All of these are great options, though, so you can’t go wrongBest NAS devices of 2021: top Network Attached Storage for the home and office By Matt Hanson 24 March 2021 Our pick of the best NAS devices to allow you to access files across all your devicesGetting a NAS set up for just $100? That seems too cheap, but the DS120j is anything but. These are going to vary in price pretty significantly, with some under 200 and others over 2,000. Now that you have an idea of why you might want to look at NAS drives for Mac, let’s get into the best available. It's good for archiving data, can be used with Plex, and is relatively inexpensive.The best NAS drives for Mac.This one includes storage right out of the box and is compatible with Plex servers.Ultra-fast PCIe SSD for Classic Mac Pro or Thunderbolt Macs. Before you begin, it might help to list down what your needs are.WD's My Cloud NAS is perfect for many home setups. Home Server OS that fits your needs will make your life a lot simpler from the initial setup to the day-to-day maintenance. Choosing the right or best home server operating system is nearly half the work in setting up a home network server.If your needs are going to grow over time, then having a NAS that can be expanded makes for a better purchase. For example, if you need a NAS to transcode 4K video or edit video files directly over the network, it needs the hardware horsepower to make that possible.Upgradability is also an important factor to consider. The NAS has a CPU, RAM, specific Ethernet port speeds, and maximum drive specs that you’ll need to be aware of. This NAS allows 4K transcoding at a great price point.Most NAS devices will work with Mac, but the Drobo 5N2 works well with creatives with video editors and BeyondRAID technology.✓ The best jack-of-all-trades NAS with a fair price✓ Offers RAID 1 disk mirroring for the basic redundancy most people require✓ Dual Gigabit LAN with either failover or link aggregation✓ Surprisingly powerful CPU and upgradable RAM✓ Extremely cheap, especially if you use it with a drive you already have✓ Read/Write speeds are actually pretty good for the money✓ A feature-complete NAS for very little money✓ Plug-and-play solution with included storage out of the box✓ Supports Plex Media Server and comes with 3-month trial✓ Lots of room to grow with RAM and M.2 SSD cache drives✓ Listed in the Plex database for up to 4K hardware transcoding✓ Good specifications to handle media encoding✓ RAM is expandable if needed down the line✓ Good for a studio setup with multiple Macs✓ Dual-gigabit ethernet that can be bonded or used in failover mode✓ Option of an mSATA SSD to act as a cache accelerator✓ BeyondRaid allows incredible drive flexibility✗ Having just one drive removes any redundancy✗ CPU and RAM aren't up to media transcoding or any heavy lifting✗ Some user reviews cite reliability issues and trouble accessing the NAS over the internet✗ Might be a little too expensive upfront for very small startups✗ Requires a paid Plex Pass to get the most from the hardware✗ Gamer aesthetic and features may not appeal to some✗ Expensive if you aren't making money with it✗ A refreshed model with NVME support and newer CPU is probably duePerformance specifications on NAS devices are as important as those of a personal computer when choosing a product. The DS920+ will do just that.If you're looking for a NAS mainly for media and Plex, you can make it easy with the Asustor AS5202T.
![]() ![]() That’s a great sign, given that this is a real network-attached storage unit with the software flexibility and complexity that the name implies. That being said, the DS120j isn’t going to do any heavy media transcoding work at the best of times, so keep that in mind if you’re trying to set up a NAS for Plex.You get the same versatile Synology software as the best overall pick and based on user reviews, most have no trouble setting up and using this NAS. With an encrypted read speed of 112MB/s, drive performance is balanced with its single Gigabit Ethernet port.It may only have an 800Mhz dual-core CPU, but a dedicated hardware encryption engine makes it so CPU performance isn’t affected. ![]() Instead, they act as a high-speed cache for frequently used data. NVME drives you insert into these slots are not used for file storage. It offers hardware-based encryption as well, culminating in a 225MB/s sequential read and write performance rating.The most impressive performance feature, however, is the two M.2 NVME slots. You may think that the asking price is a little steep considering that no drives are included, but it’s a bargain upon further inspection.This is an Intel-based quad-core NAS with 4GB of RAM as standard and the option to upgrade it to 8GB of RAM. The Synology DS920+ ticks all of those boxes and does it at a reasonable price.The DS920+ is a 4-bay diskless NAS, so you’ll have to buy and add the disk drives yourself. Best Home Nas 2015 Full Benefit OfThe popularity of Plex is a driving factor in looking into these network computer boxes. Not to mention, Synology has a large selection of add-on packages for their NAS products, many of which are invaluable in a business setting.In-home media streaming is one of the main reasons most people are looking at a NAS. With a few upgrades, it should pull its weight long after it’s paid for itself. Additionally, this NAS has two Gigabit Ethernet ports that can be used in an aggregated mode, ensuring that you get the full benefit of its disk input/output, or IO, performance.If you’re running a small to medium-sized business and don’t have a huge budget for network infrastructure, the DS920+ is in the sweet spot. Remove mirror for roku from macIdeally, you want a NAS that offers dedicated hardware encoding and certified compatibility with Plex.The first place anyone should look on this quest is Plex’s official NAS compatibility list, and that’s where you’ll find the Asustor AS5202T. That means available CPU resources determine whether you’re getting smooth, crisp playback or a blurry, stuttering mess. However, as your collection of media (and transcoding needs) grow, an old unused computer doesn’t cut it anymore.Plex is compatible with a wide range of NAS devices that will run its app, but many of them are limited to software transcoding.
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