I am still happy with my "Mini server" setup. I running some docker stuff in a vm and using imazing to backup the iOS devices in the house, plus so much more. As soon as the new minis come out I plan to pickup a used 1st gen mini to replace my 2012 model.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Mac mini vs. Synology
- Thread starter dancurry
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
1. If you need that extra functionality, I guess turn a Mac into a server. However, a Synology NAS is a very different machine and specifically designed to do its various functions. I suggest a 4 bay one or larger.
2. My Synology NAS sleeps when not in use, and the spinning-platter HDDs spin-down. I have it plugged into an APC battery.
I've upgraded to two 10Gbe QNAP NAS boxes, but still have the i7/64GB Mac Mini running headless.
Personally, I'd have preferred to stick with Synology rather than QNAP - the QNAP has some oddities of behaviour that's annoying. Spin-down being one of them - they just don't spin the drives down. I can sometimes get it to work, but they're mostly constantly 60-100watts.
I get about 350-400MB/s over 10Gbe to two RAID0 SSD on the QNAP though, which is fairly decent.
Personally, I'd have preferred to stick with Synology rather than QNAP - the QNAP has some oddities of behaviour that's annoying. Spin-down being one of them - they just don't spin the drives down. I can sometimes get it to work, but they're mostly constantly 60-100watts.
I get about 350-400MB/s over 10Gbe to two RAID0 SSD on the QNAP though, which is fairly decent.
So on the Synology I see two metrics for power use:
51.22 W (Access)
25.27 W (HDD Hibernation)
The 2018 Mini has:
19.9W (Idle)
122W (Max)
...but nothing listed for Sleep draw, which I assume would be the functional equivalent of the Synology's HDD Hibernation mode.
A Synology NAS sleeps (and spins down drives) , serves-up files, and does it's other "NAS stuff" very well. It's like a little server you know ... not just a "JBoD box".
Personally, I think I would get a new Mac-Mini M1 or Studio. Take care of your basic computing needs. Get something new/nice (like non-Intel ... the latest architecture) and it will likely last you another 10 years. Then turn your old Mac-Pro-2009 into a "file server" of sorts (if you really need that).
Maybe you just need a nice external HDD for your new Mac? Do you need to serve-up files to many other machines?
Personally, I think I would get a new Mac-Mini M1 or Studio. Take care of your basic computing needs. Get something new/nice (like non-Intel ... the latest architecture) and it will likely last you another 10 years. Then turn your old Mac-Pro-2009 into a "file server" of sorts (if you really need that).
Maybe you just need a nice external HDD for your new Mac? Do you need to serve-up files to many other machines?
That's good to know, I just wish I could find a power use number for its sleep mode, or a confirmation of whether it's a different number to the HDD Hibernation value.
Thing is, there's no way in the wide world I'm going to spend Mac Studio money on a non-upgradable / disposable appliance machine. The M1 mini is display & ram constrained, and can't drive external graphics, whereas the Intel mini can drive 3 displays, carry 64gb of ram, and use eGPUs. I owned two minis in a row pre TB / eGPU, and I'm never going back to that paradigm again.
No, I really don't at this stage (and the synology carries a concern about network exposure of data). To be honest, I was looking around to see if I could find anyone still making multi-drive cases that had FireWire, because it allows for nice long cable runs from my workstation to the gear cupboard. The Synology option was something I was eyeing for the ability to dynamically resize volumes (and 10gig connection) - mainly from the perspective that moving, say, my photos drive, or a time machine backup volume to a new disk, and then hooking all the inheriting up with tmutil is a bit of a chore.
If this is your goal and you are not interested in the m1 architecture then you may want to build your own PC box with plenty of room for hard drives. There are some great linux bistros out there that may fit your workflow.
That would just be another reason to buy the Intel Mini, which I'm considering in general just to have a highish spec final generation Intel machine as a utility device.
My mini got too old to support a necessary system upgrade, so I replaced it with a not-as-old MacBook Air. Still connected to the same 10 TB external disk. I use it only for (one of my) backups. I never had success with a dedicated NAS. The software ecosystem was too different. Much happier running MacOs everywhere.
The intel mini is a great machine, the only drawback is not knowing how long Apple will support it with software upgrades. Having said that I did do something similar buy picking up a 2019 MacBook Pro for a similar reason, I wanted a good last of the Intels MacBook Pro, to complement my M1 iMac.
