TerraMaster NAS Sale: F2-223 2-Bay $195, F4-210(1G) 4-Bay

PeteyTheStriker

Mar 20, 2025 3:15 PM

12.7K Comments

Joined Nov 2010

PeteyTheStrikerMar 20, 2025 3:15 PM

12.7K Comments

Terra is kind of expensive for what it offers compared to what it used to be, in general if your getting a Terra in most cases your getting it just for the hardware and you can go from there. I have not heard much about their OS so I dont think its anything to write home about and in no way able to compete with Qnap or Synology OS.

2

arbitrager

Mar 20, 2025 3:29 PM

2.2K Comments

Joined Jan 2009

arbitragerMar 20, 2025 3:29 PM

2.2K Comments

Quote from Rocky4140

:

How these are compared to Synology ?

Synology >>> this brand all day long but paying more.

My take. Spend the money one time and don't have to worry about it long term.

And synology's actually maintains some residual value if ever want to sell used. I have sold 2 older units and upgraded each time Sticking with synology

6

ChungusMengs

Mar 20, 2025 3:30 PM

126 Comments

Joined Aug 2019

ChungusMengsMar 20, 2025 3:30 PM

126 Comments

Quote from 5thgen

:

Which brand would have location and facial tracking like Google photos?

None, you have to add that via third party software. You'll want something with a built in decent processor and memory if you want to handle it all via NAS enclosure.

2

1

ihaveaquestion

Mar 20, 2025 3:46 PM

603 Comments

Joined May 2007

ihaveaquestionMar 20, 2025 3:46 PM

603 Comments

Can we run TrueNas on these? If so, the updates will come from TrueNas rather than TerraMaster, correct?

I want to rely on open source rather than proprietary if I can help it.

I just need a big cloud storage to offload photos and videos from my iPhones and Macs, and workable speed when I need to transfer/access back and forth between devices and NAS. Would be nice to have a backup copy of the storage just in case.

Which of these should I go with?

1

a31x

Mar 20, 2025 3:51 PM

36 Comments

Joined Mar 2021

a31xMar 20, 2025 3:51 PM

36 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank a31x

Quote from crakarjax

:

None, because Plex streaming requires a Plex pass now

Partially true, if you're on the same network there's no requirement for Plex Pass or the new remote watch pass. If you're wanting to stream remotely or you share your library with others, either the server host or the person streaming remotely will need it.
From their FAQ
"To stream remotely starting on April 29, 2025, you will need a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass subscription on your account or the admin of the Plex Media Server from which you stream will need a Plex Pass subscription on their account."

2

1

Greygooser

Pro

Mar 20, 2025 3:57 PM

2.2K Comments

Joined Apr 2008

Greygooser

Pro

Mar 20, 2025 3:57 PM

2.2K Comments

I ordered the F4-423 last year from a deal for $367.99 with a $30 gift card. I was wary of the Terramaster OS so I watched some how-to's and installed OMV (linux based NAS). It works well, very stable. I'm just not technically proficient enough to get some of the things I want running exactly how I want (mySQL and jellyfin).

Anyway, the reason I want to chime in is I was able to get a free 4GB stick of ram from Terramaster for writing a review. I can't find a link to the official offer anymore but attached is a screenshot with the details from reddit. No idea if it's still valid.

2

reron

Mar 20, 2025 4:07 PM

681 Comments

Joined Aug 2017

reronMar 20, 2025 4:07 PM

681 Comments

Quote from slugman

:

I got an F4 423 half a year or so ago. Truenas sucks and jail breaking the thing is annoying AF. Took me like 4 or 5 hours. I was in a hurry to get a NAS up so I just built one... in like an hour... using PC parts. I suppose if you're more current on *nix and all this it might be easier, but it ain't no Synology. If anyone wants one of the 423 cheaper than listed here, PM me cuz mine is still sitting on the shelf.

I had opposite experience. As long as you do your research. Terramaster runs their OS off a usb drive.

I started with TrueNAS core.. and then converted to TrueNAS Scale. It's been bulletproof.

I didn't like idea of running off a USB or losing usage if 1 of the m.2 slots, so I got a low profile right angle USB connector (the clearance in the F4-423 is really tight) and a small m.2 nvme external. Double-sided tape and it works great.

Look for YouTube videos in setting up the terramaster

I am running plex on mine, but for only single device streaming.

My primary NAS is still an old QNAP. I'm a long time QNAP user (and Drobo) and looking to eventually migrate everything to TrueNAS Scale for ease of managing replication and backups.

Last edited by reron March 20, 2025 at 09:48 AM.

1

reron

Mar 20, 2025 4:13 PM

681 Comments

Joined Aug 2017

reronMar 20, 2025 4:13 PM

681 Comments

Quote from ihaveaquestion

:

Can we run TrueNas on these? If so, the updates will come from TrueNas rather than TerraMaster, correct?

I want to rely on open source rather than proprietary if I can help it.

I just need a big cloud storage to offload photos and videos from my iPhones and Macs, and workable speed when I need to transfer/access back and forth between devices and NAS. Would be nice to have a backup copy of the storage just in case.

Which of these should I go with?

Yes. TrueNAS scale works great. Your biggest issue with Terramaster (at least the F4-423) is the "boot OS from USB port" limitation. You'll have to either
1) use a large capacity low-profile USB and hope it is durable enough to survive all the log writes
2) like me connect USB to an external nvme (they're smaller than SSD). Its not the speed, its the number of writes
3) live with the beeps and have a keyboard every time it reboots (if it's easily accessible, mine is tucked away and I never want to physically interact with it)
4) use one of the 2 internal m.2 slots for the boot Os. (I didn't go this route, but may be easier for your use case)

My primary NAS is an old QNAP since I'm new to TrueNAS Scale. I setup rsync over ssh between the two. (Wireguard tunnel since it's going to different locations).

