TerraMaster F2-424 2-Bay NAS
The TerraMaster F2-424 is a $440 2-bay NAS built on the Intel Core i3-N305 8-core (yes, eight Efficient cores), DDR5 expandable to 32GB, two M.2 NVMe slots, and dual 2.5GbE ports. It is the value champion — the most CPU-per-dollar in any NAS, and most users buy it specifically to wipe TOS and install TrueNAS Scale or Unraid.
Best hardware-per-dollar 2-bay NAS — buy it for the 8-core i3 chassis and install TrueNAS Scale instead of TOS.
Where to Buy
Pros
- Intel Core i3-N305 with EIGHT cores (all E-cores, but 8 of them) and Quick Sync
- DDR5-4800 expandable to 32GB — generic SO-DIMMs work, no vendor lock
- Dual 2.5GbE ports for link aggregation or failover
- Two M.2 NVMe slots accept any brand of M.2 2280 SSD
- Officially supports installing TrueNAS Scale, Unraid, and other third-party OSes
Cons
- TOS 6 is improving but still feels less polished than DSM or QTS
- TerraMaster is most popular in Asia — fewer English-language tutorials than Synology
- Drive caddies feel cheaper than Synology/QNAP units (plastic, less precise fit)
- Limited official drive compatibility list — you are largely on your own validating drives
- Most prosumer reviewers recommend wiping TOS for TrueNAS Scale, which signals where the value really is
The 8-Core i3-N305 — Why This Costs $440 and Punches at $700
The Intel Core i3-N305 is a 10nm Alder Lake-N chip with eight Efficient cores (no Performance cores), eight threads, base 1.8GHz, boost 3.8GHz, and a 15W TDP. All eight cores are the same Gracemont E-core architecture used in the efficiency clusters of Alder Lake desktop chips. Multi-thread performance is roughly 2x the AMD R1600 in the Synology DS923+ and 1.5x the Pentium Gold 8505 in the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus. Single-thread is competitive but lower than the 8505's lone P-core (Gracemont vs Golden Cove).
For NAS workloads, multi-thread wins. ZFS scrubs benefit from parallelism, deduplication is multi-threaded, inline compression scales with cores, Plex transcodes can split across cores, and Docker container workloads parallelize naturally. The i3-N305 is essentially a small server chip in a 15W envelope. The DDR5-4800 memory complements this — modern memory bandwidth keeps 8 cores fed without bottlenecks.
Quick Sync is included via Intel UHD Graphics (32 EUs, Xe-LP), with full hardware support for AV1 decode, 12-bit HEVC, and H.264/H.265 encode. Plex performance matches the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus — both can handle 3-4 simultaneous 4K transcodes — and significantly exceeds the Synology DS923+ which has no GPU at all. For a $440 chassis, this is genuinely impressive hardware.
TOS 6 vs Installing TrueNAS Scale
TOS 6 (TerraMaster Operating System version 6, released in 2024) is the included Linux-based NAS OS. It covers SMB/NFS file shares, basic snapshots, Docker via TerraMaster's CasaOS-derived Container Manager, photo backup with the TerraMaster Photos app, and remote access via TNAS Mobile. The web UI is functional but visually feels like a 2020 Synology DSM rather than the 2026 polish of the current DSM 7.2. The mobile apps are usable but not as smooth as Synology's iOS apps.
The app catalog is limited. TerraMaster's App Center has roughly 30-40 apps, and the community has made very few third-party packages. Most prosumer users run everything through Docker, which works fine but is more setup than DSM's native packages. Documentation is improving but tutorials are sparse — TerraMaster's largest community is in China, and English-language YouTube/blog content is meaningfully thinner than for Synology or QNAP.
This is where the install-something-else path comes in. TerraMaster officially supports installing TrueNAS Scale, Unraid, Proxmox, and Ubuntu Server — they document it on their support pages, and the BIOS allows boot from USB without lockdowns. A typical homelab path: boot from a TrueNAS Scale USB, install to one of the M.2 NVMe slots, and use the two 3.5" bays for ZFS storage. The end result is enterprise-grade ZFS on $440 of hardware, which is the actual reason the F2-424 is recommended in the homelab community.
Drives, M.2, and the Networking Sweet Spot
Two 3.5" SATA bays accept any drive — TerraMaster has no compatibility whitelist, no DRM, no policy walls. Use Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus, Toshiba N300, or shucked external drives without warnings. This is genuinely refreshing after Synology's increasingly aggressive drive policies. The two bays support up to 22TB drives, giving you 22TB usable in RAID 1 or 44TB in RAID 0 (with no redundancy — do not do this).
