I tested two TerraMaster all-flash NAS products in the past — the F8 SSD Plus and F8 SSD — and both are my go-to recommendation if you need a storage system that can accommodate eight M.2 SSD drives. While SSD prices are on the rise again, the same is true with regular hard drives, so if you're willing to switch to flash storage exclusively, there are a few decent choices available.
The F4 SSD is a new entrant that gets a lot right. The NAS server is now available for just $343 on Newegg, an $86 discount from its usual selling price of $429. Interestingly, TerraMaster is selling it at a discount on Newegg, but not its own online store, and the NAS is listed at $429 on Amazon as well. The deal on Newegg is valid until January 31, so if you're eyeing a brand-new all-flash NAS, I'd suggest getting in on the action.
Just like the F8 SSD, the F4 SSD is powered by Intel's N95 platform, and it gets the same 8GB of RAM as standard. The only difference is that instead of a 10GbE port, you get a 5GbE port, and there are four M.2 SSD slots instead of eight. Outside of that, you're getting basically the same internals.
You get the same set of ports as well, including two USB-A, one USB-C, and an HDMI 2.0 port. Because the NAS houses half as many M.2 slots, it is considerably smaller than the F8 SSD — it's less than a quarter of the size of a traditional 4-bay HDD NAS like the DiskStation DS925+. The smaller size means it can easily be hidden away, and it still gets two fans at the bottom along with a vented top, and cooling isn't an issue on the unit.
Each M.2 slot accommodates up to 4TB NVMe 2280 drives, with total addressable storage of 32TB. There are two benefits with an all-flash NAS system: much better durability, and higher bandwidth. You get transfers exceeding 1,000MB/s without any hassle, and while I tend to switch out HDDs after around five years of continuous use, that isn't a problem with SSDs — I have M.2 SSDs that I've used for over a decade, and they're still chugging along without any issues.
Installing drives in the F4 SSD is about as easy as it can get; the chassis slides up to reveal the internals, and you can easily slot in the M.2 2280 SSDs. I used four 2TB WD SN770 drives with the F4 SSD, and it held up just as well as the F8 SSD in my testing. Yes, a 10GbE port would have made it that much more enticing, but honestly, 5GbE connectivity isn't that limiting in this scenario.
The Intel platform has hardware transcoding, and this hasn't proved to be a problem on the F4 SSD. If you're using Plex and have Plex Pass, you get the ability to use hardware transcodes to play content on older devices, and it is a definite bonus over AMD-based NAS systems.
While TerraMaster's software was distinctly second-best in the past, that isn't the case with the new TOS 6 interface. The UI is modern, you get plenty of native utilities — including the likes of Plex, Jellyfin, and container management with Docker — and it's just great to see the brand overhaul its software efforts. The mobile clients are usable too, and you can easily back up photos and videos from your phones without any issues to the NAS.
There's no issue with thermals or noise either, and this is one of the benefits of using an all-flash solution. If anything, the F4 SSD is a better choice than the $599 F8 SSD if you don't need eight M.2 slots; it doesn't cost as much, it's smaller, and you get similar internals and identical software.
