Best Synology NAS for Roon?

[John_Culver]

I have searched the site extensively and have not found a direct answer to this question. I know the recommended specs (64 bit, i3 or i5 core, 4gb ram), but have not yet read about a recommended box. Will a DS416play do the job? It is 64 bit. i3 core is recommended, this was has a celeron 3060. Or, is there a better model? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

QNAP have better CPU specs than the Synology range…That said it will probably depend on how big your library is.

[John_Culver]

Big. 5000 albums.

Which QNAP?

Thanks.

[John_Culver]

I have a Synology DS 414j running LMS. I am starting to have issues with LMS and want to switch to Roon. My NAS however only has a 32 bit processor.

So, I can ge a new NAs and move the drives from my 414 to the new one. Or, I can get a MAC mini and just use the NAS as a HD with Raids.

Thoughts?

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

I can’t give you a model, but with enough slots that you can run RAID 5 (3 drives) plus an SSD for database, so that means at least 4 slots assuming your other space requirements can be met with the max 3 drive raid 5 (16TB) and whatever i3 or ideally i5/i7 processor you can afford plus maybe 8GB or more ram… but I don’t use NAS for running Roon core.

[philr]

This has some specific recommendations on NAS model.

http://kb.roonlabs.com/Roon_Server_on_NAS

If you already have a NAS that is sufficient for your storage needs then you would be better off adding a dedicated box to run Roon server and pointing it to your music on the existing NAS. You can use a Mac mini or some other kind of NUC.

[John_Culver]

Thanks. Will the basic 1.4 ghz mini do? It is 64 bit, i5, 4gb ram. Is the upgrade to 2.4ghz worthwhile? What will I be missing if I do not go with the i7 upgrade? Any input will be appreciated.

I mostly ask because the 2.4ghz with the i7 upgrade is $999 or almost what Roon’s recommended Qnap nas costs.

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

I’m running on a DIY i5-6500 16GB and SSD (passive cooled) with windows, but I did have it running on a Mac mini with i5 but not a top end model late 2012 i think…I would strongly recommend going 8GB ram and SSD

[John_Culver]

I keep reading about SSD but don’t totally understand. Is the Mini SSD?

I intend to get 8gb ram. Is the 2.4ghz significantly better than the 1.4 for this purpose? Is i5 satisfactory or is i7 really necesary?

Thanks.

[John_Culver]

Never mind on SSD, I figured that out.

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

I would go for the 2.4 as 1.4 you might regret. SSD is also an option… .256GB SSD is more than enough just for roon … even 128 would be fine but I don’t think thats an option.

[John_Culver]

I assume I can use the monitor/screen on mu imac with the mini?

Thanks so much for the help.

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

when you say can use the monitor/screen on your iMac, it needs to support target mode

Use your iMac as a display with Target Display Mode

but better still you can control it using screen sharing … google screensharingmenulet as its a better interface to use. you need to turn on screen sharing under sharing in sys prefs

[John_Culver]

Interesting. So, to use screen sharing, I do not need to connect the mini to the imac with a video cable? They just need to be on the same network?

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

Seems its no longer free https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/screensharingmenulet/id578078659?mt=12

but you can use the in built screen sharing hit command & space bar then type screen sharing and put in the IP address of your headless Mac mini assuming you have enabled remote management and ticked all the boxes

[John_Culver]

So, this has been hugely helpful. The Roon recommended NAS is just too much money and has less processing power and memory than the Mini. So, even though I was certain that I was going to get a new NAS, instead, I just ordered the 2.4 ghz mini with SSD. I am very excited to be moving from LMS to Roon. LMS was great, but it’s time to move on. Thanks for all the help.

[dbtom2 (Tom T)]

This thread made me feel a lot better about not using a NAS. Good luck with your new Mini.

Ditched the NAS, gone back to local storage

In an effort to separate Roon Core from the shackles of my laptop, I’ve just this week built up a new Skylake NUC (NUC6i5SYK with 16GB Kingston HyperX RAM, 256GB Samsung 950PRO M.2 nvme ssd). I also decided to rethink my storage (Synology NAS) and have gone for an external USB3 caddy attached to the NUC with a 6TB WD Red drive, backing up to the Synology over the network. Bearing in mind my previous Roon server is far more powerful cpu-wise laptop (ASUS G751 core i7 with 16GB RAM), I’m extreme…

[wizardofoz (Mr Fix It aka The Wiz)]

With the likes of locally attached 8TB drives or even 16TB JBOD enclosures on USB3 or thunderbolt a NAS is somewhat of a luxury if all you need the space for is music…I use my NAS for much much more. granted you could always use the mini with a server install or just file sharing to allow some added utility for sharing

[rayski]

John I run a DS415Play (INTEL Atom CE5335, 1.6 GHz dual processor, w/ 1GB Physical memory) as my music storage device. I run a Mac Mini (2014, 3 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, 500 GB Flash Storage). The Synology box runs RAID 5 providing effective 11 Terabytes of storage. The boxes are direct wired. My primary DAC (Mytek Brooklyn) hangs off the Mac Mini.

Everything runs just fine. No hiccups, no drops, as reliable as a old fashion CD player attached to the preamp, but better in so many ways.

I can’t vouch at all for running Roon Server on the Synology, but as I’m using it, it works just fine.