Plex Media Server est considéré comme la solution idéale pour créer et gérer sa propre bibliothèque multimédia. Elle est souvent comparée à une version personnelle de Netflix à domicile. Certains ont poussé l’outil à l’extrême en l’hébergeant dans un service Cloud de type Hostinger, OVH ou encore Scaleway, pour le partager avec la famille, les amis, les collègues de travail, voire des inconnus. Mais, les choses vont évoluer très prochainement. En effet, la société derrière Plex va opérer un changement […]
A Guide to How Each Synology NAS Performs in Plex Media Server
Using a NAS as a Plex Media Server is something that seems to grow in popularity with each passing year! Perhaps it is the constant bickering between streaming platforms such as Disney+, Netflix and Prime as they fight over TV show streaming ownership, maybe it’s the rapid increase in costs – or perhaps it is simply that alot of users these days actually want to OWN the media they watch (as well as WATCH the media they own). Whatever the reason, many users look at Synology NAS solutions as affordable private servers that they can load their multimedia onto Box sets, Movies, Music, Audiobooks and Photos) and then stream them to devices in and outside the home. That is where Plex Media server comes in! Plex is, by far, the best way to replicate the kind of slick graphic user interface and design that streaming platforms provide, whilst allowing you to do so with your own media easily and automatically. Plex will scan and scrape metadata sources such as The Movie Database (TMDB) and IMDb for cast information, reviews, descriptions, trailers, thumbnails and more – then wrap it around your decades of media! Then they also allow you to stream it to multiple TVs, Phones, tablets and smart home devices to be enjoyed! What’s not to love? Not much right. Well, when it comes to buying a Synology NAS for Plex – there is a catch! Not all Synology NAS drives are built equally. Some have more powerful or more suitable hardware for Plex than others – and it doesn’t necessarily mean that spending MORE on a Synology NAS will automatically make it better for your ideal plex media server. So, in today’s article I want to cover the full rang eof Synology NAS systems in 2023 and how they perform in PLEX. A big thank you needs to go to the creator of this spreadsheet HERE for keeping track of the full spectrum of Synology NAS systems, their hardware and how they translate to performance when transcoding in Plex Media server.
In a Rush? Here are the Synology NAS I Recommend for Plex in 2023:
Before we go any further, it is important to clarify a few important terms that will crop up ALOT in this article. You can watch this video HERE for a full breakdown of Plex Terminology, but the most important and relevant ones to this article are as follows:
SD, 160p, 240p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K : The resolution refers to the level of detail at which media is displayed, ranging from SD to 160p, 240p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K. The higher the resolution, the more pixels are present, which is determined by the quality of the original recording. Displaying high-resolution media, such as 1080p and 4K, puts a heavier load on the NAS hardware. NAS devices with limited graphics capabilities or no graphics at all may struggle to play 4K media seamlessly or not play it at all. It’s important to keep in mind that just because a NAS brand, such as Synology, claims that their latest NAS is capable of natively playing 1080p or 4K media (natively meaning through their own software, client tools, and/or DLNA), this does not guarantee that the DS923+ A S will perform the same way with Plex. As Plex is a third-party tool, it may have different requirements and limitations.
Transcoding, Encoding, Decoding: Transcoding, encoding, and decoding are various terms used when a media file needs to be transformed to be better suited for a specific device, internet connection, or hardware. When accessing media locally, transcoding may not be necessary, unless your files are mainly H.265/HEVC based. However, when accessing media from remote locations with limited bandwidth, weaker internet connection, or smaller devices, you may want to access the media in lower quality. This is where transcoding, or real-time encoding, comes in handy. Keep in mind that transcoding is one of the most demanding tasks for a NAS. To utilize the full resources of the NAS CPU, including its embedded graphics, you may need to enable the “Make My CPU Hurt” option in the encoder menu of the Plex NAS settings menu, which may require a Plex Pass subscription depending on the NAS.
H.264, HEVC, H.265: The compression techniques H.264, HEVC, and H.265 are used to make large media presentations suitable for viewing on home devices. While H.264 is widely supported by all devices, not all have permission or a license to play H.265/HEVC, as the licensing and patents for H.265/HEVC are complex, expensive, and spread across multiple providers. This can lead to the need for automatic conversion/transcoding of H.265/HEVC media into H.264, which consumes more system resources. The Synology NAS drive, like the rest of the Synology NAS range, does not come with HEVC support by default.
Bitrate:Bitrate refers to the quantity of data that is processed per unit of time, typically expressed in megabits per second (Mbps) for video and kilobits per second (kbps) for audio. The higher the bitrate, the better the quality and resolution of the media tends to be.
Choosing the Best Synology NAS for a Plex Media Server
When it comes to choosing the right Synology NAS for your Plex Media Server, below I have broken down the entire currently available NAS you can buy. I have broken them down into the following areas:
Model ID – This is the Name of the Synology NAS Device
CPU – This is the central processor of the Synology NAS server and this will be what decides the performance of your Plex Media Server
SD 480p / 576p –Most likely the lowest point at which you will need transcoding of a video media file, 480p was used for many early Plasma televisions, whereas 576p is considered Standard Definition in many countries worldwide
HD 720p – Otherwise known as ‘HD Ready’ or ‘Standard HD’, it is generally considered the lowest starting point for watching HD media and starts at 1280×720
HD 1080p – Widely regarded at ‘Full-HD’, it arrives at 1920×1080. Most media listed at high definition in 2020 will be 1080P
4K SDR 2160p – 4K SDR is the entry point into 4K Media. An SDR 2160p supported TV has around 4,000 lines of resolution (the lines across the screen that form the rows of pixels) but is not capable of completely showing the depth and richness of colours spectrum and contrast of 4K HDR. It is by no means a compromise and still an excellent picture, but rather this is due to the physical differences in the construction of the screen and not just how the images are processed, just like the differences between and SD and HDTV.
4K UHD HDR 2160p – The current top end of 4K Media file formats in popular commercial media. A 4K HDR TV has the same 4000 lines of resolution as those that support 4K SDR 2160p, but is physically capable of rendering an image with increased contrast and richer colours\separation thanks to the physical build superiority.
Be sure to check the kind of media you own (or plan on streaming from your Synology NAS), as well as the devices you will be playing back on for a better idea of what kind of plex media transcoding support you will need from your NAS server from Synology. Be sure to check the supported file types (most common modern files types you find for 1080p and 4K are .MKV .MP4 .MOV and .AVI).Below is the entire current Synology NASrange and how well they perform in the Plex Media Server Application with a single Stream.
What is Software Transcoding on a Synology Plex Media Server?
When media lives on your Synology NAS, sometimes the device a that you are playing back your plex media (Smart TV, iPhone, Laptop, iPod) onto cannot support the media file type (eg file format such as HEVC or audio formats like FLAC), the resolution or codec. In this case, the Plex Media Server on your Synology NAS will try to change the file to a more suitable version, on the fly, to ensure you can enjoy your media in the best way. This is known as transcoding and though the Plex application is actioning this with the software, the actual work is being done by the Synology NAS CPU. Software transcoding takes a heavy toll on the CPU and you will need a relatively powerful processor in order to support this feature. Typically the CPU will need to be:
In Intel or AMD Based Based CPU that is 64bit (x86) in Architecture
Higher than 1.6Ghz in Frequency
More than 2 Cores
It is important to highlight that transcoding for Plex on a Synology NAS only really needs more power in the case of converting/changing video files. Audio and Image files will not require much support from the NAS.
What is Accelerated and Hardware Transcoding with Plex on my NAS?
Some Synology NAS arrive with a CPU that has improved rendering or graphical embedding enabled. This means that is Plex can utilize this hardware for transcoding, it will require much, much less of the CPU processing power to transcode a video file. In order to take advantage of Plex hardware transcoding on your Synology NAS, you will need to first check which NAS supports the transcoding to the extent you need by checking below. Next, you will need to upgrade your Plex Membership from the free version to the paid ‘Plex Pass’ subscription, as the option of Accelerated Transcoding with Synology NAS hardware is not included in the plex free subscription. The lists below feature all the current available Synology NAS and to what extent they support Hardware transcoding with a Plex Pass. To use Hardware Transcoding on your Synology NAS in a Plex Media Server, you need to enable it using the Plex Web access (head over to your Plex User interface on your browser.How to Enable Hardware Acceleration with Plex Media Server on a Synology NAS
Open the Plex Web app.
Navigate to Settings > Server > Transcoder to access the server settings.
Turn on Show Advanced in the upper-right corner to expose advanced settings.
Turn on Use hardware acceleration when available.
Click Save Changes at the bottom.
The changes should take place straight away and there is no need to reboot your Synology NAS. Be sure to have updated to the latest version of the Plex Media Server application on your NAS and that Hardware Transcoding is listed as supported in the list below.
Guide for the Chart Below
Software Transcode = Uses the NAS software and CPU Power to alter a file to a more suitable Plex Playback type
Hardware – Accelerated Transcoding – Uses Embedded Graphics that are Integrated into the CPU to Alter a file to a more suitable version for Plex Playback
RED BOX– Recommended Synology NAS for Plex Media Server. Could be based on Performance, Price or Value between both
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Synology DS224+ vs DS423+ NAS – Which Should You Buy?
The sheer scope of how much Network Attached Storage (NAS) has evolved in recent years is genuinely incredible! I remember a decade ago when the range of choices that a home user had when purchasing their own private cloud solution was actually pretty limited. Not only was the scope of hardware available to you only marginally better than leaving your PC on for days at a time, but also what you could get for your money wasn’t particularly impressive either. Fast forward to 2023, and things are so, so much different. With big brands like Synology out there, with a portfolio of solutions that allow you to spend your budget appropriately towards power, value, scalability, or all of the above, there is tremendous flexibility in their portfolio. Which brings us to the two NAS solutions of today’s comparison, the DS423+ and the DS224+, two incredibly similar Synology systems that nevertheless arrive at around $100 to $150 difference in price. With clear advantages and disadvantages in each system, the big question is, is it worth spending more on the Synology DS423+, or saving that money (perhaps adding a couple of terabytes to your storage plans) and opting for the DS224+ NAS? There is more to the differences than one being bigger than the other! Before we go any further, though, it is worth highlighting that these two systems, although differently priced and differently scaled, do have a considerable amount in common, so let’s please highlight (regardless of which one you opt for) what you are guaranteed to get when purchasing either the DS224+ or DS423+.
Both units feature x86 processors, which allow a wide degree of app/services to run well and are a good price vs hardware balance
Both the DS224+ and DS423+ are constructed of plastic desktop compact chassis, thereby reducing power consumption, noise and heat generated
Both can Stream 1080p HD or 4K media, with superior performance natively and mid-range performance in Plex
Both the Synology DS224+ and DS423+ NAS support AI-supported photo and ‘thing’ recognition supported to a very high degree from the free branded software included
For Business users who currently enjoy the use of Google Workspace or Office 365, both of these NAS provide excellent means to backup your mass cloud accounts (as well as natively sync, dupe and configure rules on the fly)
Both the DS224+ NAS and DS923+ NAS support snapshots, for more incremental and version-protecting failsafe in efforts to protect you from Malware and Ransomware attacks, by allowing multi-versioning storage history to browse through and restore
Both units are DLNA certified so can be accessed, browsed and played from by popular DLNA devices, such as Amazon Firestick, Alexa, Google Home Chromecast, Apple TV, Bose, Sonos, iPads, etc, as well as connectivity between these platforms with IFTTT
Both are multi-bay, RAID enabled devices NAS devices that support JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6 and RAID 10 (as well as Synology Hybrid RAID too – but the DS423+ allows you to use this to great effect immediately, whilst the DS224+ will only see the benefits of SHR/RAID5/RAID6/RAID10 later down the line when migrating towards a new larger system)
Both devices run on their own proprietary operating system that can be accessed remotely or locally. These include regular updates to the firmware, security patches, applications and more. Ranging from multimedia, home and multi-tiered backup applications, to more business-end tools such as Surveillance software, Virtual Machine deployment and business-class backup and synchronization tools.
Both the DS423+ and DS224+ use and can be accessed equally by a multitude of mobile applications such as DS File, DS Video, DS Photo, DSCam and DS Music that are created by and constantly improved by Synology.
Both NAS are completely compatible with Windows, Android and Mac systems, as well as acting as a bring between software platforms to share and distribute files for migration and file sync]
Both units can be used as a mail and/or business servers, providing excellent 3rd party CRM and first-party CMS systems, as well as the fantastic Synology collaboration Suite of applications Chat, Drive, Mail, Calendar, Office and Active Backup Suite
Both systems will support DSM 7.1 or DSM 7.2 out the box, as well as support software updates (security and feature) for many years moving forward
Both systems support the Synology Surveillance Station applications, support numerous cameras and arrive with 2 camera licenses with your purchase
But of course, you did not come here to find out what they have in common! You want to know what sets them apart and ultimately what will help you decide which one best deserves your money and your data!
Synology DS224+ vs DS423+ NAS – Price and Value
As I’ve already touched upon, the DS224+ is the cheaper of the two. Arriving in summer 2023, the Synology DS224+ is the refresh of the three-year-old DS220+. Nevertheless, it manages to maintain a remarkably similar price point and arrives in the market at (pending on your region, currency, tax, and shipping!) For around $330 to $360. For an Intel-powered NAS, this is mostly reasonable, though I will touch on later that more of this budget goes towards the software than it does the hardware. The Synology DS423+, released in spring 2023, arrives at around the $450 to $500 mark. Now, aside from the fact that these newer generation devices arrived at a lower price point (because of its storage scale), it is also worth highlighting that the Synology DS423+ has been in the market a wee bit longer than the newer DS224+, and this means that not only is it more available to buy reasonably but also occasionally benefits from promotions and special offers more readily than you might find in the newly launched (at least at the time of writing) DS224+. The DS423+ has only been around in the market for the better part of three to four months, yet nevertheless has already appeared in several prominent promotion events, including Amazon Prime Day. As both of these systems are mostly targeted at home users and small business users, this is a trend that we will likely see continue at most big seasonal sales events and likely the DS224+ will also follow suit. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that although the Synology DS224+ is the better-priced device, The DS423+ opens the door towards being better value, bugs in terms of the price that you can pick this device up for currently and also what’s included with the device for your money. It is fairly common when a new device arrives (not just in the world of NAS) that its predecessor sees sudden and attractive price drops in order for retailers to get rid of older generation technology. This has been exceedingly true of the newer DS224+, as right now, we are already starting to see the previous generation DS220+ arrive on special offer at numerous outlets and with a price tag as low as $250 in some places. The similarities between the DS220+ and DS224+ are pretty glaring, and both systems run the Synology DSM software remarkably well, so therefore, if you really, REALLY for looking for a good deal, keep an eye open for the DS220+ or DS920+ on offer when they appear.
Synology DS224+ vs DS423+ NAS – Hardware and Connections
Despite these two systems being remarkably similar, there is something worthy of discussing here when comparing their hardware, as Synology has clearly made decisions in their respective system architecture to reflect their position in the larger portfolio from the brand. Synology provides a wide range of solutions, and the solutions tend to be designed not to overlap one another, often positioned them 100 to $150 apart and providing extra hardware advantages in each further tier of the portfolio as you scale up. This is definitely true when comparing the Synology DS224+ and DS423+, as although the internal architecture of both of these systems is remarkably similar, the more expensive DS423 does gain two rather useful advantages that you pay more for now but result in a longer long-term storage capability down the line. So first up, let’s look at the internal hardware side by side:
The maximum number of disk slots for an expansion unit
N/A
N/A
M.2 drive bay
Yes x2
N/A
Compatible Disk Type
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
Disk hot-plug support*
Yes
Yes
The first big area of note is, of course, those extra two bays of storage afforded to the Synology DS423+. Now, there are not just advantages in total storage capacity when comparing a 4-bay NAS device against a 2-bay NAS device. Yes, you can have more hard drives and more space to play with, but there are a few certain overlooked advantages that a 4-bay NAS brings to the table. Such as:
Scalability – any Synology NAS system can be operated with as little as a single hard drive or SSD inside. However (depending on the RAID configuration you choose), you can also add drives gradually to a RAID and increase storage gradually over time. A 4-bay device allows you to install just one or two hard drives inside the available bays, and then as the years go on and your storage use increases, you can add further hard drives to allow you to spread the cost of your storage over the years, rather than a single day one spend. Thanks to innovations in hybrid RAID systems like SHR (supported on both the DS224+ and DS423+), you can even mix and match drives to take advantage of larger hard drives that get released later or to buy larger hard drives years from now that decrease in price.
Performance – this is often overlooked, but when NAS systems take advantage of RAID in order to provide a safety net in the event of a disc failing, it also opens the door to multiple drives being read and written to simultaneously. Ultimately, in the right RAID, the more drives you have, the higher performance you will get in terms of write activity (more disks being written across multiple discs at once, rather than one at a time) and read activity (pulling the data from multiple drives at once). The more bays you have, the largest performance potential you have.
Potential for lower price per terabyte depending on your RAID – this is massively overlooked, mostly because it’s not really a bulletproof rule, but having more bays in your NAS can also result in having the same amount of capacity as you find in a 2-bay NAS at a lower cost. A 2-bay NAS, if you want to have at least one disc of drive failure protection, will result in you having to effectively halve your storage. By that, I mean that if you buy 2x 10 TB drives inside a 2-bay in RAID 1, you will only have 10 TB total storage. However, in the 4-bay NAS, you can buy 4x 4TB hard drives (which are regularly on special offer and are also considerably lower in price than a 10TB), and in a RAID 5 / SHR, you will still have one drive of data failure protection but also a total 12 TB storage to play with. More storage, lower price, same protection.
So as you can see, you are definitely paying more for the DS423+ with 4 bays, versus that of the DS224+ with two bays. However, the advantages that it brings in terms of gradual scalability, performance, and savings on your price per terabyte are fantastic and for some users will single-handedly justify this price difference.
Model ID
Synology DS423+
Synology DS224+
Synology NAS
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port*
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port*
2
2
eSATA port
0
0
USB Copy
Yes (inc. Physical Button)
Yes (inc. Physical Button)
PCIe expansion
N/A
N/A
system fan
92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
fan mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
Front panel LED indicators with adjustable brightness
Yes
Yes
Noise value*
19.8dB(A)
22dB(A)
wake on lan
Yes
Yes
Power Supply / Transformer
90W
60W
AC input voltage
100V to 240V AC
100V to 240V AC
current frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
Power consumption
28.3 W (access) 8.45 W (disk hibernation)
14.69 W (access) 4.41 W (disk hibernation)
Next, we need to discuss the CPU and memory inside the DS423+ and DS224+. Now. This will not be hard, as it is absolutely 100% identical! Both systems arrive with the 2019 generation Intel J4125, a quad-core integrated graphics processor with a 2.0 GHz clock speed that can be burst to 2.7 gigahertz when needed. Synology has extensive experience with this CPU, as they have been using it in a number of their devices in the last few years, and this has allowed them to keep their software fantastically efficient and allow you to get as much done as possible with as lower resource utilization needed as possible. The same goes for the memory in both of these devices, with both systems arriving with 2GB of DDR4 memory. This initial 2GB is soldered to the main internal controller board for reasons of cost and efficiency. Doubt, but there is also an additional SODIMM upgrade slot that allows you to install an additional 4GB of memory and scale up the total storage on both devices to 6GB. Moving aside from the fact that it’s a bit weird that the system is capped at 6 GB when the CPU inside can achieve 8GB (because of the way Synology has approached the initial memory being soldered), this is still a reasonably decent amount of memory to be getting on with and identical across both of these systems.
