Cheapest Synology

Synology DS124

One person backing up a phone and a laptop on a small budget.

Our pick: Cheapest Synology. The Synology DS124 is a 1-bay NAS powered by the Realtek RTD1619B, 4 cores, with 1GB of RAM and 1GbE networking. It suits one person backing up a phone and a laptop on a small budget. The catch: one bay means no drive redundancy: if the drive dies, the data on it goes too, so keep a second copy elsewhere. Some buyers find it slow.

Choose a version

DS124 / 1-bay; 1GB DDR4about $160DS223 / 2-bay; 2GB DDR4about $290DS423 / 4-bay; 2GB DDR4about $350

about $160Amazon shows today's exact price.

In stock, sold by Amazon.com

See it on Amazon Add to Amazon cart

Not buying today? Your Amazon cart keeps it saved and shows you if the price drops.

Bays: 1
Processor: Realtek RTD1619B, 4 cores
Memory: 1GB
Network: 1GbE
NVMe slots: None
Plex hardware transcoding: No
Software: Synology DSM

Specs are from the Amazon listing or the maker. Prices are for the box without drives unless the listing says otherwise.

Why we pick it

Synology software in the smallest box
Buyers rate its reliability 37 to 6; 4.3 stars from 216 ratings

The catch

One bay means no drive redundancy: if the drive dies, the data on it goes too, so keep a second copy elsewhere. Some buyers find it slow.

1 and 2 bay in one line

Two drives mirrored (RAID 1) is the classic first NAS: if one drive dies, nothing is lost. Fine for photos, backups and a media library up to the size of one drive.

How many bays do you need? · RAID is not backup

Questions about the Synology DS124

Is the Synology DS124 a good NAS?

Cheapest Synology. Synology software in the smallest box. Buyers rate its reliability 37 to 6; 4.3 stars from 216 ratings. The catch: One bay means no drive redundancy: if the drive dies, the data on it goes too, so keep a second copy elsewhere. Some buyers find it slow.

Can the Synology DS124 run Plex?

It can serve files to Plex players that play them directly, but it has no hardware transcoding, so converting 4K or HEVC on the fly will struggle. For Plex, pick a NAS with an Intel CPU.

Does the Synology DS124 include drives?

No. The price is for the box (diskless) unless the listing you choose says it is a bundle. Add NAS-rated CMR drives such as WD Red Plus or Toshiba N300.

Who is the Synology DS124 for?

One person backing up a phone and a laptop on a small budget.

What Synology says about it

Complete Phone & Computer Backup - Automatically protect photos, documents and videos from iPhone android, Mac and Windows to one secure location
Your Private File Cloud - Access files from anywhere and share large projects with family or clients without relying on expensive cloud subscriptions
Smart Home Security Hub - Monitor your home 24/7 with AI-powered surveillance that detects people, vehicles and sends instant alerts
100% Data Ownership - Keep full control of your personal data with multi-platform access and no monthly subscription fees
2-Year Warranty - Reliable hardware backed by Synology's expert customer support team and ongoing software updates

From the Amazon listing, in the maker's own words.