Question Looking to Upgrade from a DS214

Currently reading
Question Looking to Upgrade from a DS214

2
0
NAS
DS214 with 2x 4TB WD Reds
Hello everyone!

Newcomer here and current owner of a 5 year old DS214 that is still kicking for it's age. I am wanting to upgrade to something newer around Black Friday or Christmas this year but I am having a hard time choosing between the DS218+ or one of the 4 bay models. I have my current NAS setup as a RAID 1 to do backups through Acronis TI regularly but would like to eventually make use of the Download Station to store all of my downloads directly.

Are the 4 bay models worth it? I recently got two 4TB WD Reds on sale as 2TB is too small for my needs.

Any feedback appreciated. :)
 
Welcome 1st off.

Would a 4bay be worth it? Well yes, it would. If you are planning on using it for more tasks and more storage, I would advise going down that route.

Atm, 4bay in + series is 918+, a great machine. Will there be an update any time soon? Maybe it will be but my guess would be later next year if there will be one.
 
Your best bet is to go here and select the criteria that are most important for you. For me when I did it I wanted expandable RAM. Then I compared the options and then my wallet (had to ask to have access to that!).


Given I couldn’t justify my usage up to the DS918+, from DS215j, I went for the DS218+ and bought 4GB of Crucial RAM. It’s been great! But I do have a single eSata drive connected that has my Video Station library (it’s a copy of my Mac’s iTunes movie and TV files so doesn’t need to be resilient).

Going from 2-bay to 4 will depend also on the storage size you want. There’ll be a cross-over point where £ per TB becomes cheaper with a 4-bay.
 
most useful action is to take a pencil and paper (also by digital) and prepare future:
- data store platform (backups, downloads, ...)
- service usage platform (your private cloud for your data, useful official packages from Syno or from 3rd parties, or your own hosted services by Docker platform in NAS)
- combination of both platforms into powerful solution for you or whole family
For your better understanding do not hesitate spend time with our Resource base. It's clear enough for newbies also. Don't worry about new challenges.

Then you have to count of your data usage current growth:
- occupied now by segments (photos, music, movies, documents, backups, ...). If you are Win based, you can use this tool, what is free for 7 days. It will give you easy and clear answer for your data (in all connected devices). Maybe it will save your pocket by less capacity of target disks to new device.
- same tool you can use for calculation of data consumption for next 4-5y (lifespan of your WD Red)

You have to take into consideration that in 2024 you will surely purchase new disk for same price with 4x more capacity. Then no need to count more than 4y disk change cycle.

For backups you need durable disk/s. You don't need a speed. Then HDD is better than SSD. It will your mental health saver when trouble comes. Don't forget for a prime rule - RAID isn't the backup. Then another external device (HDD, flash) is appreciated. For rest of the data it's up to you. But for Movies and Photos is still HDD the good choice. You can use Search feature and find many of similar topics here.

For all of the data transport you need to count all limits of your infrastructure:
- speed of wired LAN
- speed of WiFi
- speed of WAN (internet).
An example:
- when your LAN wired architecture is based on CAT5 cable you can forget for data speed over 90Mbps
- then when you purchase SSD to NAS it will utilize such average SSD for 4% of speed performance
- for consumer segment you can use such help from benchmarks, take it pls. as relative data

Finally you will find how much disk you need for your operation, then NAS model choice is the last mile stage.

When you need deep help, send us your future expectation in deepest level.
Cheers
 
how my grandma told me when I was young:
Ordnung ist ordnung, und ordnung muss sein ;)

1572888152404.png
 
For some reason I can’t quote your message @Ndog009!
(must be a glitch in the matrix)

If you can tell us what did you do with your DS214 for 5 years, maybe we can have a better idea of where you might be heading, and try to predict the future :)

For now, I can see a new NAS, but my crystal ball is a bit cloudy. I can’t tell which model.
 
@WST16 , I used it for weekly backups, file server for all my downloads, and also used it for remote file access. I would like to use my next NAS with the same options but with more flexibility such as media server and possibly running a VM off it.
 
The benefit of the DS718+ over the DS218+ is that if you add the DX517 5-bay expansion unit you can expand you internal volumes across the extra disks ... hence the 7 in DS718+. The DS218+ can support the DX517 but it will be as a separate volume, which may not be a bad thing.

Otherwise the DS218+ has a lower CPU but when I got my DS218+ it made more sense for our home usage and I put the £100 saving towards RAM upgrade and disks. The real step up from the 218+ is the 918+, for the extra disks and dual LAN (less one USB port).

My RAM usage sits at around 40-50% of 6GB and I have quite a lot of packages running. Comparing my older DS215j then I don't notice and slowness normally and only tasks such as indexing Moments when first setting it up with 1000's of photos had any real impact.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Similar threads

Hi @Pezbollah, it would be more clear if you post the snapshot of errors you get. Will try to be a help...
Replies
3
Views
1,184
Official sites, or Github repositories for the most part.
Replies
4
Views
1,181
  • Question
i'l looking for an inexpensive email/calander client (like outlook 365) where I can keep the repositories...
Replies
0
Views
1,224
  • Question
FWIW, re: RAM... any "brand" that meets spec is fine. Choose based on spec/price/availability.
Replies
2
Views
1,726
If anyone has a non-functional 120VAC NAS 4 pin power supply that does not work any more, that you are...
Replies
0
Views
1,377
  • Question
Hopefully synology can provide this to you, it would be a shame if they could not.
Replies
1
Views
2,256
mind the series and you will be fine None that I have tried to apply
Replies
2
Views
625

Welcome to SynoForum.com!

SynoForum.com is an unofficial Synology forum for NAS owners and enthusiasts.

Registration is free, easy and fast!

Back
Top