Synology DS220j
Score: 50/100
Buffalo LinkStation LS720
Score: 59/100Rankings
The Buffalo LinkStation 720 is a 2-bay NAS that ships with drives pre-configured in RAID 1, offering simple plug-and-play storage with 2.5 GbE and basic backup features.
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.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
32 TBbest | 16 TB | |
2best | 2best | |
1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbpsbest | |
4 | 6best | |
0.512 GB | 2 GBbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 12.46 Wbest | 48 W |
2 yearsbest | 2 yearsbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 0.88 kgbest | 2.31 kg |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Security(1) | ||
OS Compatibility | DSM | Proprietary |
Performance(4) | ||
CPU Cores | 4 | 6 |
System Memory (GB) | 0.512 GB | 2 GB |
Ethernet Speed (Gbps) | 1 Gbps | 2.5 Gbps |
Power Consumption (Active) (W) | 12.46 W | 48 W |
Build & Design(1) | ||
Weight (kg) | 0.88 kg | 2.31 kg |
Connectivity(1) | ||
USB Ports | 2 | 3 |
Storage & Capacity(3) | ||
Maximum Raw Capacity (TB) | 32 TB | 16 TB |
RAID Support | SHR, RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, Basic | RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD |
Supported Drive Types | 3.5" or 2.5" SATA HDD/SSD | SATA III 3.5" HDD |
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.
“"Preinstalled drives with RAID 1 redundancy out of the box"”
“"The fan can be "sometimes noisy""”
“"Getting the NAS operational in under 15 minutes"”
Reviewers commend its plug-and-play simplicity and solid transfer speeds, but note the lack of an app ecosystem and limited advanced features.
Users love the quick setup and RAID-1 reliability, while some complain about fan noise and limited extensibility.
