Two Great Compact NAS Devices

By now it's clear that the Synology DS414slim and QNAP TS-453mini are not direct competitors, despite the fact that both are designed to be compact NAS devices. Comparing them is a bit like comparing the $350 Radeon R9 390 to the $650 GeForce GTX 980 Ti.

The base configuration for the TS-453mini costs almost lxxx% more the DS414slim, while the 8GB model costs well over twice every bit much.

Moreover the TS-453mini isn't just faster and more expensive, information technology is also physically larger. While that is primarily considering it tin can support 3.5" drives, it also has to exercise with the internal hardware, which requires a lot more cooling than the Marvell Armada 370 used by the DS414slim.

Despite looking tiresome in comparison, the Synology DS414slim delivers a solid residual of toll and operation for home users. For those seeking a truly minor NAS the DS414slim is the perfect solution, albeit a very niche one.

Although the DS414slim is affordable at $300, its exclusive use of two.5" drives ways it ultimately isn't that cost effective. Granted the two.5" WD Ruby-red 1TB drives are only a few dollars more than than the 3.five" versions, simply when looking at the 3.v" range we see that when spending 70% more on a 3TB drive buys a 200% increase in storage.

If you care more about the physical size of your NAS than its overall storage capacity, then the DS414slim fits the neb nicely.

QNAP's TS-453mini is the more mainstream approach and it seems perfect for the average home user. The small footprint means it won't take upwardly much desk space or information technology can he subconscious among your home entertainment equipment as an HTPC replacement.

NAS devices typically have a rather industrial look due to those easily accessible front end mounted hot-bandy bays. Synology has combated this problem in the past by using a removable front console to give the device a sleeker look and while this approach works, it isn't practical every bit getting the panel on and off tin be a pain.

The TS-453mini'due south magnetically-attached height panel is likely the nigh innovative blueprint we accept seen yet for a home NAS. The only downside of grade is the price and $530 for the 2GB model is likely going to exist also expensive for most home users, especially once you add together the cost of storage ($280 for 1TB WD Carmine drives).

The TS-453mini tin be compared to devices such as the Synology DS415+, QNAP TS-451 and Asustor AS-5104T. They all cost $500 to $600 and back up iv 3.5" drives. Of this bunch, the DS415+ and TS-451 are our favorites but nosotros could never selection which is the all-time as they take their own strengths and weaknesses.

That said, every bit a dwelling house NAS we prefer the QNAP TS-453mini to both of them. The TS-453mini might be a little more expensive than the TS-451, but you get twice as much memory, a much faster processor and what is without question a significantly better pattern.

The but true competitor for Synology's DS414slim is QNAP'southward TS-451S. It features the same dual-core Celeron 2.41GHz processor as the standard TS-451 and but costs $100 more than the DS414slim, though it'southward likewise bigger which makes the DS414slim an obvious choice if you're going as compact as possible.

Synology DS414slim

Pros: Extremely compact, a true ii.five" NAS, low powered, silent performance, affordable, fantabulous software and back up.

Cons: Not the most powerful NAS but it's sufficient for i-3 simultaneous users, capacity is limited due to the 2.v" blueprint.

QNAP TS-453mini

Pros: Magnetic superlative encompass looks neat and is functional, vertically stacked design works well, loads of power for multiple users, small foot print compared to traditional iv-bay NAS devices, memory is quick and easy to upgrade.

Cons: Expensive even for the basic model with 2GB of RAM. Relatively bulky design compared to the DS414slim.