Old NAS vs New NAS - Which Should You Buy?

[@DavidM2002]

O.T. : Robbie, I don't recall you ever doing a review on UPS's which we should all be plugging our NAS's into. I'd love to hear your opinions on the topic.

[@popquizzz]

Still rocking my DS-918+ with that Celeron Processor with the imbedded Intel Graphics and 32GB of LPDDR3 DRAM. Running containers and VMs for web sites, pi-hole, and other items and just moved my mail server to this beast. I'm looking for mor DS-918+'s to build for client's Home NAS. I believe this machine with the two socket memory modules and imbedded graphics is the best Synology NAS for the home for the money today. The DS-920+ with the soldered on 4GB module does a disservice to the consumer and effectively caps the memory capacity with that configuration.

[@NathanFernandes]

Got tired of waiting for the new synology's and built myself an unraid server which I found really good. I now currently use my current Synology as a backup server

[@IntoxicatedVortex]

As a primary decision point I would typically recommend that if you have an outward facing NAS (accessible from the internet) then buy new. If your NAS is in a local network only thats protected by your modem not forwarding incoming traffic then it doesn't matter. That late release software update may just save your data and the newer your system is the longer you have access to the latest updates. Beyond that the benefits of going old boils down to what is the implication of that purchase going wrong. For instance, if going old means that are able to buy at NAS size/product series that would otherwise be out of your budget, like getting a Synology 12 bay DS-XS series for the price of a new DS920, what are you going to do if that NAS stops and your primary RAID pool is using 6 or 8 of those drive bays (as its much cheaper to buy more smaller drives than fewer large drives)? What does it mean for your data if you then can't buy an 6-8 bay NAS to start your RAID pool up again. Drives aren't the only things that stop working. Don't get me wrong, there are huge benefits to buying old that extend to not only costs, especially environmental ones, where the environmental cost of keeping an old device in use and out of landfill is significantly less impactful even if it uses 3x the energy during runtime (even more so if your electricity supply mix is greater than 50% renewable). The art of getting the best overall value comes from knowing the path you take when something doesn't go to plan. This will help help you avoid certain purchases that can potentially paint you into a corner that you can't afford to buy yourself out of.

[@etan1086]

I bought a brand new DS420+ for $350 last Christmas. It felt sluggish at the start but it came alive when I installed 8GB RAM. Now it does everything I need it to do (Plex, Minecraft server, photo/video storage). I have no regrets not getting the 920+ especially considering the killer price I paid for the 420+.

[@MRForever-ub5pw]

I could have gone with "the old" and just run my previous WD EX4100 along with a new EX4100 and spent less money and had less of a learning curve, but I went with the existing and picked up the Synology DS920+, which comfortably uses larger drives and has much better support than the almost nonexistent support of the WD. Now just using the WD as a backup and never been happier.

[@chrisrange2343]

Brought up a couple of very pertinent points I hadn’t expected. As always, informative (and entertaining!!) Thanks Robbie.

[@chrispage3803]

One more Important note with regard to the NEW "energy efficient" last point discussed that wasn't mentioned. HEAT. Not only does it cost less to run, but they run cooler. This is important for the life of the NAS, as well as the life of the HDD. If the purpose of your NAS is for Long Term Storage, this might be an important consideration.

[@blcjck8121]

It's pretty simple. If you're looking at Synology 4-5 bay upper plus series, go with last gen (looking at the abomination that is DS1522+ and probably the eventual "DS922-3+"). Everything other brand go with the newest.

[@davemckewan4450]

Good timing too. My old 918+ is up on the ... well you know.

[@derred723]

I'm waiting on new 2 bays. Seems the tech is lagging behind my desires hardwarewise.

[@kyleeckhoff7115]

Thanks for posting this, been on the fence about getting a 220+ vs waiting on newer model

[@dezejongeman]

in the netherlands gets you 2 years warranty, instead of 3 years (retail)

[@marecheau77]

Great review as always. Just bought an Asustor AS6604T after looking at some of your reviews, it was a toss up between that and the Terramaster F4-423. It replaced an ageing Dlink NAS circa 2014! I think you are right, there are pros and cons, price being the main factor (for me anyway) but i think when investing a fair amount of cash, it's better to look to future proofing that will give great performance now that will hold in the future.

[@HiltonT69]

Can we all get our rise on?

[@macrobinson5457]

Everything I have learned about NAS I have learned from you. Wondering, when is it time to upgrade to a newer model? It seems to me that there are only very small changes in performance increase with NAS, so is it simply a case of when there is no more software support for vintage models??

[@JamesNoms]

I am still running a ts-412+ with 4 x 2tb disks and its been on 24/7 for over 10 years without skipping a beat. I am only considering changing it now because I cant pull data off it fast enough to play higher bitrate 4k consistently. Admittedly I have blocked it from all external access though as its stuck on v4.3.3

[@US_Joe]

Good topic and thought. Thanx Robbie

[@ApolloPS2]

Finally took the plunge purchasing a TS-h973AX. Hopefully no issues and a good strike between the old and the new!

[@tonguelover6666]

that's a goddamn beast!

[@DaveHolmesMusic]

I am so confused. Too much info online. I have Windows 10 and 3TB of Data. Which NAS do I buy, I just need to store my data with mirroring of the main disk. Any recommendations of which to buy?

[@tomdillan]

I have a ds918+ and looking to get a second one or the ds418 as a backup. Do you think the ds418 will still be supported for the next couple of years?

[@artemse1122]

Hi. I`m going to buy DS920+. I planning to make RAID 1 0 with 4X4TB disks but there is some dilemma :) I already have 2 disks 4Tb (1 y.o. NAS compatible like a new that I want to buy) in RAID1 on my PC so I wanted to ask an advice - to buy a new 4 disks OR somehow temporary transfer the data from current PC and use 2 old and 2 new disks in the RAid 10 SETUP? The delta is about $200. Thanks!

[@reelintensity3263]

Which one should I get??!! Thanks. I want to use my NAS for 3 specific reasons. 1- Pro Video Editing (10gbe), 2- Plex, 3- long term storage and personal data. See my dilemma? But I guess I can run plex from my iMac and just store the files on the Nas right? So should I get the 1621xs or the 1821+ ??

[@lugosibela123]

So the TS-451D2-2G for 329€ is a no brainer?

[@essdee800]

Which older 3 and 4 bay units might get replaced with new units under warranty? Will be used for mac time machine backups and business documents

[@jpbeauch1]

Thanks! I own an Asus AS6404T and I'm almost quit satisfied with it except for samba speed transfer that could be faster and the fact that is doesn't have NVme cache support. I'm also not a fan of their software (GUI). I use to own a Synology and the interface was much better. I do not need need graphic CPU as I'm not using plex at all. I'm using my Apple TV4 Along with Infuse Player to access all my media content from a share drive on my NAS. If I was to change my NAS what would you recommended (preferably one with NVme cache support).

[@wizsc]

Hi. How long it usually takes you to answer an email with your webpage help mechanism?

[@troymcdonald]

1520+ and 1522+ same price because of the cpu change.

[@tiagoj8020]

I'm a fan of Ryzen but because of my Plex server, I choose Intel. Rocking the DS1019+

[@sleepingwarrior4618]

I don't see the point in buying new.....just get a 4 bay HDD and use better drives...anything more is just vanity for me.

[@pbarany]

It might not be the most constructive comment, but it always makes me laugh when the automatic captioning interpret your word NAS's as nazis. 🙂