Synology or QNAP

[magister]

@Adam,

Be careful about the Synology 'j' models. They are the low-end machines and might not have enough power for smooth transcoding. I currently run a Synology DS213, which I like very much. My first NAS was a DS112j, which worked fine until I decided that I liked the sound better with FLAC transcoded to WAV in the server. The 112j didn't have enough power to make this work without dropouts. I have not compared the specs of the 112j and the 213j, so the latter might have enough power, but do check this carefully before buying.

I have never used a QNAP, but I can tell you that I like Synology's Disk Station Manager software. I was a newbie with NAS when I got my 112j and the DSM made setting it up and using it quite easy; likewise when I upgraded to the 213, which I run in RAID configuration with two disks. The DSM set all that up painlessly, which I understand is not always the case when working with RAID stuff.

I like the two-bay RAID setup because I always have an up to date backup--everything that I put on the NAS is automatically stored on both disks. Once a week I sync the DS213 to my old DS112j, which serves as a backup, and also to a USB drive plugged into the DS213. I have two such drives, which I rotate--one is always stored off-site.