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expired Posted by SirJohnDoe • Nov 28, 2024
expired Posted by SirJohnDoe • Nov 28, 2024

Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223j (Diskless)

+ Free Shipping

$162

$190

14% off
Amazon
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Deal Details
Amazon has Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223j (Diskless) on sale for $161.99. Shipping is free.

B&H Photo Video has Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223j (Diskless) on sale for $161.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community members SirJohnDoe & daldriver for finding this deal.

Features:
  • 2 x 3.5/2.5" SATA HDD/SSD Drive Bays
  • 1.7 GHz Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core
  • 1GB of DDR4 RAM
  • 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Port
  • 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 Ports
  • RAID 0, 1, Basic, Hybrid, and JBOD

Editor's Notes

Written by megakimcheelove | Staff

Original Post

Written by SirJohnDoe
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Product Info
Community Notes
About the Poster
Amazon has Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223j (Diskless) on sale for $161.99. Shipping is free.

B&H Photo Video has Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS223j (Diskless) on sale for $161.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community members SirJohnDoe & daldriver for finding this deal.

Features:
  • 2 x 3.5/2.5" SATA HDD/SSD Drive Bays
  • 1.7 GHz Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core
  • 1GB of DDR4 RAM
  • 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Port
  • 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 Ports
  • RAID 0, 1, Basic, Hybrid, and JBOD

Editor's Notes

Written by megakimcheelove | Staff

Original Post

Written by SirJohnDoe

Community Voting

Deal Score
+51
Good Deal
Visit Amazon

Price Intelligence

Model: Synology DiskStation DS223j 2-Bay (Diskless)

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Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 7/17/2025, 03:03 PM
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Top Comments

CheaperMoFo
307 Posts
217 Reputation
This Synology is not a good choice for Plex or Emby/Jellyfin. Old hardware, old model. It is fine for the NAS requirement, but even there a 2 bay model limits the RAID options for your backups.

That Terramaster is just barely ok for Plex these days; it also has older hardware and can't decode/transcode 4K on the fly; but it is a better choice than the Synology. With 4 bays it will have better RAID support, but it won't have quite as slick a software interface as the Synology does.

I would suggest looking at a N95/N100 CPU for a NAS to run a Plex/Emby/Jellyfin server. If you drop the media server requirement--say by picking up a $100-$150 Beelink or similar minipc to do that--it comes down to software and 2 bay with better software vs having 4 bays for more robust RAID backups.

Personally, I prefer separating the two components because the NAS world is pretty stable while media servers--particularly the CPU support for hardware de/transcoding--changes much faster.

In the 25 years I have been running a HTPC/media server, I've upgraded my CPU/major hardware 4 or 5 times, but I am still using the same positively ancient NAS (though I had to turn off the cloud access features for security reasons; I now run a VPN to get into my home network instead).
kickdeals
204 Posts
26 Reputation
Synology basically doesn't have any deals this year. Sooo cheap of them
micahman33
1006 Posts
529 Reputation
I prefer the synology because of their robust app-store style add ons and ease of remote access. I've been using the 2016 version of this model for 7 years now and it's been pretty bulletproof. I use a $50 Mac mini that I got from Facebook marketplace to run plex since this can't do it that well, but that would be my vote

58 Comments

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Pro
Nov 30, 2024
1,815 Posts
Joined Feb 2004
Nov 30, 2024
Kachur
Pro
Nov 30, 2024
1,815 Posts
I have older j version and it very slow. Can non handle more than 30 MB/sec read write without maxing CPU. Built my own NAS from old desktop and use that now.
Nov 30, 2024
101 Posts
Joined Aug 2004
Nov 30, 2024
Hux
Nov 30, 2024
101 Posts
Quote from smacky00 :
Can I wirelessly do Time Machine backups from my 2 Macs using this?
Yes, but it can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. You definitely want to avoid changing the hostname or IP address if at all possible.

https://kb.synology.com/en-ca/DSM...me_Machine
Nov 30, 2024
1,652 Posts
Joined Sep 2010
Nov 30, 2024
hardrock121
Nov 30, 2024
1,652 Posts
What are you guys using Plex for nowadays? Isn't everything available on streaming anyways?
2
Nov 30, 2024
33 Posts
Joined Jun 2005
Nov 30, 2024
jpatel
Nov 30, 2024
33 Posts
I have QNAP and it was hacked in 2021, major issue with their software.
Nov 30, 2024
814 Posts
Joined Sep 2010
Nov 30, 2024
Flawless700
Nov 30, 2024
814 Posts
Not much of a diskstation without no disks! Amirite?
2
Nov 30, 2024
29,830 Posts
Joined Oct 2010
Nov 30, 2024
Medic311
Nov 30, 2024
29,830 Posts
Quote from Shushera :
I have older j version and it very slow. Can non handle more than 30 MB/sec read write without maxing CPU. Built my own NAS from old desktop and use that now.
you have something else going on if you are only getting 30 MB/s write speeds, completely unrelated to this being the "j" series.

