Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›
both judged against NAS at a similar priceThe TERRAMASTER F2-425 scores 5.6/10 overall, ahead of the DiskStation DS423 at 4.8/10.
The DiskStation DS423 leads on storage capacity (bays, M.2) and software and ecosystem.
The TERRAMASTER F2-425 leads on CPU and transcoding, networking and memory ceiling.
They score the same on openness.
The biggest difference is networking, where the TERRAMASTER F2-425 scores 7/10 to the DiskStation DS423's 4/10.
The DS423 is for people who want a four-bay Synology NAS for file storage, shared folders and backups. It suits those who value DSM and Btrfs more than raw hardware power. It is less suited to anyone planning containers, virtual machines or video transcoding.
Typically about £351 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
The TerraMaster F2-425 is for people who want a two-bay NAS with 2.5GbE for file storage, backups and light media serving. It suits buyers who will add their own SATA drives and run a few containers or a Plex server. It is less suited to anyone who needs more than two bays, M.2 cache or a lot of memory headroom.
Typically about £252 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
| Criterion | Weight | DiskStation DS423 | TERRAMASTER F2-425 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity (bays, M.2) | 20% | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| CPU and transcoding | 20% | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Networking | 20% | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Memory ceiling | 15% | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Software and ecosystem | 15% | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Openness | 10% | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Overall | 4.8/10 | 5.6/10 |
| Spec | DiskStation DS423 | TERRAMASTER F2-425 |
|---|---|---|
| Drive bays | 4 x 3.5-inch SATA HDD or 2.5-inch SATA SSD, hot-swappable | 2 |
| CPU | Realtek RTD1619B, 4 cores, 4 threads, 64-bit, 1.7 GHz, with hardware encryption engine | Intel Celeron N5095, quad-core, x86 64-bit, 2.0 GHz base, up to 2.9 GHz burst |
| Memory | 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC | 4 GB DDR4 non-ECC SODIMM pre-installed, 1 SODIMM slot, 16 GB maximum |
| Networking | 2 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN ports | 1 x RJ-45 2.5GbE port |
| M.2 slots | not listed | None |
| Expansion | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports | Front USB 3.2 host port (10 Gbps); rear USB ports totalling 2 x 10 Gbps + 1 x 5 Gbps; 1 x HDMI (terminal use only, per one reviewer) |
| Operating system | Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM), Btrfs file system | TerraMaster TOS 6, web-based and Linux-based |
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