Best 4-Bay NAS of the Year – 2024

A Guide to the Best 4-Bay NAS Drives to Buy Right Now

For professionals moving from cloud storage to private servers, 4-Bay NAS devices have become the go-to choice in 2024. Offering large storage capacities of up to 24TB per drive and enhanced redundancy for data protection, these systems stand out for their reliable hardware and ample space. As NAS technology has advanced, the quality of 4-Bay NAS systems designed for prosumers and small businesses has improved significantly, all while maintaining competitive pricing. After years of reviewing NAS devices, it’s clear that 2024 is a particularly competitive year, with significant innovations shaping the market. Key developments include the integration of M.2 NVMe SSDs for both caching and primary storage, the widespread adoption of 2.5GbE networking, and the introduction of newer, more powerful processors to enhance internal bandwidth. NAS software has also seen continuous upgrades, making these systems more flexible and feature-rich. As we head into 2024, let’s explore the best 4-Bay NAS drives available.

Best 4-Bay NAS of the Year (Best Software) Synology DS923+ NAS $550+ – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Terramaster F4-424 Max NAS $899– Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 NAS $1299– Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H (Best Hardware) QNAP TS-464 NAS $550 – Buy Here on Amazon – Buy HERE on B&H

What Have All the Best 4-Bay NAS Drives Have in Common?

As we move into 2025, the market offers a wide variety of 4-Bay NAS drives, but not all are created equal. Many budget options fall short in durability and performance compared to premium brands. When choosing a 4-Bay NAS, whether from my top picks or others, ensure it includes these essential features:

• Support for SATA and M.2 NVMe: A must-have feature for modern NAS systems in 2024.
• Support for Large Drives: Should accommodate up to 24TB drives like Seagate Ironwolf or WD Red.
• RAID Configurations: Ensures better performance and data protection.
• Integrated Hardware & Software: Includes both the NAS device and a software suite with apps for backup, media streaming, surveillance, and file management.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Should work seamlessly with Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux.
• Local and Secure Remote Access: Supports both local and secure remote access at no additional cost.
• Direct Ethernet Access: Allows fast, direct access via Ethernet.
• Backup and Sync Tools: Includes tools for regular file and system backups.
• Cloud and Business Sync: Compatible with Google Drive, Dropbox, AWS, and more. As well as SaaS platforms, such as Google Workspace and 365
• Shared Drive Hosting: Easily syncs shared drives with native file managers.
• 2-3 Year Warranty, Extendable to 5 Years: Standard warranty with an option to extend.
• Regular Updates: Keeps the system secure and up-to-date.

Ensure any 4-Bay NAS you consider has these features for the best experience in 2024. Now, let’s look at the top 4-Bay NAS drives to invest at the tail end of 2024.

The Lockerstor 4 Gen 3 – Powerhouse NAS (at a price!)

0-96TB, 4-Bays, AMD V3000 CPU 4-Core/8-Thread, 16-64GB DDR5 ECC, 4xSATA, 4x Gen4 M.2 4×1, 2x 10GbE, 2x 5GbE, 2x USB4 USB-C, 3x USB 10G, 3 Year Warranty

Current Price/Availability on Amazon – $1299

Hardware Review – LINK

YouTube Video Review – Watch

What I said in my review OCT ’24:

The Asustor Lockerstor Gen 3 is a significant leap forward, showcasing enhanced hardware and connectivity tailored to high-performance storage needs. Built with an AMD Ryzen V3000 Embedded processor, this NAS balances power and efficiency for various data-intensive tasks. Its ECC DDR5 memory ensures data integrity, making it reliable for professional users handling large data volumes. Equipped with dual 10GbE and dual 5GbE ports alongside USB4, the Lockerstor Gen 3 achieves up to 30 Gbps in total network connectivity and offers PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe support, maximizing throughput across multiple high-speed connections. Real-world testing confirmed its capability to reach transfer speeds over 3 GB/s with combined network and USB4 connections. Performance tests on standard HDDs in RAID 5 mode over 10GbE averaged 500–600 MB/s, while NVMe drives in RAID 0 fully utilized dual 10GbE with around 2.5 GB/s speeds. When directly connected over USB4/Thunderbolt 4 for IP networking, it maintained stable speeds of 1.4–1.6 GB/s per USB4 link, a valuable setup for users in need of direct high-speed connections like video editors. With enhanced heat dissipation—thanks to a copper-finned heat pipe and airflow redesign—this NAS efficiently manages thermal output even with these high-performance components, ensuring a durable, high-speed performance setup in a compact form.

