I have been running a NAS at home for nine years. It started as a backup target for my photo library and grew into a Plex server, a Time Machine destination, a Docker host, and the offsite target for my parents’ photos. The NAS world has gotten dramatically better in the last two years, with faster CPUs and proper NVMe caching trickling down to consumer boxes.
I compared every unit below on the same workload: a 4K Plex transcode, a full Lightroom catalog sync, and a Hyper Backup job pushing to B2. Results came down to software polish and how the box handles being thrashed.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Synology DS923 Plus | Best overall | 4.8/5 |
| Synology DS224 Plus | Best for home | 4.7/5 |
| QNAP TS-464 | Best for power users | 4.6/5 |
| Synology DS1522 Plus | Best 5-bay | 4.8/5 |
| TerraMaster F4-423 | Budget pick | 4.4/5 |
1. Synology DS923 Plus - Best Overall
The DS923 Plus combines an AMD R1600 CPU, two NVMe slots for cache, and an upgradable 10GbE port. DSM 7 remains the best NAS operating system on the market. I have run mine for eighteen months without a single reboot.
2. Synology DS224 Plus - Best for Home
The DS224 Plus is the box I recommend to friends. Two bays, hardware transcoding, and the full DSM experience for. It handles a household of four streaming Plex without breaking sweat.
3. QNAP TS-464 - Best for Power Users
The TS-464 packs an Intel Celeron N5105 with built-in QuickSync, 10GbE upgradable, and two NVMe slots. If you want to run VMs or push 4K HDR transcodes, this is the box.
4. Synology DS1522 Plus - Best 5-Bay
The DS1522 Plus gives you five bays, expandable to fifteen with the DX517, and the same AMD platform as the 923. This is the upgrade path for anyone outgrowing two bays.
5. TerraMaster F4-423 - Best Budget
The F4-423 is four bays with an Intel N5095 forcurrent pricing. TOS 5 is decent but not Synology-polished. Run it with TrueNAS Scale and it punches well above its price.
What Matters Most
Software, then RAM, then CPU. A great NAS chip with bad software is a paperweight. Make sure the box you buy supports the apps you actually need: Docker, Plex, Time Machine, Hyper Backup.
My Setup
I run a DS923 Plus with 32GB RAM, two 8TB drives in SHR, and a 1TB NVMe read cache. Backups push nightly to Backblaze B2 via Hyper Backup. Total monthly cost:.
Common Mistakes
Treating RAID as a backup. RAID protects against drive failure, not deletion, ransomware, or fire. You need a 3-2-1 strategy, and the NAS is only one copy.
Final Recommendation
The Synology DS923 Plus is the NAS I tell readers to buy. It will last seven years, the OS keeps getting better, and the resale value is brutal in a good way.
Frequently asked questions
How many bays do I actually need?+
Two bays cover most home users with mirrored redundancy. Four bays make sense once you push past 20TB or want RAID 5 / SHR flexibility.
Synology or QNAP?+
Synology has the better software and easier setup. QNAP has stronger hardware for the money. I run Synology because I like sleeping at night.