Best budget NAS in 2024?

Summary

Best budget NAS.. Weary of having to keep purchasing memberships for different cloud storage services? Reclaim control over your data by using network-attached storage (NAS) devices, which provide local, secure, high-capacity data storage. With the capacity to store numerous hard drive platters for tens or even hundreds of terabytes of data, a network attached storage (NAS) is the ultimate improvement over an external hard drive. This is ideal for media file warehousing, small business data storage, or operating a full-fat Plex server at home to effortlessly stream 4K movies to your living room TV.

Top picks for best budget NAS

Furthermore, a high-quality NAS from well-known manufacturers like QNAP, Asustor, Synology, and TerraMaster doesn’t have to break the money. For a few hundred bucks, you can have an amazing assortment of desktop NAS enclosures that will safeguard, arrange, and provide access to your contents.

Synology DiskStation DS224+

With the DiskStation DS224+, Intel’s quad-core Celeron processor—which powered the wildly successful DS920+—provides a significant performance gain and more headroom. With two more cores, the inexpensive NAS can now do a lot more than its predecessor (the otherwise superb DS220+), including smoothly processing multiple 4K video streams via Plex.

Unlike AMD processors found in some of the best Synology NAS models, the Intel CPU also has a built-in GPU, making it even more effective at transcoding media on the fly in the event that your client devices—like your living room TV—need additional assistance playing videos.Even after allocating half of the capacity for redundancy, its two bays can accommodate up to 14TB of hard drive each, which is more than sufficient for everyday home usage as well as occasional freelance work. The 2GB of RAM that comes with the device should be more than enough for tasks like backing up your PCs, phones, and movie collection, as well as running any sort of program that Synology supports. If, on the other hand, your work-from-home job often necessitates running numerous programs concurrently on the NAS, you will need to add extra RAM.

TerraMaster F4-423

An alternative that will work better for individuals who want a little bit more storage capacity or who intend to expand their storage pool later on is the TerraMaster F4-423, which has four drive bays and supports M.2 SSDs. It has two 2.5GbE ports, an upgradeable RAM module, and a powerful, contemporary Intel Celeron CPU. Because of its competitive pricing compared to other NAS, you won’t need to spend a lot of money to access capabilities that are often featured in SOHO enclosures that are more costly.

The F4-423 may have a capacity of up to 80TB when all four drive bays are filled to maximum. That doesn’t account for RAID, which is highly advised, and even with a drive reserved, around 60TB may be made accessible for storing almost anything. This enclosure’s characteristics also make it possible for a service like Plex Media Server to function without difficulty.

Asustor Drivestor 4 AS1104T

One of the most respected NAS companies available is Asustor, so it’s fantastic that their entry-level model, the Asustor Drivestor 4 AS1104T, is available for such a cheap cost. This low-cost model, although not professional-caliber, has four bays, requires no tools for setup, and hassle-free extension ports, making it perfect for home and recreational usage.

When it comes to uploading, downloading, and streaming media with 4K decoding for fluid video playback, the AS1104T excels. It should be noted that you are unable to provide certain users or groups access to individual services; nevertheless, this type of capability is probably beyond its pay grade.

Synology DiskStation DS223j

One of the few 2-bay Synology diskless network attached storage (NAS) devices available for around $200 is the DiskStation DS223j. It is almost a straight replacement for Synology’s well-liked entry-level NAS, the DS220j. Although the DS223j doesn’t have the speed or processing power of other NAS systems we’ve examined, its remote backup capabilities make it well worth taking a closer look at this price.

For NAS owners, having a safe and dependable backup solution is essential. Ultimately, these gadgets are susceptible to physical harm, and disaster recovery is often an extra function. On the other hand, the DiskStation DS223j Synology provides cloud synchronization, cloud backup, and compressed storage volumes that facilitate file sharing, file storing, and backup data on popular cloud storage systems like Backblaze B2 and Amazon Simple Storage Service. The DS223j offers excellent value for money since this is unheard of at this price range.

Western Digital Diskless My Cloud EX2 Ultra NAS

The 2-bay diskless NAS from Western Digital is an excellent investment for seasoned NAS users looking to create a network that facilitates seamless file sharing across several mobile devices. With a 1.3 GHz dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM, the hardware is decent, but what really makes this purchase worthwhile is the My Cloud operating system.

The My Cloud operating system from Western Digital is compatible with a variety of platforms, including Windows, Apple, Android, and iOS, and has an easy-to-use graphical user interface. This little NAS offers incredible functionality if you can make it through the setup process. You can also remotely manage your files from your smartphone using the My Cloud app. Just be cautious of the operating system version that comes with this NAS; My Cloud OS 3 is no longer supported by Western Digital, so you’ll need to update to the more recent OS 5.