The Lockerstor Gen 3’s software, ADM 5, covers essential data management and security, though it lacks the advanced multimedia and AI features seen in competitors. Its lack of integrated graphics means transcoding support may be limited, but ADM 5 still enables smooth, secure file management, automatic backups, snapshots, and remote access. Asustor has improved default security settings, and ADM’s flexibility also allows for third-party OS installation, making it compatible with solutions like TrueNAS and Unraid for custom storage configurations. With network management features like Wake-on-LAN and Wake-on-WAN, and support for SMB Multichannel, the NAS provides robust options for deployments needing remote access and high-performance file sharing.

In terms of build quality, the Lockerstor Gen 3 combines a sturdy metal frame with low noise levels, even under heavy loads, and maintains efficient power consumption, peaking at 50 watts during active workloads—a notable feat given its power and compact size. The built-in LCD panel for direct monitoring and configuration adds convenience, and the unit’s comprehensive array of connections means it is equipped to handle multi-user, high-bandwidth environments. Overall, with a focus on performance, network flexibility, and reliable design, the Lockerstor Gen 3 is a standout choice for professionals who require scalable, high-speed storage without compromising on build quality or power efficiency.

SOFTWARE - 7/10

HARDWARE - 10/10

PERFORMANCE - 10/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 7/10

8.2

PROS

👍🏻High-Performance CPU: Equipped with the AMD Ryzen V3000 Embedded processor, delivering efficient, server-grade performance for demanding tasks.
👍🏻ECC DDR5 Memory: Includes 16GB of ECC DDR5 memory (expandable to 64GB), ensuring data integrity and reliability.
👍🏻Comprehensive Connectivity: Dual 10GbE and dual 5GbE ports, along with two USB4 ports, provide a combined bandwidth of up to 30 Gbps for versatile network setups.
👍🏻Advanced Data Protection: Offers RAID 5 and RAID 6 options for HDDs and NVMe drives, with hot-swappable capabilities and Btrfs support for snapshots.
👍🏻USB4/Thunderbolt 4 Over IP: Supports direct connection to Mac and Windows systems via USB4 for fast data transfers and point-to-point editing.
👍🏻Robust Build Quality: Sturdy metal chassis with minimal noise, even during heavy operations, and excellent heat dissipation with a copper heat pipe.
👍🏻ADM 5 Software: Reliable, secure OS with essential features like snapshots, remote access, and simplified setup; supports third-party OS installations.
👍🏻Efficient Power Consumption: Peaks at around 50W under heavy load, efficient for the system’s performance class.
👍🏻Front LCD Display: The configurable LCD panel allows direct monitoring and setup, a handy feature for easy system management.
👍🏻Excellent for Multi-User Environments: Multi-channel network support and high bandwidth make it ideal for collaborative, multi-client setups.

CONS

👎🏻High Price Point: At around $1,299, it’s a premium option, potentially limiting appeal for home users and hobbyists.
👎🏻No Integrated Graphics: Lacks GPU support, limiting multimedia transcoding and high-end streaming capabilities.
👎🏻Software Limitations: ADM 5 is solid but doesn’t match the multimedia and AI features found in competitors like Synology and QNAP.
👎🏻M.2 NVMe Slots Limited to PCIe x1: Each NVMe slot is limited to x1 speed, slightly capping potential performance for SSDs.

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DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Asustor Lockerstor 8 AS6508T 8 Bay NAS - Network Storage Enclosure, Quad Core 2. Amazon USA 109.9 OFF (WAS 1069) [LINK] ASUSTOR Lockerstor NAS Drive 0TB 8 Bay HDD Storage,AS6508T Amazon UK 75 OFF (WAS 1059) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best Software 4-Bay NAS Drive – Synology DS923+ NAS

0-96TB, 4-Bays, 2x PCIe Gen 3 M.2 NVMe 2280, Dual Core AMD Emb.Ryzen R1600 CPU, 4-32GB DDR4 ECC Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 10GbE Optional Upgrade Slot, 3-5yr Warranty

Current Price/Availability on Amazon – $550+

Hardware Review – LINK

YouTube Video Review – Watch

What I said in my review Nov’22:

Synology has clearly made something of a gamble in the release of the Synology DS923+ NAS. There is no avoiding that making the switch from the Intel Celeron that has historically been the build choice of this product family and opting for the AMD Emb.Ryzen has ruffled some feathers! On the face of it, the R1600 here has a heck of alot of going for it over the previous generation! Higher clock speed, greater PCIe Gen 3 Support throughout, that 4-32GB of DDR4 memory in such a compact system and just generally giving you a lot more horsepower to play with, as well as better bandwidth potential inside and out! But at what cost? The 1GbE standard connectivity in the base model leaves alot to be desired, the proprietary 10Gb upgrade (though incredibly handy) limits the upgradability a tad and the lack of an integrated graphics processor is likely going to result in many long-term Synology advocates to skip this generation. Synology Diskstation Manager (DSM 7.1 at the time of writing) still continues to impress and although the brand still continues to heavily push their 1st party priorities, they have left a little more wriggle room in DSM 7.1 than DSM 7 before it in terms of media compatibility.

