Want to set up your first NAS? These Black Friday deals make it easy!
Black Friday is just a few short weeks away, and it is always a great time to buy storage enclosures and hard drives. There have been a few shortages around hard drives in recent months, but availability is thankfully getting back to regular levels as we head into the holiday season.
Black Friday NAS deals:
While network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures haven't had the same issues with availability, this category hasn't seen as many new launches as in previous years. However, you'll already find a few enticing deals for NAS enclosures, with other deals set to kick off in the coming weeks.
If you're already using a NAS enclosure and are looking to make the switch to a new model, looking to increase the storage of your home server with additional hard drives, or are getting your first NAS, Black Friday is the ideal time to do so. In the meantime, we're rounding up a list of NAS enclosures that you should take a look at during Black Friday.
Where to find the best Black Friday NAS dealsLike most years, you'll have to go to Amazon and Newegg for the best NAS enclosure deals. But if last year was any indication, the best-selling models will go out of stock in under a day, so if you've made up your mind on what enclosure you're getting, you should act fast. Here's a rundown of the storefronts:
- Amazon: All the best NAS enclosures and hard drive deals will be live on Amazon
- Best Buy: Limited selection here, but a decent list of starter NAS with built-in drives
- Newegg: You'll find most consumer NAS enclosures, along with business-focused models
- B&H: If it's sold out on Amazon, you have a pretty good chance of finding it at B&H
Get ready to see most NAS deals go live in the last week of November, but a few enclosures are already on sale. A few retailers are going to kick off attractive discounts throughout the course of the month, so be sure to come back here for all the latest deals.
Best Buy is also price-matching a few deals for Black Friday, and that's a great way to pick up storage enclosures and hard drives at the same price as Black Friday but almost a month early. Given the availability issues that have hit the NAS category this year, it's a good bet to get your hands on the products you're looking to buy as early as possible. For my part, I'll highlight those deals as and when they go live, so stay tuned.
The best home NAS launches from last year continue to be a stellar choice in 2021 - particularly the DiskStation DS1520+, a high-end server that handles everything from Plex media streaming in 4K to backing up your connected phones and so much more with ease.
There are a few things to consider when you're buying a NAS enclosure. First is the number of drive bays. Most budget models come with a single or two drive bays, and mid-range models have four or more drive bays. If this is the first time you're buying a NAS, my recommendation would be to go with a single or two-bay NAS enclosure.
A key factor to consider when buying a NAS is storage. Most NAS enclosures don't come with built-in storage, so you will have to buy hard drives. There are several hard drives custom-built for use in NAS systems, and these are designed to run 24/7 and offer vibration resistance and can last several years.
My go-to choice in this category is Seagate's IronWolf series; I have over 40TB of storage in the form of IronWolf and IronWolf Pro drives, and they have been rock-solid for over three years. WD's Red Plus is also a good alternative, as is the Red Pro series. Make sure you don't buy drives with SMR tech - always go for NAS hard drives with CMR, as these drives have better long-term reliability.
If you don't want to buy a traditional hard drive and instead slot in SSDs, you can do that just as well. Most NAS enclosures have drive bays for 3.5-inch hard drives, but you can just as easily mount a 2.5-inch SSD in these bays. One point to note is that M.2 SSDs aren't usable on most enclosures, so you will have to get SATA SSDs. Samsung leads the market here with its Evo 870 and QVO 870 SSDs, and you can also find great alternatives from Western Digital, SK Hynix, and others. SSDs usually get marked down by a significant amount during the holiday season, so be sure to take a look at the deals that will go live in the coming weeks.