I'm a NAS guy now — Ugreen DXP4800 Pro is 20% off

I wish I'd set up a NAS sooner. After taking the plunge, it took a couple of weeks to understand that a NAS is more than accessible network attached storage across a home connection — it's a personal server. The hardware starts with an enclosure, though that term undersells what you get.

I'm using the Ugreen NAS DXP4800 Pro, a 4-bay unit currently on Amazon for $640, which is 20% off. It uses low-power components not often found in gaming hardware, including an Intel Core i3 1315U and SODIMM memory, with 8 GB of DDR5 that can be upgraded via an underside panel — if you can stomach the current memory prices.

Hard drives are another bite out of the budget right now. Datacenter demand has pushed prices up and availability down for NAS-capable HDDs; expect to pay around $300 for an 8 TB Seagate IronWolf or about $390 for 10 TB. Smaller drives aren't much cheaper, larger ones are astronomical, and a proper NAS drive is important because a cheaper SMR model won't cut it for long.

nas, ugreen dxp4800, i3-1315u, ddr5, sodimm, 4-bay, amazon, seagate ironwolf, nas drives, smr drives