Best NAS for Proxmox in 2026: Run VMs on Your NAS

Running Proxmox on a NAS gives you hot-swap drive bays for bulk storage and a Type 1 hypervisor for VMs, containers, and passthrough in one compact, low-power box. Not every NAS can do it. The difference comes down to four things: firmware access, CPU virtualization extensions, memory capacity, and Linux driver support for the onboard network ports.

Most NAS units are designed to run one proprietary operating system. Synology supports only DSM on its hardware. Warranty terms vary too: TerraMaster’s FAQ says installing another operating system voids the warranty. And most NAS units ship with 4 to 8 GB of RAM, which is enough for the stock OS but not for a hypervisor running several VMs.

This guide covers three x86 NAS models that owners run bare-metal Proxmox on, explains why Synology doesn’t fit, and shows when a mini PC is the smarter choice. Proxmox VE 9, built on Debian 13, is the current release. Version 8 reached end of life on August 31, 2026, so install 9 on a new build.

Our Pick: TerraMaster F4-424 Pro

The TerraMaster F4-424 Pro is the most capable Proxmox host here: 32 GB of DDR5, an 8-core i3-N305 with VT-x and VT-d, and HDMI output for firmware access.

• CPU: Intel Core i3-N305, 8 cores and 8 threads, up to 3.8 GHz, with VT-x and VT-d (Intel)
• Memory: 32 GB DDR5 on one SODIMM, which TerraMaster lists as the maximum
• Storage: 4x SATA bays + 2x M.2 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x1)
• Network and video: 2x 2.5GbE, HDMI 2.0b
• Rated power: 13W with drives hibernating and 33W during read/write (TerraMaster)

Before you wipe TOS, know the warranty position. TerraMaster’s FAQ says its NAS units are built for TOS and that installing another operating system voids the warranty and ends technical support. Owners still run Proxmox on the 424 series, and community install guides are easy to find, but you do it at your own risk.

Firmware and Boot Process

Connect a monitor to the HDMI port, plug in a USB keyboard, and enter the firmware setup during boot to set the boot order and confirm that virtualization is enabled. Write the Proxmox ISO to a USB drive, boot from it, and install to one of the M.2 SSDs.

CPU and Virtualization

The i3-N305’s eight efficiency cores give you real headroom for several VMs. A typical layout: a TrueNAS VM for storage management (2 cores, 8 GB), a Docker LXC for your self-hosted stack (2 cores, 8 GB), a Home Assistant OS VM (2 cores, 2 GB), and a Windows VM for occasional use (2 cores, 8 GB). That leaves room for the host and a little spare. The same plan does not fit on a quad-core with 16 GB.

VT-x (hardware virtualization) and VT-d (directed I/O for passthrough) let you pass a USB controller, a NIC, or, with caveats, the SATA controller directly to a VM. Onboard devices may share an IOMMU group with the SATA controller, which can complicate clean passthrough; see the passthrough options below.

One quirk worth knowing: Intel lists 16 GB as the official memory maximum for the i3-N305, but TerraMaster ships and supports 32 GB in this model.

Network and Drivers

The Proxmox installer includes the mainline Linux drivers for common 2.5GbE chips, so the ports usually work without extra downloads. TerraMaster’s spec sheet doesn’t name the network controller, so boot a Linux live USB and run lspci before committing. Intel i225 and i226 chips use the in-kernel igc driver, the lowest-risk option under Proxmox. Realtek RTL8125 chips use r8169, which works but has a more mixed track record in home-lab setups.

With two ports, you can bond them for redundancy or split management and VM traffic during setup.

Storage for Proxmox

Install Proxmox to one of the two M.2 SSDs to keep the OS off your data drives, and use the second M.2 for VM disks. The four SATA bays handle bulk storage in a ZFS pool managed by Proxmox, or passed through to a TrueNAS VM. A common layout: Proxmox on a 256 GB NVMe, a second NVMe for VM disks, and four hard drives in RAIDZ1 for data.

