NAS drive.

[AD_Capturs]

I’m looking at NAS drives and thinking do any of you use them? If so what for and how do you find them?

I’m looking in to using one for photo storage mainly and using it like a cloud for my MacBook Pro.

I wouldn’t be streaming on it so not really sure what specs in terms of ram I’d need.

 

[hashcake]

I'm a fan of Synology and run two of their NAS boxes.
I use both in mirror raid.
I use them for backing up films, music, photos and apps.
I also stream from them to my Nvidia Shield Pro.
I've never had a problem with them.
They've both been upgraded with larger capacity Seagate iron wolf hard drives.
However they are slower to read than the previous four TB hard drives.
I wasn't prepared to pay silly money for WD red hard drives.
Sadly I recently discovered that Synology are going to supply their own hard drives and other brands might not be compatible so I will look at Qnap when I eventully decide to upgrade.
They are quite straightforward to set up and I run them 24/7.

 

[robj20]

If you're using it purely for storage you won't need anything special, something ARM based CPU wise is plenty.
Unifi just realised a few that would be ideal UNAS 2bay £190 and a 4 bay £360.

If you want to do anything more you'll need to look now closely at the CPU.

I use mine for storage only, a little NUC as a server for things like media streaming, home automation and DNS server. Everyone's mobile phone syncs photos directly to the NAS each evening as well.

Avoid Synology these days, they locked new systems into using only their own drives.

Ugreen are very popular at the minute if you want an all in one server-NAS, these are often what people call a NAS but they serve both functions, which im not a fan of.

 

[AD_Capturs]

Thanks both for the replies. I’m guessing the read and write speeds are slower than a conventional usb 3 HDD but do you notice much difference?

 

[robj20]

Thanks both for the replies. I’m guessing the read and write speeds are slower than a conventional usb 3 HDD but do you notice much difference?

Depends on a lot of factors, number and type of drives, RAID level used, NAS to client connection.
I can saturate the 2.5gbe on mine and bigger units with more drives and 10gbe you can saturate that as well. So no a NAS can be faster than a single USB attached drive.

 

[Mr Bump]

I am big fan of NOT using a NAS drive, just build a low power W11 box and setup shared drives for a lot less money also then you can use cloud backup SW.
I run a HP Thin Client as mine HP T640 with a 2TB internal NVME and 2x 2TB USB SSD

 

[GeeJay57]

Avoid Synology these days, they locked new systems into using only their own drives.

Not according to Synology….

Compatibility List | Synology Inc.

Centralize data storage and backup, streamline file collaboration, optimize video management, and secure network deployment to facilitate data management.

www.synology.com

 

[robj20]

I am big fan of NOT using a NAS drive, just build a low power W11 box and setup shared drives for a lot less money also then you can use cloud backup SW.
I run a HP Thin Client as mine HP T640 with a 2TB internal NVME and 2x 2TB USB SSD

Says you don't like NAS then proceeds to describe building their own NAS.
Guess you meant off the shelf NAS.

 

[robj20]

Not according to Synology….

Compatibility List | Synology Inc.

Centralize data storage and backup, streamline file collaboration, optimize video management, and secure network deployment to facilitate data management.

www.synology.com

As I said it's only new units starting 2025. As new models are released they show the 3rd party drives as incompatible. I do believe some functions can work but others do not.

Drive compatibility policies FAQs for Synology storage systems starting from 2025 (DSM 7.3 and above) - Synology Knowledge Center

Synology Knowledge Center offers comprehensive support, providing answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting steps, software tutorials, and all the technical documentation you may need.

kb.synology.com

 

[GeeJay57]

As I said it's only new units starting 2025. As new models are released they show the 3rd party drives as incompatible. I do believe some functions can work but others do not.

Drive compatibility policies FAQs for Synology storage systems starting from 2025 (DSM 7.3 and above) - Synology Knowledge Center

Synology Knowledge Center offers comprehensive support, providing answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting steps, software tutorials, and all the technical documentation you may need.

kb.synology.com

Following your link and navigating to the compatibility table for DS224+ (which is the NAS that I use); the default tab is for Synology drives, but there is a 3rd Party tab too, which lists pages of offerings from other providers. I have WD drives in mine.

 

[Mr Perceptive]

Happy Synology user here, been using 4 bay NAS for about 5 years - initially 3 x 4Tb WD Red (in Synology SHR configuration) and one WD Purple (CCTV use). Upgraded the WD Reds to 16 Tb WD Red Pro a couple of years ago, simple plug and play upgrade, all data was automatically copied (you replaced each drive in sequence).

It just sits in the corner and does its thing.

It’s nice to know that when I offload an SD card to my desktop computer that it’s automatically copied (and mirrored) on the NAS.

 

[robj20]

Following your link and navigating to the compatibility table for DS224+ (which is the NAS that I use); the default tab is for Synology drives, but there is a 3rd Party tab too, which lists pages of offerings from other providers. I have WD drives in mine.

Again, it's only for new models. If you have an old model happy days.

 

[GeeJay57]

Again, it's only for new models. If you have an old model happy days.