Once again, when we talk about the ports and connections on these devices on the rear of the chassis, things are pretty much identical. Both systems arrive with two network ports on the rear, and both systems use 1Gb/Gigabit Ethernet architecture. These ports can be combined via the use of port trunking/link aggregation/SMB multi-channel (depending on your own network hardware setup requirements and OS), but it’s still a shame that Synology has not opted to scale up towards 2.5Gb on the system in the same way their competitors have at a similar price point to both of these systems. Both systems also arrive with USB 5G Type-A connectivity and although they support external storage devices, UPS devices, and can be assigned to a virtual machine if needed, that is really it. Neither system supports network upgrades via USB network adapters, and therefore it does result in this system having a much lower glass ceiling in terms of network connectivity long-term. You will only partially feel this in the DS224+, but in the case of the DS423+, that is a substantial loss of external bandwidth potential long-term.
However, things are still different in one rather important area – M.2 NVMe SSD Support. Despite the incredible similarities in their hardware internally, Synology has provided 2x M.2 NVMe SSD bays on the base of the (already 4x SATA bay) DS423+, but NOT on the DS224+ NAS. Alongside these M.2 bays being usable as caching to benefit the larger (but slower) SATA HDD pool, there is also the recently implemented support of NVMe drives as storage pools! Because this is a supported feature of the DS423+, that means that not only have you now got a large arrangement of hard drives for a big storage area, but now you can also create a smaller and faster area of storage comprising NVMe SSDs. This additional storage feature is not perfect, though, as the DS423+ is a Gen 2 PCI architecture system, AND the system has also limited the bandwidth speed afforded to these bays for reasons of system temperature and available system PCI lanes. This results in a noticeable bottleneck on the performance potential of these NVMe SSD pools. Additionally, Synology has seen fit to limit the range of SSDs that can be used for this feature in the DS423+ to only be possible with their own SSD drives (currently, the SNV-3400 range), and if you try to create M.2 storage pools with non-Synology SSDs, the system will not allow you to do so as these are non-verified drives. You can still use third-party SSDs for creating areas of SSD caching, but not the M.2 storage pools. Nevertheless, despite these limitations imposed by the brand, the inclusion of the M.2 NVMe pools on the DS423+ is an absolute game-changer, especially when you factor in the additional two hard drive SATA bays that it also has compared with the DS224+. These two factors alone will likely justify the additional costs for many. However, we should highlight that this extra hardware scalability does arrive at a different kind of cost.
This is a minor point for many, and also admittedly the margins we are discussing are quite small, but we do need to at least highlight that the power consumption of the Synology DS224+ is going to be lower than that of the DS423+. Factors such as powering two additional hard drive bays, additional NVMe drives drawing a small amount of power, and the system requiring additional cooling to maintain an optimum 24×7 operation temperature are all going to add up to small increases in power consumption. This is made clearer when you see that the external PSU that both systems arrive with is slightly different, with the four-bay device arriving with a larger PSU. These are all hypothetical maximums, of course, and if you don’t use the M.2 bays or scale up your storage too much over time, power consumption will be largely identical on both systems – a larger PSU does not automatically mean more power use, simply the potential and capability to draw more power if it is needed. Nevertheless, there are going to be some users that might want to keep a special eye on the electric bills over time, given the increased cost of energy in most of the world right now.
Overall, it is almost arguable that the Synology DS423+ is the better NAS choice overall in terms of hardware and connectivity. Even if you don’t intend to fully populate the additional SATA bays or M.2 bays on day one, they bring a level of storage and scalability down the line that is simply not available on the DS224+. Need more storage? Support the official DX517 expansion device from Synology, so at least on the 4-bay device, you have the means to scale up your storage over time and in a way that will be more limited on the 2-bay device. Then, of course, there are the performance benefits of larger RAID arrays and the potential for a lower price per terabyte by utilizing smaller hard drives in a bigger RAID configuration. Even if you wanted to play devil’s advocate and state the increased potential for power consumption in the DS423+, most of the increased consumption will only be used if you choose to scale up your device in the first place, and that is something that wasn’t even possible in the DS224+ NAS anyway.
Synology DS224+ vs DS423+ NAS – Software and Services
To say that these systems run DSM 7.2 to the same degree cannot really be understated! As both of these systems arrive with a near-identical hardware architecture in terms of CPU and memory, this results in both systems supporting the same scope of software and services provided in Synology’s premiere NAS software. Both the DS423+ and DS224+ support the entirety of the Synology DSM apps and tools. You name it, you can do it! Multimedia streaming, multi-site backups, surveillance, virtual machines, shared team drives, office applications, and collaboration tools, immutable backups, encryption, VPN support… seriously, they can do EVERYTHING.
Synology NAS
Synology DS423+
Synology DS224+
Maximum single volume capacity*
108TB
108TB
Maximum number of storage spaces
64
64
M.2 SSD volume support*
Yes
Yes
SSD Read/Write Cache (White Paper)
Yes
Yes
SSD TRIM
Yes
Yes
Support RAID disk array type
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 6
RAID 10
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
file agreement
SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
Maximum simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections
500
500
Maximum number of simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections (with extended memory)
1500
1500
Windows Access Control List (ACL) Integration
Yes
Yes
NFS Kerberos authentication
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of local user accounts
2048
2048
Maximum number of local groups
256
256
Maximum number of shared folders
256
256
Maximum Shared Folder Sync Tasks
8
8
VMware vSphere with VAAI
N/A
N/A
Windows Server 2022
N/A
N/A
Citrix Ready
N/A
N/A
OpenStack
N/A
N/A
Media Server
Yes
Yes
DLNA compatible
Yes
Yes
Synology Photos
Yes
Yes
face recognition
Yes
Yes
Snapshot Replication
Yes
Yes
The maximum number of snapshots supported by a single shared folder
1024
1024
Maximum number of system snapshots
65536
65536
Surveillance Station
Yes
Yes
The maximum number of cameras supported (camera authorization is required)
Recommended number of clients that can sync simultaneously
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
Recommended number of files to store
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
Synology Office
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of users
1200
1200
Video Station
Yes
Yes
Virtual Machine Manager
Yes
Yes
Recommended number of virtual machines
2 (see more)
2 (see more)
Recommended number of Virtual DSMs (licensing required)
2 (including 1 set of free licenses)
2 (including 1 set of free licenses)
VPN Server
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of connections
40
40
Synology High Availability
Yes
Yes
log center
Yes
Yes
Number of logs received per second
800
800
Backup folders and packages
Yes
Yes
backup the whole system
Yes
Yes
Remark
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Maximum number of Hybrid Share folders
10
10
Things only start to be different between these two devices once you factor in the benefits of those additional storage drives. We already touched on that the larger DS423+ has the additional M.2 bays that allow pools and caching, as well as more SATA storage bays that provide better RAID options and the potential for larger performance overall. These things are reflected in DSM in small but noticeable ways, once you start scaling up the number of people and processes accessing your NAS at any given time. If you are a single user or even a small group of users, you will likely not really feel the benefit difference compared with the DS224+ and DS423+. But as soon as you start increasing the demands on the system, DSM or natively start to utilize the additional hardware resources and performance benefits that the DS423+ provides, in this area, the DS224+ will be left behind in terms of overall capabilities. Think of it in terms of the difference between acceleration and top speed. Both systems out of the box have nearly identical acceleration, but over time and gradually if you want to upgrade that way, the DS423+ will inevitably have a better top speed thanks to having greater storage resources to access throughout its lifespan.
You can find out more about the full range of applications, services, and features of Synology DSM, utilizing my video review below that goes into more detail and reviews the entirety of the Synology NAS software platform:
Ultimately, both systems are near enough identical in terms of what you can do in DSM 7.2, but the DS423+ just allows you to scale things up to a larger capacity of storage and services in its lifetime.
Synology DS224+ vs DS423+ NAS – Verdict and Conclusion
If you have read this comparison up to this point, then the conclusion is not going to be much of a surprise. When it comes to someone trying to choose whether to buy the new Synology DS224+ or the ever so slightly older DS423+, it is an absolute no-brainer to me – Go for the DS423+! The obvious benefits that it brings in terms of storage scalability over time, the opportunity to buy smaller hard drives in an improved RAID array for a better price per terabyte, the performance benefits that those larger RAID configurations provide, and of course, those two M.2 NVMe bays that are not available on the DS224+, swing things exceedingly heavily in favor of the DS423+. The DS224+, although a little safe/middling, given the relative closeness in their price and the fact that a lot of this extra cost can be recouped by shaving one or two TB off your total storage capacity, to me, it is unquestionable that if you are considering these two NAS devices, go for the DS423+.
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As we cross the halfway point of 2023, the popular network-attached storage brand, Synology, has largely refreshed the bulk of its DiskStation catalogue. Sure, there are a few of the more business-y type solutions that will likely roll out towards the end of the year, but the more popular NAS devices in two and four bays have largely now arrived. One of the last solutions to roll out in this genre from Synology is the new DS224+, a 2x quad-core Intel-powered compact solution that promises the ability to run everything in the Synology DSM catalog of applications and services. Serving as the refresh/upgrade to the summer 2020 released DS220+, the new DS224 class serves as an arguably minor upgrade over its predecessor but also benefits from a wide range of innovations by the brand in its software that have arrived in those three years. Now, whether you are an existing previous-generation Synology NAS owner that is considering upgrading your setup towards this new DS224+ NAS, or all very much in your first tentative steps towards migrating away from public cloud services toward your own NAS server (hoping this will be perfect for your needs and budget), that is the objective of today’s article. We want to review the DS224+ and help you decide whether you should buy, and ultimately whether it deserves your data.
We are currently working on a much longer and more detailed review of the new DS224+ NAS. In the meantime I have made this ‘Should You Buy’ short review, alternatively if you want a massive, in-depth review, we recommend you check out friend of the channel ‘Blackvoid’ and his review HERE. This article today forms a much more short-form alternative with five good reasons to go for the NAS and five reasons to maybe remain on the fence a little bit longer. So let’s start with the positives!
HARDWARE HIGHLIGHTS
CPU: Intel Celeron J4125, 4-Core, 2.0-2.7Ghz
Memory: 2-6GB DDR4 non-ECC Memory
SATA Bays: 2x SATA
M.2 NVMe Bays: No
Network Ports: 2x 1GbE
PCIe Upgrade: No
Software Platform: Synology DSM 7 (Currently Version DSM 7.1/7.2)
Warranty: 3 Years, Extendable to 5yr
5 Reasons the Synology DS224+ is a Good NAS for You
There is no denying that this system is hugely capable, and the first thing I want to do is identify the main reasons why this NAS stands out among many of the previously released Synology NAS systems in the brand’s portfolio.
A Low Cost Synology NAS with Integrated Graphics for Plex
No, the fact that this NAS arrives with an Intel CPU that features integrated graphics is arguably only going to be massively important to a very specific demographic of Synology NAS owners. If you have been looking at buying a NAS system to host your very own Plex media server, in efforts to own all of your media yet enjoy the slick and highly graphical informative user experience provided by third-party streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+, then using a NAS media server is one of the easiest ways to achieve this. However, depending on your own setup, range of connected users and devices, scope of different multimedia types and formats, and (most importantly for this section) plan on accessing this media via limited connections or older client devices, the necessity for a NAS that features integrated graphics is going to be essential. This also extends to high-end multimedia that may be using more complex compression or formats that are necessary to compress cinema-scale movies into something you watch from your sofa (e.g., HEVC/H.265).
In these scenarios, a NAS such as the DS224+, which arrives with integrated graphics, is going to be exceedingly useful to ensure widespread multi-user and multi-client playback of some of the richest and most diverse multimedia in your collection. That isn’t to say that integrated graphics CPUs are particularly rare; however, Synology has recently been making moves towards more workhorse and file transmission optimized processors that do not feature integrated graphics (such as the IMD embedded rising, the 1500b, or v. 1780B). Although the CPUs have great base power and reported clock speed, as soon as they start handling tasks of a more graphical nature, they will be much less efficient than integrated graphics which are designed for this kind of process. Using less tailored tools for these tasks will result in higher power consumption but also much poorer overall performance and takes up system resources that are better spent elsewhere. Ultimately, if you were looking at the current range of Synology solutions and you’re looking for a Plex media server NAS that is a more all-round solution for all different multimedia playback types, the DS224+ is among one of the highest recommendations right now from this brand.
Full DSM 7.2 Support on the Synology DS224+ NAS
There is no doubt that when you look at Synology NAS, in terms of hardware, it does seem quite expensive. We have touched on this multiple times on the YouTube channel and blog – just how cheap it is to build your own version of the systems by comparison. However, the price that you pay for a turnkey NAS such as the Synology DS224+ is more than just hardware, and in the case of this device, the bulk of your spending is actually going towards the software – Synology’s award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) software. DSM is genuinely the best NAS software in the market, and you cannot purchase it separately. It is easier to think of DSM less as a piece of network software and more as an entire operating system that is arguably comparable to the likes of Windows, Android, or macOS. From the complete end-fluid desktop that you access by the web browser to the massive range of applications and services that are supported locally, remotely, and via a myriad of client tools for a range of different operating systems – DSM is insanely well-built and incredibly intuitive.
The latest version, DSM 7.2, is by far the most fully-featured revision yet and alongside a myriad of applications for backups, file sharing, tailored multimedia, surveillance, office productivity, virtual machines, containers, and more, there is an unquestionably larger ride of tools available from the brand. However, the extent to which you can use these apps and services will always be limited by the power of the NAS you buy, and you tend to find that the more affordable and low-priced solutions tend to lack support for some key Synology DSM applications. Luckily, this is not the case with the DS224+, as this system supports the full range of apps and services in DSM 7.2. These include some of the following applications:
Synology Office – Create documents, spreadsheets, and slides in a multi-user environment. Real-time synchronization and saving make collaboration a breeze.
Synology Chat – Aimed at businesses, Synology Chat is an IM service that transforms the way users collaborate and communicate.
Synology Drive – Host your own private cloud behind the safety of your NAS with 100% data ownership and no subscription fees. Drive has become one of the premier applications of DSM and allows uses to create intelligent shared team folders that support versioning, file streaming+pinning, encryption, Windows AD support (soon) and native file system support with Windows and macOS.
Synology Photos – Manage your photos and videos with deep-learning algorithms that automatically group photos with similar faces, subjects, and places. Designed after the merger of Synology Photo Station and Moments, it also includes tailored folder, sharing and categorization features to help photographers manage their photos and share them with clients for feedback or business development.
Synology Calendar – Stay on track, share calendars, and schedule meetings, while ensuring sensitive information remains safely stored on company premises.
Synology Active Backup for Business (ABB) – Consolidate backup tasks for virtualized environments, physical servers, and personal computers, and rapidly restore files, entire machines, or VMs – license-free. This software also arrives as a specialised Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace platform to sync with those platforms and allow a bare metal tier to your cloud office services
Synology Hyper Backup – Backup your NAS safely and efficiently to multiple destinations with deduplication, integrity checks, compression, and versioning.
Synology Surveillance Station – Safeguard your business, home, and other valuable assets with reliable video surveillance tools. With improved AI services being accessible thanks to Synology BC500 and TC500 Cameras arriving in 2023. Additionally, you can connect this platform with Synology’s cloud platform to use ‘C2 Surveillance’ and bolster the odds of recordings being maintained in the event of accidental/malicious damage to your surveillance system.
Synology Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) – An intuitive hypervisor that supports Windows, Linux, and Virtual DSM virtual machines. Its powerful disaster recovery tools help users achieve maximum service uptime.
Synology High Availability – Synology High Availability (SHA) combines two Synology NAS servers into one active-passive high-availability cluster, alleviating service disruptions while mirroring data.
Synology Central Management System (CMS) – Synology CMS allows you to manage multiple Synology NAS servers quickly and conveniently from a single location.
Synology Video Station – Manage all your movies, TV shows, and home videos. Stream them to multiple devices or share them with friends and family.
Synology Audio Station – Manage your music collection, create personal playlists, stream them to your own devices, or share with family or friends.
Synology File Station – Manage your Synology NAS files remotely through web browsers or mobile devices. This tool allows complete file management and contains all the features and services of your own native file management platform (archiving, extracting, Copy, Cut, Paste, Sharing, native file format opening, etc).
But it does not stop there, as those who have been following Synology recently and the release of DSM 7.2 will know that the brand has integrated some new enterprise-grade features such as mutable backups, thanks to WORM support (write once, read many), with enterprise or compliance mode as standard and required. Additionally, there is support for encrypted volumes now, and this system also has support for Synology’s hybrid RAID system, which will come in especially useful down the line if you decide to scale up your Synology NAS years from now but still wanting to utilize your existing RAID in a bigger array. What this all adds up to is the Synology DS224 being unquestionably the lowest price point right now to have access to the FULL experience of DSM, not the cheaper but slightly hobbled version provided on Realtek NAS systems in the brand’s portfolio. You can find out more about Synology DSM in my massive review of the platform via YouTube below:
A CPU that Synology has Experience with Matters
Now while this may seem a little bit ‘inside baseball’, I do really want to highlight just how much experience Synology has with the hardware architecture included in the Synology DS224+. Any technology manufacturer that provides both hardware and software will, over time, learn more and more how to get the very best efficiency out of the hardware. And when it comes to the world of network-attached storage and systems that will be on for days, weeks, months, and years at a time, efficiency in your solution is going to be enormously important. Now Synology has been using the Intel Celeron J4125 inside the DS224+ in their portfolio for almost 4 years in development with other solutions, and in that time they have definitely spent a great deal of time R&D-ing the hell out of that architecture.
Everything from the amount of hardware resources that DSM is going to use on each of its processes has been gradually more refined over time in order to lower the overall overheads and allow even more simultaneous applications and services to run at any given time. Equally, when the system is running in a lesser used or idle state, the system will be able to estimate how much additional cache can be afforded to services running at any given time, and boost that as needed and then flush the cache in the background without the user knowing. Leading to a more consistent and responsive experience for a user, without them realizing just how much work is going on in the background at any given time. This kind of responsive and semi-automated action can only happen when a brand spends an extensive amount of time with a given hardware architecture and understanding the quirks and nuances of each one. Therefore, although later on in this review, I will be throwing shade at the CPU for other reasons, we have to acknowledge that Synology using a hardware architecture they have a huge amount of experience with here on the DS224+ does bring with it certain key advantages too.
