How Many Bays
2-bay: The entry point for home NAS.
With RAID 1, both drives mirror each other, you lose half the raw capacity to redundancy.
Two 8TB drives give 8TB usable.
Expandable only by replacing drives with larger ones.
4-bay: Better long-term value.
CPU Requirements
Basic file storage and backup: Any NAS CPU is adequate.
Intel Celeron or ARM processors handle file serving and backup tasks without load.
Plex or Jellyf in with hardware transcoding: Intel Celeron with Quick Sync (DS220+) handles 1080p with Plex Pass hardware transcoding.
AMD Ryzen (DS923+) handles software 4K transcoding.
Surveillance station or intensive apps: AMD Ryzen or Intel Core NAS options required.
RAID vs No RAID
RAID 1 (mirror): Single drive failure protection.
Requires 2 drives minimum.
Data accessible from either drive independently.
SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID): Synology's simplified RAID.
Manages redundancy automatically and allows mixing drive sizes.
Our picks
Products we recommend
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Best OverallSynology
2-bay NAS with Intel Celeron J4025 processor, 2GB RAM, and Synology DSM operating system.
- 2-bay drive enclosure
- Intel Celeron J4025 dual-core
- 2GB DDR4 ECC RAM (expandable to 6GB)
- Synology DSM 7 operating system
✓ Pros
- DSM software is the most polished NAS interface available, Plex, photo backup, and file sync apps are well-integrated
- Transcoding support handles 4K video playback without client-side processing
- Drive compatibility list is extensive, most major NAS-optimized hard drives are verified
✕ Cons
- Diskless, drives sold separately (add the cost of two WD Red or Seagate IronWolf drives)
UGREEN
Intel N100 handles Plex hardware transcoding
✓ Pros
- Intel N100 handles Plex hardware transcoding
- 2.5GbE port
- Two M.2 NVMe slots plus two drive bays
- Docker and VM support
✕ Cons
- Drives sold separately
- Software ecosystem younger than Synology's
- Only two drive bays
FAQ
Common questions
What hard drives should I use in a NAS?
Use NAS-optimized hard drives, not desktop drives. NAS drives are designed for 24/7 operation, vibration tolerance in multi-drive enclosures, and RAID error recovery. The ma in options are Western Digital Red Plus, Seagate IronWolf, and Toshiba N300. Desktop drives (WD Blue, Seagate Barracuda) work but are not rated for continuous use and can develop errors in RAID arrays that cause data loss.
What is RAID and do I need it on a home NAS?
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) combines multiple drives so that data is stored redundantly, if one drive fails, data is not lost. RAID 1 (mirroring) requires 2 drives and stores identical data on both. RAID 5 requires 3+ drives and distributes data with parity for one-drive failure protection. For home use, Synology SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID) is a simplified version that provides redundancy without manual RAID configuration. RAID is not a backup, it protects against drive failure, not accidental deletion or ransomware.
How many drive bays do I need?
For home use: 2-bay covers most households starting out (up to 16TB usable with 8TB drives in RAID 1). 4-bay is better if you have large media libraries (movies, raw photos, video projects) or want to expand capacity over time without replacing drives. For a NAS that is primarily a media server: 4-bay is the right starting point.
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