If you’re curious about self-hosting and owning a NAS but got put off by the price of “proper” NAS enclosures, I’ve got good news for you: you don’t need to spend a fortune to get started.
I built my first NAS from an old laptop with a broken screen, and if you don’t have one lying around, you can easily buy a cheap laptop from Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Here’s why that might actually be a better idea than you think.
Why a cheap laptop with a broken screen is the perfect beginner NAS
Cheap to buy, cheap to run, and plenty of power
A laptop is essentially a small, portable computer with a built-in screen, and when that screen fails, most people either give it away or sell it for cheap and replace it with a new one. What they do not realize is that the device is still fully functional; it just no longer has a usable display. In other words, it is effectively a mini PC.
And just like mini PCs make for great home server devices, a laptop with a broken screen can serve the same purpose at a fraction of the cost.
First, laptops use significantly less power than a desktop PC thanks to their mobile-grade components. If you plan to run your server 24/7 (which you probably should), this translates into a lower electricity bill—when idle, it draws about as much power as an LED light bulb. And even under load, it is likely only going to draw 30–40W, which is not much.
Quiz
Network attached storage (NAS)
From basement file servers to enterprise data vaults — test how much you really know about NAS technology.
HistoryHardwareUse CasesProtocolsSecurity
Which company is widely credited with introducing one of the first commercially successful NAS appliances in the early 1990s?
Correct! Auspex Systems released the NS3000 in 1989, widely regarded as one of the earliest dedicated NAS appliances. They pioneered the concept of a standalone file server accessible over a network, laying the groundwork for the modern NAS industry.
Not quite. The answer is Auspex Systems, which launched one of the first dedicated NAS appliances — the NS3000 — back in 1989. While companies like Synology and QNAP are household names today, Auspex was breaking new ground decades before them.
Which network file sharing protocol is primarily used by NAS devices to serve files to Windows-based clients?
Correct! SMB (Server Message Block) is the dominant protocol for file sharing with Windows clients. Originally developed by IBM and later popularized by Microsoft, SMB is what allows Windows machines to seamlessly browse and access NAS shares as if they were local drives.
Not quite. The answer is SMB (Server Message Block). NFS is the protocol of choice for Linux and Unix clients, iSCSI is used for block-level storage, and FTP is a general file transfer protocol not optimized for seamless file system integration.
What does the RAID level ‘5’ specifically require as a minimum number of drives to function?
Correct! RAID 5 requires a minimum of three drives. It stripes data and parity information across all drives, meaning it can tolerate the failure of one drive without any data loss — making it a popular choice for NAS users who want a balance of performance, capacity, and redundancy.
Not quite. RAID 5 requires a minimum of three drives. The parity data distributed across all drives allows one drive to fail without losing data. RAID 1 only needs two drives, while RAID 6 requires four — so options vary depending on your redundancy needs.
What is ‘media server’ functionality on a NAS most commonly used for in a home environment?
Correct! Media server functionality — often powered by software like Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin running on the NAS — allows you to stream your locally stored media collection to TVs, phones, tablets, and more. It essentially turns your NAS into a personal Netflix for your own content library.
Not quite. The core use of a NAS media server is streaming locally stored movies, music, and photos to other devices on your network. Software like Plex or Jellyfin handles the heavy lifting, including transcoding video on the fly for devices that need it.
What is the ‘3-2-1 backup rule’ that NAS users are often advised to follow?
Correct! The 3-2-1 rule means: keep 3 total copies of your data, store them on 2 different types of media (e.g., NAS and external drive), and keep 1 copy in an offsite or cloud location. This strategy protects against hardware failure, theft, fire, and other disasters that could wipe out local backups.
Not quite. The 3-2-1 rule stands for: 3 copies of your data, stored on 2 different media types, with 1 copy kept offsite. It’s a best-practice framework designed to ensure your data survives almost any disaster scenario, from a failed hard drive to a house fire.
Which protocol allows a NAS to present storage to a computer as if it were a locally attached block device, rather than a file share?
Correct! iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) transmits SCSI commands over IP networks, allowing a NAS to present raw block storage to a host computer. The computer then formats and manages that storage like a local disk — making iSCSI ideal for virtual machines and databases that need low-level disk access.
Not quite. The answer is iSCSI. Unlike SMB or NFS, which share files over a network, iSCSI exposes raw block storage — the host computer sees a NAS volume as though it were a physically attached hard drive, which is critical for workloads like virtual machine datastores.
Which of the following best describes a ‘surveillance station’ use case for a NAS?
Correct! Many NAS brands — including Synology and QNAP — offer dedicated surveillance station software that turns the NAS into a Network Video Recorder (NVR). It can connect to multiple IP cameras, record footage continuously or on motion detection, and store months of video locally without a subscription fee.
Not quite. A surveillance station on a NAS refers to software that connects to IP security cameras, records video footage, and stores it locally. This makes a NAS a powerful and cost-effective alternative to cloud-based security systems, since you own and control all your recorded footage.
Synology, one of the most recognized NAS brands today, was founded in which year and country?
Correct! Synology was founded in Taiwan in 2000 and has grown into one of the most beloved NAS manufacturers in the world. Their DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system is frequently praised for its polished interface and rich feature set, making Synology a top choice for both home users and businesses.
Not quite. Synology was founded in Taiwan in 2000. Taiwan has become a major hub for NAS hardware development, with competitors like QNAP also headquartered there. Synology’s DiskStation Manager software helped set the standard for what a user-friendly NAS experience could look like.
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Another nice addition is that laptops have built-in batteries, which can effectively act as a UPS in case your power goes down. It’s a major headache-saver that helps avoid corrupted files and lost progress if you experience a blackout while transferring files or running a task on the NAS. However, it’s worth noting that if the laptop is several years old and the battery is starting to bulge, it might be better to remove the battery and run the laptop directly off AC power.