The DS224+ NAS Arrives with 2GB Memory and the Option to Upgrade
This may seem like something of a minor point, but it’s definitely something that you’re going to want to keep an eye on later in the system’s life. And certainly, if you plan on buying a NAS system that you want to last for anything from 5 to 10 years in your home or business environment. Although up until this point, we’ve harped on about the importance of the CPU in any NAS in getting the job done and running the big new applications, all of this wouldn’t matter if you do not have enough memory for the system to run multiple tasks or support multiple users at once. One of the main benefits of modern network-attached storage compared with cloud services and even just basic network-connected hard drives is the ability to run numerous applications from the NAS and allow numerous users to interact with the system simultaneously. Alongside CPU power, this is done with the system having sufficient memory to run all of these processes at the same time, efficiently and effectively. Whether you are looking at the mobile phone in your pocket or the high-end PC in your editing suite, the amount of memory you have is going to be critical in how well things run. In the case of the DS224+, the system arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory. Most other NAS devices from Synology at a similar price point to this will arrive with either 1GB or (and in 2023, this is pretty disgraceful) just 512MB of memory. The system operating system itself will be using a percentage of this memory even when you aren’t doing anything, so the DS224+ arriving with 2GB of memory means that you can already run a decent number of DSM applications and services at any given time, as well as supporting quite a wide-ranging number of users and processes on day one.
But this is further improved when you find out that the memory on the DS224+ can be further upgraded with another 4GB of memory via an available sodimm slot. We are seeing a growing trend in the more value and affordable Synology NAS solutions to not allow upgradable memory on their systems. This is done in order to keep the systems more affordable, as fixed memory is ultimately more cost-effective when directly sold it to the main PCB controller board of the system. Therefore, given this system’s more affordable price point, it would have been expected that it would arrive with non-upgradable memory as standard, and therefore makes it even more appealing to maintain its price point while simultaneously allowing these upgrades for users who want to scale up their level of access and storage down the line.
The Synology DS224+ NAS has Better 3rd Party HDD and SSD Support
In the last 18 months or so, Synology has come under fire from some of its long-standing user base when it changed its number of its support and compatibility policies surrounding which hard drive and SSD plans it was prepared to support on a number of its systems. Although this was largely reserved for systems in the enterprise-level categories of their portfolio, they did provide insurance in their own range of branded hard drive and SSDs. It certainly upset a few users thought it was better. Continue to try and crack after the unified storage and hyper-converged cloud and live among NetApp and EMC. Therefore, it was pleasing to see that the new DS224+ does not suffer this same fate, providing a compatibility list that not only contains Synology hard drive media but also a range of drives from the likes of Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba.
The range might not be particularly massive (more on that later), but you still get the option to utilize drives from other brands inside this Synology NAS system. And for those that are looking for economies and see third-party drives on sale during the likes of Prime Day and Black Friday, this is going to be another compelling reason to go for this NAS. the Synology applications, property/metadata access, etc)
5 Reasons the Synology DS224+ Might NOT Be the NAS for You
All of the positives mentioned above aside, there are still going to be reasons why users might not want to opt for the new Synology DS224+ as the new home for all of their precious data. So now I want to go through five very specific reasons why you might want to remain on the fence a little bit longer and opt for a different solution.
The Intel J4125 Celeron CPU is Showing its Age
This is probably one of the earliest and biggest criticisms people had for the DS224+ when it was first revealed back in June 2023, and surrounds the choice of CPU in this NAS. On the one hand, we did praise Synology for choosing an integrated graphics processor inside this system. However, this is a CPU that has already been in circulation in older-generation Synology NAS systems for quite a while. Despite the advantages that this brings in terms of software development by Synology to squeeze the most out of it, there is no denying that the age of this processor is pretty noticeable compared to alternative Intel Celeron and Pentium processors used by Synology’s competitors in current generation systems. To put that into a little perspective, not only have rivals like QNAP opted for Intel Celeron CPUs one or two generations older than this in the n5105 and j6412, but even Intel has ceased production of this component and refreshed it towards newer processors in their production. The result here is some users are definitely going to feel that a 2023 device that’s running on a 2020 CPU that was released in 2019 is going to feel a little short-changed, as well as feeling that this hardware may not go the distance in years to come. Equally, it raises questions about whether Synology will be able to provide the hardware components for this device in the two to three years that the system will be available before the next refresh, and therefore raises the question of whether Synology will have to provide a CPU upgrade simply because this older Gen CPU is no longer being produced.
This would not be the first time that Synology would have to introduce a CPU upgrade midway through a product’s lifespan. We saw this in the 2016 generation when the CPU in use was refreshed by Intel earlier than expected and a new second-gen version of that series needed to be released. So users who are a little skeptical about this CPU for several reasons are likely to sit out this generation and the DS224+ NAS in particular.
The DS224+ Lacks the M.2 NVMe Bays of Comparable Systems like the DS423+ and DS723+
As mentioned in our introduction, Synology has rolled out numerous refreshes of the bulk of their DiskStation range of solutions, barring a few enterprise-level and larger business solutions in 6/8 bays. Sometimes we see in these refreshes the available hardware be scaled in new and interesting ways, and in the last four to five years, we have seen the number of Synology solutions that arrive with M.2 NVMe SSD bays for use as caching and even storage pools increase with every generation. Nevertheless,
Synology has opted to deny M.2 NVMe SSD bays to this system, and given there are more than enough hardware resources on offer here to support this feature (as the nearly identical hardware DS720+ had them), it’s a real letdown that this system does not have them. Even if you were to play devil’s advocate and suggest that not a lot of users are going to take advantage of these in the home user sector, the advantages that they would bring in tiered storage, scalability, and improved features that capitalize on them coming in DSM 7.2, this is still something of a backstep by the brand on this system and its hardware architecture.
The DS224+ Only Supports a Max 6GB Memory
Earlier, I also praised the Synology DS224+ for arriving with a solid base level of DDR4 memory at 2GB that allows upgrades. This is true, and I am happy that these features exist. However, the fact that the DS224+ can only be upgraded to a modest 6GB of memory is a little disheartening when you look at the maximum 32GB memory supported on the recently released DS723+. This is made even more disappointing when you learn that this CPU actually supports up to a maximum of 8GB of memory, as stated by Intel, and when the same CPU was used in the older generation DS920+.
The reason the DS224+ cannot exceed 6GB of memory is that the initial default 2GB is soldered to the internal controller board. Although this results in a slightly lower production cost compared to buying removable SODIMM memory modules, it does result in the end-user having a lower glass ceiling in terms of memory upgradability. For those that were looking forward to the hardware resources of this Celeron for containers and virtualization, 6GB is actually a rather modest sum to be getting on with.
No way to Upgrade Network Connectivity
A long time ago, I would not have given a home NAS system a lot of criticism for only featuring 1 GBE network connections. Indeed, the fact that the DS224+ has two network ports is still going to be useful for those that want to take advantage of bonding protocols such as SMB multi-channel, port trunking, and link aggregation with supported network switches and operating systems. However, in 2023, 2.5 gigabit Ethernet network connectivity is getting increasingly available and alongside very affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers that feature 2.5 GBE ports, we’re seeing a significant drop in the cost of network switches that include features such as 2.5 GBE fully or partially. Then when you factor in that not only does this CPU support 2.5 GBE out of the box, but the cost at the production level between 1G and 2.5G is incredibly small, Synology has often been criticized for their lack of support for 2.5G when the competitors embraced it many years ago as a middle ground between gigabit network connectivity and 10G. The overreliance on 1G on this system alongside hardware that is already looking quite old only continues to underline how dated some of the hardware in this system can appear.
This is further exacerbated when you discover that Synology has disabled all USB to network adapters on their NAS systems. So even if you opted to purchase a $20 USB to 2.5G network adapter, you cannot officially use it on your system, and this incredibly easy way that could have allowed users to increase their network connectivity is unavailable. Other systems such as the DS723+ navigate this by including a network upgrade slot that uses Synology upgrade modules to add 10GBE to the NAS. However, this DS224+ has 0 means to scale up the network connectivity, and unless you opt for using unofficial code in the back end or GitHub-created workarounds, you are going to feel limitations in the network speeds long term.
HDD and SSD Compatibility on the DS224+ NAS are still limited, but not by Brand
It is worth highlighting that this point may seem a little minor and possibly even irrelevant in the near future, but the verified compatibility list and supported media on the official product pages on Synology’s website for the DS224+ are really weird. I mentioned earlier that there is support for first and third-party storage media on this NAS and that I applauded it, which is still true. However, given we are talking about a two-bay system that supports SATA storage media and using an architecture that Synology has been utilizing now for the better part of 3 years commercially and easily 4 to 5 years in development in the background, the fact that there are only eight Seagate drives and 7 WD drives, both of which only go as high as 14TB maximum capacity, is really small. You can look at the compatibility lists for other systems released in 2020 with this same CPU and memory combo in both 2 bay and 4-Bay, and more drives and larger drives are on those compatibility lists, so why are there so few verified drives on the DS224+?
I really want to give Synology the benefit of the doubt here, and perhaps the fact that this NAS has only just been released and therefore verification and compatibility take time, is the reason why so few drives appear on this compatibility list right now. Equally, I praise that Synology did not include their own enterprise-grade drives of larger capacity, maintaining the use of only standard class hard drives in this system – Which could have been an easy win for them to sell their own larger hard drives if they had chosen to do so. Nevertheless, given that the DS423+ has now been available for quite a few months and has a nearly identical hardware architecture, and that Synology has had vast experience with this hardware, architecture, and the internal components that surround it in near identical systems for years now, this abundant lack of choice in the selection of storage media to install in the DS224+ and remain on the official compatibility list is almost offensively small. This may well change over time, and Synology may well add countless more drives to this verified compatibility list, and therefore this point will become completely irrelevant. As it stands now at the time of writing and the launch of the DS224+, there is simply not enough choice on this range of compatible and supported storage media for this NAS.
Synology DS224+ NAS Review Conclusion and Verdict
The Synology DS224+ is a NAS that, in the correct context, is actually a really good choice of server for a lot of users. When Synology rearranged their portfolio in the middle of 2022, there was always going to be inconsistencies between releases and issues surrounding the placement of solutions in their ranges that needed addressing. When they upgraded the DS923+ and DS723+ with ECC memory up to 32GB, NVMe SSD pool support, optional 10GBE network upgrades, and a much more powerful business-class CPU, it was clear that they had designated that tier of their portfolio to be far more business than pleasure. From there, it became obvious that the standard mid-range two and four-bay solutions (in this case the DS224+ and DS423+) were going to be more home-user and multimedia-user-designated, and their hardware architecture needed to sit more balanced between the business-class solutions and the value series of real tech NAS devices. However, this has resulted in a new NAS arriving on the scene that has an intentionally low glass ceiling, and the disparity in hardware created between the DS224+ and the DS723+, despite a modest price difference between them, is only further worsened when the hardware similarities between the prosumer previous generation and this SMB generation are massive. It creates a feeling to the end-user who is aware of Synology’s previous releases that this is “paying money for old rope” and not a new-generation hardware solution. The reality, to new users and those that are upgrading away from the value tier into something a bit more established in the+ tier, is actually more nuanced. You are getting a great CPU here that, despite its age, still does extraordinarily well in DSM applications and third-party popular applications like Plex Media Server. Add to that that this is still a refresh of the previous generation that has moved from a dual-core to a quad-core processor, and you can see that upgrades in this refresh have occurred, though modest.
Then there is the fact that this system can still support the full range of applications and services in the Synology DSM 7.2 system software and makes it by far the lowest price you are ever going to have to pay to access everything that DSM can do in the latest generation, also guaranteeing the longest support of that software long after the hardware warranty has expired (security and feature updates). It does make a tremendous difference that the Synology developers and product managers know this hardware architecture so intricately, and that means that you are going to have a system that can run everything in the most efficient way possible, which will certainly pay dividends in the days, weeks, months, and years that you will have the system in operation – especially when factoring rising energy costs globally and how you want your system to do as much as possible while eating up as little electricity as possible! In conclusion, the Synology DS224+ is probably not Synology’s most exciting release, and if you are someone that skipped the 2020 generation of solutions because you wanted to hold out for something greater and more powerful, the DS224+ will probably serve as something of a damp squib to you. But it is a very solid NAS release, and as long as you put it in the right context as a buyer and keep in mind that this system is a refresh of the DS220+, it still does a great job. It just lacks a lot of the scalability and upgradability of other recent Synology NAS releases and looks, at least in the hardware department, a little underwhelming against competitors in 2023. You can definitely do a lot worse, but there is also the potential to do a lot better by spending just a fraction more.
SOFTWARE - 10/10
HARDWARE - 6/10
PERFORMANCE - 7/10
PRICE - 8/10
VALUE - 7/10
7.6
PROS
Synology 4-Bay NAS with a 4-Core Intel Integrated Gfx Processor - Lovely stuff! Runs Everything in the Synology DSM Catalogue (Active Backup, Surveillance Station, VMM, Drive, Collab Suite, etc) Great Plex, Emby and Jellyfin Media Server Performance Broad HDD/SSD Compatibility with Synology drives AND Seagate+WD Low Impact chassis, low noise in operation (HDD dependant) and efficient power use Runs exceedingly well on just 2GB of Memory More affordable than the DS923+ and DS723+ Long-running DSM Support beyond the Hardware
CONS
No means to upgrade network connectivity and 1GbE by default Memory maximum cap at 6GB as original 2GB is fixed (non-upgradable) Small Jump from the 2020 released DS220+ Non-Expandable Lack of M.2 NVMe Support
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Choosing the right data storage solution for your needs can be very intimidating and it’s never too late to ask for help. With options ranging from NAS to DAS, Thunderbolt to SAS and connecting everything up so you can access all your lovely data at the touch of a button can be a lot simpler than you think. If you want some tips, guidance or help with everything from compatibility to suitability of a solution for you, why not drop me a message below and I will get back to you as soon as possible with what you should go for, its suitability and the best place to get it. This service is designed without profit in mind and in order to help you with your data storage needs, so I will try to answer your questions as soon as possible.
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Synology DS423+ vs DS923+ NAS – Which Should You Buy
Buying your first network-attached storage device can be really intimidating! If you have spent the better part of a decade storing your personal or business data on public cloud services or in a drawer full of USB drives, but have now taken the grown-up decision to go ahead and migrate over to your own private network-attached storage (NAS). You might have done this for reasons of cost, centralization or perhaps for security, whatever the reason for your data migration, there is simply no denying that the world of NAS can be a fraction complex and confusing early doors. Like any kind of modern computer appliance, you want to make sure you buy right the first time and when it comes to choosing between two of the latest generations of Synology NAS devices, these two incredibly similar four-bay devices might be two of the most different solutions I have ever compared. The Synology DS423+ is a home and small business-focused compact NAS designed to leverage an affordable price point between reasonable hardware and reasonable software and abilities. The slightly older Synology DS923+, on the other hand, has much of a high and even in some places entry enterprise-level focus about its architecture and is needless to say the more expensive of the two. Nevertheless, both of these Synology NAS devices can be picked up for around $450 to $600 (without drives), the contrast between their pricing, are actually very different beasts. Therefore, for users that don’t quite know their AMD embedded from their Celeron integrated processors, or who aren’t sure of the benefits that ECC can bring, today I want to compare the Synology DS423+ and Synology DS923+ and help you decide which one best deserves your data!
Just before we get into the meat and potatoes of this comparison, it is worth highlighting that regardless of whether you buy the Synology DS923+ or DS423+, you are guaranteed to get a system that can perform all of the following:
Both units feature x86 processors, which allow a wide degree of app/services to run well and are a good price vs hardware balance
Both the DS923+ and DS423+ are constructed of plastic desktop compact chassis, thereby reducing power consumption, noise and heat generated
Both can Stream 1080p HD or 4K media, with superior performance natively and mid-range performance in Plex
Both the Synology DS923+ and DS423+ NAS support AI-supported photo and ‘thing’ recognition supported to a very high degree from the free branded software included
For Business users who currently enjoy the use of Google Workspace or Office 365, both of these NAS provide excellent means to backup your mass cloud accounts (as well as natively sync, dupe and configure rules on the fly)
Both the DS423+ NAS and DS923+ NAS support snapshots, for more incremental and version protecting failsafe in efforts to protect you from Malware and Ransomware attacks, by allowing multi-versioning storage history to browse through and restore
Both units are DLNA certified so can be accessed, browsed and played from by popular DLNA devices, such as Amazon Firestick, Alexa, Google Home Chromecast, Apple TV, Bose, Sonos, iPads, etc, as well as connectivity between these platforms with IFTTT
Both are multi-bay, RAID enabled devices NAS devices that support JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6 and RAID 10 (as well as Synology Hybrid RAID too for their Plus series range), though it is worth highlighting the DS923+ is the only one that supports an expansion and therefore also can support RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 and SHR-2 over an expansion (more on that later)
Both devices run on their own proprietary operating system that can be accessed remotely or locally. These include regular updates to the firmware, security patches, applications and more. Ranging from multimedia, home and multi-tiered backup applications, to more business end tools such as Surveillance software, Virtual Machine deployment and business-class backup and synchronization tools.
Both the DS423+ and DS923+ use and can be accessed equally by a multitude of mobile applications such as DS File, DS Video, DS Photo, DSCam and DS Music that are created by and constantly improved by Synology.
Both NAS are completely compatible with Windows, Android and Mac systems, as well as acting as a bring between software platforms to share and distribute files for migration and file sync]
Both units can be used as a mail and/or business servers, providing excellent 3rd party CRM and first-party CMS systems, as well as the fantastic Synology collaboration Suite of applications Chat, Drive, Mail, Calendar, Office and Active Backup Suite
Both systems will support DSM 7.1 or DSM 7.2 out the box, as well as support software updates (security and feature) for many years moving forward
Both systems support the Synology Surveillance Station applications, support numerous cameras and arrive with 2 camera licenses with your purchase
But you didn’t come to this comparison page to find out what they had in common, you wanted to know what makes them different and which one best suits your needs, so let’s crack on with this comparison.
Synology DS423+ vs DS923+ NAS – Price and Value
Now, for those of you that are keeping a very close eye on the budget, it will already be clear to you that the Synology DS423+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, by quite a considerable margin! Arriving, depending on where you are in the world, for around $449 to $499, it will immediately look more appealing to those on a tight budget when compared against the $549 to $599 of the DS923+. And that is before you’ve gone ahead and purchased any storage media too, so that’s saving of $100 to $150 could go a long way to further bolstering your network-attached storage setup. So, if the most important thing to you right now is remaining within a tight budget, then it might be worth seeing to read the rest of this article as when comparing DS423+ and DS923+, we have to look considerably more at the subject of value, not price. Price. Both of these devices arrive with the same software, Synology DSM 7.2, as well as both systems being two drive NAS solutions that support nearly identical ranges of storage media too, but more on that later. In terms of physical size, the range of components, they are pretty darn similar at a casual glance. However, it is in terms of the individual hardware components and scalability where the Synology DS923+ shows its worth, which we will cover shortly in the hardware section. But at least in terms of numerical value, the Synology DS423+ carries the lead. However, the reality isn’t quite that simple:
This is because the Synology DS923+ was released approx than half a year earlier than the DS423+ (Nov 2022 vs April 2023) and because of its wider availability and longer presence in the market, it has been featured in numerous special offers throughout that time. We saw this near $500 NAS on a few considerably impressive special offers throughout Amazon Prime day and other smaller eShop-specific events. So, yes, the DS423+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, but do make a point of checking your local online retailer to see if the DS923+ is on special offer right now!
