NAS servers have become more common among home users over the past few years, providing a quick, easy and secure means of backing up important data. They are power efficient, allowing even home users to run them 24/7, while configuring them is easier than ever thanks to companies such as Synology and QNAP refining their software over the years.
Compared to a dedicated server that requires a monitor, keyboard, mouse and of course a PC case, a desktop NAS is considerably more compact, especially two-bay and four-bay models, which are typically smaller than a shoe box.
On hand today we have the QNAP TS-453mini, which comes in a $530 package with 2GB of RAM and one with 8GB for $670, as well as Synology's latest compact NAS, the DS414slim, which can be had for $300. Given that difference in price, the two aren't really direct competitors. The DS414slim also has a tiny 1.78L capacity whereas the TS-453mini is a relative behemoth at 6.3L, so this isn't a straight up Synology vs. QNAP battle, but rather a look at each company's approach to developing compact NAS solutions.
