Synology DS223j vs Synology DS225+

Synology DS225+ is the better NAS. Its Intel Celeron J4125 runs 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 a file server first, with 1 GB of soldered memory.

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

Both can. Synology lists the DS223j among the models that install Container Manager, its Docker package, and the DS225+ runs it too. Only Synology DS225+ runs Virtual Machine Manager, and its memory expands to 6 GB against the DS223j's soldered 1 GB, which leaves far more room for containers.

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 virtual machines, media transcoding or more than a few containers.

Buyers planning to self-host in earnest: Docker containers with room to grow, 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.