TerraMaster Forum

Hello all, I have a F4-423 and I'm quite happy with it. I only really use it as a "basic" file server so it's hardly stressed, but I like having the option of running other stuff on it if I need it to. I also use it as a Time Machine server on an external USB disk, but I've found that to be somewhat less reliable with TOS 6.

In late 2024 I bought a D4-320 with the intention of using it as an expansion for it, but a series of issues with TOS (volumes not always being mounted or seen, default folders moved out, etc.) made me reconsider the purchase and I returned it. I plan to get a whole new NAS as a secondary unit, with the ultimate goal of slowly upgrading the disks in my primary NAS with bigger disks, and moving the "old" disk to the secondary NAS.

I was planning to do this later on this year, but circumstances changed and I may have to go for it sooner than planned. I figured I would ask here for advice on what would best suit my needs, given that many people here use different units and can report on their experiences.

The new NAS would have to do essentially the same thing as my primary one: basically a file server, possibly being a Time Machine recipient using the internal volume (not a USB disk); however, the Time Machine server could be run on the primary one, so it's not a big deal. I plan to start the new NAS with a 8 TB disk I already have, and ultimately get to four 8 TB disks in TRAID/RAID5 setup. I do not plan on running Docker, VMs or anything of the sort on it. As such, I don't strictly need an x86-based NAS. I do however need a 2.5 GbE port, which seems to rule out the F4-212 and F4-210.

I am considering the F4-223, which only seems to differ from the F4-423 in that it has a dual-core Celeron CPU rather than a quad-core, but the difference in price is 10% (at the current, non-discounted Amazon prices: €459 vs €419). At that point, wouldn't another F4-423 make more sense as a long term investment?

An F6-424 would be great (and at that point I wouldn't even need a secondary NAS...) but I already have the F4-423 and the F6-424 alone would throw me off budget, plus two F4s would ultimately give me more flexibility in the future.

Should I just go with another F4-423?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

From my perspective, your requirements do not present anything particularly extraordinary, and the F4-423 is fully capable of meeting your needs. Moreover, the F4-423 is more cost-effective. However, if you wish to ensure that the newly added model remains relevant and does not become obsolete in the coming years, I would recommend opting for the F4-424. After all, the F4-423 is already a model that is several years old.

Thank you for your advice, TMroy. Does TerraMaster plan to mark the 423 series as obsolete any time soon? I hope it will support TOS7 at least. The 424 seems to only have a better CPU and faster RAM, but for my use case I doubt it would make any difference.

Still, if were to buy a F4-424 (or an F6-424 at that point!), would there be any way to move the current disks from the F4-423 to that new unit without losing the data? If I had a 424 I'd definitely use it as the primary NAS, but since I plan to buy the disks for the secondary NAS over time, I wouldn't have any way to fully "prepare" the 424 with new disks and _then_ transfer the current data (around 18 TB) from the 423 over the network.

jollino wrote: ↑26 Jan 2025, 21:37

Hello. Migrating your disks from the F4-423 to the F4-424/F6-424 will not affect your data, so please rest assured. All you need to do is insert the hard drives into the powered-off F4-424/F6-424 and then restart the system to complete the process.

Thank you TMbuddy, that's good to know. Would the 424 have to be set up first using another disk, or would I just put the disks in as soon as the NAS is out of the box? Would it also inherit all the configuration of the old NAS, e.g. users, network, etc.? The experiences with volumes using the D4 with the F4 weren't all great so I'm sure you can understand my concern.

That said, considering that I have an extra 8 TB disk already, getting a F6-424 would actually make a lot of sense as it would take my usable space from 24 TB to 32 TB. Then, with another 8 TB disk, I could get to 40 TB. And I'd have a "spare" F4-423 that over time I could get smaller disks for, or possibly resell. Food for thought...

jollino wrote: ↑27 Jan 2025, 00:56

Hello! I understand your concerns. After purchasing a new device, you do not need to use another disk for setup. Simply insert your original disks and power on the device. All your configurations will be preserved, so please rest assured.
Thank you for your support of TerraMaster!

Haha Je peux obtenir la dernière 1pcs F4-223 pour 399€ sur Amazon.fr.
Voyons voir qui peut avoir le dernier !