Synology DS423+ vs DS923+ NAS – Hardware and Connections
The hardware architecture of the DS423+ and DS923+ clearly have two very different target audiences in mind. The DS423+ has more of a home and multimedia feel about it, while the DS923+ feels substantially more like a business solution. This is reflected in numerous areas such as the distinct differences in CPU, memory specifications, and potential for growth. Even if you were to take into account the affordability of the DS423+, it has to be said that in the majority of hardware available, the DS923+ is significantly more powerful and scalable in practically every way. Here is a brief summary of the key hardware highlights of either system, side-by-side:
The maximum number of disk slots for an expansion unit
N/A
7 (DX517 x 1)
M.2 drive bay
N/A
2 (NVMe, PCIe 3×1)
Compatible Disk Type
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
Disk hot-plug support*
Yes
Yes
So first and foremost, we need to discuss the main differences between the CPUs available here. The Intel Celeron found inside the DS423+ is a four-core, four-thread processor with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz that can be burst to 2.7 GHz when needed. However, despite the age of this CPU, which was released towards the end of 2019, it is the integrated graphics of this processor that gives it a slight edge for some users in terms of NAS deployment- especially those looking at multimedia use for their system. For users that are looking at the manipulation of graphical data, or more commonly are using the NAS as a multimedia server and wish to convert dense multimedia into something more manageable locally (for example, converting a dense 4K file into a much smaller and portable version to watch on the phone whilst commuting to work, on the fly), integrated graphics allow the NAS to perform this task with much lower overall resource consumption.
Thanks to it having a more specialized tool to get this job done. The embedded Ryzen R1600 processor on the other hand, lacks the integrated graphics and is a dual-core processor instead of a quad-core. However, it substantially makes up for this by being a much more powerful dual-core processor, with four threads that allow the system to assign system resources in a similar way to that of having multiple cores. Equally, the clock speed is noticeably higher here with the DS923+ CPU having a 2.6 GHz base power that can be burst when needed to 3.1 GHz. It is true that in cases of graphical manipulation or multimedia conversion, the AMD CPU here will be far less efficient and capable. However, in practically every other way, it is superior to that of the J4125 inside the DS423+. And if you are more concerned with traditional file transfer speeds internally and externally, the DS923+ will comfortably be the better-performing NAS.
The CPU choices in the DS423+ and DS923+ also result in very different memory architectures in each device, which will undoubtedly result in different scalability in the long term. The DS423+ arrives with 2GB of 2666Mhz memory, soldered to the main controller board, which can be further expanded via an available SODIMM memory slot to 6 GB total. This may be a little disheartening when you find out that the CPU here is actually capable of supporting 8 GB maximum memory. However, due to that initial 2GB memory being fixed internally, you cannot officially exceed 6 GB physically. This shortfall is considerably magnified when you bring into comparison the DS723’s memory structure. It arrives with 4GB of DDR4 3200Mhz memory which can be expanded to a whopping 32 GB total across two available SODIMM slots. Additionally, the system arrives with error-correcting code (ECC) memory, which ensures that data that passes through the memory during write operations will have its integrity checked by a separate module on the memory of the system. If any irregularities or inconsistencies are spotted, that data will be repaired. This goes a long way to reassure any doubts around the integrity of long-term archival data and susceptibility to things like bit rot. This is one of the main reasons why the DS923+ is considered much more of a business solution overall.
Much like the memory choices by Synology in these two NAS devices, the ports and connections of them both are similar, but one is definitely more scalable than the other. Both systems arrive with standard gigabit ethernet connectivity, with two available ports that each will provide up to a maximum 109 megabytes per second. Both systems also arrive with USB 3 connectivity, but it is only 5GB gen 1 USB. However, it is from here onward that the DS723 massively upscales things:
Model ID
Synology DS423+
Synology DS923+
Synology NAS
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port*
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port*
2
2
eSATA port
0
1
USB Copy
Yes (inc. Physical Button)
Yes
PCIe expansion
N/A
1 x Gen3 x2 LAN card slot
system fan
92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
fan mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
Front panel LED indicators with adjustable brightness
Yes
Yes
Noise value*
19.8dB(A)
22.9 dB(A)
wake on lan
Yes
Yes
Power Supply / Transformer
90W
100W
AC input voltage
100V to 240V AC
100V to 240V AC
current frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
Power consumption
28.3 W (access) 8.45 W (disk hibernation)
35.51 W (access) 11.52 W (disk hibernation)
For a start, the DS923+ features an eSATA external port that is used to connect the official Synology 5-bay expansion device, the DX517. This means that while the DS423+ has a maximum long-term capacity of four SATA drives, the DS923+ allows you to expand your storage down the line by an additional five SATA bays (so 9 Bays total). This can be done gradually and this storage can either mirror the original NAS or extend the storage pool across both devices.
Scalability and expandability do not stop there though, with the DS923+ also having the option to add a network adapter upgrade module (the E10G22-T1-MINI) to increase your network bandwidth to 10GbE. This is going to be incredibly useful for users who plan on taking advantage of SSDs or plan on having a much busier network environment between the NAS and multiple users and tasks at any given time. And it doesn’t stop there! Though BOTH systems also features two SSD bays on its base for installing M.2 2280 SSD modules (which can be used for caching or as raw storage pools, depending on which drive you use), the DS423+ is a Gen 2 PCIe lane system, whilst the DS923+ is a Gen 3 system – resulting in double the bandwidth per lane (ultimately, the difference between 500MB/s max per SSD on the DS423+ and 1,000MB/s on the DS923+). This is a feature that, although growing more common across Synology’s NAS portfolio, it is still unavailable on many of their lower tier/affordable systems (such as the DS224+) and, alongside the lack of storage expansion support, the gen2 speeds on these bays will place limits the storage potential long term on the more affordable NAS.
Finally, we need to discuss storage media compatibility, as this has grown to be another thing that has changed the way in which a user can populate their NAS quite a lot in recent years. On the list of storage media that they are prepared to verify as compatible with their systems. Although technically, one could say that any SATA media drive would be compatible with a SATA NAS, there are still a few incredibly isolated examples of compatibility, durability and stability. Synology requires that all drives need to be officially checked and verified before they’re prepared to add them to their list in order to truly guarantee that a user will get the promised Synology experience from their hardware with that media. As questionable as this might sound, the result is that the list of compatible storage media for both of these devices, despite their incredible similarities, is actually pretty darn different. Take a closer look at the slideshow below of compatible HDDs from WD and Seagate on these two NAS systems (from 21st July 2023) and see if you can spot an odd inconsistency:
In the case of the DS423+, we see a smaller pool of supported storage media, as well as a lower list of larger capacity drives being featured also. The DS923+, on the other hand, seemingly has a larger pool of more high capacity drives added and available to it, as well as a larger range of Synology’s own drives available for use with that system that includes the higher end options in the HAT5300 range. Synology has clearly prioritized higher-end drives for more advanced Synology systems, but for those that like to use their system clearly and rigidly within the defined parameters of a brand to maintain their warranty/guarantee, this is going to be a little disheartening to see the smaller pool of verified compatible storage media on the more affordable NAS solution. This is something that may well change over time as more drives are added to verified compatibility lists, but Synology has not exactly been putting their foot on the gas here. Given how close these two systems have been released side by side and the large disparity between their compatibility lists, I can’t see a huge amount of change happening anytime soon. It is absolutely no surprise that the more expensive Synology NAS has a better degree of hardware options in the long term. Though, it should be highlighted that a lot of the real benefits available in the DS723 are optional extras, long-term scalability and upgrades that are not necessarily available in the default model. It could be very easily argued that you are paying for entry to then pay extra for delivering upgrades, SSD upgrades, storage scalability, and increasing your memory years from now. Nevertheless, the fact that the baseline memory is ECC and the AMD CPU is indeed more powerful in most ways, does make up some of that additional cost and ultimately mean that in terms of hardware and connectivity, the DS923+ is the better of the two.
Synology DS423+ vs DS923+ NAS – Software and Services
At the risk of being incredibly repetitious, both of these devices are remarkably similar in what they can do in Synology’s premium DSM software platform, but the scalability and scope provided by the DS923+ inevitably leads to that more expensive system, ultimately giving you just more resources with which DSM can utilize. In terms of the actual range of applications, services supported on either system and scope for use right out of the box, both the DS423+ and DS923+ have got more than enough to run every single available app and tool available in DSM 7.2. Despite their rather modest scale, both systems can run multiple virtual machines, host a fantastically capable surveillance solution with numerous cameras, both can provide an excellent Plex media server experience (with a slight edge to the DS423+ in terms of conversions and transcoding when needed), and in terms of backups, both systems support the full range of services from Hyper Backup and Active Backup Suite. If you are a small business or just a small group of users who are going to be interacting with either of these NAS units fairly regularly, you’re going to have a largely identical experience in either one of these two systems using the baseline default hardware. However, things will change as soon as you start moving into larger simultaneous access, more high-volume application exchanges between the system and client hardware, and the scope of each one of those individual processes growing over time. In terms of the escalation of accessing the services of DSM and long-term future-proofing of a system running at top speed, despite growing requirements and demands of the system, the DS923+ comfortably wins.
Synology NAS
Synology DS423+
Synology DS923+
Maximum single volume capacity*
108TB
108TB
Maximum number of storage spaces
64
64
M.2 SSD volume support*
Yes
Yes
SSD Read/Write Cache (White Paper)
Yes
Yes
SSD TRIM
Yes
Yes
Support RAID disk array type
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 6
RAID 10
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 6
RAID 10
file agreement
SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
Maximum simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections
500
1000
Maximum number of simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections (with extended memory)
1500
2000
Windows Access Control List (ACL) Integration
Yes
Yes
NFS Kerberos authentication
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of local user accounts
2048
2048
Maximum number of local groups
256
256
Maximum number of shared folders
256
512
Maximum Shared Folder Sync Tasks
8
16
VMware vSphere with VAAI
N/A
Yes
Windows Server 2022
N/A
Yes
Citrix Ready
N/A
Yes
OpenStack
N/A
Yes
Media Server
Yes
Yes
DLNA compatible
Yes
Yes
Synology Photos
Yes
Yes
face recognition
Yes
Yes
Snapshot Replication
Yes
Yes
The maximum number of snapshots supported by a single shared folder
1024
1024
Maximum number of system snapshots
65536
65536
Surveillance Station
Yes
Yes
The maximum number of cameras supported (camera authorization is required)
Recommended number of clients that can sync simultaneously
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
Recommended number of files to store
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
Synology Office
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of users
1200
1200
Video Station
Yes
Yes
Virtual Machine Manager
Yes
Yes
Recommended number of virtual machines
2 (see more)
4 (see more)
Recommended number of Virtual DSMs (licensing required)
2 (including 1 set of free licenses)
4 (including 1 set of free licenses)
VPN Server
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of connections
40
40
Synology High Availability
Yes
Yes
log center
Yes
Yes
Number of logs received per second
800
800
Backup folders and packages
Yes
Yes
backup the whole system
Yes
Yes
Remark
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Maximum number of Hybrid Share folders
10
10
Notwithstanding that the system has a much higher clock speed CPU that, despite only being a dual-core processor, features a four thread architecture with DSM, allowing a lot of the spreading of resources normally associated with cores to be made available with vCPU allocation (containers, virtual machines and just natively). Then there is the scope for the larger overall capacity available to be upgraded towards in terms of memory, with the rather modest 6GB of memory on the DS423+ looking quite underwhelming when compared against the whopping 32 GB maximum memory that is scalable on the DS923+. That ultimately adds up to the more expensive NAS system having a better opportunity to grow alongside a more demanding data storage network of connected devices and users over time. And we haven’t even touched on the performance benefit in DSM and all of the first and third party applications when we factor in support of Gen3 SSDs for caching or storage pools in the DS923+, both of which are going to allow much better, long-term utilization and overall, a much smoother experience for a considerably longer amount of time than that of the DS423+. Ultimately, if you think your utilization of the NAS is going to grow steadily and increasingly over time, the DS923+ is the better choice here in terms of software, in and out of DSM.
Synology DS423+ vs DS923+ NAS – Conclusion and Verdict
Unsurprisingly, what we have here is an old-fashioned case of getting what you pay for. The DS423+ is a very solid, and reliable NAS solution and is definitely more than capable of running the bulk of modern NAS hardware needs, also, remaining pretty flexible in the resources available to it on day one to get the job done. Equally, for home users and particularly those seeking a more flexible approach to multimedia, the DS423+ does bring a decent amount of bang for buck when you compare it against the bulk of other Synology solutions in the brand’s portfolio. But it just pales in comparison to the sheer scope of scalability, upgrade options and flexibility long-term that the DS923+ provides. And regardless of whether you’re a business user or a home user that may perhaps be looking to do something more aggressive with their storage down the line, the DS923+ justifies a lot of the extra expense, simply by the weight of it having that ECC memory, twice the default memory on day 1, Gen3 SSD NVMe storage options, expandability, 10G as an optional extra and the scale of how far you can upgrade the memory. As mentioned earlier, we have to at least acknowledge that a lot of these advantages that the DS923+ presents compared with the DS423+ are ones that you will only really take advantage of if you spend a little bit more money, but having the option for that scalability down the line for many users is going to be worth the investment on day one. Side by side, in most cases, the DS923+ will comfortably outperform the DS423+ even in the default model, so you still aren’t losing out just because you’re paying extra for upgrade options you may not use later down the line.
This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
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If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.
The Best NAS for Under $250 of 2023 – Synology, QNAP, Asustor and Terramaster
Making the tough decision to migrate away from public subscription cloud services and towards your own private server can be a costly and intimidating decision. Therefore, it is always tremendously gratifying to know that as NAS systems have now been around for a few decades, their ease of use and general affordability has grown exponentially. Previously, I have discussed the very best NAS devices you can buy for under $500, £500, or 500 euros. However, today I want to take things even further, by discussing the very best in NAS devices you can get for as little as $250. It is genuinely impressive, just how affordable this technology has become, even at this rather modest price point, which equates to less than 2 years of public cloud subscription services. By comparison, you still have access to the bulk of modern NAS software and features in 2023.
Disclaimers
Before going any further, it’s worth highlighting a few disclaimers about how the different NAS for this article were selected and a few extra considerations you might have before spending a single penny. For a start, all of these solutions arrive unpopulated. That means that you will still need to purchase hard drives or SSDs separately in order to fully take advantage of these systems. The reason I have not included hard drives in these calculations is because there are just too many different kinds and capacities available to users. That said, in every case, these are two-bay NAS systems and therefore support traditional RAID configurations for two drives that allow at least one drive for failover or the performance benefits of combining two drives into a single storage pool.
It is also worth highlighting that one NAS that I really wanted to include in this available range, the Synology DS220 + NAS released in 2020, is unfortunately too expensive to qualify for a selection of NAS devices under $250. However, this NAS has regularly been on sale for the last 12 to 18 months globally, and also is seeing a refresh to the new DS224 + NAS relatively soon. The result is that although right now the Synology DS220 + is over $250, it will relatively soon become a great deal more affordable and likely regularly on sale in the coming months. So if you do see this NAS, I do recommend getting hold of it as it is by far the best NAS on this list, if it could qualify.
The Synology DS223 – Best NAS Software and Services for Under £249
Realtek RTD1619b – 2GB DDR4 Memory – 2x SATA HDD/SSD – 1x1GbE – USB 5G –$249 (10/07)
By far the most recently released NAS on this list, the Synology DS223 is one of the latest releases for the brand’s 2023 portfolio and arrived with substantial support of DSM 7.2. Synology is a brand that has traded on the usability and smooth running of its popular NAS software, Disk Station Manager, and the majority of Synology NAS systems that arrive with this software are generally two or three times the price of the DS223. However, thanks to the affordability of ARM-based processors and the increasing efficiency that the brand brings to the development of their software over time, it is now perfectly possible to enjoy the majority of the features of DSM on a fantastically affordable NAS like the DS223. Originally released in the spring of 2023, it was the beginning of the refresh of the entire value series from Synology and alongside the fantastically efficient RTD 1619b processor, the system also arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory. A way to enjoy Synology’s entire ecosystem, whilst also featuring a fantastically low footprint in power consumption, scale, and noise by far.
What we said in our Synology DS223 NAS Review on 08/02/23:
As soon as your look at the Synology DS223 as an entry point into the Synology software platform and ecosystem for those that want to have a small, robust and user-friendly NAS – it makes ALOT of sense! There is a reason why it arrives at a price point $120-150 cheaper than the DS723+ and as long as you are looking at the DS223 as a low-power, low impact and low-demand device, you are going to come away from it happy! It provides the bulk of the DSM applications and services that most home/small office users are going to want for Multimedia, Collaboration, Backup, Sync’d team drives and surveillance, but does so in a much more affordable package than the + series. Where some users might hit issues when they assume that the DS223 can provide the same extent of features and performance of the DS220+, DS723+ and above. This NAS carries the ‘Value’ tag for a reason and as long as you keep that in mind, it is a great little NAS box and serves as a great first NAS or as an extension of your existing Synology NAS environment as an additional backup layer. The rather lacklustre support of USB in DSM 7 is slightly countered by this device having three on board (though 5Gb/s) for storage, which is more desirable for home users, as is that copy button function. The removal of the SD Card slot in recent refreshes of this series, + the continued appearance of 1GbE is disappointing but expected at this tier in the brand’s portfolio. But overall I cannot really fault the DS223 NAS for those users who want to be able to access the Synology NAS platform, but are on a tight budget and/or have low-ranged demands for it’s use. Again, just don’t go expecting a Ford Mustang when you are paying the price of a Ford Focus!
SOFTWARE - 9/10
HARDWARE - 8/10
PERFORMANCE - 8/10
PRICE - 9/10
VALUE - 8/10
8.4
PROS
Supports MOST of the Synology App Suite Support of SHR, BTRFS and Snapshots Low Power Consumption Lovely Compact Design and Noise Level Large HDD & SSD Compatibility Three USB Ports & Copy Button Warranty can be extended Very Capable, despite ARM CPU
CONS
1GbE, 5Gb/s USB & No SD Card Slot 2GB Memory is fixed No expansion Support No Plex App Support (Yet)
DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now?
Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS (Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core 2GB Ram 1xRJ-45 1GbE Amazon USA 13.81 OFF (WAS 365) [LINK HERE] Synology DS223J 2 Bay Desktop NAS, black Amazon UK 15.44 OFF (WAS 193) [LINK HERE] Synology 2-Bay NAS DS223 (Diskless) Amazon UK 6.12 OFF (WAS 281) [LINK HERE] Synology DS223 36TB 2 Bay Desktop NAS Solution installed with 2 x 18TB HAT5300 D Amazon UK 77.59 OFF (WAS 2201) [LINK HERE]
These Offers are Checked Daily
The QNAP TS-233 – Best Priced Value NAS @ $199
Cortax A55 4-Core 2.0Ghz – 2GB DDR4 Memory – 2x SATA HDD/SSD – 1x1GbE – USB 5G –$199 (10/07)
At least in the early stages of 2023, the QNAP TS-233 is comfortably the lowest-priced NAS in this article, something I never thought I would say about a QNAP NAS. With a price point of $199, it would be easy to assume that this system would be inferior to the previously mentioned Synology. However, it actually arrives with a significantly superior CPU inside which features both a higher clock speed of 2 gigahertz on a quad-core architecture, but also has an embedded AI component (NPU) to directly assist with AI processes in their photo recognition and surveillance applications that are included with the QTS software platform. The system also arrives with 2GB of memory and is even lower impact in size and power consumption than the Synology offering. I think it would be fair to say that although Synology DSM is the superior software, that QNAP QTS is still pretty darn good and significantly improved year on year. Applications and support of third-party software and hardware on the QNAP NAS here and factoring in that it is also $50 less is also tremendously appealing. If you were looking for the most flexible NAS out there, then chances are the QNAP is the one for you here.