They are being cheeky…. I selected a DS225+ (new version), and then searched for drives and the default list of compatible drives is indeed Synology only.

However, click on the link for their full compatibility list and hey presto 3rd Party drives are available on a tab.

They don’t say that only Synology drives can used, they only say they will not support drives that are not listed on their compatibility list.

 

[Delphin]

Not according to Synology….

Compatibility List | Synology Inc.

Centralize data storage and backup, streamline file collaboration, optimize video management, and secure network deployment to facilitate data management.

www.synology.com

The only drives on the compablity list for 25 series Synology NAS are their own Synology drives. This has been discussed extensively for the last 3 or 4 months on NAS forums.

Synology say 3 party will come, but there is no date as to when. Rumour is WD have told Synology to take a running jump and are refusing to do the testing.

 

[GeeJay57]

The only drives on the compablity list for 25 series Synology NAS are their own Synology drives. This has been discussed extensively for the last 3 or 4 months on NAS forums.

Synology say 3 party will come, but there is no date as to when. Rumour is WD have told Synology to take a running jump and are refusing to do the testing.

Fair enough. Given that you and @robj20 (sorry Rob) have made that point, I'll have to 'wind me neck in' then...

Bizarre from Synology, will surely cost them business?

 

[robj20]

Fair enough. Given that you and @robj20 (sorry Rob) have made that point, I'll have to 'wind me neck in' then...

Bizarre from Synology, will surely cost them business?

They've worded it all in a way that the average person doesn't really notice. But techy types have and are now avoiding them completely, mostly because it's a scummy tactic.
Plenty of other choice.

 

[AD_Capturs]

I’ll be looking to buy a second hand one so I’m sure that won’t apply to me luckily but for a new buying consumer it’s pretty s***ty

 

[GeeJay57]

They've worded it all in a way that the average person doesn't really notice. But techy types have and are now avoiding them completely, mostly because it's a scummy tactic.
Plenty of other choice.

Indeed there are other choices. I flipped and flopped between Synology and Qnap last year and ended up going Synology DS224+ with 2x WD Red Plus 6TB drives, and am quite happy with the way it works. But would not be happy to be tied into drives from Synology only.

 

[saltireblue]

Happy Synology user here, been using 4 bay NAS for about 5 years - initially 3 x 4Tb WD Red (in Synology SHR configuration) and one WD Purple (CCTV use). Upgraded the WD Reds to 16 Tb WD Red Pro a couple of years ago, simple plug and play upgrade, all data was automatically copied (you replaced each drive in sequence).

It just sits in the corner and does its thing.

It’s nice to know that when I offload an SD card to my desktop computer that it’s automatically copied (and mirrored) on the NAS.

Same here, and in addition it automatically backs up to my cloud storage at Jottacloud.

 

[JohnX]

I'm a happy Synology user, and would point out to the OP that as well as a great way to store your photos and videos you'll be able to use a TV to browse them!

 

[Mr Bump]

Says you don't like NAS then proceeds to describe building their own NAS.
Guess you meant off the shelf NAS.

yes, the tech is very expensive and you are locked in their technology.

 

[Delphin]

With all the new NAS coming out who allow you to use 3rd party OS, such as TrueNas, OpenMediaVault, CasaOS and several others, there is no need to be locked in with any supplier if you don't wish and can spend a little time on setting everything up.

NAS companies like Ugreen and ASUSTOR allow you to install different OS from the one they supply and still maintain the full warranty.

The NAS market has exploded over the last couple of years and the choice is vast, the days of a decision between just QNAP or Synology are long gone. It's more a case of how much time and money you're willing to spend.

As was said by robj20 Unifi have some real bargains if simple storage is your main usage.

​

 

[Dave Canon]

I use a Western Digital NAS MYCLOUDEX4 which has generally been fine but did have some issues when I upgraded my PC recently.

Dave

 

[Sootchucker]

I’ve used QNAP for years. Have been running a TVS-473E for the last 4 years using 4 x 6TB WD Red drives in RAID 5 configuration . It’s quite a old unit now but has been really reliable.

 

[Musicman]

One thing to mention is that with fans and a bunch of HDDs chattering away, they generate quite a lot of noise that can get intrusive in quiet environments.

You may need to think about where you can locate a NAS that won’t get too hot if that could become a problem for you.

 

[robj20]

yes, the tech is very expensive and you are locked in their technology.

Not always, the vast majority of what people call a NAS isn't just a NAS it's a server and a NAS. Separate the two and you can buy off the shelf a lot cheaper and not be locked in.
I did think many times about building my own, but now with UNIFI ones just being storage your not really saving much and I wanted rack mount as well.

 

[Dave Canon]

One thing to mention is that with fans and a bunch of HDDs chattering away, they generate quite a lot of noise that can get intrusive in quiet environments.

You may need to think about where you can locate a NAS that won’t get too hot if that could become a problem for you.

It may depend how you use it. My NAS is purely for back up of all computers on the home network. So most of the time it is doing very little so noise not a problem. When I upload images from my camera into LR, it automatically backs up the Raw files on my NAS.

