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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
TVS-h874T โœ“ โœ“ โœ“โœ“โœ“โ“˜โ“˜โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โ“˜โ“˜โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“
TS-673A โœ“ - -โœ“โœ“โ“˜โ“˜โœ“โœ“โ“˜โœ“โ“˜โ“˜โœ“โœ“โœ“โ“˜
RS3621xs+ โœ“ โœ“ โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โœ“โ“˜โœ“โœ“

LATEST PRICE LIST

TVS-h874T3799 GBP5155.47 USD
TS-673A926.49 GBP935.43 USD
RS3621xs+4195.8 GBP4577.57 USD

BEST FOR Virtualisation

NAS CPU Cores Threads Speed (GHz) Docker/VM Score ECC
TVS-h874T Intel Coreโ„ข i7-12700K 12-core (8P+4E) /20-thread Processor 12 20 3.6 (MAX:5) Docker/VM 34748 NO /32 GB DDR4 SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16 GB)
TS-673A AMD Ryzenโ„ข 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)
RS3621xs+ Intel Xeon D-1541 8 16 2.1 (MAX:2.7) Docker/VM 10154 ECC /8 GB DDR4 ECC UDIMM

BEST FOR MULTIMEDIA

NAS GPU Base_GHz/Max Codec FPS Transcoding Plex
TVS-h874T Intelยฎ UHD Graphics 770 300/1.5 H.264 60 4320 4320p
TS-673A / 0 1080p
RS3621xs+ / 0 2160p

BEST FOR FILE STORAGE

NAS BAYS Bandwidth HDD storage expansion Drive mixing File System
TVS-h874T 8 HDD 5Gbit (2 ports combined) 176TB โœ“ ZFS/EXT4
TS-673A 6 HDD 5Gbit (2 ports combined) 132TB โœ“ EXT4
RS3621xs+ 12 HDD 24Gbit (6 ports combined) 264TB โœ“ 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
TVS-h874T folder face โœ“ โœ“ HDD/volume /folder
TS-673A folder face โœ“ โœ“ HDD/volume /folder
RS3621xs+ folder/barebone โœ“ face+object โœ“ โœ“ volume/folder

BEST FOR VIDEO EDITING

NAS MAX LAN speed Ports transcoding PCIe NVMe
TVS-h874T 2.5Gbit dual Thunderbolt 4 ports (Type-C) โœ“ dual PCIe 2 Slot 1: PCIe Gen 4 x16 Slot 2: PCIe Gen 4 x4 Slot 2 is preinstalled dual M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 x4
TS-673A 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
RS3621xs+ 10Gbit 2x RJ-45 10GbE 2 x Gen3 x8

BEST FOR SURVEILLANCE (CCTV)

NAS HDMI QVM transcoding AI
TVS-h874T 1, HDMIโ„ข 1.4b (up to 4096 x 2160 @ 30Hz) โœ“ โœ“ โœ“
TS-673A pcie โœ“ โœ“
RS3621xs+

BEST FOR SMART HOME/ AI

NAS Virtual switch Docker/VM HDMI S/PDIF / AUX
TVS-h874T โœ“ Docker/VM 1, HDMIโ„ข 1.4b (up to 4096 x 2160 @ 30Hz)
TS-673A โœ“ Docker/VM pcie
RS3621xs+ Docker/VM

LATEST VIDEOS RELATED


AVAILABILITY / RELEASE DATE

Brand Model TW USA UK Released
Qnap TVS-h874T โ€ข โ€ข โ€ข 2023-09
Qnap TS-673A โ€ข โ€ข โ€ข 2021-02
Synology RS3621xs+ โ€ข โ€ข โ€ข 2021-01

LATEST POSTS RELATED


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QNAP TVS-h874T4 and TVS-h674T4 Thunderbolt 4 NAS for Autumn 2023
Compatible GPU card for transcoding on TS-673A / TS-873A
QNAP TS-673A vs Synology DS1621+ NAS Drive Comparison
Synology DS1621+ vs QNAP TS-673A NAS Drive Comparison
New TS-673A and TS-873A supports PCIe GPU for video transcoding
Best TS-673A price


RELATED REVIEWS

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


8.4
PROS
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป8-Core Xeon Processor
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปTwo 10GBe Connections as Standard
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปTwo PCIe Gen 3 x8 PCIe Equipped
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป4 Slots that Support DDR4 ECC UDIMM Memory
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปExcellent choice of Apps
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปRedundant PSU as Standard
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปNumerous Backup Software Options
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปHuge Virtualization Support
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปStorage Can be Expanded to 36 SATA Drives
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป5yr Warranty
CONS
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปNVMe SSDs Ports not available, unlike desktop alternatives
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปVery Limited Hard Drives Supported (Largely ONLY Synology HAT5300 series)
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿป64GB Memory Maximum Seems Low, given other Enterprise Solutions support 128/256GB

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


8.6
PROS
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปOnly brand rolling out i9 Turnkey NAS
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปOnly NAS Rolling out Thundebrolt4 NAS (for now!)
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปUpto 20 Cores, 24 Threads and High End Integrated Graphics
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปPCIe Gen 4 x16 Upgrade Slot for 10/25/100GbE Cards and 2x PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 NVMe Slots for 7GB SSDs
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปNo Obstinant 3rd Party Hardware Limitations on Support or Compatibility
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปMuch larger support of 3rd Party Software Services than most other NAS Brands
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป10Gb/s USB Connectivity, in Type A and Type C
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปUpto 64GB of Memory
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปZFS or EXT 4 File System Choice
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปM.2 NVMe SSD Bays can be used for Storage or Caching
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปVolume Encryption, SED SSD Support and WORM
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปEnhanced AI Surveillance Services, with opt to upgrade with $30 Google TPU
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปAI Photo Management Tool (QuMagie) Includes Thing Recognition and works offline
๐Ÿ‘๐ŸปALL the ZFS Benefits, whilst also the GUI and App benefits of a Linux Software Platform in one
CONS
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปNo Smaller 4-Bay Version
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปQVR Elite (not QVR Pro) only has 2 Cam Licences
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปLack of ECC Memory will annoy some users
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿป10Gbe is Missing (so no TB-TO-10GbE Pass-through)
๐Ÿ‘Ž๐ŸปToo Many licenses on Enterprise Tools (Drive Analyzer, Face Tiger, etc) with too few free licenses

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 havenโ€™t got a viable alternative in-house โ€“ 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 โ€“ 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 โ€“ 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 โ€“ 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 โ€“ 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

TVS-h874T3799 GBP5155.47 USD
TS-673A926.49 GBP935.43 USD
RS3621xs+4195.8 GBP4577.57 USD
DEAL WATCH - Is It On Offer Right Now?

Synology 12 bay RackStation RS3621xs+ (Diskless) Amazon usa USA 66.08 OFF (WAS 4644) [LINK]
SYNOLOGY RS3621XS+ 2U 12BAY 2.1 GHZ 8C 8GB DDR4 4X 1GBE 2X 10GBE RPS Amazon UK UK 102.85 OFF (WAS 4299) [LINK]
Synology RackStation RS3621xs+ NAS Rack (2U) Ethernet LAN Black D-1541, RS3621XS Amazon UK UK 12.77 OFF (WAS 9287) [LINK]
Synology RackStation RS3621xs+ NAS Rack (2U) Ethernet LAN Black D-1541, RS3621XS Amazon UK UK 16.41 OFF (WAS 11753) [LINK]

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