Our entry backup pick favors easy administration and a 4TB mirror over unused compute features.
Watch: RAID1 protects against one disk failure only; add versioned USB or cloud backup and test restores.
DSM policy allows third-party SATA HDDs; verify exact MPNCompare component stores →
DS223 + 2 × 4TB IronWolf
A checked starting combination targeting about 4TB usable with shr / raid 1-style single-drive redundancy.
Historical price estimate$634.97B&H + Amazon
Dated price estimate · one store$666.57Amazon
Approx. usable4TB
Historical price estimate / TB$158.74/TB
This total estimates separate component purchases using older price records. Recheck prices and stock; tax and shipping are extra.
NAS: historical price · Sep 27, 2026. Drives: recently observed · Oct 9, 2026.
One-store estimate. Estimated from separately purchased components. Confirm final prices and stock at the stores; tax and shipping are extra.
NAS: recently observed · Oct 9, 2026. Drives: recently observed · Oct 9, 2026.
Prices exclude tax and shipping · checked Sep 27, 2026
Why this exact build
What the bundle contains
Capacity and redundancy
The mirror can continue after one drive fails; RAID is not a backup.
Approximation: (2 − 1) × 4TB = 4TB. Filesystem formatting, system partitions, snapshots, and RAID implementation reduce displayed free space.