The two M.2 2280 NVMe slots are PCIe 3.0 x1 each (~1GB/s per slot). Like everything else on this platform, no vendor restrictions — Samsung, WD, Crucial, Kingston, all work. Use them as TrueNAS L2ARC cache, as a ZFS metadata special vdev, as an Unraid cache pool, or as a separate fast tier in TOS. The flexibility is the point.
Dual 2.5GbE ports give you ~280MB/s per port, which can be link-aggregated (LACP on a managed switch) for ~560MB/s aggregate to multiple clients, or kept separate for failover/management/data isolation. This matches or exceeds the QNAP TS-264's single 2.5GbE and easily beats the Synology DS224+'s 1GbE-only setup. The DXP4800 Plus's 10GbE is faster, but 10GbE infrastructure costs more than 2.5GbE — the F2-424's dual 2.5GbE is the sweet spot for households without 10GbE switches.
Common Gotchas
TOS 6 is genuinely less polished than DSM or QTS. The web UI is functional but feels dated, the mobile apps lag Synology's, and the app catalog is sparse. Most prosumer reviewers recommend installing TrueNAS Scale or Unraid instead. If you specifically want a polished out-of-box experience, the F2-424 is the wrong choice — buy a Synology DS224+ instead.
The TerraMaster community is small, especially in English. r/TerraMaster has under 5K members compared to r/synology's 130K. Most TerraMaster troubleshooting content lives on Chinese forums or in Bilibili videos. If you hit a problem, expect to search harder for solutions or join r/homelab where TerraMaster F-series setups are commonly discussed in the context of TrueNAS Scale.
Drive caddies feel cheaper than Synology and QNAP units. They are plastic with thumb-screw drive mounting; the Synology equivalents are tooled metal with snap-in trays. The TerraMaster caddies work fine but feel less premium. This matches the overall $440 price point — money went into the i3-N305 CPU, not the chassis trim.
TerraMaster does NOT publish an official drive compatibility list at the same depth as Synology. They list a handful of validated drives but otherwise leave drive selection to you. In practice, any modern CMR NAS-grade drive works — IronWolf, WD Red Plus, Toshiba N300 are all safe. Avoid SMR drives (cheap WD Reds without 'Plus', some shingled Seagates) for any RAID setup.
If you install TrueNAS Scale, set the BIOS to boot from your chosen install drive (typically an M.2 NVMe SSD) and disable secure boot. The default BIOS settings are tuned for TOS and may need adjustment. TerraMaster documents this on their support site but it is not on the included quick-start guide — read the third-party OS install guide before swapping operating systems.
Full Specifications
Processor
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Architecture | x86-64 Intel Core i3 [1] |
| CPU Cores | 8 [1] |
| Clock Speed | 1000 MHz [1] |
Memory
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| ram_gb | 8 (DDR5 SO-DIMM) GB [1] |
| ram_max_gb | 32 (DDR5 SO-DIMM expansion) GB [1] |
| storage | 2x 3.5" SATA bays + 2x M.2 2280 NVMe slots [1] |
| m2_nvme_slots | 2 (M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3) [1] |
I/O & Interfaces
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| ethernet_ports | 2 x 2.5GbE [2] |
| usb_ports | 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) + 1 x USB 2.0 [2] |
| hdmi_output | 1 x HDMI 2.1 (4K @ 60Hz) [2] |
Power
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Input Voltage | 100-240V AC [1] |
| power_consumption | 22W active, 8W idle [1] |
Physical
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 227 x 119 x 133 mm [2] |
| weight_g | 1700 g [2] |
Who Should Buy This
The i3-N305 with 8GB+ DDR5 and dual 2.5GbE is excellent TrueNAS hardware — eight cores for ZFS scrubs, deduplication, and inline compression; DDR5 for ARC bandwidth; Quick Sync for any media transcoding workloads. At $440 (chassis-only, before drives) it is one of the best TrueNAS hardware deals available.
TOS 6 has improved significantly but is genuinely behind DSM and QTS in polish, app ecosystem, and community size. If you want zero friction and an iPhone-level experience, the Synology DS224+ is the right answer at $300. The F2-424 is for users who actively want to swap the OS.
Better alternative: Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS
Eight i3-N305 cores plus Intel UHD Graphics with Quick Sync handle 4-5 simultaneous 4K HEVC transcodes — more than the Pentium Gold 8505 in the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus. Dual 2.5GbE keeps multiple direct-play streams from saturating the network. Run Plex in TrueNAS Scale's Apps catalog for the best experience.
The F2-424 is 2-bay despite the F2 naming. For 4 bays at the same price/performance, the TerraMaster F4-424 or F4-424 Pro have the same i3-N305 chassis with 4 bays. Or step up to the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus for built-in 10GbE.
