|

Ugreen NASync DH2300 vs TerraMaster F2-212 – Ugreen launches the the best NAS for people on a budget

I reviewed the Ugreen NASync DH4300 Plus at the start of the month and came away surprisingly impressed with it, so much so, I have continued to use it, primarily as a backup for photos and backing up cloud drives such as OneDrive and Google Drive.

Ugreen has already announced that they are launching a two-bay version of this called the NASync DH2300, but it will be officially launched on the 25th of October.

There isn’t much to write about this launch; it is very similar to the NASync DH4300 Plus, but with two bays and a 1GbE LAN port instead of 2.5GbE, and obviously at a lower price point. Perhaps the biggest difference is the lack of Docker support.

It will likely be one of the best budget options for anyone looking for a NAS, arguably better than the TerraMaster F2-212.

While I think the TerraMaster F2-212 is excellent, it has an RRP of £230 and is currently available on Amazon for £172.49.

The DH2300 will be available at €209.99 in the EU and £169.99 in the UK, and that’s before discounts. At the time of writing, Ugreen had already knocked 10% off, with it listed at a bargain price of £152.99.

NAS Comparison: Ugreen DH2300 vs TerraMaster F2-212

Core Specifications

SpecificationUgreen DH2300TerraMaster F2-212Winner
ModelDH2300F2-212
ProcessorRockchip RK3576Realtek RTD1619BDH2300 ✓
CPU Cores/Speed8-Core @ 2.2GHz4-Core @ 1.7GHzDH2300 ✓
RAM4GB LPDDR4X1GB DDR4 (non-upgradable)DH2300 ✓
RAM UpgradeableNoNoTie
System Storage32GB eMMCNot specified (likely 4-8GB)DH2300 ✓
Operating SystemUGOS ProTOS 5

Storage Configuration

SpecificationUgreen DH2300TerraMaster F2-212Winner
Drive Bays2x SATA2x SATATie
Max Capacity60TB (2x 30TB)~40TB typical*DH2300 ✓
Drive SupportSATA only3.5″ & 2.5″ SATA HDD/SSDF2-212 ✓
M.2 SSD SupportNoNoTie
RAID ModesJBOD, Basic, RAID 0/1JBOD, Single, RAID 0/1, TRAIDF2-212 ✓
File SystemsNot specifiedBtrfs, EXT4F2-212 ✓

Connectivity & Expansion

SpecificationUgreen DH2300TerraMaster F2-212Winner
Network1x 1GbE1x 1GbETie
USB Ports1x USB-C (5Gb/s), 2x USB-A (5Gb/s)1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0DH2300 ✓
Total USB Bandwidth15Gb/s combined5.48Gb/s combinedDH2300 ✓
Video OutputHDMI 4K @ 60HzNoneDH2300 ✓
PCIe ExpansionNoNoTie

Physical & Power

SpecificationUgreen DH2300TerraMaster F2-212Winner
Dimensions (mm)151 x 98 x 213.7222 x 119 x 154DH2300 ✓
Volume (litres)~3.16L~4.07LDH2300 ✓
Weight (no drives)Not specified1.3kg
Power Supply12V/4.2A (50.4W max)External adapter
Power (Idle)Not specified10.4W
Power (Active)~50W max21.1WF2-212 ✓
WarrantyNot specified2 years

Software Features

SpecificationUgreen DH2300TerraMaster F2-212Winner
Language Support8 languagesMultiple (TOS standard)Tie
Docker SupportNoYes (TOS 5)
App EcosystemUGOS Pro appsTOS 5 apps

Summary Score

CategoryUGENT DH2300TerraMaster F2-212
Performance✓✓✓✓
Storage Flexibility✓✓✓✓✓
Connectivity✓✓✓✓✓✓
Power Efficiency✓✓✓✓✓✓
Form Factor✓✓✓✓✓

Key Advantages

UGENT DH2300 Strengths:

  • Significantly faster processor (8-core vs 4-core)
  • 4x more RAM (4GB vs 1GB)
  • Better USB connectivity (USB-C + 2x USB-A all at 5Gb/s)
  • HDMI output for direct media playback
  • Smaller footprint (~22% less volume)
  • Larger system storage (32GB eMMC)

TerraMaster F2-212 Strengths:

  • Better power efficiency (10.4W idle, 21.1W active)
  • TRAID support (TerraMaster’s flexible RAID)
  • Btrfs file system with snapshot support
  • Proven TOS 5 ecosystem
  • Explicit SSD support mentioned
  • Lower maximum power draw (~21W vs 50W)

Verdict

The UGENT DH2300 offers substantially better performance with its 8-core processor and 4GB RAM, making it better suited for multitasking and transcoding. The TerraMaster F2-212 is a more basic, power-efficient option that’s adequate for simple file serving but will struggle with anything beyond that due to its anaemic 1GB RAM and slower quad-core processor.

Considering the Ugreen undercuts Terramaster with the price, this is the option I’d recommend if you want a basic NAS focusing on file storage/backup. The Terramaster has the edge over flexibility due to the Docker support, but I hope Ugreen enables this in the future.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *