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Synology DiskStation DS124 vs TERRAMASTER F2-425

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

both judged against NAS at a similar price

The TERRAMASTER F2-425 scores 5.6/10 overall, ahead of the Synology DiskStation DS124 at 5.0/10.

The Synology DiskStation DS124 leads on software and ecosystem.

The TERRAMASTER F2-425 leads on storage capacity (bays, M.2), CPU and transcoding, networking and memory ceiling.

They score the same on openness.

The biggest difference is memory ceiling, where the TERRAMASTER F2-425 scores 6/10 to the Synology DiskStation DS124's 3/10.

Synology DiskStation DS124

Synology DiskStation DS124

5.0/10verdict: skip

The DS124 is for people who want a very simple, single-drive NAS running full Synology DSM. It suits a home or small office that needs network file storage, Btrfs snapshots or Surveillance Station. It does not suit anyone who needs RAID, redundancy or heavy workloads.

Typically about £140 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

TERRAMASTER F2-425

TERRAMASTER F2-425

5.6/10verdict: skip

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

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightSynology DiskStation DS124TERRAMASTER F2-425
Storage capacity (bays, M.2)20%3/104/10
CPU and transcoding20%5/106/10
Networking20%6/107/10
Memory ceiling15%3/106/10
Software and ecosystem15%8/105/10
Openness10%5/105/10
Overall5.0/105.6/10

Specifications

SpecSynology DiskStation DS124TERRAMASTER F2-425
Drive bays1 x 3.5" SATA HDD or 2.5" SATA SSD (2.5" needs an optional holder sold separately)2
CPURealtek RTD1619B, 4 cores, 4 threads, 64-bit, 1.7 GHz, with hardware encryption engineIntel Celeron N5095, quad-core, x86 64-bit, 2.0 GHz base, up to 2.9 GHz burst
Memory1 GB DDR4 non-ECC4 GB DDR4 non-ECC SODIMM pre-installed, 1 SODIMM slot, 16 GB maximum
Networking1 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN port1 x RJ-45 2.5GbE port
M.2 slotsnot listedNone
ExpansionNo expansion slot listed; 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 portsFront 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 systemSynology DiskStation Manager (DSM)TerraMaster TOS 6, web-based and Linux-based

Strengths and weaknesses

Synology DiskStation DS124

  • + Full DSM with Btrfs snapshots and Surveillance Station
  • + Four-core CPU with hardware encryption engine
  • + Manufacturer lists 3.44 W in HDD hibernation
  • − Single bay means no RAID and no redundancy
  • − Only 1 GB of RAM, with no upgrade listed
  • − One 1GbE port and no expansion slot listed

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need RAID or drive redundancy in the NAS itself
  • Anyone planning to run several containers or virtual machines
  • Users who want multi-gigabit networking or hardware transcoding
Read the full Synology DiskStation DS124 review ›

TERRAMASTER F2-425

  • + 2.5GbE port on a two-bay NAS
  • + Owners praise quiet operation and tool-free drive trays
  • + Owners rate it as good value for money
  • − No M.2 slots and only two drive bays
  • − Owners call the CPU and RAM modest
  • − Owners report plastic build and a software learning curve

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want more than two bays or M.2 cache slots
  • Anyone planning several virtual machines or heavy container workloads
  • Users who need multiple network ports or faster than 2.5GbE
Read the full TERRAMASTER F2-425 review ›

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