Side-by-side specifications of the Synology RS212 and RS214, from official datasheets. Differences are highlighted.
| RS212 | RS214 | |
| CPU | 1.6 GHz | Marvell Armada 370 |
| Cores / threads | — | 1/1 |
| RAM (base) | 256MB DDR3 | 512 MB |
| RAM (max) | 256MB | 512 MB |
| Drive bays | 2 | 2 |
| Expandable to | — | 0 |
| M.2 slots | 0 | 0 |
| Network | 2x Gigabit | 2x Gigabit |
| 10GbE | no | no |
| Max raw capacity | 6TB | 8 TB |
| Hot-swap | yes | yes |
| Form factor | 1U rackmount | 2-bay rackmount |
| Released | 2011 | 2014 |
Choose the RS214 unless you only need the cheapest basic NAS: it has a much newer/faster CPU and more RAM headroom than the RS212, which matters for multitasking and newer DSM features. Neither unit has 10GbE, M.2, or expansion options; both are 2-bay boxes, so the RS214 is the better pick by performance, not by connectivity or growth.