Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission & see how we test. Update 19/03/23– Synology has unveiled a new 4-bay NAS, the DS423, in its Value Series line. The device features a Realtek ARM v8 processor, marking the latest entry in a likely expanding value range to replace older models such as the DS218, DS118, DS418, DS120j, and DS220j. The DS423 has similar hardware to the company’s previous value/budget devices, with the main difference being an upgrade in processor from the RTD1296 to the RTD1619B. This update will improve DSM and build upon the older generation’s capabilities. Earlier in 2023 we saw Synology release the DS223 2-Bay Value series NAS, which is largely identical to the DS423 (though with one less RJ45 and 2 less bays) and despite it’s modest stature, still supports BTRFS, SHR and even (thanks to the Synology DSM 7.2 beta that rolled out last week) container support too! So, the DS423 NAS has got a reasonable amount of umpf, so such a small device. Let’s discuss what we know about it. From the server side, Plex is more refined. That is to be expected from a paid app, but it is surprising how good Jellyfin is. Transcoding is easier to set up in Plex, but if you have the space you can do the transcoding in advance for the devices you intend to use and that’s no longer an issue (which is what I do). Plex is also more tolerant when setting up Metadata.. if you inadvertently name a folder “Season Two” instead of “Season 2” Plex didn’t seem to notice, but Jellyfin absolutely got lost and I had to correct a lot of those kinds of errors. I didn’t find either of the servers difficult to manage, but you definitely need to be more aware and intentional when setting up Jellyfin.

Bays, 2x Gen 3 x2 M.2 NVMe 2280, Intel Pentium Gold G7400 2-core/4-thread 3.7 GHz CPU, Intel Embedded UHD Graphics 710, 8-128GB DDR4 Memory, 2x 2.5Gbe Port, PCIe Gen 4 x16 + PCIe Gen 3 x2, USB 10G, HDMI 2.0B, 3-5yr Warranty Otherwise, extremely good YouTube channel on which I spent well to much time ( 🙂 ). Thanks for doing this great job. If the DS220+ isn't quite good enough for your needs or simply seek something with a little more functionality, the DS420+ is a great step up and takes our runner-up spot. Because we're looking at an additional two bays, Synology included an extra fan, which means the DS420+ runs cool, and you barely notice any noise. CPU: Intel Celeron J4025 | Drive bays: 2 | RAM: 2GB DDR4 (max 6GB) | Features: 2x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0, upgradable RAM Being blind is not the only disability! NVDA is not appropriate or useful for every disability! And indeed, makes using DSM by voice or keyboard a nightmare.

Update 28/02/23– For those who have been following the world of network Attached Storage (NAS) and more precisely, the developments of Synology, it might not come as a huge surprise that the brand is now in the process of rolling out a new series of HAT3300 Hard Drives for 2023. Now, you might well be thinking “hold on, they have had their own range of HDDs for a few years now!” and that is correct. However, the existing HAT5300 and HAT5310 series of drives are very much targeted at Pro and Enterprise users (5yr warranty, 5400rpm, 550TB workload, etc) and Synology users who were looking to keep things ‘single ecosystem’ in their more modest scale systems (e.g DS920+, DS1522+, etc) were not won over by these bigger, noisier and more expensive drives in their systems. Therefore, it was somewhat inevitable that the brand would eventually get around to launching a more home/SMB-friendly range Of storage media that is better suited to smaller NAS systems of around 5-8 Bays at most. Enter the Synology HAT3300 Plus hard drive series, eventually rolling out in 4 (possibly a 5th in 16TB) different capacities and built on Seagate Ironwolf HDDs (whereas the Synology HAT5300 and HAT5310s are built on Toshiba Enterprise MG drives). Given Synology already has their other HDDs in the market, 2 types of SSD media, numerous types of memory media, upgrade cards, routers and even their own Surveillance IP cameras now – this really is one of the final steps for them to complete their own 1-brand hardware ecosystem of networking equipment. Alternatively, you can look at the video below that outlines whether existing DSM 7.1/7.0/6.2 Users that own Value series devices (such as the DS223, DS423, DS220J and even DS120J) should upgrade: I will also be maxing out the M . 2 slots with the highest expandability **STRICTLY for Caching only** My thoughts: One may overlook the DS120j as being too limiting with an ARM processor and RAM that cannot be upgraded. I’d give it serious consideration if you’re looking for your very first NAS, one for a student, or to store some files.