you should be getting ~ 110 MB/s hardwired
Pro
Nov 30, 2024
1,815 Posts
Joined Feb 2004
Nov 30, 2024
Kachur
Pro
Nov 30, 2024
1,815 Posts
Quote from Medic311 :
you have something else going on if you are only getting 30 MB/s write speeds, completely unrelated to this being the "j" series.

you should be getting ~ 110 MB/s hardwired
It is 212j
top shows CPU 50% wait, 30% system, 20% smb, idle is 0% during large file copy.
Drives are in raid 1, SHR, ext4.
iperf shows full gigabit use, MTU set to max available and switch is 2.5G.
Any recommendations?
I am performance consultant by trade, basic stuff checked years ago.

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Nov 30, 2024
29,830 Posts
Joined Oct 2010
Nov 30, 2024
Medic311
Nov 30, 2024
29,830 Posts
Quote from Shushera :
It is 212j
top shows CPU 50% wait, 30% system, 20% smb, idle is 0% during large file copy.
Drives are in raid 1, SHR, ext4.
iperf shows full gigabit use, MTU set to max available and switch is 2.5G.
Any recommendations?
I am performance consultant by trade, basic stuff checked years ago.
i would just restore to factory settings and start completely over. with something 12 yrs old, firmware on top of firmware update, something must be whacky

i would just wipe completely clean, and start fresh.
212j, despite being old, does not have a 30MB/s transfer rate limitation when hardwired
Dec 2, 2024
2,479 Posts
Joined Nov 2005
Dec 2, 2024
kabukicho
Dec 2, 2024
2,479 Posts
Quote from Medic311 :
If all you need is file serving and basic backup of your computers, this will be fine.

If you want to be able to manage the backups of your household (very convenient if you are your household's IT guy so to speak), this machine cannot run that feature of DSM (called Active Backup). You will need to get a better model

I will say this though, as someone who started with these pre-built NAS devices going back 15 yrs

While The 2 bay limitation can be worked around if needed, by attaching external drives, that's less than an idea setup. If you need to store/backup any type of media....could be large photo collections, videos, music media, what have you.....you will very quickly fill this up. Spring the extra $ and get a 4 bay, throw in (4) 14TB-18TB good quality drives, buy another (1) as spare and another (1) as external local backup for critical files (if you want to have local backups of large swaths of media, consider connecting more drives, that's your call...ideally you want everything backed up, on-site and off-site, but let's not go down a rabbit hole). Configure in RAID10 for better performance and reliability. Connect everything to a UPS with AVS with auto shut down after 15 mins. You will be good to go for probably a decade unless you find the reddit sub DataHoarder, then all bets are off and the rabbit hole will turn into a money suck blackhole. But that sub has really really awesome ideas. Just be prepared for it to be never ending, and soon you will have racks of servers and network UPSs, and then backup power for the UPSs, and running new dedicated circuits b/c you want to isolate it. LOL

I get the whole DIY vs pre-built thing. You can build yourself an incredible machine yourself, running open software, etc, and for less. I get it. Where these things shine, is they can pretty much run all on their own nearly indefinitely. DSM is rock rock solid. And if something goes wrong, I don't have to hunt around forums to try and figure out an issue, I can create a ticket with Synology and at least get some level of Tier 1 support within a reasonable amount of time. I've used all the brands, go with Synology.
HAHAHA love it!wootwootwoot
Dec 3, 2024
164 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Dec 3, 2024
adidamac
Dec 3, 2024
164 Posts
Deal is dead on Amazon
Dec 5, 2024
594 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
Dec 5, 2024
Aquamx
Dec 5, 2024
594 Posts
Quote from hiro :
Thanks for your thought, that helps convincing me to wait. On another note about pricing, the standard DS223 currently is $250 on Amazon. I think the DS224 went for $240 in the past. Not sure when it will be on-sale again, but since I don't have a strong need for a NAS right away I am leaning on waiting for a good price.
While you are waiting, please keep in mind that Synology has recently shutting down all their US warehousing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/synology...h_america/
Dec 5, 2024
675 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
Dec 5, 2024
MCasao
Dec 5, 2024
675 Posts
MY DS220+ is perfect for Plex with the added memory stick. Get a PLUS version if you want to use Plex as others have said.

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