The box + the drives
Storage builds: choose the box and the drives
Sourced parts lists for three different storage jobs. Check component prices, usable capacity and compatibility before ordering.
2 × 4TB / RAID 1
Family photosStart with the size of your photo library and how quickly it grows. This example uses a two-bay NAS with two equal 4TB drives in a mirror. It provides about 4TB before formatting and filesystem overhead, not 8TB of usable space.
View parts & cost →4 × 8TB / RAID 5
Plex libraryThis capacity-focused example pairs a four-bay F4-425 with four 8TB WD Red Plus drives. RAID 5 leaves about 24TB before formatting and filesystem overhead. The enclosure and each drive are bought separately.
View parts & cost →2 × 8TB / Hardware RAID 1
Video backupUse this as a local copy of footage and completed projects from your editing computer. Two 8TB drives in a D2-320 hardware mirror provide about 8TB before filesystem overhead. The enclosure connects by USB; it is not a standalone network server.
View parts & cost →Buy a setup, not just a capacity label
Enclosures are sold without drives. Each example lists an exact system, exact drive model, drive count and the expected capacity after RAID. Parts prices are compared separately from the manufacturer specification records.
Leave room in the budget for backup
The examples cover core hardware. They exclude taxes, shipping, backup destinations, network upgrades, subscriptions and power protection. A mirror or parity array still needs a separate backup for irreplaceable files.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These are diskless enclosures; drives are sold separately. Amazon US only. Prices and availability can change; the price displayed on Amazon at purchase applies. Check the selected seller, condition and exact configuration.