Synology DiskStation DS220+
Synology’s DiskStation DS220+ is still a popular choice for many, even though it’s almost four years old. It’s an excellent NAS for the home or a small office.
Asustor Lockerstor Gen2 AS6702T
The Asustor Lockerstor Gen2 (AS6702T) is a more powerful two-bay NAS with a faster CPU, more RAM support, and four M.2 SSD bays.
Choosing thebest NASfor the home or small office usually involves picking between two-bay NAS, and here we’re going to be comparing the Synology DiskStation DS220+ vs. Asustor Lockerstor Gen2 (AS6702T). These are two powerful enclosures and are in the competitive two-bay NAS market. The Synology DiskStation DS220+ is starting to show its age with older hardware, but it still manages to offer great value, especially when buying your first NAS. The Lockerstor Gen2 (AS6702T) from Asustor is a very capable server with a faster Intel processor, support for more RAM, M.2 SSD slots, and 2.5GbE networking. But which is best foryou?
Price, availability, and specs
The two NAS are worlds apart when it comes to specifications, which is largely due to the age of the DiskStation DS220+. The Synology NAS is powered by the dual-core Intel Celeron J4025 whereas the Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2 (AS6702T) has the newer quad-core Celeron N5105. This allows the NAS to handle more tasks, users, and more intensive workloads with ease. Synology has started to use AMD chips in more recent NAS, such as theDiskStation DS923+. RAM is a similar story with just 2GB installed inside the DS220+ from the factory. Asustor ships 4GB with the AS6702T, and it can be expanded to a maximum of 16GB, a full 10GB more than the 6GB limit with the DS220+.
The number of drive bays is identical, but again the AS6702T has the upper hand with four M.2 SSD slots, and the ability for up to two AS6004U expansion units to be connected, resulting in a maximum 3.5-inch drive bay count of 10. This also provides further room for the AS6702T NAS to be upgraded with more storage space, negating the need to buy a new NAS. Transferring data between NAS and client hardware usually involves a network connection, and the Synology DiskStation DS220+ has two 1GbE links. This is more than enough for most home networks but falls short compared to the Asustor Lockerstor Gen2’s dual 2.5GbE setup.
The specification disparity makes sense when you compare the price of the two enclosures. Synology charges $300 for its Intel-powered DS220+ whereas you’ll need to fork out a full $460 for the AS6702T, and both NAS are available diskless. Even when factoring in the cost of hard drives (and SSDs for the Asustor NAS), the overall cost of the DS220+ is considerably cheaper. We’re expecting Synology to launch a successor to the DiskStation DS220+ sometime soon, and it’ll be interesting to see how that compares to this Asustor enclosure.
Design and features
Synology and Asustor NAS couldn’t look any more different as both companies adhere to their unique design languages. Synology’s NAS are simple black slabs of plastic and metal. That’s not to suggest they’re not good-looking devices, but we’re big fans of the styling Asustor has gone with for recent NAS launches, including the Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2 (AS6702T). It mixes retro with modern to create something with slightly more noise than the Synology DiskStation DS220+. Both NAS have a single USB port on the front, a power button, some LED indicators, and easy access to the two drive bays. The DS220+ does come equipped with a front cover to help keep dust out of the drive bays.
Dimensions of both NAS are similar, though the Asustor enclosure is slightly larger to accommodate the four M.2 SSD slots. The rear of the Lockerstor2 Gen2 also has more ports than its Synology competition. There’s one of two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2x1 ports, two 2.5GbE network links, and a single HDMI 2.0b port. The DS220+ has two 1GbE LAN ports and one of two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. Being one of the more affordable Intel-powered NAS from Synology, there’s no expansion support with the DS220+, meaning you’ll be out of luck once the installed drives are full. The Lockerstor 2 Gen2 doesn’t just have four M.2 slots, but can also connect to two four-bay expansion units.
Software and performance
Synology prides itself on offering one of the best software experiences of any prebuilt NAS with its DiskStation Manager (DSM) OS. It’s an incredibly powerful software solution with a desktop-like UX, so you should feel right at home if you’ve spent any period of time using Linux, macOS, or Windows. There are countless apps available from Synology and third-party developers through its official package manager, and it’s also possible to take advantage of Synology’s cloud platform to extend the capabilities of even the most affordable ARM-powered Synology NAS. The DS220+ can certainly punch higher than its weight, even with older hardware.
Asustor’s ADM OS is very similar in that it’s well-designed, powerful, and easy to use. Where the company falls a little short compared to Synology is with the selection of apps and services. It’s not terrible and many of the most popular offerings are present and available, but it’s worth noting that Synology’s ecosystem is regarded as the most mature out of all NAS brands. Asustor is a close second alongside QNAP. In terms of performance, the Lockerstor 2 Gen2 (AS6702T) wins every time, which shouldn’t come as a surprise with the faster CPU and more system memory. Whether you’re streaming media or running heavier apps and services, the Asustor NAS will simply perform better though the DS220+ isn’t sluggish unless really pushed hard.
Which NAS is best for Plex?
Thebest NAS for Plexusually has the most powerful CPU you can afford and the Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2 (AS6702T) just so happens to have a chip that’s perfect for running a media server. Services like Plex can be demanding for a NAS to run, especially when needing to transcode media, which is required for files that aren’t supported by client devices (not all TVs support every resolution and file type). The more powerful the CPU, the less sluggish the streaming experience will be. Intel processors have integrated GPUs that are utilized by Plex for this task. The DS220+ is also a great two-bay NAS for Plex, but it doesn’t match the performance of Asustor’s enclosure.
It also depends on what else you plan to use the NAS for. If it’s primarily going to be used for backups and streaming some purchased tracks, the DS220+ and its lack of expansion support may be all you need. Should you enter into the world of TV shows and movies, you can quickly run out of space (and available CPU bandwidth) when transcoding or streaming to multiple clients simultaneously. This is where the AS6702T is the better buy with the ability to install four M.2 SSDs and connect to expansion units with four bays a piece.
Which NAS is best?
The two NAS enclosures are both very good and ideal for the home or a small office. The DiskStation DS220+ is the older enclosure with a slower processor, weaker networking capabilities, and no option for installing M.2 drives for storage or data caching. It’s the more affordable NAS, which makes it the better option for those looking for their very first NAS enclosure with an Intel CPU. Synology’s DiskStation Manager OS is the best in the business and this little two-bay NAS will happily run the latest version (at the time of writing), unlocking access to a vast collection of apps and services.
The NAS with the best price
The Synology DiskStation DS220+ is more affordable than the Asustor enclosure, which makes it a better pick for those just starting out with their first Intel-powered NAS.
If you’re looking for something with slightly more powerful internals, look no further than the two-bay Asustor Lockerstor Gen2 (AS6702T). Compared to the Synology DiskStation DS220+, this NAS offers a faster processor, support for more RAM, M.2 SSD slots, and 2.5GbE networking. There’s also the option to add expansion units to add additional drive bays into the mix and let’s not forget about the HDMI port, which can be used for direct streaming of media to a TV or monitor. It’s the best NAS for Plex out of the two, should you be wanting to launch your own Spotify and Netflix streaming service.
The more powerful 2-bay NAS.
The Asustor Lockerstor Gen2 (AS6702T) has some impressive specifications, including a fast Intel CPU, support for 16GB of RAM, four M.2 SSD slots, and 2.5GbE networking.