SATA controller passthrough to a TrueNAS VM depends on IOMMU grouping on your unit. If the controller shares a group with other devices, use disk passthrough or let Proxmox manage the ZFS pool instead. Test before you commit to that architecture.

The Trade-offs

32 GB is the official ceiling. It is comfortable for a single node running three to five VMs and containers, but a hypervisor with eight or more VMs will hit it. There’s no PCIe slot, so no 10GbE card, no HBA for more drives, and no add-in GPU. And the warranty caveat above applies to every Proxmox install on this unit.

If you’re already running Docker on a NAS and want to move up to Proxmox, see our best NAS for Docker guide, where the F4-424 Pro is also the top pick.

Best Value: QNAP TS-464

The QNAP TS-464 is a Proxmox-capable NAS with the only PCIe expansion slot in this guide. It has half the cores and half the memory ceiling of the TerraMaster, but for a two- or three-VM setup it delivers what matters: firmware access over HDMI, VT-d, and expansion.

• CPU: Intel Celeron N5095, 4 cores and 4 threads, up to 2.9 GHz, with VT-x and VT-d (Intel)
• Memory: 8 GB DDR4 in two SODIMM slots, 16 GB maximum (QNAP)
• Storage: 4x SATA bays + 2x M.2 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x1)
• Network and video: 2x 2.5GbE, one PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot, HDMI 2.1
• Rated power: 21.6W in sleep and 40.5W in typical operation with all bays populated (QNAP)

Firmware Access and Boot

Connect HDMI and a USB keyboard, enter the firmware setup at boot, and set your Proxmox SSD as the first boot device. QTS lives on the TS-464’s 4 GB internal flash, which QNAP describes as dual-boot OS protection. Install Proxmox to an M.2 SSD and leave that flash alone so you keep a path back to QTS. Check the boot order after firmware updates or a power loss.

CPU and Virtualization

The N5095 has four cores, four threads, VT-x, and VT-d. It handles Proxmox plus two or three light guests: a Docker LXC (1 to 2 cores, 4 to 6 GB), a Pi-hole or DNS container (1 core, 512 MB), and a small utility VM. It isn’t a good fit for a Windows VM alongside a busy Linux stack.

The PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot is where the TS-464 pulls ahead. Install a 10GbE NIC and pass it to a VM, or add a SATA HBA for clean controller passthrough to a TrueNAS VM. No other NAS in this guide has a PCIe slot.

Network and Drivers

As with the TerraMaster, QNAP’s spec sheet doesn’t name the onboard 2.5GbE controller, so confirm it with lspci from a live USB. The PCIe slot also lets you add a dedicated NIC for VM traffic, separate from the two onboard ports.

Storage Considerations

Install Proxmox to an M.2 NVMe, use the second M.2 for VM storage, and put the four SATA bays into a ZFS pool managed by Proxmox, or pass them to a TrueNAS VM. If onboard SATA passthrough is messy, an HBA in the PCIe slot gives a TrueNAS VM clean access to its own controller.

The Trade-offs

QNAP lists 16 GB as the official memory ceiling across two DDR4 SODIMM slots, and Proxmox uses part of that itself, so this stays a light-virtualization platform. QNAP won’t support Proxmox, so keep QTS’s flash intact and document how to boot back to it before you depend on the new setup.

For more on the TS-464 beyond Proxmox, see our best 4-bay NAS roundup.

Budget Pick: ASUSTOR AS5402T

The ASUSTOR AS5402T is the least expensive way into Proxmox on a NAS in this guide. It uses an Intel N5105, a close relative of the TS-464’s N5095, plus four M.2 NVMe slots that make an interesting all-flash VM layout. The two-bay limit keeps it in budget or lab territory.

• CPU: Intel Celeron N5105, 4 cores and 4 threads, up to 2.9 GHz, with VT-x and VT-d (Intel)
• Memory: 4 GB DDR4 in two slots, 16 GB maximum (ASUSTOR)
• Storage: 2x SATA bays + 4x M.2 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x1)
• Network and video: 2x 2.5GbE, HDMI 2.0b
• Rated power: 12.7W with disks hibernating and 22.9W in operation (ASUSTOR)

Firmware Access and Boot

HDMI output and a USB keyboard get you into the firmware setup, where you set the boot order and enable virtualization. Write the Proxmox ISO to USB, boot it, and install to one of the four M.2 slots. As with the other two, confirm the network controller with lspci from a live USB first.

