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Head-to-head · Best 4-Bay NAS Drives

Synology DS923+ vs TerraMaster F4-424 Pro

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

TerraMaster F4-424 Pro comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.3 vs 4.0). TerraMaster F4-424 Pro is best for: Media-server and VM users who want maximum CPU power in a 4-bay and can tolerate less mature software. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Synology DS923+
Ranked #4 in Best 4-Bay NAS Drives
Synology DS923+
2 sources

The Synology DS923+ remains the safe default 4-bay NAS thanks to DSM, the most mature operating system in the category, and a deep app ecosystem. StorageReview measured strong RAID-5 throughput and sustained 1,000+ MB/s once a 10GbE module is added. Its weak spots are dated networking (dual 1GbE stock) and a modest CPU, but for households who want it to just work, it is still the most recommended pick.

Strengths
  • — Deep, well-supported app library for backup, sync, photos and surveillance
  • — Two built-in M.2 NVMe slots for SSD caching or a storage pool
  • — Expandable to 9 bays via the DX517 expansion unit
Watch-outs
  • — Ships with only dual 1GbE ports; 2.5GbE rivals beat it out of the box
  • — AMD Ryzen R1600 is an older, modest dual-core CPU
  • — NVMe storage-pool support is limited to Synology-branded drives
Check Price on AmazonFull review →
TerraMaster F4-424 Pro
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best 4-Bay NAS Drives
TerraMaster F4-424 Pro
3 sources$730.99as of Oct 11

The TerraMaster F4-424 Pro is the CPU heavyweight of the media-class 4-bays, built around an 8-core Intel Core i3-N300 with 32GB of DDR5 standard and dual 2.5GbE. Neowin called it the most powerful media-class 4-bay on the market. The trade-offs are TerraMaster's still-maturing TOS software and some build quirks like weak internal airflow and non-locking drive trays.

Strengths
  • — 32GB DDR5 memory standard for VMs and containers
  • — Dual 2.5GbE ports with link aggregation to 5Gbps
  • — Often the cheapest way to get this much CPU in a 4-bay
Watch-outs
  • — TOS software still feels unpolished next to DSM or QTS
  • — Drive trays do not lock, so a drive can be pulled from a running system
$730.99 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

How they stack up

Synology DS923+

The DS923+ wins on software maturity over the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus and QNAP TS-464, but its stock dual 1GbE networking trails the 2.5GbE on the QNAP and TerraMaster F4-424 Pro and the 10GbE on the UGREEN and Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3. Its CPU is older and weaker than every rival here.

TerraMaster F4-424 Pro

The F4-424 Pro has the strongest CPU of the 2.5GbE-class units, beating the QNAP TS-464's Celeron and the Synology DS923+'s AMD chip, and matches the QNAP on dual 2.5GbE. But it lacks the 10GbE of the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus and Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3, and its TOS software trails all of them on polish.

Specs side-by-side

SpecSynology DS923+TerraMaster F4-424 Pro
Bays4 (expandable to 9 via DX517)4
CPUAMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core, up to 3.1 GHzIntel Core i3-N300 8-core, up to 3.8 GHz
RAM4GB DDR4 ECC (max 32GB)32GB DDR5 4800MHz
Network2x 1GbE (optional 10GbE module)2x 2.5GbE (LAG to 5Gbps)
NVMe2x M.2 2280 slots2x M.2 2280 (PCIe 3.0)
Max Raw Capacity88TB (4x 22TB)88TB (4x 22TB)
OSSynology DSMTerraMaster TOS
Ports2x USB 3.2, 1x eSATA2x USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gbps
Dimensions6.54"D x 7.83"W x 8.78"H8.64"D x 7.05"W x 6.06"H
MaterialPlastic MetalMetal
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