Buffalo simplicity or Asustor power: which NAS is the smarter buy?

Display

Neither product has a display or screen, so this category is effectively a tie. In practical NAS terms, the real “display” is the web interface and companion apps. Buffalo’s LinkStation line is designed to be simple and approachable, which suits first-time users. Asustor’s ADM interface is generally more feature-rich, with better visibility into storage pools, services and networking. Winner: Asustor, because the software experience is more capable even though neither device has a physical display.

Performance

This is the biggest separation point. The Buffalo LinkStation 220 is a basic 2-bay home NAS with included hard drives, so you are buying convenience rather than speed. It is suitable for backups, file sharing and light media use, but it is not built for heavy multitasking or demanding Plex transcoding. The Asustor AS5304T is a much stronger platform: a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, 4GB DDR4 RAM and dual 2.5GbE ports give it far more headroom for multiple users, Docker-style services, faster file transfers and smoother media workloads. Even before you add drives, the Asustor is the clear performance winner. Winner: Asustor.

Build quality and design

Buffalo’s LinkStation 220 is compact and straightforward, with a design that prioritises low fuss over expansion. The included 8TB of drives makes it a neat plug-in-and-go solution, and for many homes that simplicity is appealing. However, the 2-bay format limits future growth and RAID options. The Asustor AS5304T has a more serious enthusiast-oriented chassis with 4 drive bays, which means more storage configurations, better long-term flexibility and easier scaling as your library grows. In a home lab or Plex context, 4 bays is a major advantage because you can start with two drives and expand later. Winner: Asustor.

Battery life

Neither device has a battery, so there is no direct battery-life comparison. If you mean resilience during power loss, that depends more on your UPS than on the NAS itself. In that sense, the Asustor’s broader feature set and more advanced storage options make it the better platform to pair with a UPS for safer shutdowns and more robust data protection. Winner: Asustor by default, though this is not a meaningful differentiator.

Price and value for money

At first glance, Buffalo looks attractive because the 8TB of hard drives are included in the £467.97 asking price. The Asustor costs slightly less at £435.04, but it is diskless, so you must budget for drives separately. That means Buffalo is cheaper to get running immediately, especially if you need a ready-made storage box today. However, the Asustor’s lower upfront chassis price, 4 bays, 2.5GbE networking and stronger hardware make it much better value for anyone planning to keep the NAS for years. If you only compare “ready to use out of the box,” Buffalo wins. If you compare long-term value, Asustor wins decisively. Winner: tie, with Buffalo better for immediate simplicity and Asustor better for total capability.

Game library/features

A NAS is not a gaming device, so there is no game library in the usual sense. If the buyer is thinking about media features, Plex, backups, remote access and home-cloud functions, the Asustor again offers more. The AS5304T’s dual 2.5GbE ports can materially improve large file transfers and multi-device access, and its 4GB DDR4 RAM gives it more room for apps and services. Buffalo’s LinkStation 220 is more limited but can still handle basic home storage and sharing well. Winner: Asustor, because it is the more capable platform for advanced features.

Overall user experience

The Buffalo is the easier product for a non-technical buyer. You get 8TB included, a simpler setup and a lower-friction path to basic network storage, which is ideal if you want something that behaves more like an appliance than a project. The Asustor asks a bit more of you because you need to buy drives and set up the array yourself, but the reward is a far better experience once configured: more bays, faster networking, more RAM and more room to grow. For a household that may later want RAID flexibility, larger media libraries, or a proper self-hosted setup, the Asustor is the more future-proof machine. For a buyer who just wants a no-nonsense 8TB network drive and does not care about expansion, Buffalo remains the simpler route.

Overall summary: the Buffalo LinkStation 220 is the convenience pick, but the Asustor AS5304T is the better NAS by a wide margin. It wins on performance, expandability, networking and long-term value, and it does so while actually costing less at checkout before drives are added. If you are building a home server rather than just buying a storage box, the Asustor is the one to choose.