TerraMaster F2-212

With its powerful Realtek 1619B SoC and 1GB of DDR4 RAM, the TerraMaster F2-212 is almost exactly the same as the Synology DiskStation DS223j in terms of specifications. This device is available from TerraMaster with detachable drive trays, and a 2.5GbE LAN adapter may be inexpensively added via the single USB 3.0 connector. Because just one of the two USB ports is USB 3.0, it is not as good as the DS223j.

One may argue that neither the operating system nor the variety of apps are on pace with the most recent Synology DSM. As TerraMaster develops its operating system and applications, too many tools are still in beta testing, thus it is not possible to completely endorse them for every need.

Plex couldn’t be run on the old F2-210, but new computer can handle that work and many other NAS activities. Although it may lack the sophistication of other platforms, the F2-212’s hardware is remarkable considering its pricing.

Synology DiskStation DS120j

The Synology DS120j has a striking resemblance to our top-rated, low-cost 2-bay NAS, the DS220j. With the exception of the drive bay count, these two enclosures’ characteristics are almost similar. Normally, we wouldn’t advise a NAS with just one disk bay, but in this case, it’s as affordable as it gets if all you need is a safe place to store data. This NAS is supplied with the same Synology DSM operating system as the more costly Synology NAS, even though it only costs around $100.

The Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 CPU, with its 512MB DDR3L RAM, may not win performance prizes, but it can run the operating system without any problems—that is, if you don’t have any demanding programs or services open in the background. The Synology DiskStation DS120j is a good option if you’re starting off with your first NAS or have linked storage in your dorm. However, having numerous people use the enclosure at once may also put some pressure on the CPU.

The QNAP TS-264 (same as the QNAP TS-464) is one of the more costly NAS models recommended in our buyer’s guide, at $429, but if you can afford it, it’s well worth the money. First up is the powerful Intel Celeron 5095 CPU, which has four physical cores and a 2.9GHz turbo boost. This chip is capable of handling a wide range of functions, including media server operation and monitoring. Our favorite cheap NAS for Plex is this one since it has two M.2 slots, a PCIe 3.0 x2 slot, and strong transcoding capabilities.

You can only utilize the 8GB of DDR4 RAM that comes with the TS-264 with the enclosure, but this should be more than plenty for the majority of activities. All of the 4K video you’ve bought will play flawlessly on your large TV thanks to the single HDMI connection and the QNAP QTS operating system, which will be able to make the most of the available processing power. This is a good NAS for work and pleasure since it has two 2.5GbE ports, which will provide ample capacity to stream large files across the network.

How to choose the best NAS at a low cost

A growing number of individuals are searching for a NAS to store their frantic digital lives or created material as NAS systems become more widely available. A NAS, however, is not the same as an external hard drive, and you cannot just connect it to your laptop using a USB connection in order to access data. Networked storage servers, or NAS systems, have large capacities and more advanced file management. Although it has to be properly setup as a part of your home network, a low-cost network attached storage device (NAS) can effortlessly manage smart home applications, picture and video backups, media streaming, and home security.Look for desktop models with sufficient storage and disk bays for your needs when choosing a low-cost NAS. When it comes to choosing a disk drive for your system, NAS bays that support 2.5 and 3.5-inch drives are the most useful. However, if you want a high-speed network, such as a 2.5GbE LAN, you may also want to think about getting a NAS that uses SSDs in order to optimize transfer rates.

Fantastic NAS at an amazing cost

Multiple network users accessing your NAS will depend on its hardware and performance, which will provide uninterrupted access to your data. In this regard, the DiskStation DS224+ excels thanks to its quad-core CPU from the DS920+. It also performs well as a low-cost Plex server, with an easy-to-use interface for organizing images using Synology’s images program (a great alternative to Google Photos) and streaming 4K video.

Additionally, consider the best-value option, the Asustor Drivestor 4 AS1104T. A terrific addition to any home network, this neat 4-bay desktop NAS has a high utility media mode that sets aside up to 512 MB of RAM for whatever multimedia activity you need. Naturally, if you have a little more money to spend, you can acquire a more powerful NAS, like as the TerraMaster F4-423, which boasts upgraded Intel CPUs and more RAM, for better speed and performance. You are obtaining an excellent small company, or solopreneur, network at this price that is capable of handling the website hosting duties.

Regardless of the NAS model or brand you choose, you need budget some money for a pair of NAS hard drives to begin with. Depending on the size and type, these may cost an additional several hundred dollars.