Network-attached storage (NAS) can be used to run various apps and services, which makes such enclosures far more useful than mere file storage. One such service that can be run is Plex Media Server. Think of it as running your very own Netflix and Spotify streaming service, but using purchased media without the monthly subscription. Here are our recommendations for the best NAS for running Plex.
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Source: QNAP
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Source: TerraMaster
TerraMaster F4-423
Runner-up
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Source: QNAP
QNAP TVS-h674-i3
Best performance
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Synology DiskStation DS224+
Best value
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Source: TerraMaster
TerraMaster F2-223
Best two-bay
Our top picks for the best Plex NAS in 2023
Source: QNAP
QNAP TS-464
Best overall
The best NAS for running Plex
QNAP’s TS-464 is an impressive four-bay NAS with a striking design, powerful internal specs, and IR support for a remote control. If you’re seeking the best-equipped NAS for running Plex (or other media solutions) without spending a small fortune, this is the NAS for you.
- Brand
- QNAP
- CPU
- Intel Celeron N5095
- Memory
- 8GB DDR4 (max. 8GB)
- Drive Bays
- 4
- Expansion
- 2x M.2 PCIe 3.0, 1x PCIe Gen 3 x2
- Ports
- 2x 2.5 GbE, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x HDMI
- Caching
- Yes
- OS
- QTS
- Price
- $590
- Dimensions
- 168 x 170 x 226 mm
- Weight
- 2.26 kg
Pros
- Great value
- Intel CPU for 4K transcoding
- Expansion support
The QNAP TS-464 is simply brilliant, thanks in part to what the company was able to cram inside the chassis. The Intel Celeron N5095 is a very capable processor that can handle transcoding of media to recipient devices, all the way up to 4K. QNAP ships the NAS with 8GB of DDR4 RAM as standard and while there’s no option to expand this further, 8GB is more than enough for most NAS owners, especially for running Plex Media Server.
The NAS looks the part too with a sleek black and copper styling, but it’s all serious business inside. There are two M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots for installing speedy SSDs and a single PCIe 3.0 expansion slot for network cards. If all that wasn’t enough, QNAP added two 2.5GbE network ports on the rear of the TS-464, as well as four USB ports, and a HDMI port that can connect to your TV for direct streaming. This NAS can not only handle Plex, but it’ll also gladly store all your data and/or backups, and even run a home surveillance system.
Source: TerraMaster
TerraMaster F4-423
Runner-up
Another solid pick for the best Plex NAS
The TerraMaster F4-423 is an affordable yet powerful four-bay enclosure with an Intel processor, upgradable RAM, M.2 slots, and a decent OS for running all the available apps and services.
- Brand
- TerraMaster
- CPU
- Intel Celeron N5095
- Memory
- 4GB DDR4 (max. 32GB)
- Drive Bays
- 4
- Expansion
- 2x M.2 PCIe 3.0
- Ports
- 2x 2.5 GbE, 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x HDMI
- Caching
- Yes
- OS
- TOS
- Price
- $500
- Dimensions
- 227 x 225x 136 mm
- Weight
- 3.6 kg
Pros
- Great specs for the price
- Intel CPU for 4K transcoding
- Supports up to 32GB of RAM
Cons
- HDMI port is useless
- No expansion support
The TerraMaster F4-423 is an amazing NAS in terms of value, but it’s also very powerful for the home or small office. Powering this four-bay enclosure is a dual-core Intel Celeron N5095 processor, which is more than capable of handling the transcoding of 4K media files, should you need to do so. TerraMaster is also generous with the RAM, including a whopping 4GB from the factory, which is more than what you’re able to upgrade to in some NAS enclosures.
If you require more system memory, up to 32GB of DDR4 can be installed inside the F4-423. We’re not done yet as there are two M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD slots available for data caching and/or storage. Two 2.5GbE connections make it possible for simultaneous connections to enjoy two lanes of up to 250MB/s. There is an HDMI port on the rear of the NAS, but it’s borderline useless and cannot be used for direct playback of media on the big screen, unfortunately. It’s a shame as the rest of the NAS is top class.
Source: QNAP
QNAP TVS-h674-i3
Best performance
Incredible amounts of computing power
The QNAP TVS-h674 is an impressive NAS that costs a small fortune. It’s because of what’s contained within. This i3 model houses an Intel Core i3-12100, the same CPU that can be found inside desktop PCs. Then there’s up to 64GB of RAM, six drive bays, multiple M.2 slots, PCI expansion, and fast networking to boot.
