Side-by-side specifications of the Synology DS214se and DS215+, from official datasheets. Differences are highlighted.
| DS214se | DS215+ | |
| CPU | Marvell Armada 370 1.2 GHz | dual-core |
| Cores / threads | 1 core / 1 thread | 2 cores / 2 threads |
| RAM (base) | 512 MB | 1 GB |
| RAM (max) | 512 MB | — |
| Drive bays | 2 | 2 |
| Expandable to | 0 | 0 |
| M.2 slots | 0 | 0 |
| Network | 1× Gigabit Ethernet | 2 x 1GbE |
| 10GbE | no | no |
| Max raw capacity | 8 TB | 16 TB |
| Hot-swap | no | yes |
| Form factor | Desktop | desktop |
| Released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Power consumption | 19 W / unknown | 20.77 W / 8.96 W |
| DSM at launch | — | — |
Choose the DS215+ if you want the clearly stronger box: it has a much faster Intel CPU, 1 GB RAM vs the DS214SE’s lower-memory budget, and it’s the better fit for heavier SMB use and more apps/users. Both are 2-bay NAS units and neither has expansion to more bays, 10GbE, or M.2 support. The DS214SE is only the pick if you need the cheapest basic file backup/NAS and don’t care about performance.