The All-Flash Angle

Four M.2 NVMe slots in a two-bay NAS is unusual, and it makes an interesting Proxmox layout: Proxmox on one NVMe, a ZFS mirror on two more for VM storage, and the fourth as a fast scratch pool. The two SATA bays hold bulk data on hard drives. Each M.2 slot is PCIe 3.0 x1, so the gain is latency and IOPS rather than per-drive sequential speed.

Known Issues

Fan and LED control outside ADM. Without ADM, the fans and front-panel LEDs need the community asustor-platform-driver, which lists the AS5402T among its supported models and adds fan control through an extra IT87 hardware-monitoring module. Plan to build and maintain it yourself.

4 GB of RAM is too little. Plan to upgrade toward the 16 GB maximum right away; Proxmox with even one VM on 4 GB will swap.

ASUSTOR doesn’t support Proxmox. Expect no help from ASUSTOR support, and check your warranty terms before replacing ADM.

The Trade-offs

Two hard-drive bays limit bulk storage to a single mirror or two separate drives. The 16 GB ceiling matches the QNAP, and the N5105 gives you about the same two- or three-VM capacity. With no PCIe slot, there’s no expansion path for 10GbE or an HBA. But for a small Proxmox node with all-flash VM storage, it’s an inexpensive way in.

Why Not Synology for Proxmox?

Synology is one of the most recommended NAS brands for good reason: DSM is excellent, the app ecosystem is mature, and reliability is strong. For Proxmox, though, Synology is a non-starter.

DSM only. Synology designs its hardware to run DSM and provides no supported way to boot another operating system.

No video output. Current Plus models such as the DS925+ have no HDMI port, so there’s no display for a firmware setup screen or an installer.

The alternative is Synology VMM. Synology’s Virtual Machine Manager runs KVM-based VMs on top of DSM. It works for one or two light VMs on a model with enough memory (the DS925+ takes up to 32 GB of ECC memory), but it’s a DSM package, not a bare-metal hypervisor, and it doesn’t offer Proxmox’s LXC containers or tooling.

If you want a Synology for NAS duties and Proxmox for virtualization, the right architecture is a separate Proxmox server (a mini PC or other dedicated hardware) mounting Synology shares over NFS or iSCSI. See our TerraMaster vs. Synology comparison for more on the NAS OS trade-offs.

When a Mini PC Is Better Than a NAS for Proxmox

A NAS chassis makes sense for Proxmox when you need hot-swap drive bays and want to consolidate storage and compute in one box. For pure virtualization, a mini PC often wins. Here’s when to skip the NAS:

You need more than 32 GB of RAM. The F4-424 Pro tops out at 32 GB. Intel lists 16 GB as the official maximum for N-series chips like the N100 and i3-N305, even though some vendors ship 32 GB. For 64 GB or more, you need a mini PC with a higher-end processor and two SO-DIMM slots.

You need PCIe passthrough flexibility. The NAS units here have at most one small PCIe slot. Most mini PCs have none either, so for a GPU, a 10GbE NIC, and an HBA at once, you need a small tower or a workstation-class mini PC with a PCIe slot.

You don’t need four or more drive bays. If your VMs run from NVMe and bulk data lives on a separate NAS, a mini PC with one or two M.2 slots is simpler, and you aren’t paying for bays you won’t use.

You want standard firmware and documentation. Mini PCs are ordinary PCs. There’s no internal OS flash to preserve, no NAS fan controller to work around, and no vendor warranty clause about replacing the NAS OS.

For mini PC recommendations, see our best mini PC for Proxmox guide. The ideal setup for many home labs is a Proxmox mini PC for compute and a NAS for storage, connected over 2.5GbE or 10GbE with NFS.

