So I'm looking to offload my current setup from my main desktop onto an actual NAS, but I don't even know where to begin. I've looked at Synology, TerraMaster, QNap, Buffalo Tech, retired workstation, etc, but I don't really know what I'm looking at. I want something in the 4-8 bay range(50+Tb with 8-12tb drives) with good future expansion that meets the following criteria.
Hardware:
Able to run Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, (and misc. extra software that shall go unmentioned, but you can probably guess)
Able to transcode at least 4 1080p streams at a time
Software:
Easy to operate/navigate
Reliable
Hands off
It just works
Of course I expect to spend hours setting everything up for the first time, but ideally it's a one time thing. Part of offloading my server is so that I'm not constantly checking up on it. Once it's setup, I want it to be out of sight, out of mine. That's why software is a big deal to me. I know Synology charges a pretty penny, but if it shows, then I really don't mind spending a little extra now to avoid unnecessary frustration down the road. Any insight you may be able to provide will be much appreciated!
I got myself 4bay QNAP, and then bought 4bay extension. Little did I know that the extension cant expand current pool, so I cant use 6+2, only (2+2)*2. (bullshit). The CPU is underpowered for basically anything, including its web-server (sometimes it just doesn't respond at all), its constantly throwing "please upgrade firmware" stuff (why cant it update on its own?), its "apps" are a joke, I have a "admin" account I cant disable or rename, I have a "guest" account I cant disable or rename (only set its privileges to 0), there was a time where its VPN login page had exploit where you could get NAS Root access trough that VPN login page without knowing username or password (was similar to sql injection), and overall I regret the decision going qnap to save few bucks ever since.
I have no idea how synology is, but since I got burned so bad my next version will be custom build NAS running something like freenas or similar.