What NAS should I go for?

[gudthing]

Hey guys, I'm considering buying a NAS server, but I am not sure which one I should go for.

Researching, the Synology Synology DS213J 2 Bay DiskStation Desktop NAS sounds amazing and it's reviewed really well, and good price http://www.amazon.co.uk/Synology-DS...=UTF8&qid=1409753358&sr=8-1&keywords=synology.

Or otherwise the Netgear ReadyNAS 104 4-Bay NAS Storage www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-ReadyNAS-N...ywords=Netgear+ReadyNAS+104+4-Bay+NAS+Storage which has double the capacity...

Primarily I want to use the NAS to replace dropbox/copy (cloud storage) and to backup my pc. Also I want it to store all of my media (over 3TB of stuff) so I can then watch it through UPnP (in my case the raspberry pi with XBMC).
Secondary, I would like to have a go setting up a webcam server so I can keep an eye on the dog during the day .

From reading, I think Synology sounds better and it's supposed to have great performance, however, its 2 bays, and I know it won't be long (maybe 1-3years) before I go over 3TB - I (I would have to raid aswell since I would be too paranoid not to).

What would you suggest? I mean there similar price, but synology has better performance and reviews than Netgear, but it is 2 bays which halves the storage potential. Anyone have experience that could aid me in a choice? (I did look at a synology 4 bay but it is tad too expensive but I would consider this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Synology-DS...qid=1409753732&sr=8-3&keywords=synology+4+bay. Also it needs to be fairly energy efficient/or some sort of stanby/hibernate mode. Thanks guys!

 

[mantadog]

If you want something decent you are going to have to spend the cash, you will regret going cheap on something like this in my opinion. If you think of it as more of an investment it might be an easier pill to swallow.

I'm not going to recommend anything specific, but you will want one with a decent CPU and RAM, otherwise trying to do anything other than copying a file will result in an epic log jam that slows everything down. Perhaps one way to get over the 3TB limit would be to back the files up to the cloud and just use dual 3-4TB drives in your NAS for archiving, then buy some cheap cloud storage for backup. That was its safe from theft, fire or whatever else, but then obviously that costs cash too. So might be better off biting your lip and going for a decent 4 bay solution.