We are sometimes asked which NAS unit is the best to buy from the three of the lower cost line of the two drive Synology NAS models. The basic Synology comparison table isn't much help here. It just says that the DS212+ model is for "Small and Medium Business", the DS212 model is for "Home to Business Workgroup" and the DS212j is for "Home to Small Office." The more detailed product comparison chart is a bit more help but provides, if anything, too much detail. Ignoring for a moment what the definition of those various categories might be given their apparent overlapping nature, just what is the straight story of which model to choose for your needs?
 Synology DS212J |
 Synology DS 212 |
 Synology DS212+ |
We found one of the best explanations of the real world differences between the three models in the Synology forum. In December of 2011, forum member "canumaso" wrote:
IMO, the regular models (i.e. DS212) is sufficient for most home or small office use. I wouldn't recommend the economic "J" models for anyone who might be running multiple applications or really doing anything more than streaming to one user at a time. It's slower to wake up from sleep and is the only one of my synologies that have had any issues whatsoever (the external USB ports lose connection every once in a while). That said, if you wait an extra five seconds for it to wake up from sleep, the J models can stream an HD movie as efficiently as the regular models, though perhaps not more than one at a time (I've never tried).
Between the regular models and the "plus" models, the difference is negligable unless you really intend to max out all of your synology's capabilities. Let me put it this way. My DS209, which has a slower processer than the DS212, has been able to stream three different HD movies simultaneously, while I running a sync backup at the same time, without any noticeable lag whatsoever. I also run a photo server off that unit and while it is slow to process the images when you initially load them up, this is a function of the processer, not the memory, so you would get no boost from upgrading to the "plus" model. If your uses are anything like mine, I wouldn't bother with the plus model. Get the DS212.
There is a fairly large jump in price between the DS212j (the economy model) and the DS212. As of this writing, the diskless "J" model is available for $199 at Amazon, whereas the DS212 comes in at $100 higher at $299. The "+" model will currently run you about $70 more than the non "+" model. So taking this all into account, it seems that the regular (non "j", non "+" model), the Synology DS212, is in the sweet spot among the three.
Click here to price the Synology DS212 at Amazon.
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