Best Nas Storage 2020

• Best Nas Storage 2020 Ram
• Best Nas Storage 2020

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Backing your files up in the cloud is a great idea. You'll gain additional peace of mind by storing your documents, pictures, music, and videos in the likes of Dropbox or Google Drive. However, rather than use a third-party cloud provider, you could use your own home cloud with a network-attached storage (NAS) device. Check out the best NAS devices for all uses and budgets in 2020!

The Best NAS (Network Attached Storage) Devices for 2021 Network attached storage is the most versatile storage, but that's just one of the many benefits of buying a NAS device. Best Network-Attached Storage for Raid Configurations. Synology DiskStation DS920+ On Amazon. A key perk of having a NAS is the ability to back up your data. When you want to be extra. Drobo 5N2 Plex – Best Storage Capacity NAS. After developing two Network Attached Storages: the.

What is a Network-Attached Storage Device and Why Should You Get One?

A network-attached storage device, or NAS, is a personal cloud. When you use a cloud storage provider such as Google Drive or Dropbox, you're basically storing files on a computer elsewhere that's connected to the Internet. As such, you can access your files anywhere that you've got a network connection. Similarly, a NAS box accomplishes the same purpose, only you control the hardware. Any device that's properly configured can function as a home server. I've run homelabs off of old laptops, desktops, and enterprise-level server hardware. Most of the time though, NAS refers to a machine specifically-engineered for use as a home server.

There are loads of benefits to a home cloud. For starters, you can actually save money. After the upfront investment into NAS hardware and hard drive storage, you won't have to shell out for monthly subscription fees. Since you control the hardware and software, it's a customizable set up. Because your files live on your network, there's added security versus a scenario where you're relying on a third-party data storage service. With your various files residing on a box sporting Internet-connectivity, you can effectively access your external hard drive from anywhere. Still, off-site backups remain essential even if you've got a robust NAS.

Benefits of using a NAS:

• Data security and privacy
• Monetary savings
• Customizable configuration and user control
• Convenience of accessing your files from anywhere

What to Look for in Home NAS Solutions

When selecting a network-attached storage device, there are tons of considerations. First, think about your needs. A NAS media server requires different processing power than a cheap NAS drive for file and photo storage. You might require niche offerings like strong encryption, surveillance camera licenses, virtualization options, and other features. Similarly, business NAS requirements differ greatly from a home cloud set up. Price is a major factor, with budget-priced and wallet-shattering options available. Processing power remains important, particularly for a streaming media server. Although the average NAS doesn't require nearly as much RAM as a desktop or laptop, memory is nonetheless important. Think about the number of hard drive bays you'll need. It's generally best to leave a little headroom. Initially, you might start out with two or four drives, but in the future being able to add a few is easier than swapping in larger drives. Most network-attached storage boxes are managed wirelessly over a network, but having an HDMI output could be useful for doubling as a media player, or for video camera monitoring.

What to look for when finding the top NAS storage unit for your needs:

• Use case – file server, media server, surveillance camera system, etc.
• Price
• Number of harddrive bays
• Encryption
• HDMI output
• Virtualization
• Surveillance camera compatibility

Best NAS Overall – QNAP TS-X53D Series

The QNAP TS-x53D series of NAS boxes is a good fit for a variety of purposes. It's powered by an Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz CPU. The TS-x53D comes with up to 8GB of RAM, and arrives in several different hard drive bay configurations: the 2-bay TS-253D, 4-bay TS-453D, and 6-bay TS-653D. RAM is upgradable to 16GB, and you'll find an array of connectors including dual 2.5Gbe ports, a PCIe gen 2 slot for adding an M.2 SATA or NVME SSD adaptor. There's 4K media playback and hardware transcoding, so it's a great choice for streaming from the likes of Emby, Plex, and other server applications. On the rear, you'll find an HDMI output which allows the TS-x53D to double as a home theatre PC (HTPC) or for surveillance system monitoring.

The Intel Celeron J4125 handles most tasks extremely well, even tackling 4K to 1080p transcoding. Still, the price-to-performance ratio is a bit high considering the sort of processing power you'd get with a self-built server. But that's a commonality among all NAS devices. With its ability to handle media server functionality just as well as a basic file server, the QNAP TS-x53D series is a fantastic choice for most users. For less demanding applications, the Intel J4005-powered QNAP TS-251D comes in a two-bay configuration with either 2GB or 4GB of RAM. Although it's not quite as capable as the TS-x53D, the TS-251D delivers good performance for the average NAS user.