In terms of design, I cannot fault Synology on this as the DS923+ chassis still arrives as one of the best-looking and still exceptionally well-structured devices at this physical scale and storage level. As always, a Synology NAS is more about the software than the hardware (and the DS923+ delivers in spades on the software side!) and with DSM 7.2 around the corner improving things. Just always keep in mind that the Synology DS923+ NAS is a system that arrives with the slight emphasis on having to do many things ‘their way’. If you are less technically versed, then you will definitely appreciate this level of user-friendly design and assistance, but more technically minded admins’ main strain a pinch! In short, the DS923+ IS a good NAS drive, but its focus has certainly ebbed more towards the business user this generation than the home.

SOFTWARE - 10/10

HARDWARE - 7/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 8/10

VALUE - 9/10

8.6

PROS

👍🏻DSM 7/7.1 (and DSM7.2 Around the corner) still continues to be an absolute tour-de-force of NAS Software
👍🏻This latest generation expandable 4-Bay arriving with a 10G Upgrade Option is fantastic
👍🏻ECC Memory Support and scalability to 32GB is completely unparallel at this price point
👍🏻The design of the DS923+ NAS still continues to be market-leading
👍🏻The New CPU architecture allows great PCIe3 bandwidth to be afforded to the rest of the hardware, inside and out
👍🏻Low Noise, Low Physical Impact and Intelligent Automatic Power Use Adjustment Settings
👍🏻Increased Support for macOS in Synology Drive and Active Backup Suite (DSM 7.2)
👍🏻Synology C2 Cloud Services, 1st Party Backup/Sync Tools and Collaboration Suite App = Complete 1st Party Eco-system that can rival Office365 and Google Workspace
👍🏻PCIe Gen 3 M.2 NVMe SSD Support as Storage Pools!!! FINALLY!
👍🏻Tremendously User-Friendly!!!

CONS

👎🏻The AMD Emb.Ryzen instead of a Intel Celeron (with Integrated Graphics) will be a dealbreaker for alot of users
👎🏻The default 1GbE ports that the system arrives with are tremendously dated
👎🏻The USB ports on the system are older gen USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) and their support/usability have been quite pared back in recent DSM releases
👎🏻The continued moves by Synology to prioritize 1st party hardware and software services may put some users off
👎🏻Plex Support on the Synology DS923+ is still great for native playback, client-side handling and client devices with relevant multimedia licenses in place, but if server-side media conversions are needed - this system will struggle in comparison with the DS920+ before it

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DiskStation DS923+ 4-Bay NAS Enclosure Server | AMD Ryzen R1600 Dual-Co Amazon USA 150.99 OFF (WAS 850) [LINK] Synology DS923+ 4 Bay NAS enclosure Amazon UK 20.03 OFF (WAS 595) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Best All Round 4-Bay NAS Drive – QNAP TS-464 NAS

0-96TB, 4-Bays, 2x PCIe Gen 3×1 M.2 NVMe 2280, Intel Celeron N5105 CPU, 4-16GB Memory, 2x 2.5Gbe Port, 1x PCIe Gen 3×2 Slot, 1 HDMI 2.0 4K 6-FPS, 3-5yr Warranty

Current Price/Availability on Amazon – $550

Hardware Review – LINK

YouTube Video Review – Watch

What I said in my review April ’22:

The TS-464 comfortably arrives with the best hardware in its tier of the NAS market and that is something that QNAP has always been quite good at. Even if you rewind just 5 years, the level of hardware scalability and ease of upgradability that the TS-464 provides is frankly incredible and, fast forward to 2022, is still pretty unmatched. A Desktop 4-Bay NAS (eg Prosumer RAID 5 storage) has always been the next confident step for users who are tired of their hands being tied by subscription cloud services from Google, OneDrive and DropBox, who are looking for their own competent, flexible and fully-featured private server. In the TS-464 NAS, you find a system that is unquestionable the best hardware for your money you can possibly get right now. In software, things are a little less straightforward. QTS 5, although massively software and service-rich, arrives as a complete operating system in your web browser with multiple mobile/desktop clients and hundreds of applications and apps that can be installed at the touch of a button – which can all too often be something of a steep learning curve for many.

Lacking the slightly chewable, user-friendly nature of many of their rivals, QNAP and its software/service still have a tendency to be a bit of an information overload that can quickly intimidate the novice. However, for those that are looking for a system that is completely customizable in how/when/where you want data presented to you, as well as a wide degree of 3rd party support, QNAP and QTS 5 still manages to provide a huge degree of brand-unique service that are simply not available elsewhere. Just be prepared to invest your time wisely in its setup and more time ensuring the system is perfect for your needs.

