PCs with upgradable components can also grow alongside you, saving you the trouble of setting up a new server every few years. A decent PC or Mac is more powerful than a NAS device, which comes in handy when you stream or transcode 4K video for several devices simultaneously. Using a desktop or laptop for home streaming has its benefits, especially when it comes to computing power and upgradability. Some people opt for small, more power-efficient computers like the Intel NUC, though these small PCs cost way more than a typical NAS device and don’t come with RAM or a preinstalled OS. If you have an old computer lying around and don’t mind leaving it on 24/7, you shouldn’t have much trouble using it as a Plex server, though you will probably notice an impact on your electric bill. Technically speaking, any desktop or laptop computer can work as a home media server with network attached storage and RAID capabilities.
(File redundancy is always a tradeoff for usable storage space, and some people may opt for less redundancy to avoid spending a ton of money on hard drives.)įully Featured: Repurpose a Desktop or Laptop Adding new drives to your NAS device is incredibly easy, and depending on how you set up your raid array RAID, you might never need to worry about losing data if a drive needs to be replaced. They also use RAID to “combine” hard drives for increased performance and file redundancy, a form of real-time data backup. And much like the Dropbox and OneDrive cloud services, you can even access your NAS unit when you’re away from home.īecause NAS devices are intended for everyday consumers, they make the server setup process as straightforward as possible and feature multiple easy-to-access drive bays. You can use your NAS unit to wirelessly back up files from your computer, phone, or tablet, or even download the files from your NAS without plugging a hard drive into your device. In other words, they’re like cloud servers for your home.
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