5 best NAS for Plex to buy [Black Friday & Cyber Monday]
The best Plex server can be a NAS - check out the best deals & get yours
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Key notes
- Does Plex work well on Synology? And what about QNAP?
- Wonder no more as now is your chance to see for yourself just how good a match they make and get the best NAS for Plex.
- You needn't worry about prices, though, as we also included the best budget NAS for Plex options.
Plex has already gained a whole lot of popularity among TV series and movie enthusiasts who like to keep things nice and organized.
But this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for specialized hardware solutions such as NAS (Network-Attached Storage) units.
These devices made it possible for users all over the world to store their favorite multimedia content and stream it (by using Plex) whenever they saw fit.
In order to find some of the best NAS units that you can buy, don’t hesitate to take a closer look at the list below.
Note: All the prices and offers in this article are subject to change, so be sure to check the official product page to get the latest deal. If the product or offer you’re looking for is no longer available, you can try to find it on its official manufacturer page or get another one from our list.
What is the best NAS for Plex?
Synology 2
- Dual-core processor
- Low noise level
- Two camera licenses are already installed
- AES-NI encryption engine
- Advanced Bars file system
- Synology expansion bay needed for expanding the NAS
Synology 2 is a NAS that requires no further introduction, as the reputation of Synology is unquestionable.
This NAS unit can help Plex users organize and enjoy multimedia content without significant effort, thanks to its live transcoding and video streaming capabilities.
As its name subtly suggests, Synology 2 can hold up to two disks at the same time, and also read at 113 MB/s or write at 112 MB/s.
QNAP TS-451
- Intel Celeron Quad-Core 2
- QNAP remote included
- Supports offline and hardware transcoding
- 4 drive bays give more space if needed
- Many third-party apps are supported
- Speed issues
QNAP TS-451 is a 4-Bay NAS unit that can enable Plex users to organize their multimedia content in a more effective manner and enjoy it via streaming without significant effort.
This unit comes with an Intel Celeron Quad-Core 2. 0GHz CPU, as well as 2GBs RAM (DDR3L) that you can upgrade up to 8GBs, and hardware transcoding capabilities.
It’s practically your chance to run multiple Windows/Linux/UNIX/Android-based virtual machines with the virtualization station, so don’t hesitate to buy it.
TerraMaster F2-221
- Apollo J3355 2.0GHz dual-core CPU
- AES hardware encryption engine
- Advanced Btrfs file system
- Real-time hardware transcoding
- Ultra-quiet fan
- Not the most affordable option
TerraMaster F2-221 is one of the best NAS that you can use for all your Plex needs, including but not limited to streaming multimedia content and storing it in a neat, organized fashion.
This diskless unit comes with powerful specs that include an Intel Apollo J3355 2.0 GHz dual-core CPU, as well as 2GBs of RAM (which you can extend up to 4GBs).
As for the Advanced Btrfs file system, it offers 71,680 system-wide snapshots and 1,024 snapshots per shared folder.
TerraMaster F5-221
- AES hardware encryption engine
- Intelligent temperature control fan
- Features an aluminum-alloy shell
- Accessible price
- Sturdy unit
- Linux incompatibility
TerraMaster F5-221 is the 5-Bay version of the TerraMaster F2-221, but you can still use it with Plex to satisfy your need for TV show or movie streaming and/or keeping multimedia content neatly organized.
Like its predecessor, TerraMaster F5-221 comes with an Intel Apollo 2.0GHz dual-core CPU, and 2GB of RAM that can be easily upgraded to 4GBs, depending on your needs.
Even more, it features an aluminum-alloy shell and intelligent temperature control ultra-quiet fan, being ideal for heat dissipation.
Synology 5
- Can hold up to 5 disks
- More powerful than Synology 2
- Can be scaled to up to 10 drives with one expansion unit
- Quad-core CPU with AES-NI encryption engine
- Built-in two M.2 NVMe SSD slots
- Backup not working random issues
Synology 5 is the 5-Bay version of Synology 2 and it offers greater support for Plex users who just need more space to store their multimedia content, in order to stream and enjoy it later.
This NAS unit packs a quad-core CPU with AES-NI encryption capabilities and can read and write at over 225 MB/s, even when data fragments are encrypted.
The built-in two M.2 NVMe SSD slots are ideal for system cache support, not to mention that there are also dual 1GbE (RJ-45) ports with failover and Link Aggregation support.
To wrap it up, you can’t really use Plex as it was intended if you don’t have a serious home server setup going on, and we can all agree that NAS units can really fill those shoes (and then some).
Therefore, whether you consider investing top dollar in Synology 5, QNAP TS-451, or TerraMaster F5-221, you can’t really go wrong with either of those products.
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