Last edited by reron March 20, 2025 at 09:35 AM.

1

test_subj

Mar 20, 2025 4:27 PM

522 Comments

Joined Oct 2003

test_subjMar 20, 2025 4:27 PM

522 Comments

Quote from crakarjax

:

None, because Plex streaming requires a Plex pass now

I've been meaning to make the change to jellyfin, but it hasn't been a priority. I'm glad Plex decided to bump it up my list

2

Jason27104

Mar 20, 2025 4:29 PM

141 Comments

Joined Nov 2021

Jason27104Mar 20, 2025 4:29 PM

141 Comments

Quote from arbitrager

:

Synology >>> this brand all day long but paying more.

My take. Spend the money one time and don't have to worry about it long term.

And synology's actually maintains some residual value if ever want to sell used. I have sold 2 older units and upgraded each time Sticking with synology

Synology has terrible hardware for its price, but excellent software. The hardware they announced for 2025 that isn't even out yet is roughly 5 years old and has already been sold on other products of theirs for years.

So, you are going to lose out somewhere. Synology has the absolute best software and worst hardware. Terramaster is always ranked toward the top in terms of hardware, and the bottom for software. Asustor and QNAP are both closer to the middle for hardware and software.

3

DJ18

Mar 20, 2025 4:56 PM

473 Comments

Joined Mar 2019

DJ18Mar 20, 2025 4:56 PM

473 Comments

Quote from Jason27104

:

Synology has terrible hardware for its price, but excellent software. The hardware they announced for 2025 that isn't even out yet is roughly 5 years old and has already been sold on other products of theirs for years.

So, you are going to lose out somewhere. Synology has the absolute best software and worst hardware. Terramaster is always ranked toward the top in terms of hardware, and the bottom for software. Asustor and QNAP are both closer to the middle for hardware and software.

I guess that's why people came out with Xpenology? To try the Synology OS on other hardware? Wonder if any of these would be compatible.

1

PeteyTheStriker

Mar 20, 2025 5:04 PM

12.7K Comments

Joined Nov 2010

PeteyTheStrikerMar 20, 2025 5:04 PM

12.7K Comments

Quote from Jason27104

:

Synology has terrible hardware for its price, but excellent software. The hardware they announced for 2025 that isn't even out yet is roughly 5 years old and has already been sold on other products of theirs for years.

So, you are going to lose out somewhere. Synology has the absolute best software and worst hardware. Terramaster is always ranked toward the top in terms of hardware, and the bottom for software. Asustor and QNAP are both closer to the middle for hardware and software.

I would argue that QNAP is actually the best software and best hardware money can buy, synology OS got overtaken by QNAP awhile ago now. There is just about nothing you can do with Synology that you cant do with QNAP (can do a lot more with QNAP than Synology in most cases since it has some very advanced options) with the exception of putting different size drives into the NAS which act as one big one which Synology can do while QNAP does not.

1

eekster

Mar 20, 2025 5:05 PM

3.8K Comments

Joined Apr 2014

eeksterMar 20, 2025 5:05 PM

3.8K Comments

Quote from Jason27104

:

Synology has terrible hardware for its price, but excellent software. The hardware they announced for 2025 that isn't even out yet is roughly 5 years old and has already been sold on other products of theirs for years.

So, you are going to lose out somewhere. Synology has the absolute best software and worst hardware. Terramaster is always ranked toward the top in terms of hardware, and the bottom for software. Asustor and QNAP are both closer to the middle for hardware and software.

Don't forget about Ugreen, OS is lacking at this point but hardware blows snology away.

1

lloose

Mar 20, 2025 5:15 PM

134 Comments

Joined Aug 2008

llooseMar 20, 2025 5:15 PM

134 Comments

I have the 2nd gen 4 bay NAS and its been flawless. I just use it for basic NFS storage though, I don't run a Plex server or anything on it. I like the 2.5gbe port. I really can't think of a single thing to complain about, especially for the price.

RelaxedRose979

Mar 20, 2025 5:28 PM

241 Comments

Joined Jan 2020

RelaxedRose979Mar 20, 2025 5:28 PM

241 Comments

Quote from reron

:

Yes. TrueNAS scale works great. Your biggest issue with Terramaster (at least the F4-423) is the "boot OS from USB port" limitation. You'll have to either
1) use a large capacity low-profile USB and hope it is durable enough to survive all the log writes
2) like me connect USB to an external nvme (they're smaller than SSD). Its not the speed, its the number of writes
3) live with the beeps and have a keyboard every time it reboots (if it's easily accessible, mine is tucked away and I never want to physically interact with it)
4) use one of the 2 internal m.2 slots for the boot Os. (I didn't go this route, but may be easier for your use case)

My primary NAS is an old QNAP since I'm new to TrueNAS Scale. I setup rsync over ssh between the two. (Wireguard tunnel since it's going to different locations).

I used a USB to SATA cable, and then mounted a 2.5" SATA SSD to the case side. You need to be careful removing the panel. But I haven't to since setting it up. I have both m.2 drives with Optane used as cache.

TerraMaster NAS Sale: F2-223 2-Bay $195, F4-210(1G) 4-Bay

$168

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