Buffalo TeraStation TS3420R
Score: 74/100Terramaster U4-500
Score: 46/100Rankings
A secure, rack-mountable 4-bay NAS with built-in drives, 2.5 GbE networking and strong encryption, aimed at small offices and home labs, but constrained by modest memory and lack of performance-enhancing features.
A 1U 4-bay rackmount NAS with an Intel i3 CPU, dual 10 GbE, and up to 96 TB raw capacity, aimed at SMBs needing fast backup and media streaming.
| Attribute | Buffalo TeraStation TS3420R | Terramaster U4-500 |
|---|---|---|
32 TB | 96 TBbest | |
4best | 4best | |
2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbpsbest | |
— | 6best | |
1 GB | 8 GBbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 100 Wbest | — |
| ↓ lower better | — | 34.5 dBbest |
3 yearsbest | 2 years |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | Buffalo TeraStation TS3420R | Terramaster U4-500 |
|---|---|---|
Security(1) | ||
OS Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Linux | TOS 6 |
Performance(3) | ||
CPU Model | Annapurna Labs Alpine AL214 | Intel i3-1215U |
System Memory (GB) | 1 GB | 8 GB |
Ethernet Speed (Gbps) | 2.5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
Build & Design(2) | ||
Weight (kg) | 7.7 kg | 6.2 kg |
Warranty Period (years) | 3 years | 2 years |
Connectivity(1) | ||
USB Ports | 2 | 4 |
Storage & Capacity(3) | ||
Maximum Raw Capacity (TB) | 32 TB | 96 TB |
RAID Support | RAID 0,1,5,6,10,JBOD | RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD, Single, TRAID, TRAID+ |
Supported Drive Types | 3.5" SATA III | SATA III, NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 (caching) |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers view the TeraStation Essentials as a solid, security-focused NAS that delivers enterprise-grade features at a modest price, highlighting its built-in drives, 2.5 GbE port and comprehensive warranty, while noting the omission of iSCSI, failover and SSD caching as trade-offs for its lower cost.
Everyday users praise the device for its straightforward, out-of-the-box setup, reliable support and robust security, but commonly express concerns about limited memory, the default RAID5 capacity reduction and the lack of performance-enhancing features such as SSD cache or 10 GbE.
Professional reviewers consider the U4-500 a performance leader in the SMB NAS segment, lauding its dual 10 GbE ports, DDR5 memory, and TOS 6 feature set, while noting limitations such as lack of PCIe expansion and modest base RAM.
Everyday users highlight easy setup, fast backup and streaming, but complain about fan noise, a learning curve for RAID/caching, and occasional software glitches.
“Pre-configured RAID5 with four 2 TB drives for immediate plug-and-play deployment”
“Only 1 GB DDR3 RAM may limit performance under heavy concurrent access”
“Hybrid cloud integration with Amazon S3, Dropbox, Azure and OneDrive”
