[ttcbj]

I am the OP, and I have a DS 918+ and I have been very happy with it. But I am not a hardware expert, so I don't claim to know what hardware you should buy.

What I like about synology is the operating system/software. You can connect to it with a web browser, and it has something akin to a traditional operating system interface that lets you control all its functions.

I have found it very good as a file server for business/home office use, and as a backup target for multiple mac computers using time-machine. It also has very good online support, both from synology itself, and lots of freelance youtube/web help.

The other thing I personally really like is its "hyper backup" feature, which replicates all your NAS files (or those you choose) to the cloud, so they can be restored later.

I have also found it to be totally trouble free. I just installed the drives (they have a list of compatible ones), choose my RAID, and it has worked seamlessly for many years (I have a DS218+ as well that has worked well). It sends me emails reporting drive health, confirming backup completion, etc.