TerraMaster F4-425 Plus NAS Review

Epilogue

The TerraMaster F4-425 Plus positions itself as a hardware-focused entry in the mid-range NAS market. Its build quality is a clear strength, featuring a thick, full-aluminum enclosure mounted over a simple, well-organized internal frame. The design is understated but solid, emphasizing durability and functional layout.

The hardware proposition is strong. The system is powered by Intel’s N150 processor based on the Skymont architecture, offering a noticeable performance uplift over the Atom and Celeron CPUs typically found in this segment. It is well-suited for file serving, multitasking, and light container workloads. Platform support is modern, with PCIe and NVMe storage, current USB standards, and DDR5 memory contributing to long-term flexibility. Intel Quick Sync enables efficient hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding for light media transcoding tasks. The inclusion of 16GB of DDR5 RAM rounds out a balanced configuration with minimal need for immediate upgrades.

Performance is consistent and appropriate for a 5GbE-equipped NAS. Synthetic benchmarks show stable throughput with slight variance, while ATTO results indicate a modest benefit from NVMe caching. In real-world transfers, large-file performance remains steady, while small-file workloads vary more noticeably depending on caching behavior.

NVMe caching effectiveness is highly workload-dependent. It benefits data ingestion over slower interfaces such as 5GbE, but the NVMe gets saturated during high-speed USB transfers, where read pressure exceeds the cache’s single-lane PCIe bandwidth. USB performance itself is strong, often matching or exceeding internal RAID write speeds when caching is disabled.

TerraMaster OS is nearing its seventh major release, with a beta currently available. Advanced users can also install a third-party operating system, offering greater flexibility while still enjoying official hardware support and warranty.

Some gripes we have with the F4-425 Plus are that the HDMI port offers minimal functionality beyond system log output, the cooling fan can be audible under load, and the two-year warranty trails the three-year coverage offered by many competitors.

Overall, the TerraMaster F4-425 Plus delivers a strong hardware platform and reliable performance in a sub-$600 NAS. While its software ecosystem and features lag slightly behind the competition, its core hardware capabilities make it a compelling choice for users who prioritize performance and flexibility.