I kicked my Synology NAS to the curb and replaced it with a custom-built server running Proxmox
It's time to take back control of my data. When I began using a Synology NAS years ago, it served as a repository for my work image files and media content for Plex. It was never designed to be a home lab, but gradually, it evolved into one. Eventually, it tried to do too much and ended up performing poorly in all tasks.
Building a custom server had always been part of my long-term plan for home lab experimentation, and now that moment has come. The NAS will be restored to its original purpose — storing archive files — while the new Proxmox-based server will take on all resource-intensive workloads.
The only surprise is how long it took me to realize that my needs outgrew the NAS’s capabilities. Once that became clear, the decision was inevitable.
“SilverStone, Asus, and Kingston all contributed hardware for this article. None of the companies saw the copy before publication or had any input into the content.”
Although some of Synology’s limitations encouraged the switch, this change had been coming for a while. My home lab requirements now exceed what my Synology NAS or my mini PC can deliver. The mini PC is capped at 12 GB of non-upgradable RAM, and while the NAS enclosure supports up to 64 GB, it lacks GPU support for accelerated workloads and has no remaining drive bays.
Author Summary
After years of stretching a NAS beyond its purpose, building a Proxmox server finally gave the author full control and performance for expanding home lab needs.