NAS & network storage
Max Density 
Jonsbo N3 (8-bay ITX NAS Case)
- ✓8 hot-swap 3.5" + 2x 2.5" bays
- ✓Mini-ITX format, SFX power supply
- ✓Integrated backplane, compact design
- ✓Includes 100 mm fan
Plug-and-Play Solution
Topton / CWWK N100 NAS Kit (Board + Case)
- ✓Integrated Intel N100 (low power)
- ✓4 to 6 bays depending on model, often 2.5 GbE
- ✓Multiple M.2 NVMe slots, external PSU
- ✓No separate CPU purchase needed
Our pick
Synology DS224+
- ✓DSM: the most polished NAS OS
- ✓Apps + mobile ecosystem
- ✓Photos, backup, Plex
Best value
UGREEN NASync DXP
- ✓Intel + upgradable RAM
- ✓Great for Docker / VMs
- ✓Aggressive pricing
QNAP QSW-M3108S-2C6T
Turnkey
Synology DS923+
- ✓DSM super simple
- ✓ECC + optional 10 GbE
- ✓Great demanding beginner
Essential
NAS drives (WD Red / IronWolf)
- ✓Built for 24/7
- ✓CMR recommended
- ✓3-year warranty
Mini-PCs & homelab
Our pick 
Proxmox homelab mini-PC
- ✓Ideal for Proxmox VE
- ✓Silent, low power
- ✓Homelab starter
Best start
Intel N100 mini-PC 16 GB
- ✓Perfect Proxmox + 5-10 containers
- ✓6 W TDP (Intel spec sheet)
- ✓Dual 2.5 GbE on good models
More power
Beelink / Minisforum N305
- ✓8 cores: several comfy VMs
- ✓16 GB RAM max (Intel spec sheet)
- ✓Great Proxmox + Nextcloud + Jellyfin
Recommended
4x 2.5 GbE mini-PC
- ✓4 Intel 2.5 GbE ports
- ✓Perfect for pfSense / OPNsense
- ✓Fanless, low power
x86 alternative
Fanless N100 mini-PC
- ✓More power than a Pi
- ✓Full Docker support
- ✓Silent
Best Performance/Price
Intel N100 Mini-PC (16 GB / 512 GB NVMe)
- ✓Intel N100 4-core x86-64 up to 3.4 GHz
- ✓16 GB DDR4/DDR5, NVMe included
- ✓2x HDMI 4K, sometimes 2.5 GbE
- ✓N100 TDP: 6 W (Intel spec sheet)
Most Powerful
Intel N150 Mini-PC (16 GB / 1 TB, 2.5 GbE)
- ✓Intel N150 4 cores, boost up to 3.6 GHz
- ✓16 GB DDR5, 1 TB NVMe SSD
- ✓2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 6, dual 4K output
- ✓7-16 W consumption
Perf / freedom
TrueNAS mini-PC (DIY)
- ✓ZFS on open x86
- ✓Upgradable RAM/disks
- ✓Most control
Raspberry Pi & SBCs
Reliability 
NVMe SSD for Pi 5
- ✓Fast, reliable boot
- ✓No more SD corruption
- ✓256 GB is plenty
Most Versatile
Raspberry Pi 5 Kit (8 GB) with PSU and Case
- ✓ARM Cortex-A76 quad-core SoC 2.4 GHz
- ✓8 GB LPDDR4X, 40-pin GPIO
- ✓2x USB 3.0, 2x micro-HDMI 4K, PCIe 2.0 x1
- ✓3-8 W consumption depending on load
NAS hard drives
Our pick 
WD Red Plus (CMR)
- ✓Guaranteed CMR (no SMR)
- ✓Built for 24/7 RAID
- ✓Quiet, 3-year warranty
Great alternative
Seagate IronWolf
- ✓CMR on the NAS range
- ✓IronWolf Health Management
- ✓Solid RAID performance
Best $/TB
Toshiba N300
- ✓CMR, large cache
- ✓Often cheapest per TB
- ✓Great for mass storage
SSDs & NVMe
Don't forget 
SO-DIMM RAM + NVMe SSD
- ✓16 GB: an N100's maximum (Intel)
- ✓1 TB NVMe for VMs/datastores
- ✓Reliable Crucial / Kingston
Memory (RAM)
More VMs 
SO-DIMM DDR4/DDR5 RAM
- ✓More VMs/containers
- ✓Crucial / Kingston
- ✓Mini-PC compatible
UPS units
Our pick 
APC Back-UPS 700-900 VA
- ✓Auto-shutdown Synology/QNAP (USB)
- ✓Line-interactive, built-in AVR
- ✓Ultra-common reference
Pro grade
Eaton Ellipse / 5E
- ✓Very reliable, pro finish
- ✓Good software management
- ✓Easy battery replacement
Best value
CyberPower line-interactive
- ✓Often cheapest at equal VA
- ✓LCD screen on many models
- ✓USB for auto-shutdown (NUT)
Smart home (Zigbee/Matter)
Local control 
Zigbee / Matter dongle
- ✓100% local Zigbee
- ✓No vendor cloud
- ✓SkyConnect / Sonoff
Networking (cards & HBA)
Reuse a PC 
Intel i226 NIC
- ✓Intel NIC = reliable drivers
- ✓Turn an old PC into a router
- ✓2.5 / 10 GbE
Smart home hubs
Plug & play 
Home Assistant Green
- ✓HA preinstalled, zero config
- ✓Very low power
- ✓Great for beginners
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