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The decision really comes down to hardware transcoding. The Plex package on a Synology NAS does not support hardware transcoding, which means if you’re streaming media that needs to be transcoded (different format, lower quality for bandwidth, etc.), the CPU has to do all of the work. On most Plus series devices, that’s fine for one or two streams. Beyond that, you’ll start to see buffering or quality drops. Docker is the only way to get hardware transcoding working on a Synology NAS, and it only works on devices with an Intel CPU that supports QuickSync. Any Ryzen-based Synology will not supp

Before installing any update, ask yourself if you actually need to. Media servers are designed to stream media to client devices, so if everything is working and you’re not looking for new features, there might not be a reason to update. If you’re exposing Plex outside of your local network, you have more of a reason to keep it updated for potential security fixes. But if you’re only using it for local network streaming, you can introduce new bugs that you weren’t experiencing before, so updating “just because” isn’t always the right call.

Plex serves video two ways. Direct play sends the file to your TV untouched, and almost any hardware can do it, because the server is just moving bytes. Transcoding re-encodes the video in real time, and that’s the part that needs a capable chip. You transcode when someone watches remotely on limited upload bandwidth, when a device can’t handle a codec in your library, when subtitles have to be burned in, or when a 4K HDR file plays on a 1080p screen and needs tone mapping. If everything in your house plays through an Apple TV or a Shield on your local network, you may never transcode at all,

Small library, tight budget: the DXP2800. Cheapest real transcoding in a NAS. One box that stores and serves, the default answer: the DXP4800 Plus. Big library, VMs, or one machine for the whole lab: the DXP6800 Pro, or the DXP8800 Plus for eight bays. You already own a NAS you like: put a Beelink EQ14 next to it and let the mini PC do the transcoding. You’re set on Synology: buy it for DSM and the backup tooling, not for Plex, and plan around direct play. Whichever way you go, the drives matter more than the RAM: use CMR drives, not SMR, and my NAS hard drive guide covers the ones I trust