What can the DS224+ run?
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated · Prices checked The DS224+ runs Plex and Jellyfin with 4K hardware transcoding, full Docker via DSM and light VM duty. On its Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) with 2 GB (to 6 GB), the sweet spot is Plex, Jellyfin, Home Assistant, Frigate.
The best-selling two-bay DiskStation and enough for most homes. With two bays, RAID effectively means RAID 1: you pay half the capacity for fault tolerance, and SHR changes nothing with two equal-size drives.
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Everything the DS224+ can run, at a glance
Rated from this model’s real Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) and its 2 GB–6 GB of RAM. “Limited” and “No” are honest: an ARM box does not virtualize, and no hardware transcode is no hardware transcode.
| App | Runs? | Performance | What it needs on this model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plex | Yes | good | 4K HW transcode (Quick Sync) |
| Jellyfin | Yes | good | 4K HW transcode via Quick Sync |
| Immich | Limited | fair | RAM caps at 6 GB (ML wants 8 GB+) |
| Home Assistant | Yes | good | Home Assistant Container (Docker) |
| Nextcloud | Yes | fair | RAM upgrade recommended · add RAM › |
| Frigate | Yes | good | Intel iGPU decode; add a Coral TPU for detection · add RAM › |
| Pi-hole / AdGuard Home | Yes | good | Lightweight container |
| Paperless-ngx | Yes | fair | RAM upgrade recommended · add RAM › |
| Vaultwarden | Yes | good | Lightweight container |
| Minecraft server | Yes | fair | RAM upgrade recommended for headroom · add RAM › |
| Docker (general) | Yes | good | Full container platform (DSM) |
| Virtual machines | Limited | fair | RAM ceiling 6 GB is tight for a VM |
| Surveillance recording | Yes | good | Scales to many cameras; surveillance drives |
| Time Machine / backup target | Yes | good | Any model |
App by app on the DS224+
Plex
Plex installs as a native DSM package on the DS224+, and the Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) carries Intel Quick Sync, so it hardware-transcodes 4K HDR down to a phone or an old TV. With 2 × 1GbE and 2-bay storage behind it, this DS224+ is a genuinely capable media server.
Jellyfin
Jellyfin runs in a container on the DS224+ and taps the Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores)'s Quick Sync, so 4K hardware transcoding matches Plex: the open-source route with no performance penalty on this box, served over 2 × 1GbE.
Immich
Immich runs on the DS224+ in DSM's Docker, but its ML search wants 8 GB and this model tops out at 6 GB: enough to try, tight for a large library. A model with a higher RAM ceiling suits it better.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant Container runs happily in DSM's Docker on the DS224+ and barely touches the Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores). The full HA OS wants a VM, which this model's 6 GB ceiling handles only lightly, so take the container path here.
Nextcloud
Nextcloud runs in DSM's Docker on the DS224+; with 2 GB out of the box and room for 6 GB and the 4-core Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) it is responsive for a household over 2 × 1GbE. It is heavier than a plain file share, so give the container room.
Frigate
Frigate is viable on the DS224+: the Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores)'s Intel iGPU decodes the streams over 2 × 1GbE, and a USB Coral TPU (about CA$40–120) runs the detection cheaply. Add the Coral and it watches several cameras comfortably.
Pi-hole / AdGuard Home
Pi-hole (or AdGuard Home) is trivial for the DS224+: a few hundred megabytes in DSM's Docker, sitting on your 2 × 1GbE as the network's DNS server 24/7. An always-on 2-bay NAS is an ideal host.
Paperless-ngx
Paperless-ngx runs in DSM's Docker on the DS224+; the 4-core Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) handles a household's OCR in bursts, with 2 GB out of the box and room for 6 GB to keep indexing quick.
Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden is one of the easiest wins on the DS224+: a Bitwarden-compatible password server in a sub-gigabyte container under DSM, always available on your own 2-bay box rather than someone else's cloud.
Minecraft server
The DS224+ can host a Minecraft world in DSM's Docker: a world wants ~4 GB, and this model offers 2 GB out of the box and room for 6 GB. Add RAM before inviting a crowd; the Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores)'s clock does the rest.
Docker (general)
Docker is the DS224+'s superpower: DSM's container platform runs the whole self-hosted world, and with 2 GB out of the box and room for 6 GB you decide how many services to stack on the 4-core Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores). This is what turns it from 2-bay storage into a home server.
