Mini PC vs NAS: Cost Comparison

Quick Verdict

A mini PC + DAS (direct attached storage) costs less and gives you significantly more compute power than a dedicated NAS. A Synology DS923+ costs $600 before drives and delivers a 2-core AMD CPU. A $200 N100 mini PC has a 4-core Intel CPU with QuickSync transcoding — and still costs less after adding storage. The trade-off: dedicated NAS units are simpler to set up and manage.

The Two Approaches

Approach A: Dedicated NAS

Buy a pre-built NAS from Synology, QNAP, or similar. Plug in drives. Use the manufacturer’s OS.

Strengths: Plug-and-play, polished software, RAID management built in, compact form factor, long software support.

Weakness: Expensive for the compute power you get. Most NAS CPUs are underpowered for heavy Docker workloads.

Approach B: Mini PC + External Storage

Buy a mini PC and add storage via USB DAS enclosure, internal SATA bay, or NFS from another server. Install TrueNAS, Unraid, Proxmox, or just Docker on Ubuntu.

Strengths: 2-5x more compute per dollar, hardware transcoding, full OS flexibility, GPU passthrough possible.

Weakness: More setup work, no integrated drive management UI (unless you install TrueNAS/Unraid), multiple components to manage.

Hardware Cost Comparison

Budget Tier (~4TB usable)

Component	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + Storage
Compute	Synology DS224+ ($300)	Intel N100 mini PC ($180)
Drives	2x 4TB WD Red Plus ($200)	1x 4TB WD Red Plus ($100)
Enclosure	Included	USB 3.0 enclosure ($25)
Total	$500	$305
CPU	Intel J4125 (4C/4T, 2.7 GHz)	Intel N100 (4C/4T, 3.4 GHz)
RAM	2GB (8GB max)	16GB
QuickSync	Yes (limited)	Yes (better)
Storage config	RAID 1 (4TB usable)	Single drive (4TB, no redundancy)

Winner: Mini PC saves $195 and delivers more CPU and RAM. The NAS gives you RAID 1 redundancy. Add a second USB drive or internal SATA for $100 to match.

Mid-Range Tier (~8-16TB usable)

Component	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + Storage
Compute	Synology DS923+ ($600)	Intel N305 mini PC ($350)
Drives	4x 8TB IronWolf ($560)	4x 8TB IronWolf ($560)
Enclosure	Included	4-bay USB DAS ($120)
Total	$1,160	$1,030
CPU	AMD R1600 (2C/4T, 3.1 GHz)	Intel N305 (8C/8T, 3.8 GHz)
RAM	4GB (32GB max)	16-32GB
QuickSync	No (AMD)	Yes (32 EU)
Storage config	RAID 5 (24TB usable)	Software RAID or JBOD

Winner: Mini PC saves $130 and delivers 4x the cores with hardware transcoding. The NAS has integrated drive management and a more compact form factor. Both use the same drives.

High-End Tier (~32TB+ usable)

Component	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + NAS Combo
Compute	Synology DS1522+ ($700)	Used Dell OptiPlex ($250)
Drives	5x 12TB WD Red Pro ($900)	5x 12TB WD Red Pro ($900)
Enclosure	Included	Synology DS923+ ($600) as NAS only
Total	$1,600	$1,750
Compute	AMD R1600 (2C/4T)	Intel i5-12500T (6C/12T)
RAM	8GB (32GB max)	32GB + 4-32GB (NAS)
Docker capability	Limited by CPU	Full server-class

At this tier, the combo approach costs slightly more but separates compute from storage — a cleaner architecture. The OptiPlex handles all Docker workloads and transcoding. The NAS handles storage and RAID. This is how experienced homelabbers typically set up.

Power Cost Comparison (Annual)

Setup	Idle Power	Annual Cost ($0.12/kWh)
Synology DS224+ (2 drives)	15-20W	$16-21
Synology DS923+ (4 drives)	30-40W	$32-42
N100 mini PC (no drives)	6-8W	$6-8
N100 mini PC + 1 USB drive	12-15W	$13-16
N305 mini PC + 4-bay DAS	25-35W	$26-37
OptiPlex + NAS combo	45-65W	$47-68

Power costs are roughly equivalent between dedicated NAS and mini PC + DAS. The combo approach (separate server + NAS) costs more in power but provides much more capability.

