Is TerraMaster F2-423 NAS worth it?

[AnjanaTelaney]

In my quest to find a replacement for my aging QNAP TS-251+ NAS, I prioritized a low-power, compact device for storing backups and large files with infrequent access. Avoiding CPU-intensive tasks, I opted for the TerraMaster F2-423, boasting 2 bays, a 4-core Celeron N5095, and 2 NVMe slots, coupled with 2.5Gb ethernet.

Though TerraMaster hardware tends to be more affordable than QNAP and Synology, the initial $380 price felt steep for the hardware. However, a fortuitous Prime Day deal on Amazon dropped the price to $303, prompting an immediate purchase.

Concerns about the TerraMaster OS led me to bypass TOS and opt for TrueNAS SCALE installation, facilitated by the F2-423's ability to boot from an internal USB drive. Leveraging spare 256GB NVMe drives, I installed TrueNAS SCALE onto the primary NVMe drive, which seamlessly booted and operates flawlessly.

While acknowledging cheaper alternatives like SFF Dell or HP systems, the TerraMaster's advantages including dual NVMe slots and hot-swap bays made it an irresistible choice during the sale. Highly recommended for those seeking consumer NAS hardware compatible with an open OS.