Synology DS223j vs Synology DS225+

Synology DS225+ is the better NAS. Its Intel Celeron J4125 runs Docker and virtual machines and transcodes in hardware, memory expands to 6 GB, the bays are hot swappable and the warranty runs 3 years. Synology DS223j is limited to file serving with 1 GB of soldered memory.

The processor architecture. Synology DS223j uses an ARM Realtek chip, which rules out Container Manager, Virtual Machine Manager and hardware transcoding. Synology DS225+ uses an x86-64 Intel Celeron, so all three are available, turning the box from a file server into a home server.

Only Synology DS225+. Container Manager and Virtual Machine Manager both require the x86-64 architecture it uses. Synology DS223j cannot run either, no matter how the packages are installed.

Synology DS223j ships with 1 GB of DDR4 that is soldered and cannot be upgraded. Synology DS225+ ships with 2 GB and accepts up to 6 GB, which matters for containers, virtual machines and Synology Photos indexing.

Synology DS223j, marginally: 18.2 dB and 16.31 W against 19.6 dB and 16.98 W for Synology DS225+. The gap is small enough that noise alone should not decide the purchase.

Anyone who wants a quiet, inexpensive place to keep backups, photos and documents with Btrfs snapshots and SHR, and who is certain they will never need containers, virtual machines or media transcoding.

Buyers planning to self-host anything: Docker containers, a virtual machine, a Plex library that needs transcoding, or a larger Surveillance Station deployment with up to 25 camera channels. The 3 year warranty and hot swappable bays are useful extras.