QNAP TS-264 2-bay
Score: 80/100
Synology DS223 2-bay
Score: 76/100Rankings
The QNAP TS-264-8G-US is a compact 2-bay desktop NAS featuring an Intel Celeron quad-core CPU, dual 2.5 GbE, HDMI 2.1, and PCIe expandability, delivering strong performance for home and small-office environments.
The DS223 offers 36 TB of raw capacity, 2 GB RAM and a familiar DSM experience in a compact 2-bay chassis. It's a solid, budget-friendly choice for backups and file sharing, though network speed and lack of SSD cache keep it from high-performance scenarios.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
5,000 TBbest | 36 TB | |
2best | 2best | |
2.5 Gbpsbest | 1 Gbps | |
4best | 4best | |
8 GBbest | 2 GB | |
| ↓ lower better | 29.086 W | 16.31 Wbest |
| ↓ lower better | — | 18.2 dBbest |
2 yearsbest | 2 yearsbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Security(1) | ||
OS Compatibility | QuTS hero, QTS | DSM 7.x |
Performance(4) | ||
CPU Model | Intel Celeron N5095 | Realtek RTD1619B |
System Memory (GB) | 8 GB | 2 GB |
Ethernet Speed (Gbps) | 2.5 Gbps | 1 Gbps |
Power Consumption (Active) (W) | 29.086 W | 16.31 W |
Build & Design(2) | ||
Weight (kg) | 1.55 kg | 0.88 kg |
Power Supply Type | External AC adapter | 60W AC adapter |
Connectivity(3) | ||
Supported Network Protocols | CIFS/SMB, AFP, NFS v2/3/4, FTP, SFTP, TFTP, FTPS | SMB,NFS,AFP,FTP,WebDAV,iSCSI,HTTP/HTTPS,LDAP,CalDAV,SNMP,Kerberos |
Link Aggregation Support | true | false |
USB Ports | 4 | 3 |
Storage & Capacity(3) | ||
Maximum Raw Capacity (TB) | 5000 TB | 36 TB |
RAID Support | RAID 0, 1, JBOD | RAID 0,RAID 1,Basic,SHR |
Supported Drive Types | 3.5" SATA HDD, 2.5" SATA SSD | 3.5" SATA HDD,2.5" SATA SSD/HDD |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers from SmallNetBuilder, TechRadar and AnandTech praised the TS-264-8G for its exceptional feature set, noting the combination of a modern Celeron processor, dual 2.5 GbE, HDMI 2.1 and PCIe expandability that is usually reserved for higher-end models.
Everyday users appreciate the fast I/O performance, 4K HDMI playback and the flexibility of adding PCIe cards, but they frequently mention the fan noise, the need for an M.2 heatsink and the lack of built-in 10 GbE as drawbacks.
Professional reviewers praise the DS223 as an excellent entry-level NAS that delivers the core Synology experience at a competitive price, but note the single 1 GbE port, lack of SSD caching, and insufficient hardware for transcoding or virtualization.
Everyday users consistently commend the straightforward setup, dependable operation, and quiet fan, while complaints focus on limited network speed, absence of SSD caching, and the cap on maximum drive capacity.
“Users highlight ease of setup, reliability, and suitability for Time Machine backups.”