Virtual machines
The DS224+ can virtualize on its Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores), but a 6 GB ceiling leaves little for a guest once DSM 7.x takes its share: light VM duty only, not a daily-driver Windows box.
Surveillance recording
The DS224+ runs Synology's native NVR app, and the 4-core Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) scales to a real camera count over 2 × 1GbE. Size the 2 bays by cameras × retention, and use surveillance-tuned drives (WD Purple, SkyHawk) for the continuous writes.
Time Machine / backup target
Like every NAS, the DS224+ is an excellent Time Machine and backup target over SMB: set a per-user quota so backups do not fill its 2 bays. With 2 × 1GbE it soaks up a household's Macs and PCs effortlessly.
Local AI on the DS224+
Llama 3.1 8B does not fit on the DS224+: it needs about 5.9 GB with a 4k conversation, and the box tops out at 6 GB. Only the small 3B to 4B models are realistic here.
The Intel Celeron J4125 is limited by its processor as much as its memory, so this estimate comes from published measurements on the same chip rather than a bandwidth formula. No published LLM measurement on this CPU; we apply the Intel N100 range (the closest low-power chip with published figures), capped by this box's memory bandwidth.
No model in our list both fits comfortably and holds 5 tokens a second on the DS224+ as shipped. Best upgrade: a matching second RAM stick. It fills the empty memory channel and doubles memory to 4 GB.
For AI photo search on the DS224+: runs on the CPU; OpenVINO on this Intel iGPU is untested in Immich's docs. For camera detection in Frigate: hardware detection on the Intel iGPU via OpenVINO.
| Llama 3.1 8B (Q4, 4k context, Ollama's default) | Does not fit as shipped |
|---|---|
| Largest comfortable model (5+ tok/s) | None as shipped |
| AI photo search (Immich) | Runs on the CPU; OpenVINO on this Intel iGPU is untested in Immich's docs |
| AI camera detection (Frigate) | Hardware detection on the Intel iGPU via OpenVINO |
| Best single upgrade | Second RAM stick (to 4 GB) |
Try other models on the DS224+ in the AI NAS calculator › · Compatible RAM for the DS224+ ›
The DS224+ at a glance
| CPU | Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) |
|---|---|
| RAM | 2 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, no ECC (2 GB soldered plus 1 slot), up to 6 GB |
| Bays | 2 |
| Container platform | Yes, DSM |
| Virtual machines | Light duty only |
| Plex/Jellyfin transcode | 4K HDR via Intel Quick Sync |
| OS | DSM 7.x |
Read more
- What can I run? The full matrix
- Best drives for the DS224+
- RAM for the DS224+
- DS224+ capacity calculator
- What it costs to run (power calculator)
- AI on a NAS: what actually matters
Frequently asked questions
Can the DS224+ run Plex with 4K transcoding?
Yes. The Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) includes Intel Quick Sync, so the DS224+ hardware-transcodes 4K HDR in Plex (with an active Plex Pass). It is one of this model's real strengths.
Can the DS224+ run Docker?
Yes. DSM includes a full container platform, so the DS224+ runs the whole self-hosted world (Pi-hole, Vaultwarden, Nextcloud and more), limited only by its 2–6 GB of RAM.
Can the DS224+ run virtual machines?
Only lightly. The DS224+ can virtualize, but its 6 GB RAM ceiling leaves little for a guest once the NAS takes its share: not a daily-driver VM host.
Can the DS224+ run Immich?
With caveats. The DS224+ caps at 6 GB, below Immich's comfortable 8 GB. It will run, but an Intel model with more RAM is the smoother pick.
Can the DS224+ run Home Assistant?
Yes. Home Assistant Container runs in Docker on the DS224+ and barely touches the CPU.
Is the DS224+ a good home server, or just storage?
It is a genuine home server: full Docker (and light VMs) turn it into a platform for Plex, photos, automation and more, not just a file box. RAM is the main lever on how much you stack.
Can the DS224+ run a local AI chatbot like Ollama?
Not realistically. An 8B model does not fit in 6 GB. For local AI, look at a box with more memory bandwidth; the AI NAS calculator compares them.
Devin Chua works out which drives, RAM and NVMe cache fit which NAS model at nasdrives.ca, and what the RAID choice means for usable capacity, checked against what is in stock on Amazon.ca.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)