How to Choose: Buying Criteria

Firmware Accessibility

This is the first gate. If you can’t reach the firmware setup to change the boot order and enable VT-d, Proxmox is dead in the water. All three NAS units in this guide have HDMI output, so you can reach their setup screens with a monitor and a USB keyboard. Synology offers no equivalent. Before buying any NAS for Proxmox, search for “[model name] Proxmox install” and confirm that owners have done it.

CPU Virtualization Extensions (VT-x and VT-d)

VT-x is Intel’s hardware virtualization extension, and all three CPUs here support it. Without it, Proxmox can’t run hardware-accelerated VMs.

VT-d (Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O) enables PCIe passthrough: handing a physical device (NIC, USB controller, SATA controller, GPU) directly to a VM with near-native performance. VT-d is essential for:

• Passing the SATA controller to a TrueNAS VM for direct disk access
• Passing a 10GbE NIC to a specific VM
• Passing a USB controller to a Home Assistant VM for Zigbee or Z-Wave sticks

Intel lists VT-d for the i3-N305, N5095, and N5105. Check that it’s enabled in the firmware setup, since some systems ship with it off.

RAM: More Than You Think

Proxmox allocates memory to each VM. Ballooning and overcommit exist, but plan as if every VM needs its full allocation.

On 16 GB, you can run Proxmox plus two or three small VMs with little headroom. On 32 GB, you get Proxmox, a TrueNAS VM, a Docker LXC, and two or three more VMs comfortably. That’s why the TerraMaster’s 32 GB matters: the QNAP and ASUSTOR both max out at 16 GB, which limits them to a starter setup.

Network Controllers: Intel vs. Realtek

Proxmox VE 9 runs on Debian 13 with its own Linux kernel (6.14 at the 9.0 release). Intel’s i225 and i226 2.5GbE chips use the in-kernel igc driver and work out of the box with the Proxmox installer. Realtek’s RTL8125 uses the r8169 driver. It works, but it has a more mixed record under sustained VM traffic, and some owners switch to Realtek’s out-of-tree r8125 driver. If you’re choosing between two otherwise identical systems, prefer Intel.

None of the three vendors here names its network controller on the spec sheet, so confirm it with lspci from a live USB before buying into a plan that depends on it.

Storage Controller Passthrough

For users who want to run TrueNAS as a VM managing the physical drives, SATA controller passthrough is the holy grail: it gives TrueNAS direct access to the disks. In practice, NAS SATA controllers often share an IOMMU group with other devices (USB, audio, management controllers), which complicates clean passthrough.

Options when passthrough is blocked:

1. ACS override patch: forces IOMMU group separation. It works, but it weakens the isolation between devices.
2. Disk passthrough: pass individual disks (not the controller) to the VM with virtio-scsi. ZFS works fine, but the VM can’t read SMART data, so monitor drive health on the Proxmox host.
3. Proxmox-managed ZFS: skip TrueNAS and let Proxmox manage the drives natively. It’s the simplest option, and Proxmox handles ZFS snapshots and replication itself.

Bottom Line

The TerraMaster F4-424 Pro is the best NAS for Proxmox. With 32 GB of DDR5, an 8-core i3-N305 with VT-d, and HDMI for firmware access, it’s ready for Proxmox without a memory upgrade. TerraMaster’s FAQ says installing another OS voids the warranty.

For a Proxmox NAS with a PCIe slot, the QNAP TS-464 gives you HDMI firmware access, VT-d, and room for a 10GbE card in a four-bay chassis. Upgrade to its 16 GB maximum and expect two or three VMs, enough for a focused setup.

For the cheapest entry point, the ASUSTOR AS5402T gets you Proxmox-capable hardware with four M.2 NVMe slots for all-flash VM storage. Budget for a memory upgrade and plan to set up the community fan driver yourself.

Skip Synology for Proxmox, since it has no supported path to another OS. And if virtualization matters more than NAS storage, a mini PC for Proxmox gives you more flexibility for the money. Connect a Proxmox mini PC to a NAS over your network so you can upgrade compute and storage separately.