Replacement/Addition to RS812?

[GlynH]

Well the time has come to retire my trusty RS812 that has given sterling service for many years now.

This is because it is very slow and even the simple task of logging on consumes 99% of the CPU (why oh why don't Synology fit decent i5/i7/i9 CPU's instead of the underpowered Atoms etc?) many packages are not supported and DSM 6.2 is reportedly the last version it will take not to mention the huge issues I had during the latest DSM update that rendered it unusable for weeks!

Logically its replacement would be the RS818+ as I like the 1U form factor but once again what were Synology thinking when it comes to the CPU where they decided that a 3-year old CPU would suffice?

So my choice has boiled down to the DS918+ as I would want another 4-disc unit but I have some questions if you don't mind?

1. Would Samsung Evo 960 NVMe SSD be a good choice for cache? And if so would 2 x 250GB be the optimum performance or should I consider something else?

2. I am tempted to purchase 4GB RAM and would usually buy 3rd party Kingston/Crucial but should I stick with Synology's own although I am guessing this would be manufactured by others?

3. I have 4 x 4TB WD Enterprise HDD's in the RS812 and would be looking at a similar setup or larger for the DS918+. I would like to use the RS812 as some sort of backup for the DS918+ (and vice-versa probably) so is there a recommended setup for using both NAS boxes to supplement each other?

I currently use the RS812 as a Time Machine backup for 3 MAC's, Surveillance Station for 3 Mobotox IP CCTV cameras along with a VS360 and plan to use the DS918+ for 4K streaming. Would I be better served using the DS918+ for everything and just use the old RS812 to backup the DS918+ or is there another way to optimise usage of both boxes?

I have some other questions such as how to format the HDD's in the DS918+ etc. but will save those for another day!

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-