3-Year Total Cost of Ownership

Budget Setup (4TB usable)

Cost	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + Storage
Hardware	$500	$305
Electricity (3 years)	$54	$42
Drive replacement (1 failure)	$100	$100
3-Year TCO	$654	$447
Compute power	Low	Medium
Transcoding	Basic	Full QuickSync

Mid-Range Setup (16-24TB usable)

Cost	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + DAS
Hardware	$1,160	$1,030
Electricity (3 years)	$108	$96
Drive replacement (1 failure)	$140	$140
3-Year TCO	$1,408	$1,266
Compute power	Low-Medium	High
Transcoding	No (AMD CPU)	Full QuickSync

Capability Comparison

Capability	Dedicated NAS	Mini PC + Storage
RAID management	Integrated GUI	TrueNAS/Unraid/mdadm (manual)
Docker support	Good (DSM/QTS)	Full (native Linux)
Plex/Jellyfin transcoding	Intel models only, limited	Full QuickSync or add GPU
VM support	Limited (low RAM/CPU)	Full Proxmox/VMs
Expandability	NAS-specific expansion units	Any USB/SATA/NVMe storage
Remote management	NAS web UI (excellent)	Portainer/Cockpit (good)
Setup time	30 minutes	1-2 hours
Maintenance	Near-zero	OS updates, manual config
Max RAM	32GB (most models)	32-64GB
Software flexibility	Vendor’s app ecosystem	Any Linux software

When to Buy a Dedicated NAS

You value simplicity. DSM/QTS handles RAID, Docker, backups, and file sharing with a polished web UI.
Time matters more than money. A NAS is working in 30 minutes. A mini PC + TrueNAS takes hours.
You’re not tech-savvy. NAS UIs are designed for non-experts. Linux server management isn’t.
Form factor matters. A 4-bay NAS is purpose-built and compact. A mini PC + DAS is two separate devices.
You want 10-year software support. Synology maintains DSM for a decade per model.

When to Use a Mini PC

You need more compute power. An N100/N305 embarrasses any NAS CPU. Essential for transcoding, VMs, ML workloads.
Budget is constrained. You get more hardware per dollar.
You’re comfortable with Linux. If you can set up Docker on Ubuntu or install TrueNAS, the mini PC route is strictly better value.
You need hardware transcoding. Most NAS CPUs either lack QuickSync entirely (AMD models) or have weaker iGPUs.
You want to run many containers. A mini PC with 16-32GB RAM handles 20+ containers. Most NAS units ship with 2-4GB.

The Hybrid Approach (Recommended for Growing Homelabs)

Start with a mini PC. When your storage needs outgrow what a USB DAS or internal drive can provide, add a dedicated NAS for storage only and let the mini PC handle all compute.

Phase 1: Mini PC + internal/USB drive
  → N100 with 4TB drive ($250-300)
  → Handles everything: storage, Docker, transcoding

Phase 2: Mini PC + dedicated NAS
  → N100/N305 for compute and transcoding
  → Synology/TrueNAS for storage and RAID
  → NFS connects the two
  → Best of both worlds

This is the most common evolution path in the homelab community. You never waste money — the mini PC remains your compute workhorse, and the NAS handles what it’s best at: reliable storage.

FAQ

Can a mini PC replace a NAS completely?

For 1-2 drives, yes. Install TrueNAS or use Ubuntu with mdadm RAID. For 4+ drives, a mini PC lacks drive bays — you’ll need a DAS enclosure or a NAS for storage. The mini PC replaces the NAS’s compute role, not its storage role.

Is TrueNAS on a mini PC as reliable as Synology?

TrueNAS with ZFS is arguably more reliable for data integrity than Synology’s ext4/Btrfs. The difference is in management: Synology’s DSM is more user-friendly. TrueNAS requires more Linux knowledge but gives you more control.

What about Unraid on a mini PC?

Unraid ($59-129 license) is an excellent NAS OS for mini PCs with multiple drives. It handles RAID-like redundancy, Docker, and VMs with a polished web UI. It bridges the gap between Synology’s ease of use and a DIY Linux server’s flexibility.

Do I need ECC RAM for NAS use?

ECC RAM prevents silent memory bit flips that could corrupt data. ZFS strongly recommends ECC. For a home NAS with backups, non-ECC RAM is acceptable — the risk is low. If data integrity is paramount, use ECC (requires Intel Xeon or AMD with ECC support — most consumer mini PCs don’t support it).

What DAS enclosure should I buy for a mini PC?

TerraMaster D5-300C (5-bay, USB 3.1, ~$150) or ORICO multi-bay enclosures are popular choices. For 2 drives, any USB 3.0 dual-bay enclosure works. Hardware RAID in the DAS is unnecessary if you use software RAID on the mini PC.