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GENERAL NAS FEATURE COMPARISON

NAS Plex (local 4K) Plex HD (remote) Plex 4K (remote) BACKUP (MS/GOOGLE OFFICE) BACKUP (BAREBONE) PHOTOS (OBJECT AI) VIDEO EDITING (4K) VIDEO EDITING (8K) DOCKER VIRTUAL MACHINES PC MODE (QVM) 2.5GbE 10GbE 25GbE Thunderbolt NVMe Pcie Expansion HDMI Drive Mixing
TS-473A - -
TS-473 - -
DS923+ - -
RS422+ - -

LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-473A785 GBP725 USD
TS-473785 GBP725 USD
DS923+539.97 GBP579 USD
RS422+629.97 GBP732.46 USD

BEST FOR Virtualisation

NAS CPU Cores Threads Speed (GHz) Docker/VM Score ECC
TS-473A AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V1500B quad-core 2.2 GHz proce... 4 8 2.2 Docker/VM 4584 NO /8 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM DDR4 (1 x 8 GB)
TS-473 AMD R-Series RX-421ND quad-core 2.1 GHz processor ... 4 4 2.1 (MAX:3.4) Docker/VM 3575 NO /8 GB SO-DIMM DDR4 (2 x 4 GB)
DS923+ AMD Ryzen R1600 2 4 2.6 (MAX:3.1) Docker/VM 3147 ECC /4 GB DDR4 ECC
RS422+ AMD Ryzen R1600 2 4 2.6 (MAX:3.1) Docker/VM 3147 ECC /2 GB DDR4 ECC

BEST FOR MULTIMEDIA

NAS GPU Base_GHz/Max Codec FPS Transcoding Plex
TS-473A / 0 1080p
TS-473 / 0 720p
DS923+ / 0 720p
RS422+ / 0 720p

BEST FOR FILE STORAGE

NAS BAYS Bandwidth HDD storage expansion Drive mixing File System
TS-473A 4 HDD 5Gbit (2 ports combined) 88TB EXT4
TS-473 4 HDD 4Gbit (4 ports combined) 88TB EXT4
DS923+ 4 HDD 2Gbit (2 ports combined) 88TB EXT4 BTRFS
RS422+ 4 HDD 2Gbit (2 ports combined) 88TB EXT4 BTRFS

*All NAS support multiple RAID/ volume groups, if you want to mix different size drive on non supported model.

BEST FOR BACKUP

NAS Level HA AI Google Microsoft encryption
TS-473A folder face HDD/volume /folder
TS-473 folder face HDD/volume /folder
DS923+ folder/barebone face+object volume/folder
RS422+ folder/barebone face volume/folder

BEST FOR VIDEO EDITING

NAS MAX LAN speed Ports transcoding PCIe NVMe
TS-473A 2.5Gbit PCIe-Slot =2 Slot 1: PCIe Gen 3 x4 Slot 2: PCIe Gen 3 x4 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x1 slots
TS-473 1Gbit Slot 1: PCIe Gen 3 x4 Slot 2: PCIe Gen 3 x4 2 x M.2 2280/2260 SATA 6Gb/s slots
DS923+ 1Gbit 1 x Gen3 x2 2x NVME Gen3 x1
RS422+ 1Gbit 1 x Gen3 x2

BEST FOR SURVEILLANCE (CCTV)

NAS HDMI QVM transcoding AI
TS-473A pcie
TS-473 pcie
DS923+
RS422+

BEST FOR SMART HOME/ AI

NAS Virtual switch Docker/VM HDMI S/PDIF / AUX
TS-473A Docker/VM pcie
TS-473 Docker/VM pcie
DS923+ Docker/VM
RS422+ Docker/VM

LATEST VIDEOS RELATED


AVAILABILITY / RELEASE DATE

Brand Model TW USA UK Released
Qnap TS-473A 2021-02
Qnap TS-473 2020-07
Synology DS923+ 2022-11
Synology RS422+ 2022-04

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RELATED REVIEWS

SOFTWARE - 10/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 9/10
PRICE - 8/10
VALUE - 9/10


