
The processor is capable, but it won't win any awards against more expensive enclosures.
The best nas server for home upgrade#
There are a few USB 3.0 ports, and you can upgrade the RAM, making this a NAS you could even expand upon and use for more demanding tasks. Simply pull out, swap, re-insert, and you're good to go.
The best nas server for home install#
Its hot-swappable drive tray design allows for easy installation and maintenance, destroying the requirement for a screwdriver to remove or install a hard drive. With two 1Gb LAN ports, you can connect both to your router or switch that will then allow the connection to be doubled up for enhanced bandwidth. The two drive bays make it easy to throw a few drives into the enclosure and enjoy up to 32TB of storage capacity, though you'll more likely see 16TB with RAID enabled (and we recommend doing so for data redundancy). Want to enjoy some movies through Plex? You could even do that here. This powerful enclosure houses an Intel Celeron J4025 CPU with 2GB of DDR4 RAM, making it suitable for even the busiest homes with numerous simultaneous connections.

If we were to choose a NAS for the home that strikes a good balance between price and performance, it would be the Synology DiskStation DS220+. But picking one with the capabilities for Plex playback at 4K or can be kitted out with 10 hard drives for up to 160TB of capacity, that's when you need to pay attention to the specifications and marketing. I may have come across a little too strongly with the "you could get the NAS purchase wrong" since any enclosure you pick up will be able to be configured as a home file storage hub. An important fact to remember: Intel processors are generally more capable than ARM (basically non-Intel) CPUs. The Synology DiskStation DS120j and TerraMaster F2-221 are fine examples of savings to be had without sacrificing too much on functionality, so long as you only plan on using these servers for file storage. You don't have to spend much to get a good NAS either. For those who want to set up a Plex Media Server (PMS), the QNAP TVS-672XT is what you'll need. If it's not quite what you're looking for, the ASUSTOR NIMBUSTOR 4 (AS5304T) is an excellent second choice. For most people, however, the Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the best choice overall. Numerous vendors make NAS enclosures with some of the best models coming from Synology, QNAP, TerraMaster, and ASUSTOR. Generally, you'll want to steer clear on single-bay NAS enclosures because we always recommend at least two drives to be installed for a RAID configuration to better safeguard against data loss - RAID is a redundancy measure that makes sure if one drive fails, you'll not lose any data. The higher the number of bays, the more drives you can install, and the more capacity you can have for storing all your stuff. The second-most important factor in the decision-making for a NAS enclosure is the number of drive bays. These little server units can start at affordable prices, but when you factor in uprated internals, features like M.2 slots, and upgradable RAM, you can quickly see the price spiral out of control.

TerraMaster F2-221 - Best value: Intel CPU, 2 bays, 2GB RAM, 1Gb LAN.Synology DiskStation DS120j - Best affordable: ARM CPU, 1 bay, 512MB RAM, 1Gb LAN.QNAP TVS-H1688X - Best capacity: Intel CPU, 16 bays, 8GB RAM, 10Gb LAN.QNAP TVS-672XT - Best for Plex: Intel CPU, 6 bays, 8GB RAM, 10Gb LAN.

ASUSTOR NIMBUSTOR 4 (AS5304T) - Best runner-up: Intel CPU, 4 bays, 4GB RAM, 2.5Gb LAN.Synology DiskStation DS220+ - Best overall: Intel CPU, 2 bays, 2GB RAM, 1Gb LAN.We've rounded up the best NAS from Synology, ASUSTOR, QNAP, and other brands to help you choose the right one for your home. You can spend very little on a simple enclosure that'll handle file storage or thousands on range-leading servers with impressive performance. Network-attached storage (NAS for short) is a small server that can be connected to your home network to create your very own media center, cloud file storage, or even a surveillance platform.