Pros:

• Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0GHz CPU
• Up to 8GB RAM
• 10Gbe Ethernet
• Supports 4K playback and transcoding
• HDMI output
• Expandable RAM
• 2-bay, 4-bay, and 6-bay variants available in the QNAP x53D lineup
• Small footprint
• Supports virtualization for Hyper-V and VMware

Cons:

• Pay a premium for NAS hardware

Best NAS for Plex – Synology DS920+

Best Nas Storage 2020 Ram

The impressive Synology DS920+ is the best NAS for Plex. A four-bay network-attached storage device, the DS920+ comes outfitted with 4GB of DDR4 RAM, although it's expandable to 8GB. You'll find a pair of built-in M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots for cache acceleration without utilizing harddrive bay storage. The Intel quad-core processor comes with AES-NI hardware encryption. What's more, Synology includes two camera licenses for connecting home security internet protocol (IP) cameras, and you can purchase more CLP1, CLP4, or CLP8 licenses based on your needs.

For media server functionality, the Synology DS920+ supports 4K H.265 and H.264 to 1080p hardware transcoding. A slew of different file-sharing protocols come standard including FTP, NFS, AFP, and CIFS. The Intel quad-core CPU features a 2.0GHz base clock speed with a 2.7GHz burst mode. With the addition of the Synology DX517, you can expand the DS920+ to a nine-bay NAS for ample storage space. Unfortunately, there's no HDMI output. Many users should be fine managing their network-attached storage devices over the network, but if you need a video output, look elsewhere. Although RAM is expandable, it's limited to 8GB. Most servers shouldn't need much more than that however. Dual 1GbE network ports are helpful. Yet faster 2.5GbE slots would be a welcome addition. Overall, the Synology DS920+ boasts 4K hardware transcoding capabilities, tons of storage, and excellent performance.

Pros:

• 4GB of RAM, expandable to 8GB
• 2 x M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots
• 4 bays, expandable to 9 with the DX517 (sold separately)
• Intel quad-core CPU
• Capable of 4K hardware transcoding
• Virtualization support
• Dual 1GbE ports

Cons:

• No HDMI output
• Limited to 8GB of RAM
• Only 1GbE ports

Best NAS for Time Machine – Buffalo LinkStation SoHo

If you're a macOS user, a Time Machine compatible NAS box is a must-have. Apple's robust built-in backup solution lets you quickly and easily save all of your documents, music, photos, videos, emails, and more to a compatible cloud provider or home server. And the Buffalo LinkStation is the best NAS for Time Machine backups. It's available in a 2-bay configuration. Unlike many diskless NAS devices, you can even snag the Buffalo LinkStation with server-class hard drives bundled. Time Machine is incredibly easy to set up with the LinkStation, so backing up Apple devices is a breeze.

Performance is excellent, and at under $500 USD, it's a good budget NAS for general use. Disappointingly, the Buffalo LinkStation SoHo doesn't support hot-swapping HDDs. It's a strange omission that's not altogether a dealbreaker, but still a nuisance. Its accompanying software is decent with support for a variety of apps including BitTorrent. Affordable and simple to set up with Time Machine, the Buffalo LinkStation offers a compelling home server solution.

Best Nas Storage 2020

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Great, simple Time Machine support
• Good software ecosystem with many available apps
• 2-bay NAS
• 4GB or 8GB combinations available
• Affordable

Cons:

• No hot-swappable harddrives

Best User-friendly NAS – WD My Cloud

While most NAS boxes aren't too difficult to decipher, there's usually a slight learning curve. Many network-attached storage units come diskless, or without pre-installed hard drives. For a user-friendly alternative, Western Digital provides its WD My Cloud. Offering a wide range of storage options, from single-bay 2TB and 3TB versions to dual-bay 4TB up to 20TB servers, the WD My Cloud is an easy-to-use personal cloud storage solution. USB and Ethernet come built-in, and the WD My Cloud Home app lets you easily access your files from anywhere.