SOFTWARE - 8/10

HARDWARE - 10/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 8/10

VALUE - 9/10

8.8

PROS

👍🏻Very compact chassis design, despite large storage potential
👍🏻A BIG jump in hardware and scale from the TS-453Be and TS-453D, but with a largely identical RRP at launch
👍🏻Easily one of the most hardware packed SMB/Mid-range 4-Bay on the market
👍🏻Up to 16GB of Memory is fantastic
👍🏻m.2 NVMe SSD Bays AND a PCIe Upgrade Slot (no need to choose one upgrade path)
👍🏻8x Included Camera Licenses
👍🏻Includes Anti-virus, Firewall Tool, VPN client tools, Malware Remover, network manager and Security Councilor Tool
👍🏻3 Different Container/VM tools that also feature image download centers
👍🏻10Gb/s (1,000MB/s) USB Ports will be incredibly useful
👍🏻Large range of expansion options in the TR/TL series in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 Bays

CONS

👎🏻The PCIe Slot is PCIe 3×2 and the M.2 SSD Bays are PCIe 3×1 (likely limitations of all this H/W on a Celeron+chipset
👎🏻QNAP Has had 3 ransomware hits in 2019-2021 (Qlocker, Qsnatch and Deadbolt). Lots of Security app/changes since, but people remember and QNAP needs to win back that trust in 2022/2023

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? QNAP TS-464 NAS $550 Amazon USA $550 (13% off) [LINK] EARLY DEAL - QNAP TS-464-8G-US Amazon USA $560 - 5% OFF [LINK] QNAP TS-464 (8GB) (BF) Amazon UK $469 (was $589) HERE [LINK] QNAP TS-464 NAS (BF) B&H USA $120 OFF – $471.20 (was $591.20) HERE [LINK] QNAP TS-464U NAS Rack (1 U) Ethernet/LAN Noir N5095 Amazon UK 7.49 OFF (WAS 1244) [LINK] These Offers are Checked Daily

Honourable Mention: Terramaster F4-424 Max NAS

0-96TB, 4-Bays, Intel i5-1235u 10 Core / 12 Thread,  8-64GB DDR5, 4x SATA, 2x Gen 4×4 M.2 NVMe SSD, 2x 10GbE, 3x USB 10G A/C, 2 Year Warranty

Current Price/Availability on Amazon – $899

Hardware Review – LINK

YouTube Video Review – Watch

What I said in my review OCT ’24:

The TerraMaster F4-424 Max is a standout NAS system in TerraMaster’s lineup, offering impressive hardware specifications and solid performance at a price point of $899.99. For users who need high-speed data transfers, intensive compute power, and flexibility in storage configurations, the F4-424 Max is an excellent option. The combination of the Intel i5-1235U CPU, dual 10GbE ports, and PCIe Gen 4 NVMe support ensures that the NAS can handle even the most demanding tasks, whether it’s virtualization, media transcoding, or large-scale backups.

That said, when compared to the F4-424 Pro, which is priced at $699.99, the Max model offers significantly more networking power and potential for speed. However, the Pro model still provides fantastic performance for most home and small office users, making it a more budget-friendly alternative for those who don’t require 10GbE or advanced NVMe functionality.

In terms of software, Synology DSM and QNAP QTS are still more evolved, offering richer multimedia experiences and better integration for business applications. However, TOS 6 continues to improve with every iteration, closing the gap between TerraMaster and these larger players. With new features like TRAID, cloud sync, and improved snapshot management, TOS is becoming more user-friendly and robust. For users prioritizing performance, flexibility, and future-proofing, the F4-424 Max is a strong contender and offers excellent value for money. While there are areas where TerraMaster could improve, such as the lack of PCIe expansion and front-facing USB ports, the F4-424 Max delivers on its promise of high performance and scalable storage solutions.

SOFTWARE - 6/10

HARDWARE - 9/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 9/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.2

PROS

👍🏻Powerful Hardware: Intel i5-1235U with 10 cores and 12 threads for resource-heavy tasks.
👍🏻Dual 10GbE Ports: High-speed networking capabilities with link aggregation for up to 20Gbps, ideal for large file transfers.
👍🏻PCIe Gen 4 NVMe Support: Two M.2 NVMe slots offering exceptional performance for caching or additional high-speed storage.
👍🏻Efficient Cooling: The large 120mm fan ensures quiet and effective cooling, making it suitable for home and office environments.
👍🏻Improved TOS 6 Software: Enhancements in GUI, backup tools, and overall security bring TOS closer to its competitors.

CONS

👎🏻Higher Price Tag: At $899.99, it’s more expensive than TerraMaster’s other models, which may deter budget-conscious buyers.
👎🏻No PCIe Expansion: Lack of a PCIe slot limits potential for future upgrades, such as adding 10GbE cards or more M.2 drives.
👎🏻Presentation: The software has improved a lot, but still feels inconsistent in places compared with alternatives from brands such as Synology and QNAP.

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