The Synology DiskStation DS224+ is an important network-attached storage (NAS) enclosure, as it directly replaces the popular DS220+, which came out in 2019. The two-bay NAS has been recommended by us for not only running your own storage platform at home or in a small office but also for more intensive applications such as Plex Media Server. It’s one of thebest NASthat does it all for a reasonable price, which is why we were excited to see what Synology would bring to the table with this highly anticipated enclosure.
The DiskStation DS224+ is the latest NAS from Synology, and it doesn’t differ too much from the outgoing DS220+. The design is the same and so too are most of the specifications, including weight and dimensions. What is new is the Intel Celeron processor, but the two-bay NAS still comes without any M.2 slots for SSDs, and it won’t be possible to expand the system memory capacity beyond 6GB. This shouldn’t be an issue for those Synology is marketing this NAS for, but it’s worth bearing in mind when comparing it against the DS220+ (and other enclosures).
It’s not all bad, however! The Synology DiskStation DS224+ still has the excellent DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system and countless available apps for expanding the functionality of the NAS beyond simple file storage. We’re going to run you through everything we liked (and didn’t) about the DiskStation DS224+ in this review. Synology provided Android Police with a sample but had no input with this review.
Synology DiskStation DS224+
Synology’s Intel-powered DS220+ successor.
The Synology DiskStation DS224+ may not have all the spec upgrades people were hoping for, but it’s still a solid NAS with an excellent OS that’s worth considering.
Price and availability
The Synology DiskStation DS224+ costs $300, the same as the outgoing DS220+. Launching with such an MSRP shows Synology is providing slightly improved specifications without increasing costs to the end user, which is always welcome (and something we’re still yet to see return for graphics cards). It’s a diskless enclosure, much like every other available NAS, and the cost ofNAS drivesneeds to be factored in for the total price of buying the DS224+ and filling it with data.
Design and hardware
Synology includes just about everything required to go from zero to hero with the Synology DiskStation DS224+. As well as the enclosure itself, Synology includes a quick installation guide, accessory pack, AC power cord, a 60W external power supply, and two CAT5e network cables. The NAS is secure inside the packaging with form and other protective padding. If you already own the Synology DiskStation DS220+ or have seen the new DiskStation DS223, the DS224+ looks identical to these two enclosures, aside from the model number displayed upfront.
It’s an all-black server with a mix of plastic and metal. The NAS has a removable plastic cover to protect the front-facing drive bays and there’s a single USB port and power button on the front panel. Some LED indicators are also present for illustrating status alerts and drive/network activity. The drive trays are easily removed and require no tools to install 3.5-inch drives, though 2.5-inch drives will require screws to attach them to the trays. To gain access to the RAM slot, simply peek inside the enclosure with the trays removed, and it’s located on the right.
The two external sides of the Synology DiskStation DS224+ have the company branding that also doubles up as ventilation. The top and bottom panels are bare since this NAS does not have any M.2 SSD slots. On the rear is where all the connectivity takes place. The second USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port can be found here, alongside the two 1GbE ports, an e-SATA port, and DC input from the external power supply. The single fan also pulls cool air through the NAS and exhausts it out the rear.
Software and performance
The Intel Celeron J4125 is showing signs of age, having been released in 2019. It’s the same processor that’s found in the Synology DiskStation DS920+, the NAS everyone loved using for Plex Media Server. It’s a quad-core processor with a maximum burst speed of 2.7GHz. Supporting just 8GB of DDR4 RAM limits what Synology was able to offer in terms of system memory but the NAS is still capable of powering through 4K transcoding, should it be required for media playback.
The two 3.5-inch drive bays should be capable of supporting drives with capacities up to 20TB, resulting in a maximum raw capacity of 40TB for the NAS. This is considerably more space for data than what’s offered by most cloud storage platforms. The price of NAS drives isn’t cheap, especially ones with a capacity of 20TB, but they will save money in the long term when the NAS ages a few years. To test the enclosure, we installed two 4TB Synology HAT3300 drives.
2GB of DDR4 RAM is installed by Synology, which can be expanded to 8GB with an optional 6GB module upgrade. The two 1GbE network connections can be used to create a linked stack with higher bandwidth, though you will not see speeds higher than just over 100MB/s. This is simply a way to allow for more devices to share the available network lanes, and it’s a respectable figure for a NAS that can only support two hard drives. We were able to max out the network ports with the two Synology drives installed. The enclosure itself has ample performance to handle simultaneous connections.
Installing DiskStation Manager (DSM) is a painless process. After installing at least one hard drive, the DS224+ can be booted, firing up the initial setup wizard. If you’re setting up your very first NAS, this wizard will run you through each step to create partitions and volumes, download and install the OS as well as the latest updates, and configure the primary account. We’d recommend taking advantage of Synology’s hybrid RAID (SHR) when configuring the drives (and you should be using two!) for maximum reliability and data protection.
Once up and running, the DSM web interface resembles that of a traditional PC operating system interface, so if you’ve used Linux, macOS, or Windows before, you’ll feel right at home. As mentioned, we were able to fully saturate the network links with simultaneous connections, hitting a maximum throughput of 210MB/s. Streaming and transcoding 4K media through Plex Media Server was no issue, which is to be expected because this was the case with the DS920+, which has the same Intel chip. The DS224+ is a powerful compact enclosure.
Competition
This is where the Synology DiskStation DS224+ hits a wall, as it’s up against some seriously tough competition. TheTerraMaster F2-223is a similar NAS with two drive bays, an Intel processor, upgradable RAM, and a solid operating system. Where things get interesting is the fact the TerraMaster NAS undercuts the DS224+ by a full $50 at MSRP and manages to pack a better processor, more RAM, faster networking ports, and two M.2 SSD slots. This can make the DiskStation DS224+ a difficult sell to those who want to get the most bang for their buck.
Synology does have the upper hand when it comes to software and app support, however. The company’s DiskStation Manager is that good, and we’d recommend it over just about every other prebuilt NAS OS. The selection of apps available through the company’s package manager is also excellent.
Should you buy it?
The Synology DiskStation DS220+ was an incredible NAS when it launched in 2019. It’s difficult to rate the DiskStation DS224+, as it sports many of the same features as the DS220+, which we awarded with full marks, but we have to take into account the competition and where the market is heading. 2.5GbE networking may not make a lot of sense with a two-bay enclosure without M.2 slots, but it’s something even TerraMaster is offering with a cheaper NAS. The DS224+ is a great enclosure but may lose out to competitor NAS.
The DSM operating system is still amazing and a joy to use, allowing even those buying their first NAS to get up and running in a matter of moments. For storing some files, a few backups for devices around the home or office, and running a service such as Plex, the DS224+ is a solid choice. It may no longer offer the absolute best value in terms of price for specifications, but taking into account the software support and everything else Synology includes, it’s still a good pick in 2023.
If you already own a DSX20 series enclosure, such as the magnificent Synology DiskStation DS920+, we’d recommend sticking with it unless your network storage desperately requires upgrading. At that point, the TerraMaster F2-223 seems like the better deal if you’re after better specifications.
TheSynology DiskStation DS224+is the direct successor to the popular DS220+, which was praised for the value it offered to consumers looking to buy their first enclosure. The DS224+ has an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of DDR4 RAM, and support for Synology’s excellent DSM operating system and catalog of apps.