- Brand
- QNAP
- CPU
- Intel Core i3-12100
- Memory
- 16GB DDR4 (max. 64GB)
- Drive Bays
- 6
- Expansion
- 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0, 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4
- Ports
- 2x 2.5GbE, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI
- Caching
- Yes
- OS
- QTS
- Price
- $1,700
- Dimensions
- 188.2 x 264.3 x 280.8 mm
- Weight
- 6.32 kg
Pros
- Incredibly powerful
- 6 drive bays
- Intel Core CPU for 4K transcoding
Cons
- Overkill for most
- Expensive
- Power-hungry
You probably do not require the QNAP TVS-h674, but it would be wonderful to own one, especially for running Plex Media Server. The NAS is powered by an Intel Core i3-12100 processor and that’s a desktop-class chip, one you’d typically find inside an actual PC. This provides considerably more performance compared to low-power laptop CPUs used in most prebuilt NAS enclosures. Transcoding media through Plex is a non-issue, not only thanks to the raw power of the chip but also the included HDMI port.
It’s an expensive enclosure and one we’d only recommend to enthusiasts or those with big data requirements. The QNAP TVS-h674 offers good value, however. Joining the desktop CPU is 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be bumped up to 64GB. There are a total of six drive bays, complemented by two M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slots. Two additional PCI slots are available for expansion cards. Two 2.5GbE ports are at hand for networking and there are enough USB for connecting all your external storage devices. This is one powerful system.
Synology DiskStation DS224+
Best value
The NAS that offers the best value
The Synology DiskStation DS224+ is the direct successor to the popular DS220+, which was praised for the value it offered to consumers looking to buy their first enclosure. The DS224+ has an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of DDR4 RAM, and support for Synology’s excellent DSM operating system and catalog of apps.
- Brand
- Synology
- CPU
- Intel Celeron J4125
- Memory
- 2 GB DDR4
- Drive Bays
- 2
- Ports
- 2x 1GbE, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x eSATA
- Caching
- No
- OS
- Synology DSM
- Price
- $300
- Dimensions
- 165 x 108 x 232.2 mm
- Weight
- 1.3 kg
Pros
- Good specs for the price
- Intel CPU for 4K transcoding
- The best NAS OS
Cons
- Not a great upgrade over the DS220+
- 1GbE networking
- No M.2 SSD slots
The Synology DiskStation DS224+ had some big shoes to fill, replacing the very popular DS220+ NAS. It has an uprated CPU that matches what was inside the DS920+, one of the most popular choices for running Plex Media Server. With a more powerful processor, the DS224+ is more than capable of handling Plex and other more intensive NAS services. Transcoding 4K content will be no trouble even with other people using the enclosure and/or streaming other media.
Where this NAS falls a little short is when compared to the competition in terms of specifications. TerraMaster offers better specs for less but it doesn’t run Synology’s excellent DSM NAS operating system. Joining the processor inside the DS224+ is 2GB of expandable DDR4 RAM, two drive bays, and two 1GbE connections. It’s a good-value NAS priced at $300.
Source: TerraMaster
TerraMaster F2-223
Best two-bay
An amazing two-bay NAS for running Plex
TerraMaster’s F2-223 is an affordable NAS enclosure with some beefy specs, including an Intel Celeron processor, upgradable DDR4 RAM, M.2 slots, 2.5GbE networking, and a decent operating system. It’s ideal for storing data and running some more demanding apps.
- Brand
- TerraMaster
- CPU
- Intel Celeron N4505
- Memory
- 4 GB DDR4 (max. 32 GB)
- Drive Bays
- 2
- Expansion
- 2x M.2 2280
- Ports
- 2x 2.5GbE, 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x HDMI
- Caching
- Yes
- OS
- TerraMaster TOS
- Price
- $300
- Dimensions
- 227 x 119 x 133 mm
- Weight
- 2.4 kg
Pros
- Intel CPU for 4K transcoding
- Supports up to 32GB of RAM
- Two M.2 NVMe SSD slots
Cons
- No expansion support
- HDMI port is useless
Our favorite two-bay NAS for value and performance is the TerraMaster F2-223 and its reasonable specifications sheet. The Intel Celeron N4505 is a dual-core processor that supports the transcoding of up to 4K media. Two drive bays are at hand with an additional two M.2 slots for boosting the performance of the NAS with NVMe SSDs. Even though this is a more affordable enclosure from TerraMaster, there are still two 2.5GbE ports on the rear for hooking the server up to your network.
