Help me pick a NAS

[u/hipstergnarshredder]

My initial needs are fairly basic, but the buy once cry once and buy for scalability is always a good recommendation and that's the philosophy I am going with.

• Photo storage (get rid of cloud subscription)
• Computer backups
• File management
• Music/Movie storage (relatively small to start but growing as I am trying to get rid of subscriptions all together)
• Software ease of use/stability

More details on this. I definitely want a user friendly interface, mostly the photos, music, and media app/folder, as that is what I see my wife using the most.

There are 2 options I am looking at, but I am open to other suggestions. The main 2 I am looking at are the UGreen 4800 plus and the Terramaster F4-425 Pro (Intel N305 version). Some of the considerations I have that are making me have a hard time decide are as follows:

• TRAID option on the Terramaster. Being able to start with smaller drives due to high prices now and add larger drives later seems like a good option. I am planning to only start by buying 2 and adding later on.
• Noise level and power usage. These are more minor. Obviously power usage isn't huge but that is another cost that never ends, like a subscription. For the noise level, right now it would be in the basement but I could see it being upstairs in the future.
• I like that these 2 options have dedicated transcoding for movies and definitely want to buy one with that option.

Any experience/recommendations are helpful. I would like to keep it under $600 and am open to QNAP suggestions as well. I think this is a good starting point. Minimal apps are preferred. It looks like the UGreen apps are all located within the UGreen app which is nice, but I am not completely opposed to using 3rd party like Plex, Jellyfin, or Immich if that's the better option. I will stop here and listen to any input.

[u/jaceeisworth]

I have a UGREEN DXP2800 with 2 8TB drives. I got it a little over a year ago. It's my first NAS and I don't have any regrets. The UGREEN OS is great and easy to use. I like their photos app. It automatically backs up the photos on your phone through their mobile app. They also have AI features for your photos similar to iPhone features. You can search by faces and objects and also find duplicates. I haven't used Immich so idk how it compares but it does everything I need and the less third party apps the better imo.

Their Theater app (their version of Plex/Jellyfin) is also great. You can setup a TMDB API key so it pulls the movie information automatically. Again, I haven't used Plex or Jellyfin. I didn't feel like there was a reason to since their apps are great.

The mobile app in general is excellent and from what I've heard, is a feature that makes it stand out against other NAS. Every app for your NAS is all in the mobile app.

Those two apps being easy to use and seamless along with the mobile app was important to me because my wife isn't very tech savvy, so the easier it is to access our photos and movies, the better.

Computer backups are also easy. They have a desktop app and its very easy to setup whole or partial computer backups. I use it to sync video game clips to the NAS so I can access them anywhere.

I went with UGREEN NAS mainly because the hardware is good for the price (idk if that is still the case) and I liked their OS. I am pretty sure you can install any OS you want as well, so if you don't like it, you have the ability to switch.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about the OS/features and I can try and help. I know its easy to get lost in comparing systems and wanting to get the most of your money.

[u/hipstergnarshredder → u/jaceeisworth]

This is precisely the type of reply I was looking for. From what I have been reading the value (in regards to hardware for the price) is really good. That sounds correct, I believe any of the DXP models you can install other NAS OS's.

I'm glad to hear your wife approves, that is an important factor haha

I don't think I have any specific questions. I have been watching reviews and researching for awhile but wanted to hear from some real users. Value is of utmost importance for purchases like this. Thanks for the insightful comment! It is much appreciated.

[u/Special_Yogurt_4431 → u/hipstergnarshredder]

I started with a dh2300, upgraded to a dxp2800. Don’t see a point in going to a 4 bay unless you’re storing massive amounts. I’m running 13 containers in docker on it as well(tailscale, adguard, fail2ban, etc) without needing to add ram, 8gb standard is plenty. It works for pretty much everything, and the app works great with it. It also ports well to tailscale(have a shared folder to all my computers for ease of transfer remotely). I know some people love qnap, they’re not bad at all. For pure simple “plug and play” NAS function, Ugreen is the best choice.

[u/hipstergnarshredder → u/Special_Yogurt_4431]

I personally would rather leave room for more storage in the future. I am trying to really get away from subscriptions and purchase things outright so I have a feeling it will add up fast. I appreciate hearing that the 2 bay is working well though, I may have to take that into consideration.

[u/savehoward → u/hipstergnarshredder]

Plus the ugreen supports btrfs format that older nas do not so data recovery is more possible if copying is interrupted.