Beginner home NAS – Ugreen DH4300 Plus or Synology DS423?
Hi! I’ve done my initial research, but I need some help making my final decision. Soon I’ll be receiving my wedding photos and videos, which is why I decided to get a storage/backup solution.
I’m looking for a place to store my wedding content as well as other photos, videos, documents, some GOG installers I own, and occasionally watch movies via my Android TV (TCL C8K). I was thinking about a 2×4 TB RAID1 setup in a 4‑bay NAS so I can easily upgrade with another pair of 4 TB drives if needed. Initially, I planned to use it only for backups (running a backup once every 1–2 months and then turning the NAS off) due to electricity costs—I read that some units can draw around 25 W even when idle because of hibernation issues. However, I’m reconsidering this now that I’ve learned about tools like a torrent client, Pi-hole/AdGuard, Home Assistant, and other Docker capabilities. I might be able to run some small self‑hosted apps nicely, although I haven’t fully decided how I’ll use it yet.
My research has led me to two units: the Ugreen DH4300 Plus (€380) and the Synology DS423 (€416). I also considered the DS425+, but at €555 it seems too expensive.
What would you recommend for these use cases? I’m leaning toward the DH4300 Plus because of its (hopefully) stronger hardware. One thing I know that I don't want to build anything from scratch.