What does "diskless" NAS mean?

Diskless means the NAS enclosure ships without hard drives — you buy and fit your own. You get the unit, bays and software and choose the capacity, drive type and budget yourself. It's cheaper up front and lets you scale storage to exactly what you need.

Which drives should I put in a diskless NAS?

Use NAS-rated 3.5" SATA hard drives built for continuous running, such as WD Red or Seagate IronWolf, for the best cost per terabyte. SSDs suit quiet, fast builds or, on models with M.2 slots, a read cache. Match drive sizes within a RAID array, and avoid plain desktop drives for 24/7 use.

How many drive bays do I need?

A 2-bay NAS covers home backups and file sharing with mirrored protection. A 4-bay lets you run RAID 5 for redundancy with more usable space — a popular home and small-office choice. Go larger for big media libraries, more users or growth. Pick a little more headroom than you need now.

Can I set up RAID myself after buying?

Yes. Synology, QNAP and other brands walk you through creating storage pools and RAID arrays in their built-in software during first-time setup. You can choose RAID 1, 5, 6 or, on Synology, SHR. No separate RAID card or technical background is needed for a standard home setup.

Is a NAS a backup on its own?

Not quite. RAID protects against a drive failing, but it won't save you from accidental deletion, ransomware or theft. Treat the NAS as primary storage and keep a separate backup — an external drive or cloud copy — of anything critical. Many NAS units can automate that second copy for you.

Can a diskless NAS stream 4K media to my TV?

Yes, with the right unit. Media streaming and transcoding lean on the CPU, so choose a model with a capable processor and enough RAM if you'll stream 4K or serve several devices at once. Lighter units handle direct-play streaming fine; transcoding on the fly needs more power.

Will a NAS keep running during a power outage?

A NAS draws relatively little power, so pairing it with a UPS keeps it online through a power outage and lets it shut down safely to protect your data. A small UPS can keep the NAS and your router running for a useful stretch — worth adding for any always-on storage in South Africa.

Can I buy the NAS and drives together from Evetech?

Yes — Evetech stocks diskless NAS enclosures alongside NAS-rated drives to fill them, so you can order both in one go with local warranty and fast nationwide delivery. Match the drive count and capacity to your chosen bays; check this page for current SA pricing and stock.

►Specials

►NAS (Network Attached Storage)

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Diskless NAS (No HDD)

Diskless NAS (No Drives Included) 💾

A diskless NAS is a network storage enclosure sold without hard drives, so you choose and fit your own. You get the unit, its bays and software; you decide the capacity, the drive type and the budget. It's the flexible, cost-effective way to build personal cloud storage, automated backups and media streaming on your home or office network.

Pick the bay count for your needs — a 2-bay suits home backups and file sharing, while 4-bay and larger units give room for RAID redundancy and growth. Then add NAS-rated drives sized to your data. Bigger units and faster CPUs handle more users, 4K media streaming and heavier workloads. Configure RAID after setup to balance speed against protecting your data.

Evetech stocks diskless NAS units from trusted brands alongside NAS-rated drives to fill them, all with local warranty and fast nationwide delivery. Buy the enclosure on its own, or pair it with drives sized to your storage plan. Compare models below.

Diskless NAS Enclosures — Add Your Own Drives (5)

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Orico MetaBox Mini Single Bay NAS Storage System - Image 1

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Orico MetaBox Mini ORICO-CD3520 Single-Bay NAS

ORICO NAS and Private Cloud for 3 5 inch SATA HDD NAS Storage - Image 1

ORICO CD3510 3.5" SATA NAS Enclosure

UGREEN NASync DH4300 Plus NAS

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus 144TB

UGREEN NASync DXP480T Plus NAS

How to Choose a Diskless NAS

Two questions cover most buyers: how many bays you need, and which drives to fit. Bay count sets your capacity ceiling and your RAID options; the drives you choose set reliability and speed. The guide below covers bays, RAID, drive choice and the network and CPU factors that decide what your NAS can do.

A 2-bay NAS suits home file sharing and backups, mirroring two drives for safety. A 4-bay unit gives more capacity and lets you run RAID 5 for redundancy without losing half your space. Choose 6-bay or larger for big media libraries, more users or future growth. Buy a little more capacity than you need today.

RAID 1 mirrors two drives — simple protection for a 2-bay. RAID 5 (three or more drives) survives one drive failure while keeping most of your capacity, the popular choice for 4-bay units. RAID 6 survives two failures for larger arrays. Synology's SHR makes mixing drive sizes easier. RAID is not a backup — keep a separate copy of critical data.

Use NAS-rated 3.5" SATA hard drives (built for 24/7 running and vibration) for bulk capacity at the best cost per terabyte. SSDs suit smaller, fast, quiet builds or, on models with M.2 slots, a cache to speed things up. Match drive sizes within an array, and buy drives rated for NAS use rather than desktop drives.

Most NAS units have 1GbE networking, which is plenty for backups and file sharing over a standard home network. Higher-tier models add 2.5GbE for faster transfers if your switch and PC support it. For streaming or multiple users, faster networking and a stronger CPU help — check the model's ports against your setup.

A NAS gives you private cloud storage, automated PC and phone backups, a media server for streaming films and music, and shared folders for a household or office. Many also run apps, surveillance recording and remote access. The CPU and RAM tier decide how many of these jobs it handles smoothly at once, so match the unit to your plans.