QNAP TS-431K 4-bay NAS $259.00 at Newegg after promo code

[killster1]

Because I like Synology best - I find their software to be easiest to use and the most polished. And they have very decent support.
Also, since I'm already using their stuff, it's easier to stay in the same ecosystem than to make a huge revolution on all clients and in all workflows.

Why DS420+ over DS418? Mostly because of virtualization and more powerful SoC (it can index way more files).

It certainly is enough for my needs. I simply wouldn't utilize an even faster SoC or more RAM.
For someone wanting to run more VMs on a NAS or who has many clients, DS920+ is clearly a better option.

I'm OK with 1GbE as well. All my PCs connect over WiFi, which realistically makes 1GbE fast enough.
If I used LAN more, I'd probably think about link aggregation or would have waited for 2.5GbE.

Actually this was the cheapest option (by few $ but still).

4TB Iron Wolf costed me around $135 each (23% VAT included). They cost $106 on Amazon.
Putting aside enterprise drives (much more expensive), the only other 4TB option on Synology's compatibility list was Toshiba N300 ($140).
Most WD Reds from this generation were dropped because of SMR.

Why not 8TB? Two reasons:
1) it would be more expensive
My target was 10-12TB, which should last me until 2023 or so. For that I needed either 4x4TB or 2x8TB+4TB. The latter was 25% more expensive.
When the time comes, I'll replace two HDDs with 8TB. Who knows - maybe SSDs will be cheaper at that point.
2) I have plans for those 4TB once removed from NAS - they'll be used for backup.
So this is not just a single purchase for me. It has to fit a long-time strategy.

I have absolutely zero use for 10GbE right now and this won't change for another 5 years, if ever.

So.. would I be able to stream 2 4k movies at the same time to random devices (perhaps a 4k TV and a 1080p tablet ) with dual core 2gb ram? I don't think I have lots of use for 10gbe either unless I'm going to be using it for a backup from the nvr which has 4x 4k cameras (which would require 400$ in licenses from synology) if ran straight to it. My media library is over 40tb with some videos being 75+gb each maybe even more than 40tb

 

[you2]

But why focus on 2.5Gb when many not so expensive motherboards have 10Gb ? I can see why this might be relevant to a data center with 100's of servers but for the home 10Gb is fine.

Of course I'm simplifying things in my favor. That's the whole point, isn't it?

Depends. QNAP and Asustor already started offering 2.5GbE in, let's say, high-end consumer models - purely because Intel said 2.5GbE will become accessible from next generation platform.
Larger companies - Synology as leading NAS maker and major switch/router manufacturers - are slightly more inert as usual.
But next year you should be able to 2.5GbE networks using fairly affordable parts.

If you want more than 2.5GbE, you're entering a premium segment and it gets costly.
But then again: it means you're thinking about an SSD NAS and your clients are 10GbE. In other words: you probably can afford it.

 

[piokos]

But why focus on 2.5Gb when many not so expensive motherboards have 10Gb ? I can see why this might be relevant to a data center with 100's of servers but for the home 10Gb is fine.

First of all: I'm not doing DIY desktops anymore.
I mean: I use one at the moment, but I'm not going to upgrade it anymore. It will be replaced by a laptop next year.

Anyway, availability of 10GbE motherboards is actually *very poor*. Much like 10GbE itself, they're aimed at enthusiast and priced accordingly. And they're almost exclusively ATX or larger. The last time I bought a full ATX mobo was around 2003.

I could get 10GbE USB adapters, but it doesn't make much sense for me in 2020.
My Internet connection is 1Gbps (already the fastest consumer option I can get).
Like in most households, almost all clients at my home work over WiFi (laptops, phones, Xbox, TV). They would not benefit from a 10GbE NAS.

Going maybe 5-10 years forward, I would certainly like my home network to be 10 Gbps - especially all the WiFi stuff.
Today, this is hardly possible and certainly way too expensive.

 

[VirtualLarry]

But why focus on 2.5Gb when many not so expensive motherboards have 10Gb ?

Many? I think that I can count the number of B550 and X570 mobos with 10GbE-T on them, on one hand.

 

[piokos]

Many? I think that I can count the number of B550 and X570 mobos with 10GbE-T on them, on one hand.

This is surely not a complete list (nor with the most accurate prices), but pcpartpicker lists precisely 18 mobos with current consumer sockets (AM4, 1151, 1200):

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#I=2000002000000,2000001000000,2000000000000,1000100000000,1000002000000,1000001000000,1000000000000&s=33,30,39

Amazing.

mATX: 3
ATX: 7
E-ATX: 8

And some of them are server boards, so probably not what most of us want for a PC (example: ASRock X470D4U2-2T back I/O consists of 2xLAN, 2xUSB, 1xVGA and RS232)

 

[you2]

Interesting. I found over 24 boards.

Many? I think that I can count the number of B550 and X570 mobos with 10GbE-T on them, on one hand.

 

[piokos]

Interesting. I found over 24 boards.

How? Maybe some URL?

Even if, 24 boards is not exactly a crowd.
pcpartpicker lists 132 mobos just for LGA1200.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#s=39

Also, if we look at the 18 10GbE boards listed there (link in my earlier post) and remove server-specific models, the cheapest easily available options per platform are:
AM4: ASRock X570 CREATOR - $490
LGA1200: MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE - $700

That isn't "not so expensive" in my book...

 

[killster1]

How? Maybe some URL?

Even if, 24 boards is not exactly a crowd.
pcpartpicker lists 132 mobos just for LGA1200.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#s=39

Also, if we look at the 18 10GbE boards listed there (link in my earlier post) and remove server-specific models, the cheapest easily available options per platform are:
AM4: ASRock X570 CREATOR - $490
LGA1200: MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE - $700

That isn't "not so expensive" in my book...

My x470 tachi asrock has 10gbe. It was 200$. I always spend about 200 so I can get decent audio / usb ports / vrm etc.

 

[VirtualLarry]

My x470 tachi asrock has 10gbe. It was 200$. I always spend about 200 so I can get decent audio / usb ports / vrm etc.

I probably should have gotten that board for my rigs, rather than the X370 Professional (ASRock), because it has the AQuantia 10GbE-T NIC, my board(s) only have the 5GbE-T AQuantia NIC instead. OTOH, my boards were only $140 ea. Small tradeoff, I guess, for not having "full" 10GbE-T connectivity. I can always add a card, they have a third PCI-E x16 (x4 electrical) provided by the chipset. (I think only if you don't use the second NVMe slot.)

By the time that I really NEED 10GbE-T connectivity, and have to buy a card, they'll probably be priced where the 2.5GbE-T cards are today. I hope. ($25-30)