It is worth remembering that although there are ALOT of different 4-Bay NAS drives available to buy, they are by no means created equal! With numerous super-budget brands popping up online, it can be tempting to consider these alongside the premium NAS brands. However, all too often they offer solutions righty seem ‘too good to be true’ and then are gone from the web before your warranty even gets cold! So, whether you are looking at the three best 4-Bay solutions that I am recommending below OR are looking at another 4-Bay NAS you saw on offer/recommended elsewhere – the best NAS system ALWAYS includes the following software and services: Metal chassis and trays is going to result in an increase of ambient noise (hum/vibration) than other plastic casing/tray NAS systems If you are buying new hard drives specifically for your NAS, I would suggest going with the manufacturer’s recommendations for peace of mind that they will be compatible, more than anything. Some people have reported that the 3410DN can be quite noisy, especially when under heavy load, and the available software and features are limited, especially when compared to rival brands such as Synology. Some people may be willing to pay more for pre-populated NAS for the convenience of knowing you can plug it in and start using it straight away, whereas others will find that purchasing the drives separately is more cost-effective in addition to getting better performance and more overall storage.

And i want to put the Nas next to my second large 4k monitor that i also use to watch video. While hanging on the couch and stuffing myself full with all kinds of edible stuff. Can not specify that.

Versatile storage solution for essential needs

The QNAP TVS-472XT is a NAS drive that has taken the elite and overpowered attitudes that were previously the hallmarks of the Thunderbolt 3 NAS range and turn it into something a great deal more mature and accessible to mid-range users. Till now, if you wanted access to the full features and functionality of a fully equipped thunderbolt and 10Gbe enabled 4K NAS, you were forced to either compromise too much with the TS-453BT3 or break the bank with the TVS-682T. Thanks to this new QNAP TVS-472XT NAS however, you no longer need to compromise and have access to a much more balanced and well equipped NAS platform for photo and video editing post-production in 2021.

It has everything you need in a mid-range NAS enclosure, including an Intel Celeron processor, two drive bays, upgradeable RAM, and two 1Gb LAN ports. Interestingly, no matter which NAS you choose from Synology, you’ll be able to enjoy the company’s excellent operating system, DSM. Synology SNV3400 series M.2 NVMe SSD drives can be installed through the built-in M.2 slots to enable SSD caching or create SSD storage pools. Drives are sold separately. But not everyone can splash out such funds on a NAS, which is where the Synology DS220j comes into play. This handy enclosure doesn't cost much, which is great if you're new to NAS, but it'll gladly store terabytes worth of data for you. Choosing some hard drives for your NAS

Extra protection with Extended Warranty Plus

The Synology DiskStation DS420+ is a brilliant NAS enclosure. For starters, we’ve got the same Intel Celeron J4025 processor that’s found in the DS220+. This CPU is more than happy to run more intensive tasks on the NAS, such as transcoding 4K movies through Plex. This NAS features a 64-bit quad-core 1.4GHz processor which delivers performance at over 224 MB/s for reading and 152 MB/s for writing. Compatibility Across Multiple Operating Systems**: Each NAS system should work seamlessly with Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux. If you think a NAS drive will let you stream any type of media you have to any device or TV, keep in mind certain devices will only play certain types of files, and you'll need to get software and hardware to work together to make this happen. All NAS systems in this guide are compatible with (and can be accessed by) Windows, Mac, Android and Linux operating systems

The Intel CPU with the upgradable RAM (up to 32GB) allows one to do many tasks on the NAS simultaneously. Whether you're looking at a serious performer for Plex media streaming or a capable workhorse for the office, the DS2419+ has enough horsepower to get the job done. Storage figure calculated based on a RAID 5 configuration. Total storage capacity may vary depending on hard drives used and RAID configuration. Bays, 2x Gen 3 x1 M.2 NVMe 2280, Intel N5105 Celeron CPU Quad-Core Integrated Gfx CPU, 4-16GB Memory, 2x 2.5Gbe Port, 3yr Warranty The most modern and regularly updated NAS systems will support the very latest 20TB NAS hard drives (such as the Seagate Ironwofl 22TB and WD Red 22TB) This leads us to ask the question of how many hard drives do you need the NAS device to hold. Many NAS devices are able to hold more than one hard drive, which I consider to be essential for redundancy.A few models will also come with an HDMI port; this would let you use the NAS as a media server with a direct connection to your HDMI-equipped HDTV. My thoughts: One may overlook the DS120j as being too limiting with an ARM processor and RAM that cannot be upgraded. I’d give it serious consideration if you’re looking for your very first NAS, one for a student, or to store some files.

If you are looking for a more budget-friendly, entry-level NAS to use within your home network, the TerraMaster F4-210 is a very affordable option to consider. The DS220+ is well designed too. You've got a front panel that covers the drive bays, resulting in a cleaner look. The sides and top are clear also. On the rear, you'll find the two USD 3.0 ports, as well as two 1Gb LAN ports. It would have been nice to see 2.5Gb ports here, but being able to link the two 1Gb ports up does help. This may appear as just a marketing tactic to get you to spend more money on a hard drive, but most of these have actually been tested to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Most users who have been considering purchasing a brand new NAS Drive will often find a 4 drive (also known as a 4-Bay) desktop system to be the easiest and most capable entry point into this kind of technology. If you are trying to storage a decent sized amount of data over 10-12TB, you will all too often find that a 4-Bay NAS gives you the best middle ground between the price of your storage, the scalability in the lifespan of the system and the general hardware level of the NAS solution itself. It provides a great deal of storage/drive-failure-safety in its RAID 5/6 vs that of a 2-Bay and its RAID 0/1, whilst also allowing you to multiple the performance and throughout of the NAS thanks to the larger number of HDD/SSDs on offer. Most modern 4-Bay NAS released in the last few years have typically been the most creative areas for brands to start equipping their solutions with the most innovative features, such as m.2 SSD caching bays, PCIe upgrade slots, improved default network ports (such as 2.5GbE) and HDMI. Likewise, you will all too often find that most NAS brands (such as Synology, QNAP and Asustor) will have more 4-Bay solutions than any other tier – it is THAT much of a popular hardware choice. So, with a new year beginning, I wanted to make it easier for you and highlight the best three 4-Bay NAS systems to consider, right now in 2022. These three NAS What Have All the Best 4-Bay NAS Drives Have in Common? Bays, 2x PCIe Gen 3 M.2 NVMe 2280, Dual Core AMD Emb.Ryzen R1600 CPU, 4-32GB DDR4 ECC Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 10GbE Optional Upgrade Slot, 3-5yr WarrantyIn addition to the long run as a tech writer and editor, Jason spent over a decade as a college instructor doing his best to teach a generation of English students that there's more to success than putting your pants on one leg at a time and writing five-paragraph essays. While his days of steering students toward greatness are behind him, his lifelong desire to delight, entertain, and inform lives on in his work at How-To Geek.