Network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures are small servers that allow you to do some incredible things at home and in the office. Whether you plan to create and run a media server using Plex Media Server or manage a file storage solution, the best NAS for home enclosure is precisely what you require. The thing is, it's easy to buy the wrong NAS.
Black Friday NAS deals:
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 this Black Friday.
Choosing the best NAS for Plex is a little trickier since the processor becomes 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.
Best Black Friday NAS deals
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.
QNAP TS-451D2-4G | $23 off
The QNAP TS-451D2 is one of the company's best enclosures for the home and office, offering excellent value. This server has four drive bays, an Intel Celeron J4025 CPU, and 4GB of DDR4 RAM. If you want to run anything from a file server to a Plex Media Server, this is a great system.
Where to find the best Black Friday NAS deals
Black Friday NAS deals are expected to start soon (if not already), and we're keeping tabs on the best sales right here. However, you can always check out individual stores to see for yourself what kind of deals are currently available. Amazon is one of the more popular destinations, but you must be wary of third-party listings and inflated prices.
- Amazon: Great prices, just watch for third-party listings
- Newegg: Another great retailer to check some NAS deals
- Best Buy: Numerous discounted NAS drives are listed at this retailer
When do Black Friday NAS deals begin?
It's possible some NAS enclosure deals will go live in the run-up to Black Friday. We'll see the full brunt of promotions on Nov. 26, but retailers are attempting to get ahead by guaranteeing prices right now. Be sure to keep tabs on the aforementioned retailers during the actual week of Black Friday, starting Monday, Nov. 22, when we're hoping to see deals go live.
Don't be shy if a product you've been after for some time is now available for less as the retailer may guarantee the price throughout Black Friday, so you won't feel left out. Just watch out for the guarantee messages to be sure you're not going to see a lower price closer to Black Friday.
Black Friday NAS deals: Drives
You could install some old desktop-class hard drives inside a NAS enclosure and call it a day, but that wouldn't work well. Hard drives used in desktop PCs simply aren't designed to run continuously and be hammered by countless users. It could work, but you'll likely run into reliability issues.
WD Red Plus 4TB | $35 off
Western Digital's Red Plus series of hard drives are specifically designed for NAS use, and the 4TB model is on sale at Best Buy for just $85. Considering the 1TB entry drive is usually $60, this is excellent value for packing your server with storage. It's a 5,400 RPM drive with a maximum transfer rate of 150MB/s.
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