What we said in our QNAP TS-233 NAS Review on 25/02/23:
Overall – I would say that the QNAP TS-233 NAS Drive IS good value, although maybe not as good a value as we have seen in previous releases from the brand. On the plus side, this is by far the most modern CPU that we have seen from a NAS brand in the ‘value’ tier. After a few years of fatigue from everyone using the Realtek RTD1966, this newer and more powerful/capable Cortex A55 is a breath of fresh air and allows a larger range of QNAP services and simultaneous services to be used at once. Equally, QTS 5 seems to have taken a lot of the criticism that people have had towards QNAP in 2021, its ‘default heavy’ security, over-flexibility in its design that gave some users too much rope to hang themselves and presets – then tightened many of them up, changed how users are informed of issues, bolstered the default security tools and increased its recommendations on backup tiers. QTS still has a steeper learning curve than other NAS brands, but now thing seems a lot tighter on day 1 and changing some options that users might use carelessly has been a big part of that. The 2GB of DDR4 memory in the system is a welcome day 1 inclusion too, when many affordable systems from competitors have 512GB or 1GB (which in 2022 is rather mind-boggling), however, the lack of scalability in that memory to go higher, the default 1GbE and those USB 2.0 ports are a touch surprising from a brand that generally tends to push the envelope in the hardware department more than many others. Overall, a solid release, if a little tame and safe at times. If you are looking at entering the QNAP NAS ecosystem and are on a tight budget, the TS-233 is a solid release and excellent value.
SOFTWARE - 8/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 8/10
PRICE - 9/10
VALUE - 9/10
8.2
PROS
Good value hardware and software at this pricepoint 2GB of DDR4 Memory at the affordable tier is very welcome Runs the latest version of QTS 5 First Value Tier NAS in the market to use the Cortex A55 Processor Quad-Core Processor is a nice bonus Inclusive AI-powered component built into the hardware USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port and Copy Button always good at the value tier Support for NAS-to-NAS/USB/Cloud backups and also supported Hybrid Storage and mounting
CONS
1GbE in 2022 event at the value tier is underwhelming 2x USB 2.0 Ports is equally underwhelming
DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now?
QNAP TS-233-US 2 Bay Affordable Desktop NAS with ARM Cortex-A55 Quad-core Proces Amazon USA 36 OFF (WAS 294) [LINK HERE]
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The Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro – A 2.5GbE NAS for Under $249
Realtek RTD1619b/RTD1296 4-Core 1.4-1.7Ghz (Gen 2 ver. has CPU Upgrade) – 2GB DDR4 Memory – 2x SATA HDD/SSD – 1×2.5GbE – USB 5G –$249 (10/07)
Now, on the face of it, it could be argued that of all of the NAS devices here, the Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro NAS is the least compelling of the bunch. It has a CPU that is older or lower in clock speed than all the other devices in this list, and also has pretty much the same memory quantity as the bulk of solutions on this list. So what makes its $250 price point any more compelling than the other NAS we have discussed so far? Nice and simple, this system arrives with 2.5 GbE network support when all other solutions only feature gigabit network speeds. Yes, the TerraMaster can get close thanks to port trunking or link aggregation, but this system provides it straight out of the box to 2.5 G supported client hardware. This is further improved when you learn that with a simple $20 network upgrade, you can add additional 2.5G network ports using USB to 2.5G adapters available from multiple retailers. This means that the Asustor is one of the few NAS devices here that can not only allow you to fully capitalize on two hard drives inside externally, but also is the only one really capable of providing enough external bandwidth for two SSDs installed inside too. Add to that the Asustor ADM software, though the least featured of the three platforms, has BTRFS support like the Synology, smooth operation in the web browser, and a tremendous range of client tools available for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac platforms. Overall, when it comes to network performance, this might be one of the best options for you if what you want is a system to just shut up and get the job done with the best possible external network performance. What it lacks in fully featured apps and tools, it makes up for in straightforward deployment. Just be aware that this price point does mean that some compromises between it and more premium systems have to be made.
What we said in our Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro NAS Review on 21/08/22:
The Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro NAS is a modest system that for the most part does not over-promise in what it can provide. Its architecture lends quite well to the more budget-friendly buyer, home users and those that are simply looking for an easy backup option to the cloud. Additionally, less demanding users who want some light multimedia support, network-based camera surveillance and cross-platform file sharing will certainly see plenty of use in the Drivestor 2 Pro device. The software and services available via ADM on the Drivestor 2 Pro AS3302T also provide a decent level of utilities and provides a good level of confidence to the end-user in housekeeping and secure functionality. Though the system is arguably let down by weak upgradeability and internal hardware that has been a tad overused in recent years, you still have a very functional solution here that mostly sticks the landing in offering your own private cloud solution.
SOFTWARE - 6/10
HARDWARE - 6/10
PERFORMANCE - 7/10
PRICE - 7/10
VALUE - 8/10
6.8
PROS
Good Price Point 2.5Gbe Connectivity Rare Realtek NAS that is Expandable 4K HEVC Transcoding Great Plex Media Server Hardware Modern Software Design Wide Range of Mobile Apps Cloud/NAS/USB Backup Support
CONS
Lack of HDMI = No KVM Setup No Option to Upgrade Memory Software still not quite on par with competitors
DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now?
These Offers are Checked Daily
The Terramaster F2-221 – Best Hardware Value for Under $249
Intel J3355 Celeron CPU – 2/4/8GB DDR4 Memory – 2x SATA HDD – 2x 1GbE – HDMI 1.4b 4K 30FPS – USB 5G –$249 (10/07)
Thanks to TerraMaster arguably prioritizing hardware over software, you generally find better value for money on their products in terms of hardware than any alternative NAS brand out there, with the F2-221 being a great example of this. However, it gets even better here because the F2-221 was released a good couple of years ago, yet the main improvement and innovations in TOS (the TerraMaster NAS software) only really kicked off about a year ago in version 5. The result is that you have a low hardware price point as it is a previous generation, yet it fully supports the latest software updates. Consequently, what you have here is the only NAS in the list that features an Intel Celeron x86 processor, 2GB of memory that can be expanded even further, and dual LAN architecture with support of SMB multichannel/Port Trunking/LAG to really take advantage of the two-drive RAID potential here externally. Their software is still less featured than what you would find in QNAP QTS and Synology DSM, but it is still a fantastically capable piece of kit, especially when you factor in the ability to install Unraid or TrueNAS on the system too.
Terramaster still continues to be the most affordable fully-featured provider of the whole NAS market and although a number of their solutions have always felt a little rough around the edges, you always got the impression that you were getting a good deal for the hardware that was available from QNAP and Synology. Now in 2022/2023, the same continues to be true but in the F2-221 NAS’ case, you are actually getting some pretty top tier (for the Home/Prosumer) market at a price tag that is really tough to argue with. Terramaster has clearly been watching their bigger competitors and cherry-picked the features that people have been asking for this new generation. In terms of software, things are a little less convincing and although TOS 5 (currently in Beta at the time of writing) still continues to evolve into something genuinely fully featured and impressive, TOS 4 that the F2-221 includes at launch is usable (if unexciting) platform that provides the base level services that a new NAS user would want, but lacks killer apps that their competitors are offering right now (File Streaming, AI photo recognition, Surveillance, etc). Most of these ARE included in TOS5, but until it arrives much later in 2022 in a full release, the F2-221 feels like a powerful NAS that doesn’t have the software to show off its strengths yet. If you are reading this later in 2022 or 2023, this might well be irrelevant though, as the brand rolls out their bit firmware update to ALL TerraMaster NAS devices. Overall, I definitely CAN recommend the F2-221 NAS for its hardware, for Plex Media server or as an affordable multi-tier backup solution, but if you are looking for a NAS for more tailored data access or in a much more fully-featured package – hold out a little longer till TOS 5 gets released first.
SOFTWARE - 6/10
HARDWARE - 7/10
PERFORMANCE - 7/10
PRICE - 8/10
VALUE - 7/10
7.0
PROS
2Dual LAN for Cheap! TRAID Flexible RAID is great stuff! Good CPU for the Price Point Supports Current 22TB HDDs from WD and Seagate VERY easy TrueNAS installation is possible Great RAID Options Snapshot Replication BTRFS Support if preferred Supports Plex and all 1080p Transcoding 4K Video transcoding natively
CONS
HDMI Currently Unsupported Although TOS 5 has seen some big improvements and more AAA+ apps and services added, it is still not as polished as DSM or QTS from their competitors
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Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Which Should You Buy
Buying your first network-attached storage device can be really intimidating! If you have spent the better part of a decade storing your personal or business data on public cloud services or in a drawer full of USB drives, but have now taken the grown-up decision to go ahead and migrate over to your own private network-attached storage (NAS). You might have done this for reasons of cost, centralization or perhaps for security, whatever the reason for your data migration, there is simply no denying that the world of NAS can be a fraction complex and confusing early doors. Like any kind of modern computer appliance, you want to make sure you buy right the first time and when it comes to choosing between two of the latest generations of Synology NAS devices, these two incredibly similar two-bay devices might be two of the most different solutions I have ever compared. The Synology DS224+ is a home and small business-focused compact NAS designed to leverage an affordable price point between reasonable hardware and reasonable software and abilities. The slightly older Synology DS723+, on the other hand, has much of a high and even in some places entry enterprise-level focus about its architecture and is needless to say the more expensive of the two. Nevertheless, both of these Synology NAS devices can be picked up for around $350 to $450 (without drives), the contrast between their pricing, are actually very different beasts. Therefore, for users that don’t quite know their AMD embedded from their Celeron integrated processors, or who aren’t sure of the benefits that ECC can bring, today I want to compare the Synology DS224+ and Synology DS723+ and help you decide which one best deserves your data!
Just before we get into the meat and potatoes of this comparison, it is worth highlighting that regardless of whether you buy the Synology DS723+ or DS224+, you are guaranteed to get a system that can perform all of the following:
Both units feature x86 processors, which allow a wide degree of app/services to run well and are a good price vs hardware balance
Both the DS723+ and DS224+ are constructed of plastic desktop compact chassis, thereby reducing power consumption, noise and heat generated
Both can Stream 1080p HD or 4K media, with superior performance natively and mid-range performance in Plex
Both the Synology DS723+ and DS224+ NAS support AI-supported photo and ‘thing’ recognition supported to a very high degree from the free branded software included
For Business users who currently enjoy the use of Google Workspace or Office 365, both of these NAS provide excellent means to backup your mass cloud accounts (as well as natively sync, dupe and configure rules on the fly)
Both the DS224+ NAS and DS723+ NAS support snapshots, for more incremental and version protecting failsafe in efforts to protect you from Malware and Ransomware attacks, by allowing multi-versioning storage history to browse through and restore
Both units are DLNA certified so can be accessed, browsed and played from by popular DLNA devices, such as Amazon Firestick, Alexa, Google Home Chromecast, Apple TV, Bose, Sonos, iPads, etc, as well as connectivity between these platforms with IFTTT
Both are multi-bay, RAID enabled devices NAS devices that support JBOD, RAID 0 and RAID 1 (as well as Synology Hybrid RAID too for their Plus series range), though it is worth highlighting the DS723+ is the only one that supports an expansion and therefore also can support RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 and SHR-2 (more on that later)
Both devices run on their own proprietary operating system that can be accessed remotely or locally. These include regular updates to the firmware, security patches, applications and more. Ranging from multimedia, home and multi-tiered backup applications, to more business end tools such as Surveillance software, Virtual Machine deployment and business-class backup and synchronization tools.
Both the DS224+ and DS723+ use and can be accessed equally by a multitude of mobile applications such as DS File, DS Video, DS Photo, DSCam and DS Music that are created by and constantly improved by Synology.
Both NAS are completely compatible with Windows, Android and Mac systems, as well as acting as a bring between software platforms to share and distribute files for migration and file sync]
Both units can be used as a mail and/or business servers, providing excellent 3rd party CRM and first-party CMS systems, as well as the fantastic Synology collaboration Suite of applications Chat, Drive, Mail, Calendar, Office and Active Backup Suite
Both systems will support DSM 7.1 or DSM 7.2 out the box, as well as support software updates (security and feature) for many years moving forward
Both systems support the Synology Surveillance Station applications, support numerous cameras and arrive with 2 camera licenses with your purchase
But you didn’t come to this comparison page to find out what they had in common, you wanted to know what makes them different and which one best suits your needs, so let’s crack on with this comparison.
Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Price and Value
Now, for those of you that are keeping a very close eye on the budget, it will already be clear to you that the Synology DS224+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, by quite a considerable margin! Arriving, depending on where you are in the world, for around $330 to $360, it will immediately look more appealing to those on a tight budget when compared against the $450 to $499 of the DS723+. And that is before you’ve gone ahead and purchased any storage media too, so that’s saving of $100 to $150 could go a long way to further bolstering your network-attached storage setup. So, if the most important thing to you right now is remaining within a tight budget, then it might be worth seeing to read the rest of this article as when comparing DS224+ and DS723+, we have to look considerably more at the subject of value, not price. Price. Both of these devices arrive with the same software, Synology DSM 7.2, as well as both systems being two drive NAS solutions that support nearly identical ranges of storage media too, but more on that later. In terms of physical size, the range of components, they are pretty darn similar at a casual glance. However, it is in terms of the individual hardware components and scalability where the Synology DS723+ shows its worth, which we will cover shortly in the hardware section. But at least in terms of numerical value, the Synology DS224+ carries the lead. However, the reality isn’t quite that simple.
This is because the Synology DS723+ was released more than half a year earlier than the DS224+ and because of its wider availability and longer presence in the market, it has been featured in numerous special offers throughout that time. We saw this near $500 NAS on a few considerably impressive special offers throughout Amazon Prime day and other smaller eShop-specific events. So, yes, the DS224+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, but do make a point of checking your local online retailer to see if the DS723+ is on special offer right now!
Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Hardware and Connections
The hardware architecture of the DS224+ and DS723+ clearly have two very different target audiences in mind. The DS224+ has more of a home and multimedia feel about it, while the DS723+ feels substantially more like a business solution. This is reflected in numerous areas such as the distinct differences in CPU, memory specifications, and potential for growth. Even if you were to take into account the affordability of the DS224+, it has to be said that in the majority of hardware available, the DS723+ is significantly more powerful and scalable in practically every way. Here is a brief summary of the key hardware highlights of either system, side-by-side:
The maximum number of disk slots for an expansion unit
N/A
7 (DX517 x 1)
M.2 drive bay
N/A
2 (NVMe, PCIe 3×1)
Compatible Disk Type
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
Disk hot-plug support*
Yes
Yes
So first and foremost, we need to discuss the main differences between the CPUs available here. The Intel Celeron found inside the DS224+ is a four-core, four-thread processor with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz that can be burst to 2.7 GHz when needed. However, despite the age of this CPU, which was released towards the end of 2019, it is the integrated graphics of this processor that gives it a slight edge for some users in terms of NAS deployment- especially those looking at multimedia use for their system. For users that are looking at the manipulation of graphical data, or more commonly are using the NAS as a multimedia server and wish to convert dense multimedia into something more manageable locally (for example, converting a dense 4K file into a much smaller and portable version to watch on the phone whilst commuting to work, on the fly), integrated graphics allow the NAS to perform this task with much lower overall resource consumption.
Thanks to it having a more specialized tool to get this job done. The embedded Ryzen R1600 processor on the other hand, lacks the integrated graphics and is a dual-core processor instead of a quad-core. However, it substantially makes up for this by being a much more powerful dual-core processor, with four threads that allow the system to assign system resources in a similar way to that of having multiple cores. Equally, the clock speed is noticeably higher here with the DS723+ CPU having a 2.6 GHz base power that can be burst when needed to 3.1 GHz. It is true that in cases of graphical manipulation or multimedia conversion, the AMD CPU here will be far less efficient and capable. However, in practically every other way, it is superior to that of the J4125 inside the DS224+. And if you are more concerned with traditional file transfer speeds internally and externally, the DS723+ will comfortably be the better-performing NAS.
The CPU choices in the DS224+ and DS723+ also result in very different memory architectures in each device, which will undoubtedly result in different scalability in the long term. The DS224+ arrives with 2GB of memory, soldered to the main controller board, which can be further expanded via an available SODIMM memory slot to 6 GB total. This may be a little disheartening when you find out that the CPU here is actually capable of supporting 8 GB maximum memory. However, due to that initial 2GB memory being fixed internally, you cannot officially exceed 6 GB physically. This shortfall is considerably magnified when you bring into comparison the DS723’s memory structure. It arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory which can be expanded to a whopping 32 GB total across two available SODIMM slots. Additionally, the system arrives with error-correcting code (ECC) memory, which ensures that data that passes through the memory during write operations will have its integrity checked by a separate module on the memory of the system. If any irregularities or inconsistencies are spotted, that data will be repaired. This goes a long way to reassure any doubts around the integrity of long-term archival data and susceptibility to things like bit rot. This is one of the main reasons why the DS723+ is considered much more of a business solution overall.
Much like the memory choices by Synology in these two NAS devices, the ports and connections of them both are similar, but one is definitely more scalable than the other. Both systems arrive with standard gigabit ethernet connectivity, with two available ports that each will provide up to a maximum 109 megabytes per second. Both systems also arrive with USB 3 connectivity, but it is only 5GB gen 1 USB, and the more expensive DS723+ only has a single port when the DS220 Plus has two, which really surprised me. However, it is from here onward that the DS723 massively upscales things.
Model ID
Synology DS224+
Synology DS723+
Synology NAS
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port*
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port*
2
1
eSATA port
0
1
USB Copy
Yes (inc. Physical Button)
Yes
PCIe expansion
N/A
1 x Gen3 x2 LAN card slot
Size (HXWXD)
165 mm x 108 mm x 232.2 mm
166mm x 106mm x 223mm
weight
1.30 kg
1.51 kg
system fan
92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
fan mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
full speed mode
low temperature mode
silent mode
Front panel LED indicators with adjustable brightness
Yes
Yes
Noise value*
22dB(A)
20.7 dB(A)
wake on lan
Yes
Yes
Power Supply / Transformer
60W
65W
AC input voltage
100V to 240V AC
100V to 240V AC
current frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
50/60 Hz, single frequency
Power consumption
14.69 W (access) 4.41 W (disk hibernation)
21.07 W (access) 8.62 W (disk hibernation)
For a start, the DS723+ features an eSATA external port that is used to connect the official Synology 5-bay expansion device, the DX517. This means that while the DS220 Plus has a maximum long-term capacity of two SATA drives, the DS723+ allows you to expand your storage down the line by an additional five SATA bays. This can be done gradually and this storage can either mirror the original NAS or extend the storage pool across both devices.
Scalability and expandability do not stop there though, with the DS723+ also having the option to add a network adapter upgrade module (the E10G22-T1-MINI) to increase your network bandwidth to 10GbE. This is going to be incredibly useful for users who plan on taking advantage of SSDs or plan on having a much busier network environment between the NAS and multiple users and tasks at any given time.
