ChatGPT
Claude
Perplexity
Gemini
Meet your local partner
At a glance
- Synology DS925+: 4 bays + 2 M.2 NVMe; dual 2.5GbE; 4GB ECC RAM, up to 32GB.
- Four 8TB drives with one-drive redundancy give about 24TB before formatting.
- RAID protects against a drive failure, not deletion, ransomware or theft.
Four-bay NAS comparison
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare all options.
| Feature | Synology DS925+ | QNAP TS-464 | ASUSTOR AS5404T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verified current US price | Not established; quote the populated configuration | Not established; quote the populated configuration | Not established; quote the populated configuration |
| Price must identify | Drives, memory, warranty, backup destination | Drives, memory, any expansion card, backup destination | Drives, memory, SSDs, backup destination |
| Main drive bays | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Built-in wired networking | Two 2.5GbE ports | Two 2.5GbE ports | Two 2.5GbE ports |
| M.2 SSD slots | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Operating system | Synology DSM | QNAP QTS | ASUSTOR ADM |
| PCIe expansion card slot | No general-purpose PCIe card slot | One PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot | No general-purpose PCIe card slot |
| Local display connection | No HDMI output | HDMI output | HDMI output |
| Expansion distinction | Supports an additional compatible expansion unit | PCIe slot provides model-dependent expansion choices | Four M.2 positions allow more SSD configuration options |
| Main limitation / extra cost | No HDMI or general-purpose PCIe card slot; compatible drives and backup are extra | Expansion cards, drives and memory must fit the support matrix | No general-purpose PCIe card slot; populate SSDs only when the workload benefits |
| Best fit (Sigma assessment) | You want DSM and the supported expansion-unit path | You need the model's PCIe expansion slot or HDMI output | You need four M.2 positions and HDMI within this four-bay design |
| Official sources | Synology: DS925+ product specifications | QNAP: TS-464 product specifications | ASUSTOR: AS5404T product specifications |
An M.2 slot does not automatically mean that every SSD can be used for every storage-pool or cache configuration. Check the current manufacturer compatibility list and software requirements before ordering drives.
Capacity and speed: avoid two common mistakes
Four 8TB disks provide 32TB of raw capacity. A layout reserving the equivalent of one disk for redundancy has approximately 24TB before formatting, file-system overhead, snapshots, and other reservations. That arithmetic is an illustration, not a promised capacity for every RAID configuration.
Likewise, two 2.5GbE connections do not automatically give a single employee a 5Gbps file transfer. The switch, workstation, protocol, aggregation settings, and storage workload determine usable performance. A laptop on slow Wi-Fi will not realize a faster wired NAS connection.
Which one fits your office?
Shortlist Synology when DSM and its supported backup applications match the business workflow. Shortlist QNAP when the PCIe expansion slot addresses a specific need, such as a supported network upgrade. Shortlist ASUSTOR when four M.2 slots are valuable for the planned SSD arrangement. These are specification-based distinctions, not independent performance rankings.
Use the same hard-drive capacities, redundancy target, warranty period, and backup destination in all three quotes. A diskless enclosure price cannot fairly be compared with an installed system that includes drives and setup.
Finally, RAID keeps some hardware failures from interrupting access; it does not replace backup. Accidental deletion, compromised accounts, fire, and theft can affect the entire NAS. Include a separate protected copy and a restore test in the purchase. Sigma can help compare the complete storage and recovery cost.
Questions to ask before you buy
- How much usable capacity do we need after redundancy and three years of growth?
- Which drives are on the manufacturer’s compatibility list?
- Where will the separate backup copy live?
- Do we need 2.5GbE switches to benefit from the NAS ports?
What Hawaiʻi businesses should check
Buy at least one spare drive of the same model so a failed disk can be replaced the same day rather than after shipping to your island.
Frequently asked questions
Which NAS is best for a small business?
The one whose software and backup tools your team will actually manage. Synology’s DSM is the most common choice for simplicity; QNAP and ASUSTOR suit specific expansion needs.
Can a NAS be our only backup?
No. Keep a separate copy off the NAS, ideally off-site or in the cloud, and test a restore.
Sources and pricing notes
Prices and specifications checked September 27, 2026 against the providers’ published sources below. Prices are US list or published rates before taxes, fees and equipment unless stated; offers change, so confirm the current terms before you buy.
- Synology. DS925+ product specifications
- QNAP. TS-464 product specifications
- ASUSTOR. AS5404T product specifications
- Synology. DiskStation DS925+ specifications
How Sigma is paid. Sigma is a Hawaiʻi technology advisor. Provider or reseller partners compensate Sigma; product and service prices may include a margin. No procurement fee applies. Standalone consulting is quoted separately.