Better alternative: Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS
Two M.2 NVMe slots plus two 3.5" bays make the F2-424 a hybrid flash/HDD platform. For a pure all-flash NAS at half the price, the Beelink ME mini gives you 6 NVMe slots in a 0.5L mini-PC chassis. The F2-424 wins if you want HDDs for bulk storage and NVMe for cache.
Better alternative: Beelink ME mini Mini PC (DIY NAS Server)
Installing TrueNAS Scale or Unraid is the right path on the F2-424, which is not beginner-friendly. The Synology DS224+ at $300 covers most household needs with a much gentler learning curve. Come back to TerraMaster when you have a NAS or two under your belt.
Better alternative: Synology DS224+ 2-Bay NAS
Ecosystem & Community
TerraMaster's own ecosystem is small — TOS 6 has limited apps and the community is mostly Asian. The F2-424 thrives in the broader homelab community as a TrueNAS Scale or Unraid hardware platform with excellent CPU value.
What to Build First
Wipe TOS, boot TrueNAS Scale from USB, install to one of the M.2 NVMe slots, configure two 12TB IronWolf drives as a ZFS mirror, and use the second M.2 slot as L2ARC cache. The F2-424's i3-N305 is excellent ZFS hardware and the homelab community routinely recommends this setup over the included TOS.
View tutorial →Must-Have Accessories
Tutorials & Resources
- TerraMaster F2-424 Product PageOfficial spec sheet, third-party OS install guide, and TOS 6 downloaddocs
- r/homelab Subreddit700K+ member homelab community where the F2-424 is regularly discussed as a TrueNAS hardware platformtutorial
- TerraMaster F2-424 ReviewIndependent benchmarks of the i3-N305 platform under TrueNAS workloadsreview
- TerraMaster F2-424 Hands-OnRobbie's full review covering both TOS 6 and TrueNAS Scale install pathsreview
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use the included TOS 6 or install TrueNAS Scale?
Most prosumer users install TrueNAS Scale (or Unraid). TOS 6 is functional but less polished than DSM or QTS, and the app catalog is sparse. The i3-N305 hardware is excellent for ZFS workloads — install TrueNAS Scale on an M.2 NVMe SSD, use the two 3.5" bays for ZFS storage, and you get enterprise-grade NAS for $440 of hardware.
Can the F2-424 transcode 4K Plex?
Yes, easily. The Intel UHD Graphics in the i3-N305 supports Quick Sync hardware transcoding for AV1, HEVC 12-bit, H.264, and H.265. With 8 CPU cores in reserve, you can run 3-4 simultaneous 4K HEVC transcodes plus other workloads. Configure Plex in TrueNAS Scale's Apps catalog or via Docker.
Does TerraMaster restrict which drives I can use?
No. Unlike Synology, TerraMaster has no drive compatibility whitelist enforcement. Any modern CMR NAS-grade drive (Seagate IronWolf, WD Red Plus, Toshiba N300) works without warnings. Avoid SMR drives (cheap WD Reds without 'Plus') for any RAID configuration regardless of brand.
How does TOS 6 compare to Synology DSM?
TOS 6 covers the basics (file sharing, snapshots, Docker, photo backup) but the UI, mobile apps, and app ecosystem are noticeably behind DSM. Synology has 20 years of refinement and 130K subreddit members; TerraMaster is smaller, less refined, and less documented in English. The hardware is better; the software is the trade-off.
Can I install Unraid on the F2-424?
Yes. TerraMaster officially supports installing Unraid, Proxmox, TrueNAS Scale, and Ubuntu Server. The BIOS allows USB boot without lockdowns. Unraid pairs particularly well with the F2-424's dual M.2 NVMe slots (cache pool) plus two HDDs (array).
Is the F2-424 quiet?
Yes — the chassis fan is quiet under typical workloads. Drive noise dominates: WD Red Plus and Seagate IronWolf are quiet; higher-RPM drives like Exos can be audible. The i3-N305's 15W TDP keeps the cooling system unobtrusive. TerraMaster does not publish a dB(A) rating, but community reports place it at ~22-25 dB(A) idle.
Should I get the F2-424 or the Ugreen DXP4800 Plus?
Different products. F2-424: 2-bay, 8-core i3-N305, dual 2.5GbE, $440 — best for TrueNAS Scale users. DXP4800 Plus: 4-bay, 5-core hybrid Pentium Gold 8505, built-in 10GbE plus 2.5GbE, $700 — best for users who want 4 bays with a turnkey OS. Choose F2-424 if you want raw compute and plan to install TrueNAS; choose DXP4800 Plus for more bays and built-in 10GbE.