8.6
PROS
👍🏻DSM 7/7.1 (and DSM7.2 Around the corner) still continues to be an absolute tour-de-force of NAS Software
👍🏻This latest generation expandable 4-Bay arriving with a 10G Upgrade Option is fantastic
👍🏻ECC Memory Support and scalability to 32GB is completely unparallel at this price point
👍🏻The design of the DS923+ NAS still continues to be market-leading
👍🏻The New CPU architecture allows great PCIe3 bandwidth to be afforded to the rest of the hardware, inside and out
👍🏻Low Noise, Low Physical Impact and Intelligent Automatic Power Use Adjustment Settings
👍🏻Increased Support for macOS in Synology Drive and Active Backup Suite (DSM 7.2)
👍🏻Synology C2 Cloud Services, 1st Party Backup/Sync Tools and Collaboration Suite App = Complete 1st Party Eco-system that can rival Office365 and Google Workspace
👍🏻PCIe Gen 3 M.2 NVMe SSD Support as Storage Pools!!! FINALLY!
👍🏻Tremendously User-Friendly!!!
CONS
👎🏻The AMD Emb.Ryzen instead of a Intel Celeron (with Integrated Graphics) will be a dealbreaker for alot of users
👎🏻The default 1GbE ports that the system arrives with are tremendously dated
👎🏻The USB ports on the system are older gen USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) and their support/usability have been quite pared back in recent DSM releases
👎🏻The continued moves by Synology to prioritize 1st party hardware and software services may put some users off
👎🏻Plex Support on the Synology DS923+ is still great for native playback, client-side handling and client devices with relevant multimedia licenses in place, but if server-side media conversions are needed - this system will struggle in comparison with the DS920+ before it

SOFTWARE - 10/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 8/10
PRICE - 8/10
VALUE - 8/10


8.2
PROS
👍🏻Remarkably compact rackmount server with a 10GbE Option
👍🏻Very quiet for a rackmount server
👍🏻Default ECC Memory will be hugely reassuring
👍🏻DSM 7.1 is still hands-down the best NAS software out there
👍🏻Storage services such as BTRFS/EXT4 Option, Synology Hybrid RAID Support and Fast RAID Rebuild
👍🏻Very high build quality and slick design
CONS
👎🏻Lack of M.2 NVMe slots
👎🏻No Expansion Support
👎🏻Odd brand position on HDDs and SSDs
👎🏻CPU Choice is divisive
👎🏻Default 2GB of memory cannot up upgraded

In terms of these two brands, there is been a long-running theme all the way through that Synology has focused on FIRST-PARTY (i.e. Synology-brand) software and hardware priority, then supporting THIRD-PARTY services/hardware when they haven’t got a viable alternative in-house – to mixed degrees of popularity. Whereas QNAP has been a much more level playing field where they have released their own innovative hardware/software (occasionally a little too quickly) and singing its praises, but also tried to keep customization and flexibility for 3rd parties as open as possible and shouting loud-and-proud about that too – which can be a tad overwhelming for the less tech-savvy. Both brands have done an incredible job evolve their platforms as much as they have to date, especially when Microsoft, Google and Amazon are pouring BILLIONS into the SaaS (and PaaS and IaaS – Platform and Infrastructure as a Service) in order to create entirely streamable ecosystems for businesses, with NAS brands like Synology and QNAP not only integrating with them but also thriving alongside them as a local/bare-metal failsafe. These are all very lofty ideas and ones that most home or small business users will likely have little time for right now (aside from where NAS fits in with their Google/Office 365 office tools like documents, email and spreadsheets at a pinch) and for those users, who the NAS stands on its own two feet is what is going to matter most. Synology is earning its position in the market as the complete 1st party software and hardware package, with a genuinely groundbreaking range of available services, but still managing to make NAS accessible for all in DSM 6.2/7.0/7.1. That said, the trends we are seeing in those sub-enterprise services that are slowly receding in support of popular 3rd party hardware, software and services, making using a Synology NAS alongside your own existing setup in a frictionless way cannot be ignored and leading some to think Synology is shifting their industry position towards something higher.