And it doesn’t stop there! The Synology DS723+ also features two SSD bays on its base for installing M.2 2280 SSD modules, which can be used for caching or as raw storage pools, depending on which drive you use (more on that later). This is a feature that, although growing more common across Synology’s NAS portfolio, it is still unavailable on the new DS224+ and, alongside the lack of storage expansion support, severely limits the storage potential long term on the more affordable NAS.
inally, we need to discuss storage media compatibility, as this has grown to be another thing that has changed the way in which a user can populate their NAS quite a lot in recent years. On the list of storage media that they are prepared to verify as compatible with their systems. Although technically, one could say that any SATA media drive would be compatible with a SATA NAS, there are still a few incredibly isolated examples of compatibility, durability and stability. Synology requires that all drives need to be officially checked and verified before they’re prepared to add them to their list in order to truly guarantee that a user will get the promised Synology experience from their hardware with that media. As questionable as this might sound, the result is that the list of compatible storage media for both of these devices, despite their incredible similarities, is actually pretty darn different. Take a closer look at the slideshow below of compatible HDDs from WD and Seagate on these two NAS systems (from 21st July 2023) and see if you can spot an odd inconsistency:
In the case of the DS224+, we see a smaller pool of supported storage media, as well as a lower list of larger capacity drives being featured also. The DS723+, on the other hand, seemingly has a larger pool of more high capacity drives added and available to it, as well as a larger range of Synology’s own drives available for use with that system that includes the higher end options in the HAT5300 range. Synology has clearly prioritized higher-end drives for more advanced Synology systems, but for those that like to use their system clearly and rigidly within the defined parameters of a brand to maintain their warranty/guarantee, this is going to be a little disheartening to see the smaller pool of verified compatible storage media on the more affordable NAS solution. This is something that may well change over time as more drives are added to verified compatibility lists, but Synology has not exactly been putting their foot on the gas here. Given how close these two systems have been released side by side and the large disparity between their compatibility lists, I can’t see a huge amount of change happening anytime soon. It is absolutely no surprise that the more expensive Synology NAS has a better degree of hardware options in the long term. Though, it should be highlighted that a lot of the real benefits available in the DS723 are optional extras, long-term scalability and upgrades that are not necessarily available in the default model. It could be very easily argued that you are paying for entry to then pay extra for delivering upgrades, SSD upgrades, storage scalability, and increasing your memory years from now. Nevertheless, the fact that the baseline memory is ECC and the AMD CPU is indeed more powerful in most ways, does make up some of that additional cost and ultimately mean that in terms of hardware and connectivity, the DS723+ is the better of the two.
Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Software and Services
At the risk of being incredibly repetitious, both of these devices are remarkably similar in what they can do in Synology’s premium DSM software platform, but the scalability and scope provided by the DS723+ inevitably leads to that more expensive system, ultimately giving you just more resources with which DSM can utilize. In terms of the actual range of applications, services supported on either system and scope for use right out of the box, both the DS224+ and DS723+ have got more than enough to run every single available app and tool available in DSM 7.2. Despite their rather modest scale, both systems can run multiple virtual machines, host a fantastically capable surveillance solution with numerous cameras, both can provide an excellent Plex media server experience (with a slight edge to the DS224+ in terms of conversions and transcoding when needed), and in terms of backups, both systems support the full range of services from Hyper Backup and Active Backup Suite. If you are a small business or just a small group of users who are going to be interacting with either of these NAS units fairly regularly, you’re going to have a largely identical experience in either one of these two systems using the baseline default hardware. However, things will change as soon as you start moving into larger simultaneous access, more high-volume application exchanges between the system and client hardware, and the scope of each one of those individual processes growing over time. In terms of the escalation of accessing the services of DSM and long-term future-proofing of a system running at top speed, despite growing requirements and demands of the system, the DS723+ comfortably wins.
Recommended number of clients that can sync simultaneously
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
Recommended number of files to store
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
Synology Office
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of users
1200
1200
Video Station
Yes
Yes
Virtual Machine Manager
Yes
Yes
Recommended number of virtual machines
2 (see more)
4 (see more)
Recommended number of Virtual DSMs (licensing required)
2 (including 1 set of free licenses)
4 (including 1 set of free licenses)
VPN Server
Yes
Yes
Maximum number of connections
40
40
Synology High Availability
Yes
Yes
log center
Yes
Yes
Number of logs received per second
800
800
Backup folders and packages
Yes
Yes
backup the whole system
Yes
Yes
Remark
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Maximum number of Hybrid Share folders
10
10
Notwithstanding that the system has a much higher clock speed CPU that, despite only being a dual-core processor, features a four thread architecture with DSM, allowing a lot of the spreading of resources normally associated with cores to be made available with vCPU allocation (containers, virtual machines and just natively). Then there is the scope for the larger overall capacity available to be upgraded towards in terms of memory, with the rather modest 6GB of memory on the DS224+ looking quite underwhelming when compared against the whopping 32 GB maximum memory that is scalable on the DS723+. That ultimately adds up to the more expensive NAS system having a better opportunity to grow alongside a more demanding data storage network of connected devices and users over time. And we haven’t even touched on the performance benefit in DSM and all of the first and third party applications when we factor in support of SSDs for caching or storage pools in the DS723+, both of which are going to allow much better, long-term utilization and overall, a much smoother experience for a considerably longer amount of time than that of the DS224+. Ultimately, if you think your utilization of the NAS is going to grow steadily and increasingly over time, the DS723+ is the better choice here in terms of software, in and out of DSM.
Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Conclusion and Verdict
Unsurprisingly, what we have here is an old-fashioned case of getting what you pay for. The DS224+ is a very solid, and reliable NAS solution and is definitely more than capable of running the bulk of modern NAS hardware needs, also, remaining pretty flexible in the resources available to it on day one to get the job done. Equally, for home users and particularly those seeking a more flexible approach to multimedia, the DS224+ does bring a decent amount of bang for buck when you compare it against the bulk of other Synology solutions in the brand’s portfolio. But it just pales in comparison to the sheer scope of scalability, upgrade options and flexibility long-term that the DS723+ provides. And regardless of whether you’re a business user or a home user that may perhaps be looking to do something more aggressive with their storage down the line, the DS723+ justifies a lot of the extra expense, simply by weight of it having that ECC memory, SSD NVMe storage options, expandability, 10G as an optional extra and the scale of how far you can upgrade the memory. As mentioned earlier, we have to at least acknowledge that a lot of these advantages that the DS723+ presents compared with the DS224+ are ones that you will only really take advantage of if you spend a little bit more money, but having the option for that scalability down the line for many users is going to be worth the investment on day one. Side by side, in most cases, the DS723+ will comfortably outperform the DS224+ even in the default model, so you still aren’t losing out just because you’re paying extra for upgrade options you may not use later down the line.
This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
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Why would you consider upgrading your existing older-generation Synology now, or take your first steps away from public cloud subscription services and towards your own private NAS server? There are plenty of reasons why you might be considering buying either the Synology DS220+ NAS, released in summer 2020, or the Synology DS224+ NAS, due to be released in summer 2023. Synology has had over two decades of an increasingly positive reputation in the world of network-attached storage. As time has worn on, their portfolio has diversified considerably to the point where even these relatively modest 2-bay systems are surprisingly capable and fully featured. Despite both systems being able to run Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM) software in its latest 7.2 version, and both are built incredibly similarly on a hardware architecture with significant overlap, there are a few key differences between these two devices that may influence your decision. So, let’s compare these NAS devices and help you decide whether the DS224+ refresh deserves your data in 2023/2024.
Note – If you want a breakdown on the whole Synology 2-Bay NAS range, you can watch my complete YouTube video HERE
Synology DS220+ vs DS224+ NAS – Price and Value?
The prices of the Synology DS224+ and DS220+, if you’re looking at the original launch price, are pretty darn similar. Synology is launching the new DS224+ at largely the same price that the three-year-old DS220+ arrived at, around $300 to $350 (Don’t forget your local tax and shipping!). Given the improvements in the base CPU that the system arrives with between these two versions of the same product series, even if you factor in depreciation of how individual components are valued, it’s still quite impressive for Synology to maintain this price point. However, the reality is much more nuanced. For a start, because the DS224+ has been on the market as long as it has, stock and availability are considerably larger, at least at the time of writing.
The DS220+ has seen numerous special offers, Black Friday sales, and Prime Day sales in which it has appeared at between $230 and $240. Given that both these systems run exactly the same software, as well as running exactly the same applications (though to a different extent, more on that later), there are definite savings to be made by buying the older generation device. Equally, there are users who are considering, or have already, upgraded their existing Synology NAS to a more powerful system during the last three years (perhaps to stay within the 2-3 Year warranty that these systems come with, or just because they needed to expand), so the scope to pick up a second-hand Synology DS220+ on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Craigslist is going to rise all the time.
This increases the potential to pick up the DS220+ at a bargain price, and given the main difference between these two systems is genuinely just the CPU, and the systems come with an effective lifetime software support warranty, those looking for a bargain price when buying their first NAS are definitely more likely to be attracted by the older generation device. Equally, the Synology DS224+ arrives with a CPU that is already showing its age a little bit, which somewhat undermines the value for money here compared with the more scalable and impressive DS723+, which arrived with a brand new CPU with higher clock speed and capabilities, ECC memory support that went much higher, and optional 10 GBE connectivity down the line.
The Synology DS224+, on the other hand, is quite a small upgrade over its 3-year-old predecessor and most certainly undermines the return to the original RRP for some users. Needless to say, in 3 to 6 months from now, this comparison will be largely moot as availability for the DS220+ will diminish rapidly as Synology switches gears to the newer model, but if you see a DS220+ in good condition and at a decent price drop, overall, I’d still recommend the predecessor in terms of price point.
Synology DS220+ vs DS224+ NAS – Hardware and Connections
This might well be one of the shortest comparisons that I have ever made comparing one NAS against its predecessor in terms of hardware! Normally, a refresh of a previous generation NAS tends to include a few areas of note that can range from improvement in network connectivity, scalability, supported memory, and of course a newer generation CPU! However, in the case of the DS224 Plus, genuinely the only meaningful difference I could find between it and the DS220 Plus, released three years prior, is the CPU. It arrives with the same memory speed, quality, and quantity.
It arrives with exactly the same ports and connections as the predecessor. It arrives with the same chassis as the predecessor. Heck, I’m pretty certain that if I took this device apart, I would find the exact same motherboard inside too! The only meaningful difference between these two devices, aside from longer term hardware support and DSM support (again, more on that later) is the switch from the j4025 CPU to the j4125 CPU.
Both CPUs are Intel Celeron architecture, from the same product family and released by Intel for their 2019 series of processors. Normally in these comparisons, and in particular, when I discuss these two CPUs, I would talk about the difference in clock speed (the J4125 having a higher maximum frequency at 2.7 GHz compared to the J4025’s 2.5 GHz), or perhaps the embedded graphics (both have Intel UHD Graphics 600 series, but the J4125 has a slightly better performance), but really, the difference between these two CPUs is very, very marginal.
The Synology DS224+ arrives with the J4125, a 4-core 2.0 base/2.7 burst GHz processor that supports 4K media transcoding, AES-NI encryption, and 8GB of DDR4 memory. The older Synology DS220+ also arrives with 4K transcoding, AES-NI, and 8GB support but features a slightly less powerful 2-core 2.0 base/2.5 burst GHz J4025 processor. In real-world terms, you are not going to see a significant difference in performance from that small increase in processor capability, especially in a two-bay NAS device where your storage will be the biggest bottleneck for most high-performance applications.
In terms of ports and connectivity, both models have two 1GbE LAN ports that support Link Aggregation and Failover, three USB 3.0 ports, and an eSATA port for expansion. They also both support the Btrfs file system, which provides advanced data protection features such as file self-healing and snapshot technology.
Hardware Specifications
Storage
Drive Bays
2
2
M.2 Drive Slots
No
No
Hot Swappable Drive*
Yes
Yes
External Ports
Ports
RJ-45 1GbE LAN Port*
2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support)
2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port*
2
2
USB Copy
Yes
Yes
File System
Internal Drives
Btrfs
EXT4
Btrfs
EXT4
Appearance
Size (Height x Width x Depth)
165 mm x 108 mm x 232.2 mm
165 mm x 108 mm x 232.2 mm
Weight
1.30 kg
1.31kg
Others
System Fan
92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
Power Supply Unit / Adapter
60 W
60 W
Warranty
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty+
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty+
So, in terms of hardware, the two devices are remarkably similar. If you’re choosing between the two purely based on hardware specs, the DS224+ does have a slightly more powerful CPU, but the difference is likely to be negligible in most typical use scenarios. Therefore, unless the DS224+ comes with a significant improvement in software capabilities, the DS220+ may be a more cost-effective choice for many users.
Synology DS220+ vs DS224+ NAS – Software and Support
When it comes to software, both the DS224+ and DS220+ run on DiskStation Manager (DSM), Synology’s proprietary operating system. DSM is recognized for its intuitive, user-friendly interface and comprehensive suite of applications and features. From file sharing and syncing with Cloud Station to data backup solutions, multimedia management with Photo Station, Video Station, and Audio Station, to robust surveillance solutions with Surveillance Station, both the DS224+ and DS220+ deliver a versatile range of functions. The DS224+ and DS220+ support the same range of add-on packages, including Synology’s suite of collaboration tools such as Synology Office, MailPlus, Chat, Calendar, and more. They also both support third-party applications available in the Package Center. In terms of future-proofing, it is worth noting that Synology generally provides longer software support for newer models. This means the DS224+ will likely receive DSM updates and new features for a longer period than the DS220+. However, as of now, both models support the latest version of DSM.
Synology DS220+ vs DS224+ NAS – Conclusion and Verdict
So, is it worth buying the Synology DS224+ over the DS220+? Honestly, it depends on your specific needs. If you require a NAS with a slightly more powerful CPU and potentially longer software support, then the DS224+ could be a good choice for you. However, the overall differences between the DS224+ and the DS220+ are quite marginal. Considering that the DS220+ may be available at a lower price point due to it being an older model, it may offer a better value for money for most users, especially those who don’t need the slight bump in CPU performance that the DS224+ offers. Moreover, the DS220+ has already proven its reliability and performance in real-world use. Ultimately, the choice between the DS224+ and the DS220+ should come down to your specific requirements, budget, and preference. But, in a nutshell, if you’re not particularly concerned about having the latest model and the minor CPU upgrade, the DS220+ is likely to be the more cost-effective choice.
This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
[contact-form-7]
TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.
Brand New Synology DS124 Value Series NAS Revealed
Do you remember when owning your own private server was an incredibly complex, expensive, and intimidating proposition? Yeah, me too. However, the acceleration in how this kind of technology has become considerably more user-friendly and considerably smaller has been extraordinary, and few areas of the private server ownership market have seen that level of transition more than one-bay NAS devices. For a long time, one HDD servers were considered something of a joke, thought of more as Billy-Basic “hard drives connected to the internet”, with most brands rarely affording them anything more than the most inexpensive processors and barely featured services. Fast forward to 2023/2024 and things are considerably more nuanced! Thanks to a more uniform and cost-effective approach to the hardware inside each tier of a manufacturer’s portfolio, we are more and more seeing the hardware, features and support that you typically find in larger two and four-bay devices being made available to these rather modest one-bay systems. This brings us to the subject of today’s article, the new Synology DS124 NAS, the follow-up to the five years older DS118 released in 2017/2018. Arriving with a nearly identical hardware architecture to the rest of the value series in Synology’s 23/24 range, this is possibly the lowest priced current generation Synology you can buy, but still supports the majority of Synology’s DSM platform. So, let’s find out if this fantastically modest yet capable NAS deserves your data.
What Are the Hardware Specifications of the Synology DS124 NAS
As previously mentioned, the DS124 is the latest entry into Synology’s current 2023/2024 value series and features hardware very similar to the two-bay and four-bay devices in that range. Although we have seen tremendous innovation within one-bay NAS devices in recent years, we are still yet to see this brand roll out a one-bay NAS with anything higher than an ARM processor. Give them credit though, this is quite a capable ARM processor, and it would have been very easy for them to cut corners and opt for a lower-class Marvel or Annapurna AL processor in order to keep costs low. The Synology DS124 arrives with the Realtek RTD1619B quad-core ARM processor, which has a 1.7Ghz clock speed and even has a smidgen of integrated graphic support too. This processor certainly will not rival even the most modest Intel Celeron in capabilities, but Synology has been doing great things in ensuring its latest software, DSM 7.2, runs on this platform exceptionally well. The extent to which DSM runs will be discussed later on, as ARM processors have a very unique architecture that also has an inherent difficulty when it comes to more complex processes, but fair play to Synology for including this CPU on such a value series device and after already testing this CPU in the likes of the DS223J, DS223, and DS423 here on the channel, I can comfortably say this is the best value series CPU the brand has ever used and definitely runs the bulk of Synology’s mainline home and light business backup applications.
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty Plus
The Synology DS124 also arrives with 1GB of DDR4 memory, soldered to the board and cannot be upgraded. On the one hand, not being able to upgrade this memory is something of a pain as even moderate use of Synology DSM 7.2 is going to push this allocated memory quantity quite hard. However, this is still a pretty decent baseline memory to have once you factor in the total cost of the device. And, as mentioned, we have already tested the system services on the nearly identical two-bay DS223J which arrives with the same CPU and 1GB memory and ran DSM very well.
In terms of expandability however, the Synology DS124 lacks a considerable amount of scalability both in terms of its internal storage and its long-term expandability. As this is a one-bay NAS, you will be unsurprised to hear that any kind of RAID support is massively off the table and indeed hot-swapping is simply not feasible on a device that is going to be running its entire storage system services from a single drive. Likewise, once you reach full capacity on this drive, even after getting over the fact you will have zero RAID safety nets in place, there is no means to attach an expansion device to the DS124. So despite innovations in one-bay NAS architecture in recent years, there is still a tremendously low glass ceiling here in terms of your long-term storage scalability. And I will not even touch on the lack of M.2 NVMe bays, which no one would have assumed Synology would have included at this storage tier.
In terms of ports and connectivity, everything is pretty familiar and nearly identical to that of its predecessor. Arriving with a single LAN port on the rear, at 1GbE/Gigabit architecture, this is okay I suppose and possibly a limitation of the CPU’s supported network adapters to exceed this speed, but it is worth highlighting that even modest grade hard drives these days can easily exceed 160 to 200 MB/s transfer rates, and if you are going to go above 10 TB (which let’s face it if you are only running a single drive inside the system, is pretty likely) then this performance number goes even higher. Therefore, that single external Gigabit Ethernet port will serve as a slight bottleneck and although the rest of the system architecture may struggle to saturate the likes of a 2.5GbE port here, it might well have been appreciated. Given the relatively low-cost difference at the production level between 1GbE and 2.5GbE. This would not be so bad if the system supported USB network adapter upgrades that these days can be purchased for as little as $20 for a 2.5G USB upgrade. However, Synology has substantially downgraded USB support on their devices and DSM. It’s stated that the low frequency of users utilizing these ports did not justify the potential security risks posed to the system with more open-ended USB compatibility of peripherals and devices beyond storage drives.
