compare

LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-h973AX	1281.55 GBP	974.04 USD
RS822+	1017.41 GBP	999.99 USD
RS1221+	1081.78 GBP	1299.99 USD

BEST FOR Virtualisation

NAS	CPU	Cores	Threads	Speed (GHz)	Docker/VM	Score	ECC
TS-h973AX	AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V1500B quad-core 2.2 GHz proce...	4	8	2.2	Docker/VM	4584	NO /32 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM DDR4 (2 x 16 GB)
RS822+	AMD Ryzen V1500B	4	8	2.2	Docker/VM	4584	ECC /2 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM
RS1221+	AMD Ryzen V1500B	4	8	2.2	Docker/VM	4584	ECC /4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM

BEST FOR MULTIMEDIA

NAS	GPU	Base_GHz/Max	Codec	FPS	Transcoding	Plex
TS-h973AX		/			0	1080p
RS822+		/			0	1080p
RS1221+		/			0	1080p

BEST FOR FILE STORAGE

NAS	BAYS	Bandwidth	HDD storage	expansion	Drive mixing	File System
TS-h973AX	5 HDD	15Gbit (3 ports combined)	110TB	✓		ZFS/EXT4
RS822+	4 HDD	4Gbit (4 ports combined)	88TB	✓	✓	EXT4 BTRFS
RS1221+	8 HDD	4Gbit (4 ports combined)	176TB	✓	✓	EXT4 BTRFS

*All NAS support multiple RAID/ volume groups, if you want to mix different size drive on non supported model.

BEST FOR BACKUP

NAS	Level	HA	AI	Google	Microsoft	encryption
TS-h973AX	folder		face	✓	✓	HDD/volume /folder
RS822+	folder/barebone	✓	face	✓	✓	volume/folder
RS1221+	folder/barebone	✓	face+object	✓	✓	volume/folder

BEST FOR VIDEO EDITING

NAS	MAX LAN speed	Ports	transcoding	PCIe	NVMe
TS-h973AX	10Gbit	1X RJ45
RS822+	1Gbit			1 x Gen3 x4
RS1221+	1Gbit			1 x Gen3 x4

BEST FOR SURVEILLANCE (CCTV)

NAS	HDMI	QVM	transcoding	AI
TS-h973AX				✓
RS822+
RS1221+

BEST FOR SMART HOME/ AI

NAS	Virtual switch	Docker/VM	HDMI	S/PDIF / AUX
TS-h973AX	✓	Docker/VM
RS822+		Docker/VM
RS1221+		Docker/VM

LATEST VIDEOS RELATED

AVAILABILITY / RELEASE DATE

Brand	Model	TW	USA	UK	Released
Qnap	TS-h973AX	•	•	•	2020-10
Synology	RS822+	•	•	•	2022-06
Synology	RS1221+	•	•	•	2021-01

LATEST POSTS RELATED

Upgrading QNAP TS-h973AX (no HDMI) with TrueNAS Scale: A DIY Guide and Hardware Upgrade Journey
Synology RS822+ and RS822RP+ Rackmount NAS Revealed
Synology RS822+​/​RS822RP+4-bay 1U rackmount NAS
TVS-872XT vs TVS-872X vs ts-h973ax
Synology RS1221+ NAS - 32GB & 64GB Unofficial Memory Upgrade Step By Step Guide
Synology RS1221+ NAS - 32GB & 64GB Unofficial Memory Upgrade Step By Step Guide
64GB RAM upgrade on ts-873a and ts-h973ax
Synology RS1221+ vs QNAP TS-873AU NAS Rackmount Compared
Synology RS1221+ vs QNAP TS-873AU NAS Comparison
QNAP TS-h973ax vs Synology DS1821+

RELATED REVIEWS

SOFTWARE - 8/10

HARDWARE - 7/10

PERFORMANCE - 8/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 8/10

7.6

PROS

👍🏻Desktop Ryzen Powered Solution
👍🏻30cm Compact Rackmount is always attractive (RP ver. larger)
👍🏻PCIe Gen 3 x8 PCIe Equipped
👍🏻Great RAID Options (inc SHR)
👍🏻Excellent choice of Apps
👍🏻DDR4 ECC Memory up to 32GB
👍🏻Numerous Backup Software Options
👍🏻Huge Virtualization Support
👍🏻3yr Warranty and Extendable to 5yrs

CONS

👎🏻1Gbe Ports seem a bit limited now
👎🏻Shame it does not support 1/2 x DX1215
👎🏻NVMe SSDs Ports not available, unlike desktop alternatives

