For many households, the days of relying on a single external drive are long gone. Whether it’s storing family photos, backing up laptops, streaming movies, or even hosting personal projects, a home server brings reliability and centralized control. Modern NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices combine decent processors, expandable storage, and efficient network connectivity in a package that’s easier to set up and maintain than a traditional DIY server.
The servers below represent some of the strongest options on the market today. They balance processing power, RAM, and networking speed with a range of bay counts that let you scale storage as needed. Whether you’re looking for a small 2-bay setup for simple backups or a higher-end machine for media and content creation, there’s something here to match.
Best Servers for Home Use: Quick Comparison
| Server | CPU | Bays | RAM | Networking | Price (Amazon) |
| Synology DS224+ | Intel Celeron J4125 (4-core) | 2 | 2GB DDR4 | Dual 1GbE | $694 – Buy Now |
| Synology DS923+ | AMD Ryzen R1600 (dual-core, 4 threads) | 4 | 4GB DDR4 | Dual 1GbE | $1528 – Buy Now |
| QNAP TS-464-8G-US | Intel Celeron Quad-core | 4 | 8GB DDR4 | Dual 2.5GbE | $589 – Buy Now |
| TerraMaster F4-424 | Intel N95 Quad-core | 4 | 8GB DDR5 | Dual 2.5GbE | $499 – Buy Now |
| Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 AS6804T | AMD Ryzen Quad-core 2.3GHz | 4 | 16GB ECC DDR5 | Dual 5GbE + 10GbE | $1199 – Buy Now |
| UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus | Intel Pentium Gold 8505 (5-core) | 4 | 8GB DDR5 + 128GB SSD | 1×10GbE + 1×2.5GbE | $699 – Buy Now |
Best Servers for Home Use: Top Picks
Synology DS224+ 2-Bay DiskStation NAS (8TB Bundle)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: Intel Celeron J4125, Quad-core 2.0 GHz
- RAM: 2GB DDR4 (expandable)
- Storage: 2x 4TB WD Red Plus included
- Network: Dual 1GbE LAN
- Price – $694 – Buy Now
For anyone getting started with home servers, the Synology DS224+ is a safe bet. With its Intel Celeron CPU and 2GB of RAM, it’s not built for heavy virtualization or advanced workloads, but it handles the essentials like file storage, media serving, and automated backups with ease. Since it’s bundled with 8TB of WD Red Plus drives, it’s basically plug-and-play.
One of Synology’s biggest advantages is its DSM (DiskStation Manager) software, which feels approachable even for beginners. From the same dashboard, you can set up a Plex server, manage family backups, or even create a personal cloud as an alternative to Google Drive. If you’re primarily interested in centralized storage and media streaming without diving into complex server administration, this model is an excellent entry point.
Synology DS923+ 4-Bay DiskStation NAS (16TB Bundle)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: AMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core with 4 threads
- RAM: 4GB DDR4 (expandable to 32GB)
- Storage: 4x 4TB Seagate IronWolf included
- Network: Dual 1GbE LAN (upgradeable with 10GbE card)
- Price – $1528 – Buy Now
The DS923+ is a step up for households or small offices that want more horsepower. Powered by an AMD Ryzen processor, it has enough muscle to handle multi-user environments, run multiple apps simultaneously, and even support light virtualization. The 16TB storage bundle offers plenty of breathing room for large media collections or business data.
Synology’s expandability really shines here. The 4GB of RAM can go up to 32GB, and an optional PCIe card lets you upgrade from dual 1GbE to 10GbE networking for faster transfers. It’s an investment, but for anyone planning to grow into their home server rather than replace it in two years, the DS923+ provides that future-proofing.
QNAP TS-464-8G-US 4-Bay NAS (Diskless)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: Intel Celeron quad-core
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 4 bays, diskless
- Networking: Dual 2.5GbE ports
- Expansion: 2x M.2 PCIe slots
- Price – $589 – Buy Now
QNAP takes a slightly different approach than Synology, appealing to power users who don’t mind digging into advanced features. The TS-464-8G-US is a prime example: it ships without drives, but once you add your own, it becomes a very capable platform for media, backup, and even light container or VM hosting.
The dual 2.5GbE ports give you faster-than-Gigabit networking right out of the box, which is excellent for transferring large files. The inclusion of M.2 PCIe slots means you can add SSD caching to speed up workloads. The trade-off is that QNAP’s software isn’t quite as beginner-friendly as Synology’s, but for those comfortable tinkering, this NAS can handle far more advanced setups.
TERRAMASTER F4-424 NAS Storage 4-Bay (Diskless)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: Intel N95 quad-core
- RAM: 8GB DDR5
- Storage: 4 bays, diskless
- Network: Dual 2.5GbE ports
- Price – $499 – Buy Now
The Terramaster F4-424 stands out for packing modern hardware into an affordable package. With DDR5 RAM and a quad-core Intel CPU, it feels surprisingly quick in day-to-day use, especially when serving media or handling multiple simultaneous transfers. Like QNAP, it comes diskless, which means you’ll need to factor in the cost of drives.
Where it shines is performance per dollar. The dual 2.5GbE ports mean you won’t immediately bottleneck on network speeds, and the 8GB of DDR5 memory provides headroom for multi-tasking. Terramaster’s software is less polished compared to Synology’s DSM, but the hardware makes up for it if you’re comfortable with a slightly less slick interface.
Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 AS6804T (Diskless)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Quad-Core 2.3GHz
- RAM: 16GB ECC DDR5
- Storage: 4 bays, diskless
- Expansion: 4x M.2 NVMe slots
- Network: Dual 5GbE & 10GbE ports
- Price – $1199 – Buy Now
The Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 is an enthusiast-grade NAS. It’s designed for users who want serious horsepower — whether for heavy-duty Plex streaming, video editing directly off the NAS, or hosting multiple services at once. The AMD Ryzen processor, 16GB of ECC DDR5 memory, and support for dual 5GbE plus 10GbE networking make it extremely capable.
The inclusion of 4 NVMe slots makes it appealing for anyone who needs SSD caching or even wants to run all-flash storage for ultra-fast workflows. While it’s overkill for someone who just wants a backup server, creators and professionals working with large media files will appreciate the raw power.
UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay (Diskless)
Quick Highlights
- CPU: Intel Pentium Gold 8505, 5-core
- RAM: 8GB DDR5 (expandable)
- Storage: 4 bays, diskless
- Extras: 128GB SSD, 4K HDMI output
- Networking: 1x 10GbE, 1x 2.5GbE
- Price – $699 – Buy Now
UGREEN is newer to the NAS space but the NASync DXP4800 Plus is an impressive debut. With a modern 5-core CPU, 8GB of DDR5 RAM, and a bundled 128GB SSD for caching or system use, it offers a nice balance between performance and usability. The inclusion of a 10GbE port makes it future-proof for high-speed networks.
What sets it apart is the HDMI output. This means you can connect it directly to a TV or monitor and use it as a media center without another device in between. For anyone wanting both a traditional NAS and something that doubles as a home entertainment hub, this hybrid approach is a neat bonus.
Conclusion
The best home server depends largely on what you want to do with it. For basic storage and backups, the Synology DS224+ is a straightforward, beginner-friendly option. If you need room to grow, the DS923+ and QNAP TS-464 strike a good balance between performance and expandability. The Terramaster F4-424 is a cost-effective way to get modern hardware, while the Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 and UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus are enthusiast choices with powerful CPUs and high-speed networking for demanding workflows.
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