Thursday, October 08, 2020
A network-attached storage (NAS) enclosure is a small server that allows you to do some incredible things at home and in the office. Whether you plan on creating and running a media server using Plex Media Server or manage a file storage solution, a NAS enclosure is precisely what you require. The thing is it's easy to buy the wrong NAS.
There are so many models to choose from, and multiple vendors offer similar enclosures at varying price points. This does mean you can score some deals on new enclosures, especially as we move towards the end of the year. We're here to help you make the right decision and save some money in the process.
Best NAS Deals Available Now:
- Best NAS for Home: From $170
- Best NAS for Plex: From $550
- More info: Getting the best NAS deals for you
Synology DiskStation DS220+
The DiskStation DS220+ has it all for home use. You've got two drive bays, an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB DDR4 RAM (upgradable), and two 1Gb ports. It's perfect for your first NAS at home or in a small office.
Choosing the best NAS involves a few factors, namely price, processor, and the number of drive bays. The better the processor, the more drive bays available, and advanced features like 10Gb networking can inflate prices quickly. Whatever you happen to be looking for in a NAS, we've rounded up some of the best enclosures available on offer right now.
Today's Best NAS Deals
- Asustor AS1002T v2 — $150 (Was $200)
- Synology DiskStation DS220j — $170 (Was $180)
- Synology DiskStation DS920+ — $550 (Was $560)
- BUFFALO LinkStation SoHo 2-Bay — $258 (Was $278)
But if you do have an idea as to what you plan on using the NAS enclosure for, we've also compiled lists of best NAS for home, best NAS for Plex, and best NAS for less than $500. There's something here for everyone!
Best NAS deals for Home
The best NAS for Home starts off as the most affordable NAS you can buy. The more budget-friendly enclosures aren't anything special but do allow you to configure everything to your liking and have a NAS up and running. More pricey NAS options here come rocking faster processors, more RAM, and drive bays.
Synology DiskStation DS220j | $170 at Amazon
The Synology DiskStation DS220j is a cracking little enclosure. It's not the most capable, rocking an ARM processor, but it does come with two bays and is perfect for file storage and backups.
Asustor AS1002T v2 | $149 at Amazon
ASUSTOR's AS1002T isn't a very powerful NAS, hence the price, but it does allow you to set up a file storage server and save money on your new NAS, as well as canceling any cloud storage subscriptions you may have.
Synology DiskStation DS220+ | $300 at Amazon
Synology's DiskStation DS220+ is our favorite NAS for the home for one good reason: it offers tremendous value. Even at full price, this enclosure is well worth the money, sporting an Intel processor, support for so many third-party apps, as well as an excellent OS.
BUFFALO LinkStation SoHo 2-Bay | $258 at Amazon
BUFFALO's LinkStation SoHo 2-bay NAS is an affordable enclosure that even comes with two hard drives pre-installed. That means you don't have to buy anything else other than this NAS server, and you're good to go. It's not quite as good as Synology's offerings, however.
Best NAS deals for Plex
Choosing the best NAS for Plex is a little more tricky since the processor becomes a vastly more important, if not the most important, deciding factor. If you plan on storing and streaming 4K content, you'll need to make sure your recipient devices (TV, consoles, PCs, etc.) support the same format your media is saved in. If not, the NAS will need to transcode it, which requires considerable performance. These NAS will be able to handle 4K transcoding.
Synology DiskStation DS920+ | $550 at Amazon
Synology DiskStation DS920+ is a powerful NAS, sporting a capable Intel Celeron processor with enough performance to handle 4K transcoding. That makes this a great starterNAS for Plex, especially with four drive bays.
Getting the Best NAS Deal for you
Scoring the best deal is one thing, but getting the right deal for you is incredibly important. We want you to spend your money wisely. There's no point buying a NAS that won't be able to do what you need it to, just because it's the enclosure with the steepest price drop. This is why we recommend NAS enclosures based on specs and then price.
It's important to decide what you want to use the NAS enclosure for. Once you've got that sorted, price is then a factor to consider, allowing you to stick to a limit. If you're not comfortable paying out for a more expensive NAS at full price, there's no reason why you should pay a similar amount for one that's discounted.
NAS enclosures are usually priced well, depending on the processor, drive bays, and other specifications. But when we're enjoying big events like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, retailers will use all kinds of tactics to make you think a deal is better than it is. Be wary of prices that are inflated to appear like deals. We use tools like CamelCamelCamel that help us spot great deals, and you should use it too.
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