Synology DiskStation DS224+ vs. TerraMaster F2-223: Which NAS is best?

• 

  Synology DiskStation DS224+

  Synology’s DiskStation DS224+ has an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of DDR4 RAM, and the same excellent DiskStation Manager OS we’ve come to know and love. It’s the more expensive and more capable NAS.

  Pros

  • Excellent app support
  • Best NAS OS
  • 4-core CPU

  Cons

  • More expensive
  • Weaker specs

• 

  TerraMaster F2-223

  If you want to save the most money, store away some files, maybe stream a show or movie, and run a few minor apps on a NAS, the TerraMaster F2-223 is the one to go for with its lower price tag.

  Pros

  • Better value
  • Still good enough for Plex

  Cons

  • Slightly rougher OS
  • Weaker app support
  • 2-core CPU

The Synology DiskStation DS224+ and TerraMaster F2-223 are two popular two-bay NAS enclosures. We’ve taken both servers for a test run to see how good they are at storing files on a network, streaming (and transcoding) media, and transforming your home or office. They have two drive bays, an Intel Celeron processor, DDR4 RAM, and various USB and LAN ports. Either NAS would make for a good starter enclosure, though the DS224 is the more expensive choice and the F2-223 has a slightly rougher user experience.

Price, specs, and availability

The Synology DiskStation DS224+ was a direct replacement for the popular DS220+, another Intel-powered NAS. Synology didn’t change too much, keeping the same chassis and upgrading the processor to that found in the older DS920+. There’s still 2GB of DDR4 RAM with the ability to install an additional 4GB for a maximum capacity of 6GB. Two 1GbE LAN ports are joined by two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports with no M.2 SSD slots for caching or data storage. It’s one of the more basic Intel-powered Synology NAS enclosures.

TerraMaster attempts to provide as much performance as possible while managing to undercut the competition. The F2-223 has a faster processor (with two fewer cores), double the RAM out the gate (with a maximum capacity of 32GB), two M.2 SSD slots for data caching, two 2.5GbE LAN ports, two USB-A 3.1 ports, and an HDMI port. Interestingly, it’s worth noting that while TerraMaster includes the HDMI port, it cannot be used for media consumption through a monitor or TV. This is only used for managing the NAS enclosure through the command line (and booting into BIOS).

• 	Synology DiskStation DS224+	TerraMaster F2-223
  Brand	Synology	TerraMaster
  CPU	Intel Celeron J4125	Intel Celeron N4505
  Memory	2 GB DDR4 (max. 6 GB)	4 GB DDR4 (max. 32 GB)
  Drive Bays	2	2
  Ports	2x 1GbE, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1	2x 2.5 GbE, 1x HDMI, 2x USB-A 3.1
  Caching	No	Yes
  OS	Synology DSM	TOS
  Price	$300	$260
  Dimensions	165 x 108 x 232.2 mm	227 x 119 x 133 mm
  Weight	1.3 kg	2.4 kg

TerraMaster manages to beat what Synology offers on paper with a $40 discount on the DS224+. By going with the TerraMaster F2-223, you’re able to save a considerable amount of money, which can go on a NAS drive, and take advantage of better specifications. I don’t include the F2-223 on our list of best NAS enclosures, but it gives the DS224+ a run for its money.

Design

Both TerraMaster and Synology kept to their design languages for these two enclosures. The DiskStation DS224+ looks the same as the outgoing DS220+. It’s an all-black plastic and metal enclosure with a removable front cover that protects the two drive bays. TerraMaster uses a brushed aluminum style for its enclosures, though some of its more recent NAS launches have sported a similar black look. The F2-223 looks unique against most other NAS enclosures, though many may prefer a more sleek design offered by the DS224+.

Surprisingly, the DS224+ is almost half the weight of the F2-223, which shows just how much plastic is included with the Synology NAS. The F2-223 is more compact, however, so if you’re limited on space, the TerraMaster server may be the better pick. Like all NAS enclosures, there are no color options available, so you’ve got the choice of black or aluminum metal. Both the DS224+ and F2-223 have hot-swap drive trays, requiring no tools to install 3.5-inch drives.

The F2-223 does offer two DIMM RAM and M.2 SSD slots, but the entire chassis needs to be pulled apart to gain access. Synology may only offer a single RAM DIMM to play with, but it’s located inside the NAS and can be accessed after removing the two drive trays.

Software

Powering the Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system. It’s Linux-based, much like all other prebuilt enclosure software, and is my favorite of the bunch. Synology has worked over the years to refine its OS offering with a seamless experience from installation to deployment, allowing anyone to be up and running in a few minutes. It’s a similar experience with TerraMaster’s OS, though the process of installing it and running the web interface isn’t quite as smooth and intuitive as Synology’s DSM.

Both operating systems allow for quick access to managing storage pools, drives, apps, and more. If you have used Linux, macOS, or Windows, you’ll feel at home with either NAS OS. Where they differ greatly is apps. TerraMaster’s TOS is very much like Windows Phone back in the day. It’s a decent enough OS with very few apps to install. Synology has a far better first-party development catalog and there are many more third-party apps to choose from. TerraMaster has attempted to alleviate this issue through the highlighting of community apps, but it’s still falling short.

Performance

The Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the weaker NAS of the two enclosures, aside from computing power. Its Intel Celeron J4125 is a good chip with four physical cores capable of hitting 2.7GHz, but the rest of its specs fall short of what TerraMaster offers with the F2-223. TerraMaster’s Intel Celeron N4505 is a two-core processor with a maximum speed of 2.9GHz. It’s not quite as speedy as the four-core J4125 in the DS224+, though either chip will be more than enough to handle a 4K transcode stream and heavier home usage.

For RAM, the TerraMaster F2-223 has double the capacity after unboxing with 2GB of DDR4 over Synology’s 1GB of DDR4 system memory. This shouldn’t be a factor if you’re using the NAS for file storage and lighter usage, but when running Plex Media Server and other heavier apps, the DS224+ may run out of gas before too long. As a bonus to the maximum capacity of 32GB with the F2-223, TerraMaster includes two M.2 SSD slots that can be used for data caching. The DS224+ only supports 6GB of DDR4 RAM and that’s it.

1GbE ports are becoming less common with newer NAS enclosures, although Synology failed to upgrade the ports on the DiskStation DS220+ to 2.5GbE connections. The TerraMaster F2-223 has two of them, providing it with much more bandwidth than the DS224+. Not all home networks have the capability of supporting hardware with 2.5GbE links, so you may not be able to make the most out of the headroom if your network is limited to 1Gb speeds. The TerraMster F2-223 will provide better flexibility for future network upgrades.

Which NAS is right for you?

The choice between the Synology DiskStation DS220+ and TerraMaster F2-223 comes down to whether you wish to save as much money as possible and go with a more capable NAS. The F2-223 wins outright with the faster Intel Celeron processor, higher RAM capacity, 2.5GbE networking, and SSD caching support. Where the DS224+ shines is through its DSM operating system and app support. Synology also offers more functionality through its cloud platform, available to DS224+ owners.

It’s impressive what TerraMaster offers on paper with the F22-23, especially considering it undercuts the DS224+ by $40. Sure, the operating system is slightly rougher and there aren’t as many apps available, but it’s more capable and we’ve found it an easy process to load our own operating systems on TerraMaster NAS. This allows you to create your NAS with an aftermarket OS solution.