QNAP NAS on the other hand, although maybe trying to cover too many bases at once, is still trying to cover as much as it can to appear to their audience. Their support of considerably more 3rd party platforms/software/services, even when they have their own software available, is certainly admirable and aside from rather aggressive pricing on their QVR Pro surveillance platform, are still the better choice for those who want a much more adaptable and customizable platform. Its a pretty understandable fact that most people who buy a NAS will be arriving with an existing collection of software in their daily workflow (Office 365 for docs, Gmail for their email, Plex for their media, Chromebook for their commute, Skype/Whatsapp for their communication, TB3 for their editing, etc) and it has to be said that QNAP keeps a more open platform to adapt a NAS into this mix than Synology – occasionally less intuitively and not without a little setup-friction, but certainly to more customizable results. Unsurprisingly, I am going to tell you that both Synology and QNAP NAS are good NAS brands and have earned their place at the top of the industry (whilst both making their own respective moves to integrate into the next tier – ie SaaS providers, Hyperscale environments and Boundless cloud storage), but there is no denying that no one brand has managed to do EVERYTHING to perfection. So, if in double, below is how I would recommend QNAP and Synology NAS to you, for each user case scenario and I hope this guide and my recommendations help you with your next big data storage purchase.

Why Choose Synology NAS?

Better Surveillance Software

More Intuative and User-Friendly Design

EXCELLENT 1st Party Alternative Apps to Existing 3rd Party Tools

(including Synology Chat, Mail, Office, Drive, Calendar and more)

Greater Support/Migration with VMware & Hyper-V

Better Redundant System Options (SHA)

Greater Support on Amazon Home Hardware

Synology Hybrid RAID for flexibility in Media Upgrades

BTRFS on Most systems

Longer Warranty Available on More Systems

First Party SSD and HDDs Available

Typically Quieter Operation

Why Choose QNAP NAS?

Better 1st Party/Hosting Virtual Machines

Better Plex Media Server NAS

More Adaptable and Customizable

Wider Support of Surveillance using AI Recognition

EXCELLENT KVM Support

More Camera Licenses

ZFS or EXT4 File System Choice on many systems now

2.5Gbe Network Interfaces at 1Gbe Cost

Allows NVMe SSD Storage Pools and Volumes

Support of QTier for intelligent Data storage for Access

Greater 1st and 3rd Party Hardware Upgrade Compatibility

(including Graphics Cards, WiFi 6 and Thunderbolt)


LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-473A785 GBP725 USD
TS-473785 GBP725 USD
DS923+539.97 GBP579 USD
RS422+629.97 GBP732.46 USD
DEAL WATCH - Is It On Offer Right Now?

Synology DS923+ 4-Bay Diskstation NAS (AMD Ryzen™ 4 Threads R1600 Dual-Core 4G Amazon usa USA 32.41 OFF (WAS 682) [LINK]
Synology 4-Bay Rackmount NAS RackStation RS422+ (Diskless),Black Amazon usa USA 31.7 OFF (WAS 764) [LINK]
QNAP TS-473A-8G SAN/NAS Storage System, Black Amazon usa USA 49.99 OFF (WAS 775) [LINK]
Synology 4 Bay NAS 1.4Ghz Quadcore CPU - RS422+ Rack Station, Black Amazon usa USA 56.92 OFF (WAS 872) [LINK]
QNAP TS-473A NAS Tower Ethernet LAN Black V1500B TS-473A, W126324001 (LAN Black Amazon usa USA 41.2 OFF (WAS 1195) [LINK]
Synology 4-Bay Rackmount NAS RackStation RS422+ (Diskless),Black Amazon UK UK 10.47 OFF (WAS 1581) [LINK]
QNAP TS-473A-8G/48TB-REDPLUS NAS/storage server Tower Ethernet LAN Black V150 Amazon UK UK 39.03 OFF (WAS 2458) [LINK]
QNAP TS-473A NAS Tower Ethernet LAN Black V1500B Amazon UK UK 38.42 OFF (WAS 2417) [LINK]

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