Synology DiskStation DS223

Pros

• +Full Synology DSM software — the same Hyper Backup, Snapshot, and Time Machine tools as the pricier boxes
• +Realtek RTD1619B quad-core with a hardware encryption engine for AES-NI transfers
• +Two bays in a mirror (SHR/RAID 1) give simple, resilient photo and document backup
• +Just ~17.3W in operation and three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports for external-drive copies

Cons

• −Single gigabit Ethernet port — the slowest networking here, a real ceiling for large video pulls
• −2GB DDR4 is soldered and non-upgradeable, so it won't grow with heavier apps
• −No M.2 NVMe slots and only two bays limit both speed and total capacity