I ordered a 2 bay Synology DS220+ to run my Plex server to my 4k Apple TV. I also have 2 20TB iron wolfs coming as well. Most of the files are .MKV 1080p and 4k HD. I have never used a Synology NAS before and was wondering if the entry level DS220+ will be ok to use. Any tips for a NAS newbie?
Yes!
I've also just purchased the same model and set it up using both DSM and Plex. I wish I'd done this years ago!
Thanks for the reply. How hard was it to set up?
At the moment, I am using WD Easystore drives connected to my Mac mini. I really dislike having to wait for the drive to wake and spin up before streaming starts. I think the WD Easystore drives are 5400. I am hoping I can also access my server away from home without port forwarding like some suggest you can.
See the Plex compatibility list. There will be trancoding limitations. A 2 disk NAS doesn't support RAID redundancy for disk failures (mirroring might be possible?). I prefer QNAP to Synology. More features - thunderbolt, 10 GbE on some models, OLED displays, voice prompts, etc. Synology has some very annoying things such as requiring you to purchase very expensive Synology memory and disk with some models. You can ignore their advice but it may affect the warranty. Their software is less configurable, such as no option to change RAID resync speed, but is a bit more stable and easier to use.
Plex NAS Compatibility
Nas Models <a href="https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/nas-devices/">See our NAS device support articles for more information.</a> NAS Device,Software Transcoding,Hardware – Accelerated Transcoding <a href="https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php">PassMark CPU Benchmarks</a>,(Plex Pas...
Last edited:
It’s easy to set up the basics but, there is a learning curve you'll need to patiently work through. I've also set up Plex (first time!) and am experiencing some quirks, but no deal breakers.
I can access the NAS from ‘away from home’ as well.
First thing I did was upgrade the RAM to 6Gb – standard RAM is fine. You do not need ‘expensive Synology RAM’ for the DS220+. I purchased “Crucial 4GB (1x4GB) DDR4 SODIMM 2666MHz CL19 Single Stick Notebook Laptop Memory RAM” via Amazon.
Best thing to do is join a few forums –
Synology: https://community.synology.com/enu
Plex: https://forums.plex.tv/
Also, YouTube is your friend –
The YouTube NASCompares site is also a great resource: https://www.youtube.com/@nascompares
And, here’s a good basic setup video on YouTube:
I think the most secure way to access your home network is through a VPM server. I have mine running on a raspberry pi. I was running it on my edge router but I found the pi to be faster. There is also the TP Link Omaha router which I hear good things about. https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/omada-sdn-router/er605/
Thanks for the follow-up. I connected my TV Show USB drive (14TB) to the NAS and it is now copying the entire drive over. At this rate, it is going to take 24 days lol
I will check out the information you listed.
The NAS is getting close to finishing the copy of my drive. How can I tell if the second Raid 1 drive is a mirror like it is supposed to be?
I currently run plex server from my m2 pro. But have an aging Wdmycloud drive with my files on plus a couple of 3tb Wd reds I’m thinking of buying a new nas synology or Qnap. Or maybe just a cheap nas enclosure keeping plex server on my m2 pro.
Which is the best option new set up synology or Qnap or server on m2 mini ?.
Which is the best option new set up synology or Qnap or server on m2 mini ?.
I just moved from my 2012 mini acting as a server to a m1 mini, I also added a OWC Thunderbay 4 enclosure, I have 4 WD red 4 tb drives in it. I too was going back and forth between a NAS and another mini. For my needs the mini checked more boxes. If you are leaning towards a NAS check out Asustor NAS also they had 2.5Gb ethernet standard and looked to be a better value.
Is your thunder bay connected to the network then like a nas ? How about streaming 265 codec files
The thunder bay 4 is connected to the mini and shared over the network, just like a nas. I have not used Plex on the M1 mini yet but the older mini ran Plex and could handle everything I could throw at it.
I’ve been looking at the Qnap ts 464 and the synology ds 923.
Unless I go down the docking station with storage and Ethernet. But with 3 x3 tb reds spare might be cheaper with the nas and stick them drives in one.
Unless I go down the docking station with storage and Ethernet. But with 3 x3 tb reds spare might be cheaper with the nas and stick them drives in one.