Synology to TrueNAS Migration
Project Overview
Migrating from an underpowered Synology DS124 (1GB RAM, no transcoding) to a custom-built TrueNAS server with an Intel i5-12500, 32GB RAM, and 2x8TB mirrored drives. This upgrade enables hardware-accelerated 4K Plex transcoding, expandable storage up to 48TB+, and secure remote access through Tailscale.
Hardware Specifications
CPU
Intel Core i5-12500 (6P cores, 12 threads, 3.0-4.6GHz)
iGPU
Intel UHD Graphics 770 (Quick Sync for transcoding)
Motherboard
ASRock B760M Pro RS (mATX, 6x SATA)
RAM
Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-5600 (2x16GB)
Storage
2x Seagate IronWolf 8TB NAS (Mirrored ZFS Pool)
Boot Drive
Kingston NV3 1TB NVMe M.2
PSU
Corsair CX550 80+ Bronze 550W (Semi-modular)
CPU Cooler
Thermalright Assassin X120 Tower Cooler
Case
Fractal Design Define 7 (6x 3.5" bays, sound-dampened)
Software & Services
OS
TrueNAS SCALE
File System
ZFS (Mirror RAID1 - 8TB Usable)
Media Server
Plex (Transcoding via Quick Sync)
Media Automation
Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Overseerr
Download Client
Transmission
Remote Access
Tailscale (Zero-trust Mesh VPN)
Backups
Automated ZFS Snapshots
Container Platform
TrueNAS Apps / Portainer
Monitoring
Prometheus (scrape via node-exporter)
Performance Capabilities
4K Transcoding
15+ simultaneous streams with Intel UHD 770 Quick Sync
8TB Usable
ZFS mirrored RAID1, expandable to 48TB+
Hardware Acceleration
i5-12500 with 6 cores, 12 threads at 3.0-4.6GHz
Low Power
~50W idle, ~65W under load (~$62/year)
Migration from Synology DS124
| Feature | DS124 | TrueNAS Build |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2-core ARM (1.7GHz) | 6-core Intel i5-12500 |
| RAM | 1GB (Non-upgradable) | 32GB DDR4 |
| Transcoding | None | Intel QuickSync |
| Storage | Single 8TB drive | 2x 8TB Mirrored |
| Expandability | 1 Bay (Maxed out) | 8 Bays (Room to grow) |
| Power Usage | ~15W | ~40W |
Primary Use Cases
- Plex Media Server:Stream movies & TV shows with 4K transcoding support
- Network Storage:Centralized file storage for all devices
- Docker Hosting:Self-hosted services and applications
- Data Redundancy:ZFS mirroring protects against drive failure
- Remote Access:Secure access from anywhere via Tailscale
Data Protection & Backup Strategy
ZFS Snapshots
Automated ZFS snapshot strategy provides multiple recovery points with varying retention periods:
| Frequency | Schedule | Retention | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | Every hour | 24 hours | Short-term recovery from accidental changes |
| Daily (Short) | 1:00 AM | 1 week | Recent daily restore points |
| Daily (Long) | 2:00 AM | 4 weeks | Monthly recovery window |
Cloud Backup
Provider
Backblaze B2
Schedule
Daily at 3:00 AM
Scope
All server data (excluding torrents)
Multi-Layered Protection: ZFS snapshots provide instant local recovery, while Backblaze B2 ensures off-site redundancy. Torrent downloads excluded from cloud backup as they can be re-acquired if needed.