Do you really need a NAS? ——A sober guide written to the "Cloud Disk Party"

1. Don't rush to buy it yet, ask yourself three questions first

1. Baidu/Alibaba Netdisk really can't satisfy you?
   - If the "speed limit" only appears occasionally and you rarely fill your phone with a 4K disk, then it is the most cost-effective to continue using cloud disks.

2. Is there a need to turn on the power 24 hours?
   - I only watch movies on weekends, and my computer is turned off for 5 days, NAS 90% of the time I spend eating dust.

3. How much tuition are

   willing to pay for "data sovereignty"?
   - Not only the hard disk money, but also the time cost of getting up in the middle of the night to repair the array, flashing the router firmware, and asking the operator for a public IP .

answer "no" to the above question, please close the shopping cart directly; All three questions are "yes", look down.

2. What can NAS give you?

1. privacy safe
   - Save study materials, scanned copies of contracts, baby photos as you want, no one will "harmonize" for you.

2. multi-purpose Docker toy room
   - Downloader, Emby/Jellyfin Cinema, Personal Blog, Blue Dragon Panel Sign-in, ALL-IN-ONE.

3. Technology Buff Bonus
   - Write two more lines on your resume with ZFS, WireGuard, and OCR at a time.

3. Before buying, calculate the "invisible bill" clearly

1. hardware:
   - 4-bay mainstream machine starts at 2500 yuan, 8 T vertical disk ×4 ≈ 4800 yuan, a set is worth a 3060 machine.

2. electricity cost:
   -J4125 quad-core low power consumption, no-load 18 W, 160 kWh of electricity ≈ 80 yuan a year; The old i5 has an empty load of 60 W and starts at 300 yuan a year.

3. network fee:
   - External network access relies on 30 Mbps uplink, and the high-definition original disk is often 50 Mbps, which is directly stuck into PPT; Want to speed up? Telecom 300 M uplink package + 500 yuan/year.

4. time:
   - Install the system in advance, migrate data, and do backup strategies, starting from two days on weekends; Later upgrades, repairs, and investigations of poisoning are never-ending.

4. 0 yuan trial plan - using an old computer to "prostitute for free"NAS

1. hardware:
   - Laptop/desktop after 2015, CPU ≥ i3-4 generation, idle hard drive ≥ 2 T, Gigabit network card is sufficient.

2. system:
   - TrueNAS Scale, Unraid, Flying Bull, OpenMediaVault can be used to boot with a USB flash drive for lossless installation.

3. Task:
   - Turn on the computer for 30 consecutive days and complete the entire link of "automatic download→scraping→ mobile phone Internet playback".
   30 Queen of Heaven, you are still happy to do this, and it is not too late to chop your hands.

5. The "syllogism" of audio-visual resources - legal, money-saving, and non-toss-

1. catch up on new fans:
   - Join a regular PT site, do a variety of accounts, automate RSS feeds, and change the bandwidth to the ratio.

2. to make up for old films:
   - Network disk aggregation search engine + second transmission script,2 years ago cold resources others will do it for you,Save time and electricity bills。

3. temporarily want to see:
   - BT/Magnet deletes as you go, does not occupy valuable disk space on the NAS, and deletes after 48 hours of downloading, with a ratio of 0 without burden.
   a word: new films rely on PT, old films rely on network disks, occasionally rely on BT, and hard disks are always reserved for high-quality products that are "worth brushing twice".

6. Decision Flow Chart (30-second version)

cloud disk speed limit crazy ▶ Old computer trial for 30 days ▶ Still enthusiastic ▶ Living within one's means to buy a position ▶ Officially enter the pit
Retreat ▶ at any step Continue to be a cloud disk party with peace of mind, Save money and worry.

Conclusion
NAS It is not a digital "health product", so there is no need to create demand because of anxiety; Treat it as a "hobby+ tool", try it first, and then pay for it, so as not to let the machine eat ash and the wallet cry. I wish you to make the most suitable choice for you as soon as possible.