC to make sure you will benefit from the high transfer speeds.- Get a network attached storage.
- Install the hard drives.
- Manage storage spaces.
- Create media structure.
- Configure NAS with your media center.
What does NAS mean?
Network-attached storageWhy RAID 5 is bad?
As you know RAID 5 can tollerate a single drive failure. You don't need a second drive failure for you to lose your data. A bad sector, also known as an Unrecoverable Read Error (URE), can also cause problems during a rebuild. Depending on the RAID implementation, you may lose some files or the entire array.Is SHR better than RAID 5?
In comparing SHR to, say, RAID 5 or RAID 6, you state that SHR has the advantage that the data is accessible even after a drive failure, whereas with a RAID configuration the data is inaccessible.Should I use SHR or RAID 5?
It's basically RAID1 when there's 1 or two drives, and then RAID5 when there's 3 or more. SHR is just marketese for linux mdraid that Synology uses. The real benefit to SHR is for when you're first populating the disks, or when you're upgrading them. It lets you "grow" the array a disk at a time.How many drives can you lose in RAID 10?
two drivesIs RAID 10 better than raid5?
RAID 10 provides excellent fault tolerance — much better than RAID 5 — because of the 100% redundancy built into its designed. In the example above, Disk 1 and Disk 2 can both fail and data would still be recoverable. All disks inside a RAID 1 group of a RAID 10 setup would have to fail for there to be data loss.Does Synology use hardware or software RAID?
All the Synology NASes use Software RAID. Don't let this put you off as reliability of a NAS shouldn't be based on whether it implements software of hardware RAID.Are Synology drives hot swappable?
You may have to completely shut down your NAS first before removing a hard drive, but most Synology NAS boxes support hot-swapping. Of course, until you replace the drive, your NAS will continue to give you warnings, so be prepared to put up with that.Should I use Synology Hybrid RAID?
No, it is not necessary to use SHR. SHR is based on a Linux RAID management system, and is completely optional to use. SHR not only benefits expert users of traditional RAID systems but also novice users with little technical background when they seek storage data protection.How is RAID calculated?
Add the number of hard drives minus 1. Either all the drives have to be the same size, or if you use different sizes, the RAID will treat all the drives the same as it would the smaller one. 10 1TB hard drives equal 9TB of storage.Is it worth buying a NAS?
They don't get as much attention as smart speakers or fitness trackers, but network attached storage (NAS) drives are still worth a place in your smart home. Essentially, NAS drives are hard drives that connect to the web, making them extremely versatile and presenting a host of useful applications.Can SSD be used in NAS?
However, to cut to the chase the answer is yes SSDs are a great idea for NAS and any other type of storage, it is where the industry is going. Old spinning disk is on its out but it will take years. SSD are faster and more reliable than spinning disk, use less electricity, generate less heat and weigh less.Is qnap a Chinese company?
QNAP, Inc. QNAP Systems, Inc. (Chinese: ?????) is a Taiwanese corporation that specializes in Network-attached storage (NAS) appliances used for file sharing, virtualization, storage management and surveillance applications.Which NAS for 4k transcoding?
Listed below are some of the best NAS devices that support 4K transcoding: QNAP TS-251A. Synology DS718+ Synology DS218+What is the best NAS software?
The Best NAS Software for Your Needs- FreeNAS: Best for enterprise users or home users with lots of storage.
- OpenMediaVault: Best for home users and small businesses, especially with low powered equipment.
- Amahi: Best for users looking for a full media server experience with NAS features included.