Despite being low-power devices, laptops can still pack a punch. If it has an Intel processor that’s been released in the last decade or so, it should support hardware-level transcoding thanks to Intel Quick Sync, which is important for lag-free transcoding if you want to turn the laptop into a Jellyfin or Plex media server. Of course, more recent processors with more cores will make for an even better NAS, but the point is that you do not need a lot for your first NAS.
A NAS is not a NAS without storage, though. Fortunately, we’ve come to a point where even an old laptop now likely has an M.2 NVMe SSD or at least a SATA SSD. This can make a noticeable improvement in loading Docker containers, apps, transferring files, and so on. Also, some laptops have plenty of RAM (16GB or more), and quite often, room to upgrade if you ever need it.
- Brand
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UGREEN
- CPU
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Intel 12th Gen N-Series
This cutting-edge network-attached storage device transforms how you store and access data via smartphones, laptops, tablets, and TVs anywhere with network access.
I/O ports are another area where laptops can offer a surprising amount of flexibility. While you can always plug in an Ethernet adapter or USB-C hub, many business-class laptops have plenty of USB ports already. Some of them even have Ethernet, which is the best way to hook up your NAS.
How I turned a shattered laptop into the perfect budget NAS
What to look out for when buying a broken laptop for NAS use
You are buying someone else’s problem, so choose carefully
Before getting into specific things to look out for, I want to acknowledge that buying a broken laptop on an online marketplace comes with some inherent risks. Even if you have the chance to test the laptop in person by connecting it to an external display and checking that it works, you cannot be fully sure that it does not have any hidden flaws until you have had some time to test the device in different scenarios.
So, only commit to buying a broken laptop if you are willing to take that risk and are comfortable potentially doing some minor repairs. The best candidate for your DIY NAS is a laptop with a broken display but otherwise fully functioning internals. Something that turns on but then stops working is a gamble, as it might just need fresh thermal paste, or it could point to a more serious issue.
Fortunately, these kinds of semi-broken laptops are surprisingly easy to find. You can often get a $200–$300 laptop for well under $100 just because the display is broken and the owner does not want to spend several hundred dollars on a repair.
For instance, I found a Dell Latitude 7400 with a broken display for $70 on eBay. Considering that a refurbished model like this sells for $320 on Best Buy, that is a solid deal. It is equipped with an i5-8365U, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB NVMe SSD, a healthy battery, and even comes with an original Dell charger. It is actually significantly more powerful than my NAS, which is a Lenovo Miix 510 with an i5-7200U.
The seller provided photos of the laptop running with an external display via HDMI, and since the seller has 100% positive feedback, I would be comfortable taking a chance on this specific unit.
Generally speaking, these are the bare minimum specs I would look for when buying a sub-$100 laptop to use as a NAS:
- Intel processor with Quick Sync support (if you plan to turn it into a media server)
- 4GB of RAM
- 120GB M.2 NVMe SSD
- Gigabit Ethernet (you can use a USB adapter if needed)
- USB-C and USB-A ports
While you can get a light Linux distro without a GUI like Ubuntu Server running on even weaker hardware, you really don’t have to pay a lot to get a more powerful laptop that can handle transcoding with ease.
Sometimes you will come across laptops that are still working but are missing several parts because they were used as a donor device. If the battery is missing, that can be fine as long as the laptop still comes with a charger and can run off AC power only, which most can. Missing storage drives are another common situation, but this can be easily solved if you are willing to buy a separate NVMe or SATA SSD. In fact, this can be a good opportunity to add fast storage that better suits your needs.
Some laptops are also sold with missing bottom cover panels, which means dust can more easily get into the device. Again, this can be fine if you place the laptop somewhere clean or use something like electrical tape as a temporary dust barrier.
The advantage of buying a laptop with missing parts is that you can often use it as leverage to negotiate a better price. At the end of the day, the goal is to get the most capable processor with as much RAM and storage as possible for the lowest price when building a home server. If you have to buy the charger, RAM, or storage separately, you can use that as justification to push the price down.
You’ll need to buy storage to turn it into a proper NAS
A NAS is only as useful as the storage you attach to it
While laptops can be bought for $100, storage never was and still is not cheap. You can expect a 120GB or maybe a 240GB SSD, though you might get lucky with a 500GB one. That is not bad, but you would be surprised how quickly it fills up once you start backing up your data—and for a media server, it is barely enough to hold a few shows and movies before you have to delete them to make room for new media.
Fortunately, you can solve this by adding external storage. More specifically, you should go with a hard drive rather than an SSD, as it is much cheaper and still fast enough for long-term storage.
I strongly recommend a 3.5-inch hard drive in a powered enclosure that connects to your laptop via USB. I bought a 6TB Seagate drive, which I think is a great starting point for anyone building their first NAS. And if you have a USB-C hub or multiple USB ports on your laptop, you can easily expand your storage later.
- Storage Capacity
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6TB
- Brand
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Seagate
The Seagate Expansion 6TB external hard drive is an excellent starting point if you are building a laptop NAS, offering plenty of capacity for backups and media. It is affordable, easy to set up, and fast enough over USB 3.0 for most home server use cases.
When you outgrow it, an old desktop is the natural upgrade
More power, more drives, and room to grow
Old laptops with broken displays strike the perfect balance for your first NAS: cheap, low power draw, and easy to expand with external storage.
However, if you are willing to use a bit more power, you can get significantly more performance for home lab tasks by moving to a desktop PC and using internal hard drives instead. So, if you end up enjoying the laptop as a NAS experiment, switching to a desktop could be your next project.
Don’t throw away your old PC—it makes a better NAS than anything you can buy
Doing it yourself is way more cost effective.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
