This software is brilliant in allowing you to get up and running in a few moments. This of course comes at a price, both financially and consumption. Generally, 2GB of RAM is the bare minimum in this category, and if you're looking to run a lot of services, I'd suggest getting an 8GB memory module and slotting it in. (2022618) SynologyQNAPAsustorTerraMasterBuffaloI-O DATANAS . Model CPU Model Cores Threads FPU Package Arch RAM; FS6400: Intel Xeon Silver 4110 x 2: Eight Core x 2: 16 x 2: Yes: Purley: DDR4 ECC RDIMM 32 GB: FS3600: Intel Xeon D-1567 amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Plex NAS"; Id recommend getting your enclosure online from reputable sources like Amazon. We do not assume any responsibility for the data displayed on our website. New York, Thank you for signing up to Windows Central. The DS220+ retails for around $300, and the DS220j is nearly half as much at $170 although, right now, it's seeing a slight hike to $190. I say this NAS is a great option for those who dont have hundreds of movies purchased and downloaded since were limited to just two drive bays, making it easy to fill up the few drives with just 32TB of storage capacity. Plex handles transcodes automatically, so there's no intervention needed from your side and that makes it a fantastic media streaming service. Music is an easy one since the files are small and it doesnt require much effort on the part of the NAS. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; You'll be able to enjoy most of the same features of the more pricey DS220+. Low end CPUs are typically found on computers that are reasonably old or Maybe I'd like to do something more in the future - use more apps available on QNAP. Likewise in hibernation or standby, x86 use 10-15W, where as an ARM will use as little as 4-6W. The best part is that the Plex client is available on just about every platform, making it straightforward to stream your content. I use Plex on about a dozen devices in my home, and while I have Plex Pass, I haven't had to use the transcode feature for a few years. To make matters worse, the DS220+ supports the btrfs file system, which is a more advanced version of ext4. Get the best of Windows Central in your inbox, every day! You'll also find M.2 slots for SSD caching, and the NAS as a whole is a fantastic overall choice if you're interested in a high-end enclosure for Plex streaming. It has two drive bays, all the wired connectivity you need, and in my usage, it handled Plex streaming and transcodes without breaking a sweat. The NAS is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron J4025 chipset that goes up to 2.0GHz, making it one of the most powerful options in this category. The 218+ uses a Intel Celeron J3355, appears in the list of affected chips The Complete List Of CPUs Vulnerable To Meltdown / Spectre Rev. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; This dual-core chip is capable of running up to 2.0GHz. The NAS has powerful hardware, 2GB of RAM and can handle 4K transcoding, ensuring seamless media playback across all devices on your home network. Find out more about how we test. This four-bay NAS has everything you need to set up a very powerful Plex Media Server. But i think it could do one or maybe 2 more. Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. Model CPU Model Cores Threads FPU Package Arch RAM; RS4021xs+ Intel Xeon D-1541: Eight Core: 16: Yes: Broadwellnk: DDR4 ECC UDIMM 16 GB: RS3621xs+ Intel Xeon D-1541 . Based on 2,501 user benchmarks for the Intel Celeron J3355 and the Celeron J4005, we rank them both on effective speed and value for money against the best 1,397 CPUs. File size 2.4 gb. For Ple and other media services, youll get by with some music streaming and possibly a 1080p stream of your favorite movie or TV show, but any transcoding is out of reach. amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "CPU"; On my local QNAP forum Intel-based devices are strongly recommended. legacy systems. Get the best of Windows Central in your inbox, every day! On the other hand, the DS218 model has an ARM chipset (Realtek RTD1296) and its around 65 cheaper. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brains of your device. Both the DS920+ and DS1520+ excel at Plex 4K transcodes, and the number of software features you'll find on either NAS server is more than adequate for most home users. But one of the BIGGEST ways to tell decide on the NAS you have in mind, comes down to the CPU. Its raison dtre is to perform as high as possible, whilst still maintaininglow-power usage. The more expensive NAS server will still be current for many years whereas the DS220j will start to show its limitations once you attempt to perform more advanced tasks. So long as you choose one with a decent processor and more than two drive bays, you should be good. First up is the fact that it's available on just about any ecosystem: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Android TV, all streaming dongles, and most smart TVs. Or use Fast Track). Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. The DS220j may not be as robust, but you're getting a much better value here. amzn_assoc_rows = "1"; Though it may seem obvious now, it is worth highlighting the Pros and Cons of CPUs from the likes of Intel and AMD: + Much, much more powerful Processors available mean that bigger and better operations are possible, + Supporting popular NAS functions such as Transcoding Natively and in a Plex Media Server, Virtual Machine Hosting, HDMI output for multimedia and editing files on the fly, + Able to provide much greater support for surveillance NAS users with CCTV IP Cameras upto 40+, + Much better multi-tasking and multi-user processing, + Supporting better file systems than EXT4, such as BTRFS and ZFS, + Transcode multiple streams of 4K and 1080p with more top end CPUs, + Far better for multimedia playback over network, internet and locally over direct access, Much, much more expensive once you reach i5 and i7 Intels , as well as the Ryzen 7 AMD, Much higher power consumption and heat generation, can lead to a shorter lifespan of the chip compared with ARM, Although low powered x86 CPU have been attempted (Atom), they still consume comparatively higher than ARM CPU. Storage in GB/TB Required (if NAS, DAS or SAN), Your Message (900 char. Finally, I look at sequential read/write potential by transferring an image library containing over 5,000 files (all under 1MB), and a dozen media files over 1GB in size. A powerful two-bay media server There was a problem. Synology is doing things differently with the DiskStation DS723+; the 2-bay NAS features AMD's Ryzen R1600 instead of the long-standing Intel Celeron series. TerraMaster makes some great value NAS enclosures. External hardware is another tell-tale sign of course. It means you can play content directly to your TV without needing to use the network and this would negate any requirement for transcoding. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. (Image credit: Source: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central), Waterdrop hinge for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is reportedly being put to the test, Grogu from 'The Mandalorian' becomes more powerful than Google could ever imagine. Plex needs a powerful NAS for 4K content. Price comes into it and is vital when youre looking at enclosures for Plex and multimedia. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. My favorite NAS for Plex is the QNAP TVS-H674-i3. Its a powerful enclosure with a solid collection of I/O, allowing you to hook up plenty of hardware and accessories. ARM CPU based NAS can be used for multi file operations, backups of systems and feature in a number of business NAS devices designed with document and database archives in mind. Heres how it works. Then I set up a native Plex install on the NAS and run multimedia streaming tests to see resource usage in real-world scenarios when streaming 720p, 1080p, and 4K files on the local network. I still use a DS207 today with the very old DSM 3.x and everything is working fine (until a few weeks ago because the FTP and P2P modules aren't working anymore). A differentiating feature is the two eSATA ports, through which you'll be able to add up to 10 additional drives. The extensibility makes the DS1520+ an exciting choice, and it delivers excellent performance for Plex. The CPU also isnt particularly good with no transcoding support. Looking for the best Plex server? The HDMI port is the icing on a very sweet cake. The DS220+ is particularly great at 4K transcodes. I didn't see any issues transcoding 4K content on the fly, and there are four Gigabit ports at the back. But not by too much. The NAS is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron J4025 chipset that goes up to 2.0GHz, making it one of the most powerful options in this category. It's rated as one of our favorites for both the home and Plex, rocking a capable Intel processor and two drive bays. The average x86 Intel i7 CPUin a 4-Bay NAS produces around 35-45W whilst in operation, whereas anaverage ARM has a maximum use of around 20-25W. amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; That server has the ability to transcode files so that they can be played on target devices that don't have the requisite codec. Total Installed Memory . Please refresh the page and try again. The Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the more powerful NAS enclosure out of the two, thanks to the Intel Celeron J4025 processor contained within. These links are indicated using the hashtag #ad. Performance, when connected to the NAS using a browser or an official app, is pretty good. There are inherent advantages to this move as the Ryzen hardware is significantly more powerful than Intel's offering. Both of these are designed with different price points and more importantly different usage in mind. x19 Series: System Model CPU Model Cores Threads FPU Package Arch RAM; RS1619xs+ Intel Xeon D-1527: Quad Core: 4: Yes: Broadwell: DDR4-2133 ECC UDIMM 8GB: RS1219+ Intel Atom C2538 New York, Its best suited for music and photo streaming. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. The higher the quality of your content and the more people you want simultaneously streaming it all, the better the components youll require. It's better than the DS220j in almost every way, aside from price. The QNAP TS-464 is a premium home NAS. You get a lot of other software features as well, and overall the DS220+ is the two-bay NAS to beat right now. Our thoughts: The QNAP TS-464 is a brilliant little NAS with four drive bays, an Intel processor, PCIe slots, M.2 slots, HDMI ports, and upgradable RAM. However we have seen more use in 2017 and 2018 of chips like the Ryzen 7 and R6 Series. The result is that where as an Intel Celeron or Intel i3 needs to work through all the instructions over many cycles, an ARM CPU like the Annapurna or RealTek work on these simplified instruction sets and thereforeexecutes each in a single clock cycle/wave. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. The hardware on offer is more than adequate for Plex 4K transcodes, you can store a lot of storage in the five drive bays, and it will stay relevant for a lot longer thanks to the added features. The DS220+ also features the Btrfs file system, with built-in fault tolerance and better reliability. If you need a bit more power or more drive bays, the DS920+ continues to be a stellar choice, and the DS1520+ gets my vote thanks to its extensibility and five drive bays. Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert? Most Intel Celeron processors will be able to transcode a 4K movie, though ARM processors are completely out of the question. Youll only beat this by building your own NAS. To ensure the NAS can keep up with all this data, QNAP decided to install an Intel Xeon W-1250 CPU. More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking. I have both a ds214+ and ds716+ and they are great. Powered by an eighth-generation Intel Core i5 processor with integrated UHD Graphics 630 and 16GB of RAM, this eight-bay NAS supports 4K media playback and transcoding. Theres a capable Intel Celeron processor, four drive bays, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and an HDMI port on the rear of the enclosure. Uses big.LITTLE technology. Choosing the best NAS for running Plex Media Server can prove a little tricky compared to choosing the best server for storing files and running other tasks. Synology's software is the best in the industry, and you can do so much more than stream your Plex library. Never fear, why not trust the NAS experts, nascompares.com. Realtek RTD1296 . The ideal NAS for first-time buyers . amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Tested OS Version: . amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; The CPU will easily handle some 4K transcoding through Plex. Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above. The DS120j is cheaper, but it doesnt have two drive bays, which is a must-have for media servers. Is having an Intel processor really a perk nowadays? Some NAS models feature an HDMI port that lets you connect the server to a TV or monitor. As an MKV, some devices would refuse. Its the most affordable NAS on our list here, rocking an ARM processor and non-upgradeable RAM. Realtek RTD1296 (4-core, 1.4 GHz) . On this page, you'll find out which processor has better performance in benchmarks, games and other useful information. Intel Celeron J4025 . It may not be as powerful as the DS220+, but it's still an excellent choice for most day-to-day tasks. The result is that where as an Intel Celeron or Intel i3 needs to work through all the instructions over many cycles, an ARM CPU like the Annapurna or RealTek work on these simplified instruction sets and therefore executes each in a single clock cycle/wave. Six drive bays on the front of the enclosure allow for a substantial amount of data to be stored even with RAID enabled. Compare the performance of up to 5 different CPUs, Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 965 @ 3.73GHz, AMD Turion II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile M600, Samsung J7 Max LTE SWA board based on MT6757V/WL, AMD Turion II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile M620, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-85, Rockchip RK3566 RK817 ZIDOO TABLET LP4X Board, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-84, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-82, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-86, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-87, Rockchip RK3566 RK817 TABLET RKG11 LP4 Board, Qualcomm APQ 8084 (Flattened Device Tree), Qualcomm MSM 8974 HAMMERHEAD (Flattened Device Tre, AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile ZM-80, Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 955 @ 3.46GHz, Samsung GrandPrimePlus LTE LTN OPEN rev04 board ba, Samsung GrandPrimePlus LTE CIS rev04 board based o. (Image credit: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central), (Image credit: Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central), Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty review Don't sleep on this stylish high-octane Soulslike, The Xbox Series S is HALF OFF for Verizon customers in insane deal, Destiny 2 Lightfall: How to get Terminal Overload keys, Fantasy MMO Pax Dei is coming to PC and cloud gaming platforms, Hi-Fi Rush has attracted two million players on Xbox and PC. Inside, you'll find the powerful Intel Celeron J4025 processor with 2GB of DDR4 RAM. With 4K transcode and powerful internals, the DS220+ has everything you need. The DiskStation DS920+ is an ideal Plex media server if you want to stream 4K content on your devices. This page includes affiliate links for which the administrator of GadgetVersus may earn a commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase.