Synology DS124 1-Bay NAS (Diskless)

Specifications

Interface

1GbE

Form Factor

1-Bay Diskless

Endurance

—

Warranty

2 years

Brand

Synology

Price / TB

$0.00/TB

Value Score Breakdown

Our Verdict

The Synology DS124 is a single-purpose device: personal backup and private cloud storage for one user on a tight budget. At $138.99 diskless, add a 4TB WD Red Plus for roughly $70 and the total system cost sits under $210. There is no redundancy with a single bay — a drive failure means data loss unless you maintain off-site backups. The 1GbE port and modest processor cover syncing a phone photo library, storing documents, and running Synology Drive for remote access. It is not suitable for media transcoding, simultaneous multi-user access, or RAID protection. For a single person who wants a private alternative to iCloud or Google Photos backup and can live without redundancy, the DS124 is the minimum viable Synology.