SOFTWARE - 8/10

HARDWARE - 8/10

PERFORMANCE - 8/10

PRICE - 9/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.2

PROS

👍🏻10GbE Equipped
👍🏻Triple tier storage
👍🏻ZFS / QuTS Hero System
👍🏻Virtualization Support is unparalleled
👍🏻10Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2
👍🏻10 min Windows and/or Ubuntu VM install (included)
👍🏻U.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3×4 Support
👍🏻Hugely Expandable
👍🏻2.5GbE LAN Ports
👍🏻8 Surveillance Camera Licences

CONS

👎🏻No PCIe Upgrade Option
👎🏻Lacks HDMI
👎🏻Some might prefer the ease of NVMe over NVMe U.2

In terms of these two brands, there is been a long-running theme all the way through that Synology has focused on FIRST-PARTY (i.e. Synology-brand) software and hardware priority, then supporting THIRD-PARTY services/hardware when they haven’t got a viable alternative in-house – to mixed degrees of popularity. Whereas QNAP has been a much more level playing field where they have released their own innovative hardware/software (occasionally a little too quickly) and singing its praises, but also tried to keep customization and flexibility for 3rd parties as open as possible and shouting loud-and-proud about that too – which can be a tad overwhelming for the less tech-savvy. Both brands have done an incredible job evolve their platforms as much as they have to date, especially when Microsoft, Google and Amazon are pouring BILLIONS into the SaaS (and PaaS and IaaS – Platform and Infrastructure as a Service) in order to create entirely streamable ecosystems for businesses, with NAS brands like Synology and QNAP not only integrating with them but also thriving alongside them as a local/bare-metal failsafe. These are all very lofty ideas and ones that most home or small business users will likely have little time for right now (aside from where NAS fits in with their Google/Office 365 office tools like documents, email and spreadsheets at a pinch) and for those users, who the NAS stands on its own two feet is what is going to matter most. Synology is earning its position in the market as the complete 1st party software and hardware package, with a genuinely groundbreaking range of available services, but still managing to make NAS accessible for all in DSM 6.2/7.0/7.1. That said, the trends we are seeing in those sub-enterprise services that are slowly receding in support of popular 3rd party hardware, software and services, making using a Synology NAS alongside your own existing setup in a frictionless way cannot be ignored and leading some to think Synology is shifting their industry position towards something higher.

QNAP NAS on the other hand, although maybe trying to cover too many bases at once, is still trying to cover as much as it can to appear to their audience. Their support of considerably more 3rd party platforms/software/services, even when they have their own software available, is certainly admirable and aside from rather aggressive pricing on their QVR Pro surveillance platform, are still the better choice for those who want a much more adaptable and customizable platform. Its a pretty understandable fact that most people who buy a NAS will be arriving with an existing collection of software in their daily workflow (Office 365 for docs, Gmail for their email, Plex for their media, Chromebook for their commute, Skype/Whatsapp for their communication, TB3 for their editing, etc) and it has to be said that QNAP keeps a more open platform to adapt a NAS into this mix than Synology – occasionally less intuitively and not without a little setup-friction, but certainly to more customizable results. Unsurprisingly, I am going to tell you that both Synology and QNAP NAS are good NAS brands and have earned their place at the top of the industry (whilst both making their own respective moves to integrate into the next tier – ie SaaS providers, Hyperscale environments and Boundless cloud storage), but there is no denying that no one brand has managed to do EVERYTHING to perfection. So, if in double, below is how I would recommend QNAP and Synology NAS to you, for each user case scenario and I hope this guide and my recommendations help you with your next big data storage purchase.

Why Choose Synology NAS? Better Surveillance Software More Intuative and User-Friendly Design EXCELLENT 1st Party Alternative Apps to Existing 3rd Party Tools (including Synology Chat, Mail, Office, Drive, Calendar and more) Greater Support/Migration with VMware & Hyper-V Better Redundant System Options (SHA) Greater Support on Amazon Home Hardware Synology Hybrid RAID for flexibility in Media Upgrades BTRFS on Most systems Longer Warranty Available on More Systems First Party SSD and HDDs Available Typically Quieter Operation

Why Choose QNAP NAS? Better 1st Party/Hosting Virtual Machines Better Plex Media Server NAS More Adaptable and Customizable Wider Support of Surveillance using AI Recognition EXCELLENT KVM Support More Camera Licenses ZFS or EXT4 File System Choice on many systems now 2.5Gbe Network Interfaces at 1Gbe Cost Allows NVMe SSD Storage Pools and Volumes Support of QTier for intelligent Data storage for Access Greater 1st and 3rd Party Hardware Upgrade Compatibility (including Graphics Cards, WiFi 6 and Thunderbolt)

LATEST PRICE LIST

TS-h973AX	1281.55 GBP	974.04 USD
RS822+	1017.41 GBP	999.99 USD
RS1221+	1081.78 GBP	1299.99 USD

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