Synology DS220j
Score: 50/100
Buffalo LinkStation LS210
Score: 39/100Rankings
The DS220j is an entry-level two-bay NAS delivering a full DSM experience, solid performance for its price, and a broad app ecosystem, ideal for home users and small offices.
The Buffalo LinkStation 210 is a compact, single-bay NAS that offers 6 TB of pre-installed storage and basic media streaming for home users. Its simplicity and low noise are offset by outdated hardware, lack of RAID, and limited connectivity, making it suitable for light backup tasks but not for power users.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
32 TBbest | 6 TB | |
2best | 1 | |
1 Gbpsbest | 1 Gbpsbest | |
4best | — | |
0.512 GBbest | 0.256 GB | |
| ↓ lower better | 12.46 Wbest | 24 W |
2 yearsbest | 2 yearsbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 0.88 kgbest | 1.102 kg |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Security(1) | ||
OS Compatibility | DSM | Windows, macOS 10.10 |
Performance(3) | ||
CPU Model | Realtek RTD1296 | ARM |
System Memory (GB) | 0.512 GB | 0.256 GB |
Power Consumption (Active) (W) | 12.46 W | 24 W |
Build & Design(2) | ||
Weight (kg) | 0.88 kg | 1.102 kg |
Power Supply Type | External 60W adapter | External AC adapter |
Connectivity(2) | ||
Supported Network Protocols | SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, CalDAV, iSCSI, SSH, SNMP, OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP | TCP/IP, UPnP, DLNA, FTP, HTTPS, HTTP, AFP, CIFS/SMB |
USB Ports | 2 | 1 |
Storage & Capacity(4) | ||
Maximum Raw Capacity (TB) | 32 TB | 6 TB |
Drive Bays | 2 | 1 |
RAID Support | SHR, RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, Basic | None |
Supported Drive Types | 3.5" or 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD | SATA 3 Gbps |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praised the DS220j for its polished DSM operating system, impressive read/write speeds for a budget unit, straightforward setup, and comprehensive app ecosystem, while noting its hardware limitations such as a single LAN port, modest 512 MB RAM, and lack of HDMI or multi-gigabit networking.
Everyday users appreciate the DS220j's ease of use, low power consumption, and ability to serve as a reliable home cloud and media server, but many echo concerns about limited RAM, lack of HDMI, and the need to purchase drives separately.
“Set it up in 15 minutes-works perfectly for family photo backups.”
“Great for streaming music and videos to my smart TV via DLNA.”
“Crashed after 3 years-lost all data with no warning.”
Professional reviewers noted that the LinkStation 210 was a solid, easy-to-use entry-level NAS at the time of release, thanks to its straightforward software and reliable basic performance. However, they criticized its underpowered hardware, lack of expandability, and absence of modern interfaces.
Everyday users appreciate the device's simplicity, quiet operation, and ability to stream media via DLNA, often rating it highly for basic backup and file-sharing needs. Recurring complaints focus on hardware aging, incompatibility with newer macOS versions, occasional slowness of the WebAccess service, and the absence of RAID or USB 3.0.
