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NAS Buying Guide 2026: Drives, RAID, and What Specs Actually Matter

Choose a NAS based on the number of drive bays, CPU for transcoding, and RAID level for redundancy. This guide explains RAID 1, RAID 5, and SHR, and how to select compatible NAS hard drives.

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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 Jellyfin 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.

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Answers

Frequently asked 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 main 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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