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It ranks storage by live $/TB: NAS-rated CMR drives for every UGREEN, Synology, QNAP and TerraMaster model, DIY TrueNAS/Unraid build parts with RAM and ZFS calculators, and a live hard-drive shucking tracker that shows post-shuck $/TB versus buying internal. Prices are read live from Amazon.com.
Best NAS drives right now
Start with your NAS model
Plex server builds
Four tiers, from a silent N100 direct-play box to a 4K-remux TrueNAS tower. Each build lists every part with a live price; pick your tier by capability, not just budget.
Budget Plex Server
Direct play and light 1080p transcoding
- NAS board (Intel N100)$239.99
- RAM$239.99
- Boot SSD$109.99
- Case (2-bay)$149.99
- PSU—
- Drives2× ~12 TB CMR
Family Plex Server
3-5 simultaneous 1080p streams for the whole house
- NAS board (Intel N305)$279.99
- RAM$239.99
- Boot SSD$109.99
- Case (4-bay)$99.99
- PSU$124.99
- Drives4× ~12 TB CMR
4K Plex Server
2-3 concurrent 4K HDR transcodes
- CPU / iGPU (Intel Core i5)$247.99
- Motherboard$99.99
- RAM$218.99
- Boot SSD$156.99
- Case (4-bay)$134.99
- PSU$87.99
- Drives4× ~16 TB CMR
High-End Plex Server
4K remux libraries at scale, many streams
- CPU / iGPU (Intel Core i5)$247.99
- Motherboard (ECC)$429.99
- ECC RAM×2$501.99
- Boot SSD$156.99
- Case (6-8 bay)$109.99
- PSU$49.99
- HBA$89.80
- 10GbE / 2.5GbE NIC$60.53
- Drives6× ~20 TB CMR