Entry level NAS - Qnap or Synology?

[Muyfa666]

I want to get a entry level NAS for my media and backups.

I am trying to decide between a Qnap TS-231 and a Synology DS215j, but I cannot make up my mind.

The Qnap seem to have the better hardware, but the Synology one are getting good reviews too.

Both GUI's seem to be good. Can someone give me any input on this please?

 

[L&LD]

The QNAP with it's dual LAN ports is the easy pick for me. The whole point of a NAS is 'network attached'. If that single port fails...

QNAP at any given price point gives more hardware than Synology. With QTS 4.2 coming out soon (it is in RC4 status right now) the gui's are similar enough with the performance going to QNAP.

 

[sfx2000]

Qnap TS-231 and a Synology DS215j

They're both pretty close... the 231 does have removable drive bays, and it's a bit faster on the CPU side...

QTS and DSM are pretty similar...

One thing to consider is the TS-251, which is a small jump up - but one gets an Intel x86 processor, which is going to offer more functionality than the ARM in the TS-231 for a bit more...

(TS-231 is $190 on the Amazon, the TS-251 is 100 dollars more... 30 percent more money, but 100 percent more functionality)

 

[Yah]

For my entry level I picked QNAP TS-212 with 256MB of memory and I don't fill any limitations.

 

[Muyfa666]

The TS-251 does look good, but it does seem a bit on the pricey side for my budget.

I guess I'll go with a Qnap 231 or possibly a 251 due to the better hardware.

 

[Muyfa666]

I decided to get a 251 after all. Oh well.