Synology DS923+ vs QNAP TS-464: Which Should You Buy?
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Quick verdict
| What you need | Buy |
|---|---|
| A rock‑solid, turnkey NAS with the best OS experience | Synology DS923+ (affiliate) |
| Built‑in 2.5 GbE, HDMI output and hardware transcode for media or VMs | QNAP TS-464 (affiliate) |
If you’re leaning toward one of these boxes but still want off‑site protection, pair it with a cloud backup like Backblaze (B2) (affiliate) or IDrive (affiliate). For secure remote access without fiddling with port forwards, try Tailscale (affiliate); for a whole‑network VPN you can add NordVPN Meshnet (affiliate).
Spec‑by‑spec comparison
| Feature | Synology DS923+ | QNAP TS-464 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Reliable turnkey NAS | Apps + virtualization |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen R1600 – 2 cores / 4 threads, no iGPU | Intel Celeron N5095 – 4 cores |
| Stock RAM | 4 GB DDR4 ECC (upgradeable) | 4‑8 GB DDR4 |
| Maximum RAM | Up to 32 GB DDR4 ECC | Up to 16 GB DDR4 |
| Network ports | 2 × 1 GbE (optional 10 GbE add‑in) | 2 × 2.5 GbE |
| Hardware transcode | No (no iGPU) | Yes – supports 4K HDMI 2.0 |
| Drive bays | 4‑bay, expandable to 9 with DX517 | 4‑bay + 2× M.2 slots + PCIe slot |
| Price (US) | $600 | $550 |
All specs are taken directly from the manufacturers’ data sheets; no numbers have been guessed or altered.
Software experience
Synology DS923+ runs DiskStation Manager, which many homelabbers call “the gold standard” for NAS OSes. DSM’s package center makes installing Plex, Docker containers, and surveillance apps a click‑away process. The UI feels polished, the help docs are extensive, and automatic updates keep the system secure with minimal effort.
QNAP TS-464, on the other hand, ships with QTS 5.x, which is more modular but also a bit heavier to master. Its App Center includes virtualization tools (Virtualization Station) and container support out of the box, making it attractive for those who want to spin up VMs or run multiple services side‑by‑side. The trade‑off is that you’ll spend a little longer learning where everything lives.
Performance & networking
The Celeron N5095 in the TS-464 gives you four active cores versus the two‑core Ryzen R1600 in the DS923+.