The four bays are ideal for SSDs, which further helps this enclosure be used as portable storage. It's handy having an external drive ready for your trip, but these are limited in capacity and expensive. It'll be easier to carry around just one device that can contain everything you need. Update UK 08/02/23– The Synology DS223 NAS has now been globally launched, and you can find my written DS223 review HERE and my YouTube video DS223 review HERE! The 2GB of DDR4 RAM can be expanded to 6GB should you require more system memory, but the initial amount should be more than enough to start with. Then there are the four drive bays, which can allow for up to 72TB.Synology Drive – Host your own private cloud behind the safety of your NAS with 100% data ownership and no subscription fees. Drive has become one of the premier applications of DSM and allows uses to create intelligent shared team folders that support versioning, file streaming+pinning, encryption, Windows AD support (soon) and native file system support with Windows and macOS. All NAS drives can be accessed locally over the network, as well as secure remote access is possible with brand supported services (at no additional cost) Passive airflow is definitely a big focus on the design of this chassis, with almost every side of the case featuring ventilation of one sort of around, with the Synology logo being vented. As this system will be in operation 24×7, it is heavily reliant on the rear fans to push air effectively through the system and over the assortment of internal heatsinks as effectively as possible and this chassis does that very well indeed. The Diskstation series at the 2/4 Bay level has always done a great job of melding modern design with necessary system temperature management and the DS423+ is no exception. #5 – Supports the Whole DSM 7 Catalogue of Applications and runs them well on 2GB Memory The one and only thing I don’t like about Synology multimedia apps or drive apps…. Is they TELL you where to put your media AND GENERALLY HAVE TWO-WAY SINK AS DEFAULT

For professionals transitioning from cloud services to private servers, the 4-Bay NAS market is often the preferred starting point in 2023-2024. With NAS hard drives reaching capacities of 22TB and soon 24TB, combined with enhanced redundancy features for data safety, these 4-disk servers stand out for their superior internal and external hardware. The evolution of NAS technology has significantly raised the quality of prosumer and small-business 4-Bay NAS systems, maintaining a consistent price point across different tiers. As an experienced reviewer of numerous NAS devices over the past few years, I can confidently state that the 2023-2024 period is one of the most competitive yet. The latest developments include widespread adoption of M.2 NVMe SSDs for caching and storage in all major NAS brands, the expansion of 2.5GbE networking, introduction of new processors enabling higher internal bandwidth, and the continuous enhancement of NAS software, making these devices more versatile and powerful than ever. So, let’s explore the best 4-Bay NAS drives available as we head into 2023-2024. The most modern and regularly updated NAS systems will support the very latest 20TB NAS hard drives (such as the Seagate Ironwofl 20TB and WD Red 20TB) This is particularly surprising, given that the Synology DS423+ is very much a non-enterprise and non-business-focused NAS system. Additionally, the DS423+ NAS bears huge comparison with the DS920+ released in 2020, a HUGELY popular NAS system, which has NOT had M.2 NVMe SSD storage pool services added retroactively – so many users (myself included) would have jsut ASSUMED that the DS423+ would not support this feature. It IS worth highlighting though that the DS423+ CPU uses Gen 2 lanes, only allows pools on Synology NVMe SSDs (SNV3400 / SNV3410), cannot currently use the M.2s for booting DSM and does not have any external connectivity that allows the performance benefits of M.2 NVMes to be realised externally. Still, if you are looking for higher speed storage areas for a VM, Surveillance alerts/recordings, high frequency data bases or just to run the Synology apps themselves in conjunction with data on the slower HDD array, you WILL see benefits! #2 – Great Performance and Support of Plex, Emby and Jellyfin Media Server Creating M.2 storage pools requires the use of Synology-verified SSDs, which are rigorously tested under extreme temperature conditions. Thermal parameters for SSDs and NAS units are fine-tuned to ensure optimal management of thermal conditions under I/O-intensive environments. ( Learn more) Would this be considered a good entry into synology as someone currently without any NAS? This would be a step up from the J model as far as what it can run on the DSM software is my understanding.

Conquer home office data chaos

Is there a year, or an age, or level of NAS that will not be able to receive DSM 7.2, as support will have timed out? Bays, Intel J4125 4x 2.0-2.7Ghz CPU, 4/8GB 2666Mhz Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 2x NVMe SSD Cache Bays, 3-5yr Warranty Direct Access via Ethernet/Network Cable**: For high-speed connectivity, direct access through an ethernet/network cable to the NAS is essential.