The HDMI port should be ignored as it’s not possible to use it for media consumption and the TOS operating system is a little rough when compared to the competition. TerraMaster continues to improve its TOS with each update and this is steadily becoming less of an issue.
Source: Asustor
ASUSTOR Lockerstor 4 Gen2 (AS6704T)
Best four-bay
An amazing two-bay NAS for running Plex
The ASUSTOR Lockerstor 4 Gen2 (AS6704T) is a very capable NAS for running Plex Media Server and then some, thanks to the Intel CPU, upgradable RAM, 2.5GbE networking, expansion support, and a great OS.
- Brand
- Asustor
- CPU
- Intel Celeron N5105
- Memory
- 4 GB DDR4 (max. 16 GB)
- Drive Bays
- 4
- Expansion
- 4x M.2 2280, optional 10GbE
- Ports
- 2x 2.5GbE, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, 1x HDMI 2.0b
- Caching
- Yes
- OS
- Asustor ADM
- Price
- $609
- Dimensions
- 185.5 x 170 x 230 mm
- Weight
- 2.94 kg
Pros
- HDMI port for direct playback
- Intel CPU for 4K transcoding
- Optional 10GbE upgrade
The Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen2 (AS6704T) is what you need for storing a lot of data for streaming through Plex Media Server. The four drive bays can hold a maximum of 80TB, which is considerably more than most media collections and should be good for countless 4K movies. The Intel Celeron N5105 processor is great for transcoding and running other apps and services at the same time. This is a good NAS for busier households and offices.
4GB of RAM is installed by default and the system memory can be expanded up to 16GB. Four M.2 NVMe SSD slots are available for boosting the performance of the enclosure or increasing the capacity of the storage pools and a HDMI port is ready for a direct connection to the big screen to negate the need to stream across the network. It;’s a little pricey, but well worth it for serious media fans.
Source: Synology
Synology DiskStation DS223j
Best budget
Great for streaming music and then some
The Synology DiskStation DS223j is an affordable entry point for those looking to buy their very first NAS enclosure. It has an ARM processor, two drive bays and some ports to hook it up to your network.
- Brand
- Synology
- CPU
- Realtek RTD1619B
- Memory
- 1GB DDR4 (max. 1GB)
- Drive Bays
- 2
- Expansion
- No
- Ports
- 1x 1GbE, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
- Caching
- No
- OS
- DSM
- Price
- 200
- Dimensions
- 165 x 100 x 225.5 mm
- Weight
- 0.88 kg
Pros
- Affordable
- Good for streaming music
- Access to the DSM OS
Cons
- No transcoding support
- Weaker ARM CPU
- No RAM upgrades
The Synology DiskStation DS223j may be the most affordable NAS in our collection here, but we wouldn’t write it off just yet. The Realtek RTD1619B is good enough for storing files and running a few lighter apps, including Plex. You won’t be transcoding anything with this enclosure but it’s possible to stream music and video that doesn’t require transcoding. The 1GB of DDR4 RAM will be used up quickly and you won’t be able to have multiple simultaneous connections without a somewhat sluggish experience.
This is reflected in the ports Synology added to the rear of the DS223j. It has just one 1GbE connection and a single USB port. There are no M.2 SSD slots inside the NAS and you won’t be able to expand the system memory. For the price, however, this is a solid deal with access to one of the best NAS operating systems in the business.
Choosing the best NAS for Plex
Picking the best NAS for Plex involves choosing an enclosure with the best processor for what you’ll use the NAS for. If it’s to simply stream some songs, just about any NAS that can run Plex Media Server will do. For transcoding content, you’ll need a little more power, something Intel Celeron processors with their integrated GPUs. We’re big fans of the QNAP TS-464 as it offers a powerful Intel Celeron processor for transcoding 4K content, four drive bays for storing lots of data, speedy 2.5GbE networking, and an HDMI port. It’s a solid NAS for the home or office.
Source: QNAP
QNAP TS-464
Best overall
The best NAS for running Plex
QNAP’s TS-464 is an impressive four-bay NAS with a striking design, powerful internal specs, and IR support for a remote control. If you’re seeking the best-equipped NAS for running Plex (or other media solutions) without spending a small fortune, this is the NAS for you.