Boasting a plethora of different storage options, the WD My Cloud is a great budget NAS for general consumers. While its high-capacity options might appear costly, consider that it's a complete home cloud with a processor and storage space. Though the My Cloud is a NAS, it's more akin to a glorified external hard drive with Internet connectivity. Plex, for example, is available for the WD My Cloud but with slow load times, and minus certain power user features such as the ability to select a static IP address. As such, the WD My Cloud works extremely well for a streamlined, simple home cloud. Seasoned storage aficionados should stick with a proper NAS box or the WD My Cloud EX2. If you merely want a basic home file storage and backup device, the WD My Cloud fits the bill.

Pros:

• Extremely user-friendly
• USB and Ethernet onboard
• Single-bay and dual-bay versions
• 2TB-20TB options available
• Affordable
• WD My Cloud app makes accessing files remotely a breeze

Cons:

• Not the most powerful
• Lacks expansion and upgrade capabilities
• Poor media server experience
• Missing power user features i.e. the ability to set a static IP address

Best NAS for Media Streaming – QNAP TVS-x72n

With its included remote and an HDMI output, the QNAP TS-x72n series is the best NAS for media streaming. At its core is an Intel i3 CPU. A 5GbE Ethernet port provides a strong Internet connection while its up to 8GB of DDR4 RAM allows for multiple simultaneous apps to run with plenty of headroom. You'll find an M.2 PCIe slot for NEMe SSD hookups and 4K media playback as well as real-time hardware transcoding. Dual USB Type-C ports and a pair of USB Type-A slots come standard. What's more, you'll find an HDMI output so the TVS-x72n series NAS doubles as an HTPC or surveillance camera hub. It's available in a 6-bay or 8-bay version.

Unfortunately, pricing can be pretty high. Granted, you get what you pay for, and the QNAP TVS-x72n touts power-user features like 4K hardware transcoding. If you need even more power, the QNAP TVS-x72XT steps up to an i5, up to 8-bay storage, and as high as 16GB of RAM. Alternatively, the QNAP TS-x51+ series comes in 2- or 4-bay configurations with up to 8GB of RAM and, while limited to 1080p transcoding, is a good budget media streaming home server option.

Pros:

• True 4K hardware transcoding and playback
• HDMI output
• 6-bay and 8-bay versions available
• USB Type-C ports
• SSD cache support
• Dual M.2 SSD slots and dual PCie slots
• Powerful Intel i3 processor
• 5GbE Ethernet port

Cons:

• Expensive

Best Small Business NAS – Synology DS2419+

Whereas almost any network-attached server hardware should be fine for a home server, an enterprise setting proves more demanding. And the Synology DS2419+ is the best small business NAS on the market. Flaunting an impressive 12 harddrive bays, the DS2519+ is engineered for deployment in a small to medium business environment. Powered by an Intel Atom C3538 quad-core CPU, it ships with AES-NI hardware encryption support, up to 32GB of RAM, and blisteringly-fast 1,716MB/s sequential read with 672MB/s sequential write speeds. A whopping four Gigabit Ethernet ports come standard with link aggregation and failover support such that the DS2419+ yields zero downtime.

Of course, all of this awesomeness comes at a cost, quite literally. Its pricetag is sure to induce sticker shock. Still, the cost is pretty understandable considering that the Synology DS2419+ is meant for small and even medium-sized businesses. That, or any media server buffs seeking to build their own Netflix. Powerful and with a slate of enterprise trappings, the DS2419+ small business NAS is a great business-caliber on-premise cloud solution.

Pros:

• Intel Atom C3538 quad-core
• 12 hard drive bays
• AES-NI hardware encryption
• 1,716MB/s sequential read with 672MB/s sequential write speeds
• 4 x Gigabit Ethernet ports with link aggregation and failover support
• Up to 32GB of RAM
• Easy-to-use DiskStation Manager (DSM) software

Cons:

• Extremely expensive

Best NAS Devices for 2020 for All Uses and Budgets – Final Thoughts

A network-attached storage device is a solid investment. But a home cloud NAS differs greatly from a business NAS. As such, there's a massive difference in hardware as well as pricing. For a versatile homelab that handles file, photo, and media server storage with aplomb, QNAP and Synology provide many offerings. Buffalo's ThinkStation is a great Time Machine backup solution, while the 12-bay Synology DS2419+ is a true enterprise-class NAS. And for a cheap NAS drive, the WD My Cloud is extremely user-friendly.

Your turn: Which NAS devices in 2020 do YOU recommend?

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