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Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC vs Synology DiskStation DS225+

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against NAS at a similar price

The Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC scores 6.2/10 overall, ahead of the Synology DiskStation DS225+ at 4.5/10.

The Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC leads on storage capacity (bays, M.2), CPU and transcoding, networking, memory ceiling and openness.

The Synology DiskStation DS225+ leads on software and ecosystem.

The biggest difference is storage capacity (bays, M.2), where the Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC scores 7/10 to the Synology DiskStation DS225+'s 3/10.

Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay Hybrid NAS Mini PC, Intel N95/N150

Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC

6.2/10verdict: wait for deal

The Beelink ME Pro suits homelabbers who want a small, quiet Windows-based NAS with fast networking and plenty of M.2 slots. It fits people who plan to run containers or a few services on 16GB of fixed memory. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs upgradeable RAM or a dedicated NAS operating system.

Typically about £419 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Synology DiskStation DS225+

Synology DiskStation DS225+

4.5/10verdict: skip

The DS225+ suits home and small-office buyers who want Synology's DSM software for file sharing, backups, photos and a few cameras on two drives. Its 2.5GbE port and mature app set fit light, dependable storage duties. Media servers that need hardware transcoding, heavy container or VM use, and anyone wanting NVMe cache are poorly served by its 2019-era CPU, 6 GB RAM ceiling and lack of M.2 slots.

Typically about £339.98 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightBeelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PCSynology DiskStation DS225+
Storage capacity (bays, M.2)20%7/103/10
CPU and transcoding20%6/103/10
Networking20%8/106/10
Memory ceiling15%4/103/10
Software and ecosystem15%5/108/10
Openness10%6/104/10
Overall6.2/104.5/10

Specifications

SpecBeelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PCSynology DiskStation DS225+
Drive bays2 x SATA bays for 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives2 × 3.5" SATA HDD / 2.5" SATA SSD, hot-swappable
CPUIntel N150, quad-core 4 threads, up to 3.6 GHz turbo, 24 EU Intel UHD graphicsIntel Celeron J4125, 4 cores / 4 threads, 64-bit, 2.0 GHz base / 2.7 GHz turbo, hardware encryption engine
Memory16GB LPDDR5 at 4800 MHz, soldered and not upgradeable2 GB DDR4 non-ECC installed, 1 slot, max 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB)
Networking5GbE plus 2.5GbE dual ports, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.41 × 1GbE RJ-45 + 1 × 2.5GbE RJ-45
M.2 slots3 x M.2 2280 NVMe slots: one PCIe 3.0 x2, two PCIe 3.0 x1None
Expansionnot listedNo expansion unit or PCIe slot; 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1
Operating systemWindows 11 Home (pre-installed)Synology DSM

Strengths and weaknesses

Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC

  • + Three M.2 NVMe slots plus two SATA bays
  • + 5GbE and 2.5GbE dual ports
  • + Owners report quiet running and a compact, well-built case
  • − 16GB RAM is soldered and cannot be upgraded
  • − Owners report boot, BIOS and power supply concerns
  • − Windows 11 Home is the only OS listed

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want upgradeable RAM for several VMs
  • Anyone wanting a dedicated NAS operating system out of the box
  • Buyers who need four or more drive bays
Read the full Beelink ME Pro 2-Bay NAS Mini PC review ›

Synology DiskStation DS225+

  • + 2.5GbE port alongside a 1GbE port
  • + Mature DSM with SHR, snapshots and Hyper Backup
  • + Third-party drives supported again since DSM 7.3
  • − Quick Sync not enabled for Plex or Jellyfin
  • − Only 2 GB RAM installed, 6 GB maximum
  • − No M.2 slots, PCIe slot or expansion unit

Skip it if:

  • Plex or Jellyfin users who need supported hardware transcoding
  • Homelabbers wanting several VMs or many containers within a 6 GB limit
  • Buyers who want M.2 cache, PCIe expansion or a path to 10GbE
Read the full Synology DiskStation DS225+ review ›

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