Best Value NAS System: Turn-Key & Custom Built

Best Value Turn-Key NAS (Plug-and-Play):

QNAP TS-464

Why it's great: Best balance of performance, expandability, and value. *Hot-swap supported.

• Drives: 4x SATA 3.5"/2.5" bays (hot-swappable)

• CPU: Intel Celeron N5105 Quad-core

• RAM: 4GB DDR4 (upgradeable)

• Network: 2x 2.5GbE LAN

• Expansion: PCIe slot for 10GbE or NVMe cache card

Price: ~$1,100 *4 x 4TB HDD's

Best Value Custom-Build NAS:

Fractal Design Node 304 Custom NAS - Mini-PC Build

Why it's great: Full control, much better performance for the dollar, ZFS or Docker flexibility

• CPU = Intel Core i5-13500T

• Motherboard = ASRock Z790M-ITX WiFi

• RAM = 32GB DDR4 (2x16GB) ECC or Non-ECC

• Boot Drive = NVMe SSD 500GB (PCIe Gen3/4)

• Storage Drives = Up to 6x 3.5"

• Power Supply = Corsair SF450/SF600

• Cooling = Included 3x fans + Noctua NH-L9i

• OS = TrueNAS Scale or Unraid

Price: ~$1500 +/- *Depending on Parts

Cost-Cutting Options (if needed):
- Drop to i3-13100 → Saves around $100 (still solid Plex/TrueNAS performance)
- Use non-ECC DDR4 → Saves around $30
- Use non-NAS-grade HDDs → Cost saving, but higher risk

 

Created & Maintained by Pacific Northwest Computers

Pacific NW Computers

www.linktr.ee/pnwcomputers

www.pacificnwcomputers.com