Storage and NAS

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Backup Dashboard
How to test whether your NAS backup will actually work

Somewhere on your NAS is a backup waiting for its big moment. Hopefully, it's ready!

The back of the Crucial T710 NVMe SSD sitting on a walnut shelf.
Stop destroying your main SSD: Why you might still need a 'scratch disk' in 2026
SSD

Save your expensive Gen 5 drive from burnout with a cheap scratch disk

A 2230 external SSD enclosure hanging on a lanyard.
I threw away all my USB flash drives and replaced them with this tiny DIY SSD
SSD

One tiny external SSD to rule them all.

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A stick of DDR4 laying on an old motherboard.
I built a NAS from a decade-old PC and it still beats a Synology

A commercial NAS is convenient, but building your own gets you better performance.

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By 
Hard drive connected to a USB adapter on a wooden surface.
Windows is lying to you: Why your '2TB' drive only shows 1.8TB
SSD

You didn't get scammed: The difference between a Terabyte and a 'Tebibyte'

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An ASUS BW-16D1X-U external Blu-ray disc reader with a disc inside.
The '1,000-year' disc that failed: The weird history of M-Disc

This could've been the best long-term storage format, so why did it fail?

The Crucial X10 portable SSD sitting on a wooden deck with a blurred background.
Your SSD backup is only half a strategy—here's the other half you're skipping
SSD

Just finished backing up? You're missing a key step—and you should probably go do it now.

A 500GB Western Digital WD Blue 2.5-inch hard drive being held in a hand.
SSDs killed the dual-actuator HDD: Why two mechanical arms couldn't save the hard drive

Why doubling a hard drive's IOPS still can't beat cheap NVMe

Front view of the six-bay Ugreen NAS stacked with a four-bay enclosure.
5 reasons your NAS is actually a terrible option for long-term backups

No, I'm not joking. There are reasons why you might want to think of a different solution

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UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD USB-C Enclosure with WD_BLACK SN750 SSD Inside Sitting on a MacBook.
The 2 types of SSD failure—one you can fix, one you can't
SSD

Save your time and your files by not trying to fix a lost cause

A computer on the Google One storage page showing the account is nearing the free 15GB limit.
I just canceled my Google Drive subscription and replaced it with a local alternative that respects my privacy

Cloud backups can be useful, but I had enough

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ITX PC tower on desk with warm light
4 PC storage and Wi-Fi mistakes I’m tired of seeing after 10 years of reviewing tech

It’s been a decade in the industry, and I still see people making the same mistakes.

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Samsung 850 EVO SSD with M.2 SSD and SATA hard drive.
SATA SSDs aren’t dead—this is where they still beat NVMe drives
SSD

Practical strategies for repurposing SATA SSDs as fast external drives and bulk storage on a budget.

An 8TB HGST hard drive with a 2TB WD_BLACK NVMe SSD sitting on top of it.
Stop storing everything on your main SSD: A guide to Hot vs. Cold data

Your messy file storage habits are actually putting your PC at risk

TravelPi Raspberry Pi NAS outdoor close-up with iPhone Files app and PNY USB drives.
I built a battery-powered NAS I can take anywhere using a Raspberry Pi

Any attached drive becomes accessible from my phone or laptop.

Person holding a thumb drive
Stop buying USB sticks: An M.2 SSD in a $15 case is infinitely better
SSD

It's time to let them rest.

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A laptop with a broken display running Linux Ubuntu.
Skip the mini PC for homelabbing and buy a laptop with a broken screen instead

Who needs a mini PC when the laptop nobody wants gets the job done?

A Western Digital hard drive in a drive bay.
The weird story behind why hard drives spin at such oddly specific speeds

A complicated blend of physics and economics steered drives toward a few RPMs as air turbulence and heat rose.

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A WD Blue and HGST hard drive sitting in an old tech drawer.
Please stop partitioning your SSDs (unless you plan to dual-boot)

Drive partitioning is not the hot thing that it once was.

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HP OmniBook 3 left-side HDMI USB-A and dual USB-C ports.
Can't upgrade your laptop's storage? Here's the cheap workaround I've been using for years

I ditched expensive external SSDs for a $15 USB hub and a stack of flash drives.

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