The USB ports on the DS124 are all USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 5Gbps, and I am not going to give Synology too much of a hard time on this as 1) They have very rarely engaged with larger 10G Gen 2 USB on any other device already, and 2) I’m not wholly convinced that this CPU supports USB Gen 2 architecture. The fact that compatibility of USB on this device is rather restricted is definitely going to annoy some, especially that lack of network adapter support, but all in all the ports and connections on the DS124 are not too bad and perfectly adequate for the price point.
What Are the Software Specifications of the Synology DS124 NAS
Although it is very easy for us to spend a lot of time critiquing Synology for the level of hardware that their systems arrive with, it cannot be denied that in the software department, Synology still largely rules the whole of the NAS industry. Although alternatives from the likes of QNAP and their QTS platform are edging closer, Synology DSM 7.2 is a fantastically well-featured, hugely capable, and tremendously user-friendly platform for network attached storage users. That is why when weighing up the price tag of any Synology NAS, including the DS124, you need to factor in the cost of DSM as part of that investment. I’m pleased to confirm, thanks to previous testing of other NASdevices built on this architecture, that DSM 7.2 runs very well on the DS124 and although certain key premium applications are not available due to this ARM architecture, you still have access to the bulk of Synology applications.
Some of you may wonder why big premium applications such as Synology Virtual Machine Manager, Active Backup Suite, Write Once Read Many (WORM) support, volume encryption, and SHR are not available on the DS124 NAS. This is simply down to that ARM-based processor and the way in which it handles instructions to the rest of the system. All processes made by a CPU are delivered via strings of binary instruction to and from the processor, and the more complex the process, the more detailed and lengthy the command. ARM-based processors are more typically used in more power-efficient devices such as mobile devices and those designed to run for days, weeks, months, or years at a time. ARM processors are able to run at much better power efficiency than x86 CPUs from Intel and AMD thanks to their ability to compress these instructions significantly internally and therefore use fewer system resources in order to get the average task actioned. This combined with recent innovations in 64-bit ARM processors is how the DS124 can do so much more with its ARM processor in 2023 than other ARM processors in older generation Synology NAS. However, some commands are simply too complex or nuanced to be easily compressed, especially those of a highly graphical nature, and therefore, these larger AAA+ services from Synology are simply not possible on an ARM-based NAS like the DS124. Nevertheless, it is still impressive that this system can run the bulk of Synology’s Surveillance Station camera operations with multiple cameras, AI facial recognition in Synology Photos, the full multimedia suite, Office collaboration suite of applications that include Mail, Office, Chat, and Drive. And of course, there is Synology Hyper Backup and USB Copy that allows you to mitigate some of the redundancy limitations of a one-bay NAS and factor in local and remote backups to other servers, USB, and the cloud. If you are looking for access to the baseline applications from Synology and have lower frequency demands, there is a lot to love in the more modest but effective range of services open to the DS124 in DSM. Alternatively, you can watch our Synology DS223 NAS Review video below and watch the software section of the review (it will skip directly to that part in the video below, just click play, or click HERE)
Next, let’s discuss how much improvement/difference we have in the DS124 against the DS118 NAS that it is seemingly refreshing for 2023.
How Does the Synology DS124 compare with the DS118 NAS?
On the face of it, the DS124 and the DS118 NAS are incredibly similar and upon closer inspection, it seems the only difference between them comes down to the CPU. The older generation DS118 arrives with the Realtek RTD1296 processor and the newer DS124 arrives with the Realtek RTD1619b. Both are 64-bit ARM processors, in quad-core architecture, and with limited integrated graphics for handling HEVC and 4K multimedia to a greater or lesser degree. So, how does the DS124 serve as an upgrade or refresh? Well, it is simply that the newest CPU benefits from years of additional development by Realtek and is even more efficient in how it handles processes compared to its predecessor. It also benefits from a higher clock speed that, although only marginal, is still an increase from 1.4 GHz to 1.7 GHz per core, with a slight tweak in improving the ARM-based integrated graphics too.
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty Plus
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty Plus
Ultimately, this results in the DS124 having an edge in terms of application handling and total frequency of processes that is higher than the DS118. However, those improvements are only really going to be felt by the system when it is in high-frequency use. Users looking at running simple operations, small amounts of tasks at any given time, and really running the system for very light multimedia needs are not really going to notice the difference. But those that have slightly higher demand in mind or in plans for what they are going to use the system for over time, may well see the benefit in the more powerful yet efficient hardware on offer in the newer model.
When Will the Synology DS124 NAS Drive Be Released and What is the Price?
Although a formal release of the Synology DS124 and availability is still yet to be fully confirmed, we can make some pretty educated guesses. Thanks to multiple listings of the Synology DS124 already having appeared online on multiple European websites, we can largely predict that the DS124 will be available to buy around late July or early August 2023. Additionally, Synology will almost certainly be maintaining a similar price point to its predecessor, the DS118, as this has been Synology’s strategy in many of the more recent refreshes of their portfolio this year. You can fully expect the DS124 to be priced more affordably than many of their plus series range, in keeping with the system’s more modest hardware, stature, and reflective of the comparatively fewer expandability options that it has. If you’re interested in checking availability, use the provided links below to verify with your local retailer. Any purchase made using these links will result in a small commission for us here at NAS Compares, which helps support me (Robbie) and Eddie to continue doing what we love. Thank you and have a great week.
If you are thinking of buying a Synology NAS, please use the links below as it results in us at NASCompares receiving an affiliate fee from Amazon:
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Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.
Synology has really been churning out the DiskStation releases this year, with a number of their popular DiskStation NAS devices all seeing a modern refresh to a greater or lesser degree. The Synology DS224+ is the update of the three-year-old DS220+ NAS, arriving in a similar framework as its predecessor. Although arguably featuring very small updates in Synology’s 2024 refresh, it does boast an improved CPU, which will result in greater performance on Synology’s award-winning DSM platform. The DS224+ is likely one of the last Synology home and SMB solutions we will see refreshed this year, as Synology clearly begins to set its sights on some of its larger and more centrally business-focused solutions in the 2024 range. I am not going to sugarcoat it, the DS224+ is by no means a significant upgrade over its predecessor and for some, it’s not going to seem like much has changed in the three years between these releases. However, we are still seeing a setup here that the brand has rigorously invested time and development into, which likely means you are getting a superior experience that is more felt than seen compared with its predecessor. Let’s discuss the new Synology DS224+ and help you decide whether it deserves your data.
Synology DS224+ NAS Hardware Specifications
When I mentioned earlier that the Synology DS224+ is utilizing a similar hardware architecture to its predecessor, I was not joking. In terms of hardware, those who are already familiar with the DS220+ are going to struggle to see many differences here. We’re seeing the use of the same external chassis, same memory amount and scalability, nearly identical ports and connections, and overall, what seems like small tweaks and realignments of Synology’s portfolio here. The main focus has to be the new CPU inside the Synology DS224+, which is the already frequently featured Intel Celeron J4125 processor. This quad-core, four-thread, integrated graphics-equipped processor was already a popular choice in other releases such as the Synology DS920+ and DS720+, as well as in more recent releases such as the DS423+ and DVA1622. It is a decent little processor that balances a good price point versus great capabilities and is one that Synology has spent a lot of time optimizing in DSM.
However, there’s no avoiding that this 2019 released processor has now been featured in Synology systems for four years and although what we are seeing here is a prosumer processor now being made available in the lower home tier (not the first time Synology has done this with their portfolio between generations), there is still going to be a percentage of users who will be disappointed that some of the several newer Intel Celeron releases were not featured here. Indeed, with more affordable Intel Pentium processors like the N6005 and Intel Celeron N5105 extremely commonplace from other competitor brands, this CPU is definitely going to seem like something of a damp squib when people are weighing up the hardware. Synology has always been a brand that has been unashamedly software-focused and the hardware has simply been a case of finding the most power-efficient hardware to achieve its lofty goals, but nevertheless, users who have been holding out for a newer generation to buy may find the hardware just a little bit underwhelming.
In terms of memory, the system arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory already pre-installed and soldered to the board. This can be upgraded to a slightly unusual 6 GB of memory by installing an official DDR4 Synology SODIMM upgrade. On the one hand, it’s nice that you can upgrade the memory on this device to allow you to do more things at any given time. However, having 2GB fixed inside the system and only allowing a single upgrade slot results in a system only supporting 6 GB when the CPU inside the DS224+ actually supports up to a maximum 8GB. For users looking at utilizing containers, virtual machines, or a combination of the two, it’s a real shame to miss out on this extra 2 GB of memory. Nevertheless, this has been fairly standard as the baseline hardware for the DS 2xx+ series prior to this point and it’s not a tremendous surprise. Synology has always been in the habit of carefully curating their portfolio and therefore it is no surprise that the more scalable DS723+, released towards the end of 2022, costs more but can do more.
The rest of the ports and connections on the Synology DS224+ are all fairly predictable. We have USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gb connectivity and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. All fairly standard stuff and as mentioned, Synology is not particularly keen on scaling up the hardware on their systems as much as they are on the software. The lack of any expandability via an eSATA support and the Synology 5-bay Expansion DX517 is not a tremendous surprise, and something that long-term storage users may want to keep in mind. But ultimately, with the exception of the change in CPU, there is not a huge amount on offer here overall. An improvement within DSM 7.2, but it might just be worth sticking it out until the morning.
Synology DS224+ NAS Software Specifications
While most Synology systems roll out with identical software, it is the hardware that the system arrives with that largely dictates the full range of applications and services that the system supports, as well as the number of concurrent users and applications that can run at any given time. In the case of the Synology DS224+ NAS, the system runs pretty much everything in the DSM 7.2 catalog. Indeed, barring any particularly complex processes running at the same time that would be too hungry for the base 2GB memory, there is practically nothing on offer from Synology in their DSM platform that is not possible on this device.
Now, there is ALOT we already know about this processor with regard to the more popular applications that people would consider the DS224+ for, as we have tested it for well over 3-4 years in the DS920+ and more. Its performance in DSM is fantastic (with full access to all the applications and services that you would expect), Plex Media Server performs very well in both 1080p and 4K (supporting client-side HEVC conversions and more), upto 40 cameras in the Synology Surveillance station applications (though you will need more than that base 2GB memory) and if the price point is comparable/lower than the DS2200+ is at launch – the DS224+ an absolute bargain for that purpose!
Synology DS224+ NAS HDD/SSD Compatibility
Those who have been following Synology for the last 18 to 24 months will be surprised to hear that the likely hard drive and SSD compatibility list for the Synology DS224+ is going to be fuller than some of their enterprise and access series devices, but is still likely less populated than some of their previous generation devices. The compatibility list will of course include their own standard class+ series hard drives, the HAT3300 range, but also include several Western Digital and Seagate drives to choose from too. These drives are a bit light on the capacity side of things and arguably, there are quite a few omissions in the list of drives on offer, but the Synology verification process takes time and while it could be very easy for Synology to add every single SATA drive in existence as compatible with their systems, they would still need to certify that these drives are truly 100% verified and compatible.
This is something that Synology has clearly decided they are not prepared to just click ‘accept all’ on. So, at least for now, we have to give Synology the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the list of supported storage media on the DS224+ as they may well be adding more drives over time, post official launch. Equally, it would have been very easy for them to add their own enterprise-grade drives, the HAT5300 range, but they didn’t, as they have deemed that this system should only really be using standard class drives and not the noisier, heavier, and more power-consuming enterprise drives. So, I will give them credit for not ignoring lots of other drives while including their own enterprise-grade drives.
Synology DS224+ vs DS220+ NAS Comparison
Unfortunately, we do have to make comparisons here between the DS224+ and the now 3 years older Synology DS220+, as some users may have skipped that previous generation in order to wait out for something better. Likewise, there is still a contingent of Synology users who were disappointed when the first wave of new Synology+ series devices arrived with non-integrated graphics AMD Ryzen processors inside, deciding to wait out for a new mid-range device like the DS224+. As mentioned earlier, the DS220+ and DS224+ are incredibly similar in almost every way and it is really only that CPU upgrade that bears any kind of difference between them. Now, some would argue that this CPU, having already appeared on the Synology DS720+ from 2020, does not really serve as much of an upgrade on this new 2023 system. It is worth highlighting that, whereas the older generation device is a dual-core processor, this newer generation device is a quad-core – though at a slightly lower burst clock speed.
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty+
2-year hardware warranty, extendable to 4 years with Extended Warranty+
In the grand scheme of things, this is still a better CPU with an ever-so-slightly larger power consumption, but hardly serves as much of an incentive for existing DS220+ owners to refresh to the newer model. Likewise, unless you are a particularly graphics-intensive or conversion-hungry multimedia user, I would argue that the DS223+ does a good job of making the DS723+ a more attractive NAS – despite its more business focus. Ultimately, on the one hand, Synology has clearly spent a great deal of time with this particular hardware architecture and can therefore make the most of it in DSM, as well as the system arriving at a lower price point than the similar DS720+ that arrived with this hardware a few years ago. But nevertheless, this is still a very safe, middling, and minor upgrade over its predecessor.
Synology DS224+ NAS Price and Release Date
The release of the Synology DS224+ is coming up soon by the looks of things (likely late July/Early August) and it also seems like it is going to arrive at largely a comparatively price point to its predecessor of around $300 to 350 (Don’t forget to factor in your local tax and shipping). You can use the links below to check stock, availability, and pricing for the DS224+. Using these links results in a small fee being earned by me and Eddie here at NAScompares.com. It’s just us here and this allows us to keep doing what we do. Thanks for reading and have a great week.
This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
We want to keep the free advice on NASCompares FREE for as long as we can. Since this service started back in Jan '18, We have helped hundreds of users every month solve their storage woes, but we can only continue to do this with your support. So please do choose to buy at Amazon US and
Amazon UK
on the articles when buying to provide advert revenue support or to donate/support the site below.Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
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Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.
What Is Going On at Plex? 20% Staff Layed Off? What is Happening and Should You Be Worried?
When it comes to enjoying your personal multimedia collection that you’ve built over decades, while still benefiting from the slick GUI available from third-party streaming services, there are very few better options out there than Plex media server. Plex has been around since 2008 and in that time has evolved from being a relatively small fish in the sea of multimedia server applications to becoming one of the biggest names for personal multimedia collections. Which is why it came as such a huge shock to many users when it became public knowledge that Plex had recently laid off 20% of its workforce in efforts to maintain profitability. Plex, unlike a number of open-source alternatives, is built on a hybrid free and paid subscription service model, with a significant percentage of the more desirable capabilities of the software behind a paid Plex pass. Today we want to discuss everything we know about the unfortunate ex-employees of Plex, how the Plex organization is adapting its business model in efforts to remain profitable, and what this might mean for new and existing users of Plex.
Although there has been no official statement from Plex on their own platforms, there have been numerous indications of recent events surrounding the layoffs at Plex and changes being required internally, published on several news outlets and social media platforms. Some of the earliest indications came from numerous ex-employee postings on LinkedIn volunteering that they were unfortunately involved in the large-scale layoffs at Plex. This was further corroborated by the popular website, The Verge, when they obtained Slack messages that detailed more about the current situation and responses from the CEO of Plex, Keith Valory.
“This is by far the hardest decision we’ve had to make at Plex, These are all wonderful people, great colleagues, and good friends. But we believe it is the right thing for the long-term health and stability of Plex. While we adjusted our business plan last year after the shift in equity markets to get us back on a path to profitability without having to cut personnel expenses, the downturn in the ad market in Q2 put significantly more pressure on our business and ultimately it became clear that we would need to take additional measures in order to maintain a confident path to profitability within the next 18 months,” CEO Keith Valory
For those who do not wish to visit the original article and find out more, you can find the TL;DR below:
Information primarily stems from a Slack message obtained by ‘The Verge’
Original investments in 2019 by PLEX towards ad-funded free streaming services on their platform did not produce the predicted ROI, due to a competitive and oversaturated marketplace
37 People Laid Off, totally 20% Workforce Affected (All Departments)
Looking to turn things around and back into positive cash flow in 18 months
Restructuring Plex Long term under four main product areas
Changes in the product roadmap
Reduced spending on marketing
Several members of staff have shared information on the layoffs
Several Plex backend devs on Reddit sharing their input
Indications that another, smaller, round of layoffs took place at the start of 2023
With an incredibly competitive marketplace right now, with third-party streaming services fighting for your monthly subscription, and other supportive streaming services really squeezing the profit margins tighter, it comes as little surprise to many users that Plex trying to enter this crowded marketplace was always going to be challenging at best, and futile at worst. Furthermore, Plex is no longer a small indie outfit, and in order to support its existing large user base, wide variety of supported third-party hardware platforms, and continue to grow and remain sustainable, it seems like the company really does need to make some serious internal changes.
However, as bad as the loss of 37 staff members’ jobs is (and let’s be clear about this, it is really disappointing!), many existing Plex media server users are going to have to think about how this may impact their long-term enjoyment of Plex media server on the devices they use. So let’s take a moment, put on our worst-case scenario hats, and think about some hard choices that Plex may need to make to remain profitable and commit to that plan to be cash positive in 18 months.
What Is the Worst Case Scenario for Plex Users?
In the face of these drastic changes within Plex, it’s essential to consider the possible outcomes that could impact its user base. Let’s delve into the worst-case scenarios for Plex users, examining how these potential changes could significantly alter the Plex experience for both existing and potential new users.
The End of Plex Pass Lifetime Memberships, Old and New
Reduced Development of Less Popular Plex Client and Plex Media Server Devices
Slow Down and/or Reductions in Support of New Compressions, Codecs, and Formats in Plex
A Restructuring of the Plex Free / Subscription Tiers, favouring Ad Supported Tiers
More Paid Client Tools, Beyond iOS and Android
So, let’s break down into each:
The End of Plex Pass Lifetime Memberships, Old and New This would significantly impact existing users who have invested in a lifetime Plex Pass, relying on its benefits for as long as they use Plex. If Plex were to end this membership, they may resort to a monthly or annual subscription model which would increase the ongoing cost for users. The loss of the lifetime membership could also disincentivize new users who might have considered Plex as a long-term investment. For those that invested in the ‘Lifetime’ Plex Pass back when it was first introduced in 2013/2014 or so, that has still been incredible value IF the lifetime membership was rescinded (more likely, it will cease to be the same, as a new tier would be introduced in its place, slowly returning the lifetime pass technically). For slightly newer Lifetime pass users, it would be very disappointing.
Reduced Development of Less Popular Plex Client and Plex Media Server Devices Users who are using Plex on less popular or older devices could be affected negatively. Plex might cease updates and improvements on these platforms, resulting in stagnation or even degradation of user experience over time. Users may be forced to switch to different, possibly more expensive or less preferred devices to continue using Plex with all its features. This could target any OS that is above a certain age range (as PLEX might want to prioritize their workforce towards newer OS’ and their updates. Alternatively, it could be the reverse and result in a similar situation as found with Drobo a few years ago and not staying on track with the newest OS’ updates, resulting in new hardware (that has the latest software revisions out the box) not working right/at-all.
