Terramaster contacted us and asked if we were interested in checking out their latest 2-bay NAS device, the F2-223. I’ve experimented a bit with these devices, I have a QNAP TS-253Be, and now a Synology DS720+ but for me, I’ve only used them for local and cloud backups and my home theater using a combination of Emby. Got the solution to run. Plex
All of the above NAS devices I own are media class, meaning they fully support installing Emby or Plex on them and streaming them over the network, with the exception of a few other things that Docker containers do. Installed by, or able to follow clearly. tutorial, this is the extent of my expertise in the realm of network attached storage devices; I’m still learning.
Here are the most important specifications:
| Terra Master F2-223 | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Celeron N4505 (Dual Core 2.0 GHz, Max burst up to 2.9 GHz) |
| memory | 4 GB, max 32 GB (16 GB x 2) |
| Disk capacity | 40 TB (20TB x2) |
| RAID level | RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, Single, TRAID |
| Network | 2 RJ-45 2.5 GbE (10/100/1000/2.5 GbE) |
| USB ports | 2 x 3.1 |
| HDMI | 1 |
| Size (H/W/D) | 227 x 119 x 133 mm |
| The weight | 2.4 kg |
| Price | $299.99 |
As you can see it has a media-class Intel Celeron N4505 processor that came out in 2021 and it ships with 4 GB of RAM which is double the amount included in QNAP’s five-year-old TS-253Be.
First impression
The packaging is nothing to write home about, although I’m happy to say that it didn’t come in a ridiculously large box, and minimal packaging material was used. Everything you need to get started yourself is included (except the cross cable).
Inside the box
- F2-223 TNAS device
- Power adapter
- LAN cable (CAT 6)
- Quick guide
- Limited Warranty Notice
- Screws (for HDD bays)
- Stickers
- Rubber barriers
Design
Although it’s a budget device, you wouldn’t think so from the design and build quality, the case is all-metal and cool to the touch even after running the F2-223 all day. It’s also significantly quieter than the QNAP TS-253Be. I sat it next to my computer at my work desk and I wondered if the noise I’m used to with NAS devices would bother me, but all I could hear was a faint hum.
On the front, you have your two bays and power buttons along with LED indicators for HDDs, LAN and power. A USB port on the front would have been nice, but alas, no such joy here.
On the back, you have your two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, an HDMI port and a connector for the barrel port power source. There’s no Kensington lock, which is a shame for a data storage device.
At the bottom, there are plenty of holes to help with ventilation, and on check there are no screws under the rubber feet. So, from the looks of it, there is also no obvious way to go in to expand the memory, which is supported according to the documentation. Nowhere does it say how you can get by adding or replacing memory modules.
After looking around a bit, I discovered that there are four screws on the back of the Philips, which seem to hold the fan in place and can be removed. Once you’ve carefully disconnected the fan from the mainboard, you can slide it off. device from its metal case.
An additional memory module can easily be installed under the main board, making it relatively easy to replace the already included 4 GB module, although there is limited space to do so. Next to the memory module, the CMOS battery is also relatively easy to access, which means further draining can be avoided.
You may also notice that it’s possible to add an M2 SSD for drive caching, this SSD caching is supported and accounted for in TOS 5.1, but I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t disassembled the F2-223. It is possible to add one. NVMe, since it is not covered in any documentation.
It’s nice that some thought has gone into the expandability of the F2-223, it only requires four screws and you can really add something to it.
Setup
When connected to the LAN and booted up, the F2-223 can be reached by going to http://tnas.local or if that doesn’t work, using the local address assigned by DHCP using can find TNAS PC desktop applicationWhich is basically the F2-223 finder.
The setup process is pretty straightforward which I’ve included below.
Gallery: F2-223 setup
I was able to borrow a pair of 4 TB Seagate Ironwolf HDDs to use in testing because Terramaster told me they no longer supply the HDDs with the review units. As you may have seen in the images above, it was suggested to use TRAID, which is an in-house RAID solution, and I went with that.
The storage pool only took seven hours to complete, so it wasn’t until the next day that I did a few file copy tests.
Using a mix of large and small files (videos, photos and documents) I get about 209 MB/sec with Robocopy from a 4 GB OSFMounted RAM disk over a 2.5 GbE cross-cable connection from my PC directly to the F2-223. Was successful. . A Crystal DiskMark test on a mapped network drive from within the same Windows 10 22H2 PC (pictured above) returned around the same result. No complaints here, if your network and switch support it you’ll be satisfied, if not you’re really happy with 2.5 GbE speeds.
TOS 5.1 comes with an app center that has tons of handy programs you can install right off the bat like Emby, Plex, Docker, as well as in-house backup and surveillance solutions that are really beyond the scope of this review. Are not. I set up the ambi because I felt it was important to test the streaming capability of the F2-223. I loaded some 4K HDR content and it played fine without any hiccups.
Result
What it comes down to is the quality of the F2-223, and I’d say it’s a great little device for $299, but recommending it would depend on an individual’s use case. If you’re just looking for a small NAS device to back up your files and take care of your home theater streaming, this is a great and affordable device to buy. It provides great performance, takes up little space, and is overall, very quiet. You may find yourself limited with drive space with only two bays as Terramaster doesn’t seem to sell an expansion kit.
On the other hand, if you think you’ll need more storage space in the future, you should probably go. F4-223which has four bays and costs only $140 more. Compared to Synology’s DS723+ Which costs $449.either or $409 QNAP TS-262 You are also saving a lot of money.
The only downside I can think of is that Terramaster is a relative newcomer to the space, and there isn’t much in the way of community support at the moment. They have one. Community Forumbut it is not yet full of activity, maybe that will change in the future.
In writing, anyone who lives in a supported country and has purchased an F2-223 can apply. Free giftThat’s an extra 4 GB of RAM. This brings your total up to 8GB which is enough for a small media and file backup server for your home. Be sure to read the instructions on how to successfully apply for a gift, we were given a gift for review, so we could not participate.
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Occupation
Cheap good quality media streaming
Cons of
Lack of hidden SSD port
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