Why I still recommend Synology's DS225+ NAS - even if it can't replace your cloud storage

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Almost every NAS or external hard drive review these days will tell you having your own storage box at home is a guaranteed way to save money as you'll be able to kiss your cloud storage subscriptions goodbye. I've written similar reviews myself, but I'm doing my best to back that up with receipts this time. The thing is, it's getting harder to say that a NAS (or a large external hard drive, for that matter) makes sense. For those who do need big storage, the Synology DS225+ can be a great idea, but it's hard to recommend. Why is it hard to recommend a NAS? Bottom line: spiraling storage costs. And AI is to blame. Specifically: AI data centers acquiring all the components for themselves. A lot has been written about how RAM prices have gone through the roof thanks to overwhelming demand from data centers that can make use of a thousand laptops' worth of RAM in a single rack. This, in turn, has pushed up the price of everything that relies on RAM, from smartphones and computers to the humble…