I wasted weeks comparing NAS specs before realizing the real bottleneck isn't the CPU

Setting up a NAS is easy—they're usually plug-and-play. Picking out the right one for you can be harder. There are hundreds of models across at least a dozen brands, and they all have different hardware specs. I became a bit obsessed with finding the "ideal" NAS before purchasing one, only to realize that most of the time, the hardware specs don't really matter much at all.

Don't let research stop you from buying a NAS

Analysis paralysis is a real problem

Good backups matter, and a NAS is one of the easiest and most flexible ways to create your own backups. There is just one problem: there are so many options.

When I first started looking into buying a NAS, I found myself comparing a dozen different models, debating whether a few hundred megahertz on one CPU is worth it, comparing the RAM specs, double-checking the available ports, and otherwise agonizing over the specs.

Would my choice be "future-proof" (a trap in itself) , and what if I needed to upgrade something later?

After a while, I just put the project aside because I'd gotten so mired in the details that I couldn't make a decision.

I don't use my NAS like I expected I would

Simple backups require simple NASes

Eventually, I wound up building and receiving a few different NASes, and I was left with only one thought: I should have done this years ago.

The reality is that most NASes only ever see use as a type of long-term storage for backups. A simple backup server doesn't require a powerful CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a mix of high-speed USB ports.

Transferring files from my PC to my NAS is going to be limited by the write speed of the mechanical hard drives in the unit long before the CPU becomes a serious bottleneck. The operating systems are light enough that RAM isn't a major consideration.

Light services don't require an expensive NAS

After trying it, I've found that most services are easy enough to run that your average NAS doesn't really struggle to run them. After shopping around, the least expensive NASes I found for sale today have CPUs that are about as powerful as a Raspberry Pi 5 and come with at least 4GB of RAM.

Considering that many of my most useful self-hosted services, which include a Joplin server , a Pi-hole, and a backup VPN server, all run acceptably on Raspberry Pi Zero 2s, the CPU in a low-price NAS is going to be more than enough.

So long as you don't put anything particularly demanding on a NAS, like a game server or something that involves AI workloads, you don't have too much to worry about.

Large amounts of reliable storage matter more than power

The thing that you should research extensively is storage. If I were buying or building a NAS today, the only questions I'd ask would be:

• What kind of mirroring does it use? Is it RAID? Is it a software solution?

• Are the included drives SMR or CMR ?

• What is the price per TB of storage?

• Can the storage be expanded by adding drives or replacing the drives with larger ones?

Modern files can easily use up several terabytes of storage, especially if you back up RAW photos from your phone, 4K video, music ripped from CDs, or games from GoG. Ensuring that you have enough space, and that your files are securely backed up across multiple drives, is a lot more important than the difference between 4GB and 8GB of RAM.

What if you do need a powerful NAS?

Used PC hardware is the best way to get a powerful NAS

In the rare situation where you actually need a powerful NAS, I'd recommend skipping the off-the-shelf units and building one yourself.

If you're willing to shop around, you can pick up a used gaming PC on Facebook Marketplace for $300 to $500. Oftentimes, these PCs will include a first- or second-generation Ryzen processor (or Intel equivalent), at least 8GB of RAM, and a GPU of some kind. I recently saw a 10700K paired with 16GB of DDR4, an RTX 2060, a case, and a PSU sell for $450 that I considered buying for a home server.

It is a bit on the slow side for a gaming PC in 2026, but it would make an unbelievable NAS once you add a few big hard drives to it. Whether you're using Immich to get smart search for 100,000 photos or running a Minecraft server, that PC would handle it better than any similarly priced NAS.

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NAS specs aren't completely meaningless

Of course, NAS specs aren't completely meaningless. Today, 1GB of RAM is not going to be enough for a NAS, and a 10-year-old mobile processor is going to struggle. However, most modern NASes are perfectly adequate for simple file backups.

You're best served by researching how reliable the drives will be in the long term. If you eventually need a more powerful device to self-host something, you can always pick up a used PC and do it for less money than the off-the-shelf unit.