Slow Down and/or Reductions in Support of New Compressions, Codecs, and Formats in Plex One of Plex’s strengths is its support for a wide range of file formats and codecs. If Plex were to slow down or reduce the support for new technologies, users would be limited in the type of media files they could stream. This could frustrate users who have diverse media libraries or who wish to make use of the latest file formats. With the increased development and availability of 4K, as well as new and more efficient formats needed to handle 8K (from Cinema screen to your iPhone!), staying ontop of the latest compression formats and file types is going to be growing in importance year on year.
A Restructuring of the Plex Free / Subscription Tiers, favouring Ad Supported Tiers If Plex were to restructure its free and subscription tiers to favour ad-supported content, this could affect the viewing experience for all users. Ads can be disruptive and may make the platform less enjoyable for users who are used to an ad-free experience. Paid users may also feel frustrated if the number of ads increases or if more content becomes ad-supported. Currently, Plex has three tiers. Monthly Subscription of $4.99 , Annual of $39.99 and a lifetime pass at $119. These do see promotions/discounts at sales events and different regions of the world have different prices, but these are largely the prices. Now, in order to become more profitable, Plex might adapt this towards a tiered system which has certain features locked to specific tiers. Or, they might introduce an Ad-supported tier as opposed to the lowerest tier (perhaps even replacing the free tier to maintain and subsidize it’s use).
More Paid Client Tools, Beyond iOS and Android Currently, Plex charges for client tools on iOS and Android. If they were to extend this to other platforms, users could end up paying more than they currently do. For example, users who use Plex on their smart TVs or gaming consoles could be affected. This could make Plex less attractive compared to free or cheaper alternatives. This is probably the least likely ‘worst case scenario’ as it would need these platforms to have a robust payment system in place that is both reliable, convenient and not off-putting, but it’s something that some other platforms (Emby for example) have in a bigger way already.
Ultimately, ALL of the above are hypothesised and not confirmed in any way, but Plex needs to make changes in order to remain stable and profitable, so I would not rule them out either! Ultimately, changes to the subscription models and what are included are almost certainly going to be the BIG change that happens (and, in my opinion) are needed. Heck, if a GIANT like Netflix can change their subscription tiers in this current streaming vs profit climate to introduce ad-supported lower-priced tiers and/or alter the scope of what a subscription includes – ANYONE CAN!
Should You Leave Plex? What Are the Alternatives?
As Plex grapples with internal challenges, users may naturally start to contemplate alternatives. Two of the most notable competitors are Emby and Jellyfin, each offering their own unique advantages that could potentially serve as suitable replacements for Plex.
Emby, similar to Plex, offers a polished, user-friendly interface and supports a wide range of devices. Its strong live TV support is a particular standout, and it’s also known for its robust parental control features, making it an excellent choice for families. Emby offers a free tier, but to unlock all its features, including mobile and cloud sync, cinema mode, and offline media, users need to subscribe to Emby Premiere. If you’re accustomed to the premium features offered by Plex Pass, Emby might be a good choice. However, the transition might not significantly alter your spending, as Emby also operates on a subscription model.
On the other hand, Jellyfin is a completely free and open-source media server software, which might appeal to those who are more budget-conscious or prefer a more hands-on, customizable approach. Born as a fork of Emby, Jellyfin is entirely community-driven, meaning that it doesn’t feature any premium tier or include any form of advertisement. However, being community-driven, it doesn’t provide any official customer support, which might be an issue for less tech-savvy users. The interface is not as polished as Plex or Emby, but it’s continually improving. For those who value total control over their media server and don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty, Jellyfin could be an excellent alternative to Plex.
Ultimately, whether Plex users should switch over to Emby or Jellyfin largely depends on their individual needs and preferences. Both alternatives have their merits and downsides, and it’s important for users to carefully consider these before making the switch.
You can find out more by visiting our Plex vs Emby vs Jellyfin article below:
(Click the banner below to read the article):
Alternatively, you can watch my comparisons of Plex vs Emby and Plex vs Jellyfin, in the videos below:
Plex vs Jellyfin YouTube Video
Plex vs Emby YouTube Video
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This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
We want to keep the free advice on NASCompares FREE for as long as we can. Since this service started back in Jan '18, We have helped hundreds of users every month solve their storage woes, but we can only continue to do this with your support. So please do choose to buy at Amazon US and
Amazon UK
on the articles when buying to provide advert revenue support or to donate/support the site below.Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
[contact-form-7]
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Support What We Do
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Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.
Which is the Best NAS Media Server Tool – Plex, Emby or Jellyfin
Although modern Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices can be used for a multitude of purposes, there has always been a large percentage of users who buy a NAS from the likes of Synology, QNAP, Asustor and Terramaster (or go full DiY/Open Source and opt for TrueNAS) in order to host their own multimedia server. If you have been out of the loop this last decade or so, then you might not be aware that the standard of media server software and ease of use has evolved incredibly and when it comes to NAS drive multimedia streaming, there are THREE big players in this arena – Plex, Jellyin and Emby. These three platforms (alongside many others, including tools such as Video Station from the NAS brands themselves) have allowed users who own DECADES of digital media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, eBooks, Comics, etc) to not only access them conveniently remotely from the comfort of their soft/hotel room/commuter train/beach – but also do so with the slick graphical user interface that you would often associate with premium streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. This is done thanks to massive only databases (such as TheMovieDatabase and IMDb) that mean that your years of multimedia is scanned, sorted, and arranged into searchable titles. It then adds boxart, movie posters, cast lists, trailers, synopsis, trailers, extra content and more. Suddenly your dull breadcrumb ‘file/folder’ pile of media takes on an insane quality level and you have your very own personal Netflix – BUT CRUCIALLY YOU OWN ALL THE MEDIA!! That is the appeal of media server software like Jellyfin, Plex and Emby!
Jellyfin
VS
Plex
VS
Emby
Truly Open Source?
Premium Package?
The Middle Ground?
Although all three are quite similar on the face of it, all three have appealing design, interface, cost and customization choices that will almost certainly make one of them more suitable for you than the others! All three are supported by the bulk of modern NAS platforms, with via an available app in the brand’s official app center, available via a 3rd party app center (see QNAPClub or Synocommunity for example) or allow you to create a container within the NAS software and run from there, but there are definitely distinctions between all three that you might want to know before taking the plunge on your new multimedia server setup! So, today I want to go through all of the differences between Plex, Emby and Jellyfin media servers and, hopefully, by the end help you decide which is best for you!
Note – A huge thank you to Protektor-Desura for his time breaking down these services and his permission to use his data. You can find out more about his ongoing project HERE.
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – What have they ALL got in Common?
Before we go any further, it is worth highlighting the things there are supported by all three of these media server applications. It needs to be underlined that regardless of your specific requirements, Plex, Jellyfin and Emby are all EXCELLENT media server applications and alongside a massive range of client applications to watch/listen/read your multimedia on your devices, they have all grown into platforms that rival most paid subscription streaming services like Prime, Netflix, Disney+, etc. Here is a quick snapshot of all the things that Jellyfin, Emby and Plex have in common:
Plex, Emby and Jellyfin ALL Support the following:
(Note – Some Services for Emby/Plex Require Subscription Services)
1080p/4K Support
AV1 Compression Support
H.265/HEC Support
Metadata Scraping
Group Watching
Android/iOS Client
Amazon Fire TV App
Apple TV App
Roku App
Android TV App
Desktop PC/Mac Client
Hardware Transcoding
Live TV / DVR
Multiple Users
Offline Downloads
Smart Home Integration
TV/Movie Tracking
Now, there are a whole bunch of other things that Plex, Emby and Jellfin have in common (the above list would easily be 10x longer if I names them all), so I stuck with the most requested/sought-after features. But what about the things that they don’t have in common? Or those things that are locked behind a subscription/one-off-fee? Let’s begin with the first difference that many users consider the biggest hurdle – the cost of Plex, Emby and Jellyfin.
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Pricing
Now, for many users, the idea that the media server software that they want to use on their NAS costing them MORE money is REALLY annoying! The whole point for many users making the switch AWAY from streaming services (Netflix, HBO Max, etc) is because they wanted to spend that money on the hardware to watch the media they own, as well as ensure that it’s not changed/removed from one money to the next. Now, unfortunately, this is only half the story! The fact is that media platforms such as Jellyfin, Plex and Emby have REAL PEOPLE working o them, as well as continued development (and that is not even factoring in security/stability/feature improvements in the software’s life) that all needs to be subsidized. The NAS brands DO NOT financially support them, the Streaming services actively avoid/discourage them and although users can always donate – the user vs donation ratio is obviously is painfully uneven. Therefore unless these platforms embrace advertisements and/or 3rd party sponsorship (which is a slippery slop for many), the more ambitious platforms need to find ways to fundraise their services in a way that doesn’t hurt casual/low-end users, but pushes the heavier users to support the service.
Here is how Plex, Jellyfin and Emby breakdown their costs:
Server License Fees
Jellyfin
Plex
Emby
Free Option?
Yes, Completely
Yes, but some services unavailable
Yes, but some services Unavailable + Some Client Apps Need One-off payment
So, IMMEDIATELY Jellyfin looks appealing, RIGHT? It’s totally free for the server application, client tools and (remember the chart above showing what all three support) has most of the same features as Plex and Emby. Although all three have free-to-use options, the ability to use ALL services and client tools is where the subscription services appear. Of the three, Emby works out the tiniest bit more expensive, but actually (when you work it out at the per-user vs cost) it is largely identical to Plex in costs. The main reason that Emby works out the most expensive technically is that although the Emby Premiere subscription is optional, some of the client applications (eg iOS, Android, FireTV, etc) require you to either have an existing Premiere subscription OR pay a one-off fee. Plex allows you to install the app for free on most platforms, but limits the range of supported services that you can use (eg, hardware transcoding, share watch, etc) without a Plex Pass subscription in place. Next, let’s dig deeper into those available features and services available in Emby, Jellyfin and Plex to see what is available, what differs and what is free/paid-for!
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Features, Functions and Supported Formats
Now, as mentioned in the introduction, Emby, Plex and Jellyfin all support a whole bunch of services and features to help you enjoy a wide range of multimedia, in a wide range of formats and on a wide range of devices! But there is definitely some disparity when you dig deeper. Let’s go through the range of supported features of these three applications and see where they start to separate:
Now, Jellyfin is the most open of the three (cough because it’s pure Open Source), and as good as that sounds, it is worth remembering that this does come with a downfall in platform development when compared to the platforms that get user-subsidy via subscription. Jellyfin is the less visually modern of the three (for those that care) and also throws alot of information at you on the server side, whilst not guiding the user as much. This results in a slightly steeper learning curve vs Plex and Emby. Emby also suffers from this a little, but also does a slightly better job of guiding the user through the experience. The main difference here is regarding the extent of open source! Of the three, PLEX is the one that is the closest to ‘the establishment’, it has long since shrugged off it’s free ‘indie’ type image, as it is the closest in design, appearance and presentation to subscription services. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as this results in a premium level of support, development and updates, connections with existing services and just generally a much better-presented platform overall (server-side and client-side) that is more user-friendly and intuitive – exactly what you would expect from the more premium presented/priced package in 2023/2024. However, this also results in the platform being alot more rigid, restricting optional add-ons and packages that are typically ‘unofficial’ (i.e. ones that Plex do not add to the service themselves). Equally, that Development vs Subsidy balance results in ALOT of the more exciting features being locked/restricted behind a Plex Pass subscription. This is initially understandable (again, see previous paragraph about supporting good work), but many users bulk at the idea of paying for a service, when they already paid for their hardware and said software will occasionally intentionally limit that hardware utility behind the subscription. Both Emby and Plex are guilty of this. Let’s talk about Hardware Transcoding!
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Hardware Transcoding
What is Transcoding? Transcoding (also referred to as encoding, decoding and converting in similar means) is when a file is changed in order to be better suited to the destination client device that it will be enjoyed on. Here are some examples of when you might need to take advantage of transcoding:
You might own media in a specific compression (the technique used by the media industry to make cinema screen blockbusters into at-home watchable content, among other reasons), such as HEVC/H.265, but not have a licence to play it on your client device, a NAS that supports HEVC or have sufficient client-side hardware/permission locally to convert it
You might own 4K versions of your multimedia, but you want to watch it on a mobile device where a 480p or 720p version is much, MUCH more client power/hardware efficient to watch
You are on a limited internet/cellular connection (morning commute, hotel, coffee shop, etc) and need a compressed version of a media file streamed
Your media might be in an unsupported format (a hugely overlooked factor in audio formats) such as mp4a, FLAC, ACC, etc and needs changing
Transcoding can be done in advance (offline transcoding) or as/when the file is being accessed (known as on-the-fly transcoding) and that later one requires your NAS/Media Server to have sufficient hardware to change the file quickly enough to keep up with organic natural playback (i.e. it takes less than a second to convert/transcode a second of media). Now, you can use software transcoding (i.e the NAS will use raw CPU/System power to change the file, which is less efficient and less effective) or you can use hardware transcoding, which uses specifically available NAS system hardware (graphics card or CPU integrated graphics) to do the job, which is MUCH faster and MUCH MORE efficient. Where Plex and Emby hit a wall is that both platforms have put hardware transcoding support in their premium subscription services Plex Pass and Emby Premiere. This effectively means that the media server software is charging you to use the hardware in your NAS. This upsets quite a few people. Now, in their defence, hardware transcoding does require the software to be adaptive to different graphical hardware, requires time/energy invested in optimizing the software to take advantage of the hardware the best it can and is technically a more specialized media service/function that is not used by everyone – so in a way it makes sense tha this would be one of the optional settings to use as a means to subsidize development in their platform. However, the fact that Hardware Transcoding is available for free in Jellyfin is one of the strongest benefits that users that need this service will observe when comparing Jellyfin, Plex and Emby.
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Supported NAS Hardware & Software Server Platforms
Although Plex, Jellyfin and Emby are all supported on the bulk of NAS platforms, the actual installation of them on NAS devices (from brands such as Synology ,QNAP, WD, Asustor and Terramster) or Custom built NAS servers that run on TrueNAS Core, TrueNAS Scale or UnRAID is not as straight forward from one media server app to the other. Here is how the three media server applications compare with it comes to installing the server-side application for Emby, Plex and Jellyfin:
Straight away, you can see that the installation of Plex and Emby on..well..EVERYTHING is supported. Once again, that optional paid subscription model has evidently paid off! Not only is Jellyfin not available as a standalone installer on a large number of platform, but in some cases it can only be installed as a custom-built container application (requiring a container hypervisor such as Docker) and although this is not hugely difficult, it will be dependant on the end user to create it right, as well as the efficiency of the NAS hardware in question to run the container as efficiently as possible. Overall, when it comes to the installation of the server-side application for these three multimedia server applications, Plex and Emby are winning the race! However, this is just the client-side application (i.e the one running the media server on your NAS), what about the support of the client applications for all your devices? Let’s take a look.
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Supported Client Apps & Player Devices
The success of your multimedia server is going to be based on the smoothness of how well your NAS runs the server slide Plex, Emby or Jellyfin application – but also HUGELY dependant on the quality and extent of how well it is supported on the devices that you plan on accessing and enjoying your multimedia (referred to as clients or client-tools). Although all three applications can be accessed via the majority of web browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Mozilla, Opera, etc), the bulk of users want to access their media via their phones, laptops, Smart TVs and streaming boxes such as FireTV and Roku. The range of supported clients and the means/extent of their use is possibly one of the biggest areas of difference between Emby, Plex and Jellyfin that you will find! Here is how they compare:
So, let’s break this down a little. In the case of Jellyfin, the application continues to be largely free and available on the bulk of currently used client hardware platforms. I say ‘largely’, because in some cases Jellyfin is not available as a direct client application for those platforms. You will need to use 3rd pary tools/plugins on some client hardware, some apps are glorified browser tabs with a lite GUI on top and some need to have a small fee to maintain their existence on certain app centers. Emby on the other hand is available on more platforms than Jellyfin, however, a large number of those platforms require you to either have an existing Emby Premiere subscription in place in order to download/use them or need you to pay a fee at the app center in order to use them. Finally, we have Plex, which is the one that seems to be the most freely available client application, widely available native installer client app and has much fewer instances of app-payment requirements than Emby.
Now there IS the argument that Emby and Plex need to subsidize these apps being hosted on these app centers, as their continued appearance there and patches being developed over time needs funding. But I do think the availability and potential pricing of these tools is something that is not advertised enough and something that many users do not realize until AFTER they have invested a bunch of time setting up their respective Emby/Plex Media server on their NAS. Jellyfin is clearly the one that is trying to keep itself Free/Open-Source as much as possible, but that comes with limitations on how far they can stretch themselves and the ease of installation on client devices in some cases.
Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Conclusion
Choosing between a Jellyfin, Emby and Plex Media Server NAS for your massive multimedia collection is one that going to be about the extent you are going to use it! If you are looking to create a simple media server that is largely accessible everywhere, but has lots of users, is user-friendly on both the server/client side, won’t need all the bells and whistles of a higher-end media enthusiast and you are just looking for a pretty way to enjoy your existing media that compares with premium subscription services – GO FOR PLEX!
If you are looking for a moderately customizable and featured multimedia server that gives you a good balance of control, usability and hardware support, but where the pricing can be a lot more flexible/ad-hoc (i.e one off payment per client of $5) and want the slick GUI, but also the option to customize it and take advantage of a few community add-ons – GO FOR EMBY!
Finally, if you are much more of a multimedia enthusiast, have a wide range of different media formats (i.e Audio, Video, literature and more), want to be able to link a large number of other services/tool and want to take advantage of the full extent of your NAS hardware (but are prepared for a slightly higher learning curve) – GO FOR JELLYFIN!
In summary, here are the pros and cons of each:
Clients
Jellyfin
Plex
Emby
Pros
Largely FREE on the client and Server side
Supports Many more formats of media
Wide range of supported Plugins
Live TV / DVR Services are free to add
Much more customizable
Much more hardware efficient
Offline Downloads Supported
Easiest to setup on Server/Client side
Massive available as a client/server application with widest support
Very User Friendly
Optional Premium Support/Service options for Users
Technically cheaper than Emby
One-off app payment vs regular subscription will appeal to some users
Phone Camera Upload Support
More Customizable than Plex, in add ons and GUI
More Client/Server apps available than Jellyfin
More media analytical tools than Plex
Cons
Steeper learning curve
Fewer ready-to-go installer applications on client/server side
Lacking some System config backup options vs Plex/Emby
Lacks Premium/Paid support/Service option
Some Subscription/Paid restrictions
Hardware Transcoding PLEX Pass barrier is annoying!
Offline Downloads behind Subscription Service
Lacks customization and Add ons of Emby/Jellyfin
Live TV / DVR Support is behind Subscription
Hardware Transcoding behind Subscription
Live TV / DVR Support behind Subscription
Offline Downloading behind Subscription
Not quite as widely available as Plex
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Plex Media Server est considéré comme la solution idéale pour créer et gérer sa propre bibliothèque multimédia. Elle est souvent comparée à une version personnelle de Netflix à domicile. Certains ont poussé l’outil à l’extrême en l’hébergeant dans un service Cloud de type Hostinger, OVH ou encore Scaleway, pour le partager avec la famille, les amis, les collègues de travail, voire des inconnus. Mais, les choses vont évoluer très prochainement. En effet, la société derrière Plex va opérer un changement […]