Dave

 

[AD_Capturs]

I don’t suppose anyone’s got a NAS for sale do they? Before I jump on eBay and give someone else my money

 

[Jim_Tod]

I have a synology ds220j 2 bay without disks i’m looking to shift on. Its surplus to requirements as i have a ds420j also.

Been meaning to post it in classifieds but just havent got round to it.

I’m away on holiday till friday if interested and can wait till i get back and post in classifieds to keep within forum rules

 

[AD_Capturs]

I could possibly be interested… do you have a price in mind?

I have a synology ds220j 2 bay without disks i’m looking to shift on. Its surplus to requirements as i have a ds420j also.

Been meaning to post it in classifieds but just havent got round to it.

I’m away on holiday till friday if interested and can wait till i get back and post in classifieds to keep within forum rules

 

[Jim_Tod]

I’ll be putting it up at about £120 plus posting. If still interested let me know and i’ll dm when its in the classifieds at weekend

 

[Musicman]

It may depend how you use it. My NAS is purely for back up of all computers on the home network. So most of the time it is doing very little so noise not a problem. When I upload images from my camera into LR, it automatically backs up the Raw files on my NAS.

Dave

For various reasons (mostly due living in a small terraced house) mine has to live in a corner of the living room.

Even when it's idle, the small QNAP NAS I have at home creates enough background chatter and fan noise to be intrusive in a quiet room - I have to put it to sleep if I am watching TV.

Certainly the noise made by the bigger Synology NAS units I used to run at work would not have been acceptable in a domestic environment.

 

[Mr Perceptive]

For various reasons (mostly due living in a small terraced house) mine has to live in a corner of the living room.

Even when it's idle, the small QNAP NAS I have at home creates enough background chatter and fan noise to be intrusive in a quiet room - I have to put it to sleep if I am watching TV.

Certainly the noise made by the bigger Synology NAS units I used to run at work would not have been acceptable in a domestic environment.

Agreed, my NAS sits in a home office, but it regular chatters away (and has fans running), wouldn't want it anywhere else in the house!

 

[Delphin]

Mine is in a cupboard in a different room from the from the computer and Television (nope it doesn't get too hot).

It was far to loud to be in the same room as I'm in. If I didn't need access to it's USB port occasionally I'd have put it in the attic.

Of course with Nvme NAS become a thing, nosie is not going to be an issue.

 

[robj20]

For various reasons (mostly due living in a small terraced house) mine has to live in a corner of the living room.

Even when it's idle, the small QNAP NAS I have at home creates enough background chatter and fan noise to be intrusive in a quiet room - I have to put it to sleep if I am watching TV.

Certainly the noise made by the bigger Synology NAS units I used to run at work would not have been acceptable in a domestic environment.

That sounds like it's not setup ideal.

The big trouble with off the shelf ones is they don't have a dedicated drive for your apps, they just use Volume 1 so if you're main storage pool is just volume 1 it almost never shuts the drives down.

What you need to do is install an SSD as volume 1 then volume 2 should be your drives in RAID. That way all the HDDs will shut down when your not actively accessing data. A lot of apps are constantly accessing the drives so this keeps them spinning.

I put all my equipment in the garage so it can all be as noisy as it wants.

 

[Musicman]

What you need to do is install an SSD as volume 1 then volume 2 should be your drives in RAID. That way all the HDDs will shut down when your not actively accessing data. A lot of apps are constantly accessing the drives so this keeps them spinning.

Well, an SSD is more £££ and doesn't fix the fan noise (an isolation pad helped with that).

The NAS is just one of three backup targets that I have, and backup is all I use it for. It's a lot cheaper to just turn it off when I'm not using it

Anyhow, that just underlines what I was saying that you may need to take some extra steps depending on how noise-sensitive your use case is.

 

[robj20]

Are most people just using a NAS as DAS rather than it's designed function then? Never switch mine off and it's definitely not suitable as a backup of anything.

 

[Faldrax]

Well, an SSD is more £££ and doesn't fix the fan noise (an isolation pad helped with that).

The NAS is just one of three backup targets that I have, and backup is all I use it for. It's a lot cheaper to just turn it off when I'm not using it

Anyhow, that just underlines what I was saying that you may need to take some extra steps depending on how noise-sensitive your use case is.

If you are just using it for backup, and turn if off at other times, than a NAS is probably the wrong solution, and a regular external drive would be better.

 

[Delphin]

Are most people just using a NAS as DAS rather than it's designed function then? Never switch mine off and it's definitely not suitable as a backup of anything.

Spot on.

Raid is not a backup.

 

[Faldrax]

Are most people just using a NAS as DAS rather than it's designed function then? Never switch mine off and it's definitely not suitable as a backup of anything.

It's a backup in the sense that files are backup up to it, in addition to other uses for a large, always on, filestore.
Raid 5 gives it some resilience to drive failure when compared to a non-raid filestore, but it's not a guarantee (as the raid hardware itself can fail).
As with any backup system, the ideal is to have multiple independent backups, so the chances of ALL failing are sufficiently small (or are the result of such a large scale catastrophic event that loss of your photos is no longer a primary concern...)