As a creator, losing footage is one of the worst things that can happen. Your work, your memories, and countless hours of effort—gone in an instant due to a hard drive failure.
That’s where a NAS (Network Attached Storage) comes in. A NAS is a centralized storage solution that not only keeps your data safe but also streamlines your workflow.
However, professional NAS solutions from brands like Synology and QNAP can be extremely expensive, with entry-level models starting at around $1,000 and high-end setups costing tens of thousands of dollars. For instance our current Synology system is now over $10,000 while full scaled production teams like Linus Media Group have systems over the $100,000 mark.
Check out our work with some of the biggest Sri Lankan brands at clear.lk/work
But what if you could build your own NAS for a fraction of the cost? That’s exactly what we did. In this guide, we’ll show you step by step how to build the world’s cheapest NAS, using affordable components without compromising reliability. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional NAS that integrates seamlessly into your creative workflow.
👉 Want to see the full process in action? Watch our YouTube video here!
What is a NAS, and Why Do You Need One?
A NAS is essentially a supercharged hard drive that connects to your network instead of plugging directly into your computer. This setup allows multiple devices to access files from a central location while ensuring data security and reliability.
Two Ways to Use a NAS:
As a Backup Drive – Your files remain on your computer, and the NAS acts as a secondary storage location, protecting against data loss. This is the simplest way to get started.
As a Live Drive – All your files are stored and accessed directly from the NAS, making it a powerful solution for teams and production environments.
In this guide, we’ll focus on building a NAS as a backup drive, as it’s the most cost-effective and beginner-friendly approach.
Planning Your NAS Build: Key Factors to Consider
When setting up a NAS, there are four key factors you need to think about:
1. Capacity
The total storage capacity you need depends on how much data you generate. For example, if you shoot 1TB of footage per year and want a 2 year backup, you’ll need at least 2TB of storage. Beyond that, technology evolves so quickly that after a few years, you might find yourself needing to upgrade the entire setup due to new advancements.
💡 Pro Tip: Always plan for some extra storage to accommodate growth.
2. Redundancy
Hard drives can and will fail. To protect against this, we’re using RAID 1 (Mirroring), which keeps a duplicate copy of your data across two drives. If one drive fails, the other keeps your files safe.
👉 In future guides, we’ll explore more advanced RAID configurations.
3. Accessibility
For a NAS to work efficiently, it needs to be easily accessible over your network. This means:
Connecting it to a router or network switch
Setting up user permissions for secure access
Configuring remote access if needed
4. Speed
The speed of your NAS depends on your network and your hard drives. A 1Gbps network can transfer data at about 120MB/s, but if your hard drive only writes at 80MB/s, that’s your bottleneck.
💡 Upgrading to a 10Gbps network in the future can significantly boost performance!
Step-by-Step Guide to Building the World’s Cheapest NAS
Step 1: Choosing a Computer for the NAS
Instead of buying a costly NAS enclosure, we repurposed an old Lenovo M800 desktop. Any old Dell, HP, or even a gaming PC can work, as long as it has:
✔ A decent processor (Intel i3 or better)✔ At least 8GB RAM (for smooth performance)
✔ Enough drive bays for your hard drives
💡 Pro Tip: You can find great deals on used desktops on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or eBay!
Step 2: Selecting Hard Drives
For our NAS, we chose two 1TB 2.5” hard drives (since our Lenovo could only accommodate smaller drives). Ideally, you should use server-grade drives like:
Seagate IronWolf
WD Red
💡 Avoid drives designed for CCTV systems (e.g., WD Purple, Seagate SkyHawk)—they’re optimized for continuous recording, not NAS workloads.
You can also watch the video on our channel and follow along for help with the next steps of this guide! Be sure to give us a like and subscribe to our channel too!
Step 3: Setting Up the NAS Hardware
Install the hard drives into the available drive bays.
Connect all necessary cables (SATA, power, etc.).
Check power supply compatibility—some older desktops might need SATA adapters.
💡 Ensure proper airflow inside the case to prevent overheating.
Step 4: Installing the NAS Operating System
We chose TrueNAS, a popular open-source NAS operating system.
How to Install TrueNAS:
Download TrueNAS from the official website. : https://www.truenas.com/truenas-core/
Create a bootable USB drive using a tool like Rufus.: https://rufus.ie/en/
Boot the Lenovo M800 from the USB drive.
Follow the on-screen setup instructions to install TrueNAS on the system.
Once installed, you’ll access the TrueNAS dashboard via a web browser to configure your storage pools, users, and network settings.
👉 Need help with this step? Check out this helpful setup guide 🔗
Step 5: Configuring Network and File Access
To make the NAS accessible from any device:
Assign a static IP address in your router settings.
Enable SMB file sharing (for Windows & Mac compatibility).
Create user accounts and set permissions to control access.
👉 Watch this video tutorial on setting up SMB file sharing 🔗
Step 6: Testing the NAS Performance
To see how well our NAS performs, we ran a file transfer speed test by copying large video files over the network.
📊 Results:
✅ Consistent speeds for our setup
✅ Reliable RAID 1 mirroring
✅ Room for future upgrades
💡 Future Upgrade Idea: Upgrading to SSDs or a 10Gbps network for even faster speeds.
And there you have it! With just a used desktop, a couple of hard drives, and free software, we built a fully functional NAS that keeps our files safe, accessible, and easily expandable—all without spending a fortune.
Is this NAS perfect?
Not quite. A high-end Synology or QNAP system will have better software integration, power efficiency, and support for advanced RAID setups. But for creators on a budget, this DIY NAS is an absolute game-changer.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. There are tons of ways to upgrade and improve this setup, from adding faster drives to enabling remote access.
In our next project, we’ll take this budget NAS to the next level—optimizing speed, security, and performance. If that sounds exciting, make sure to subscribe and stay tuned!
💬 Would you build your own NAS, or do you prefer pre-built options? Let’s chat in the comments! 🚀
👉 Watch the full build video here and subscribe to our channel for future updates on this build:
Feel free to reach out to us, to see how we can help you with your photography in Sri Lanka and videography-related content requirements. Clear Sri Lanka is a well-known Video Production house provides Commercial Production services.
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