Synology 2GB DS418 4 Bay Desktop NAS Enclosure

Product Information

Synology Video Station – Manage all your movies, TV shows, and home videos. Stream them to multiple devices or share them with friends and family.

Synology Office – Create documents, spreadsheets, and slides in a multi-user environment. Real-time synchronization and saving make collaboration a breeze. Find out more about the Specifications, Performance and how the DS223 compares with the Synology DS218 via the links below: I say ‘relatively soon’ because in recent weeks I have been hearing quite a few bits of information on the planned DSx23 and RSx23 range of devices from Synology, all slated for a Q4 2022 / Q1 2023 release. So, whether this new 8-Bay system will arrive in Q4 or Q1 is yet to be seen. Let’s discuss this new Synology NAS for the 2023 series and what we can expect. Nothing is perfect, right? For all of the positives that I have highlighted above, the DS423+ is still not a perfect Synology NAS solution. Here are five reasons why you might want to give the Synology DS423+ NAS drive a miss, opt for a alternative brand or go for a lower priced predecessor. #1 – 1GbE by Default and No Means to Upgrade After a period of relative silence from Synology regarding their plans for their 2023 series of hardware and software, we finally have confirmation that their annual event is taking place! ‘ Synology 2023 and Beyond‘ will be a globally streamed event taking place on October 27th 2022 (times listed below, depending on your region) and will cover the brand’s plans for the next year+. These events (which in the years since the pandemic first arose have made the switch to digital exclusives) will feature the successes of the 2022 period, followed by the plans by the brand to improve existing features, introduce new ones and pepper the whole thing with their intended hardware products that will roll out in the next 12 months. Many of these we already know and have featured here on NASCompares, but I am sure there will still be some surprises along the way. You can read more about the timezones for this event and my predictions HERE in the full article.

A capable all-around performer

Synology DiskStation DS3622xs+: Best capacity NAS Synology DiskStation DS3622xs+. (Source: Synology) They have tonnes of media that they want to ONLY access locally and on powerful media devices that support ALL File formats and/or have client side hardware transcoding supported And i want to put the Nas next to my second large 4k monitor that i also use to watch video. While hanging on the couch and stuffing myself full with all kinds of edible stuff. Can not specify that.

Well (and this is going to get VERY ‘inside baseball’), those that have been following Synology these last few years will know that this is not the first time the J4125 has been used on a Synology Plus series NAS. Indeed, it has appeared several times in previous NAS systems (DS920+, DS720+, DS620slim, DVA1622 and DS1520+) love the last three years. In that time, not only has Intel moved on a couple of times to new cycles of processors (the N5105, N5095, J6415) which provide better power efficiency, PCI gen support and memory caps, but also competitor NAS brands have rolled out 1-2 more generations of hardware with configurations that capitalizes on Intel’s newer Celeron models. Now, it CAN be argued that because Synology have spent so much time and research exploring the capabilities of this processor, that they can get the most out of it for DSM. Equally, Synology has always been very clear that the jewel in their crown (and indeed the main selling point for their systems) is the DSM software and not the hardware. Then there is the fact that ‘at least it’s an Intel integrated graphics CPU, when Synology has been very ‘AMD Emb.Ryzen’ heavy of late! Finally, there is the argument that when the J4125 was featured previously, it was in their fully-featured ‘SMB’ tier – so the DS423+ in their more affordable Home/Prosumer tier is actually scaled up in having this quad-core Celeron processor. There are ALOT of different ways to look at Synology putting the Intel Celeron J4125 in the DS423+ NAS. But I think it would be fair to say that users of the DSx16+ and DS18+ generation that opted to skip the DSX20+ generation to ‘wait and see’, might be a little underwhelmed. #4 – The Synology DS423+ NAS cannot be Expanded The PCIe Slot is PCIe 3×2 and the M.2 SSD Bays are PCIe 3×1 (likely limitations of all this H/W on a Celeron+chipset Choosing a drive depends on your budget and how much data you plan on storing. For data protection, it's best to run at least two drives in some form of redundant array of independent disks (RAID), which will help prevent any data loss. Thus, should you buy two 2TB drives and run them in RAID1, you'll only have 2TB of space for all your files. The best storage drives for NAS The DS920+ NAS is something that Synology should be proud of. It is a great entry into their already impressive range of Diskstation NAS devices. If you are looking for a brand new NAS to consolidate your home media, to support your relative as the ‘IT whizz’ of the family, or move your business away from Google Drives and DropBox’ onto something safer, more scalable and dependable – then the DS920+ has alot to offer you. It gives you a great base to start using the DSM platform, as well as a good means to upgrade your storage internally at a later date (expansions in memory, expansions in storage, expansion in NVMe). If you are an existing DS918+ or DS916+ owner, this might not seem like the jump you were waiting for.Surveillance Station includes 2 free licenses. Connecting more cameras and devices requires additional licenses. Bays, Intel PT/i3/i5 8th Gen 2/4/6-Core CPU, 8-64GB DDR4 Memory, 1x 10Gbe Port, 2x 1GbE, USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 3×16 + 3×4, 2x M.2 NVMe, HDMI 2.0 4K 60FPS, 2x Thunderbolt 3, 2-5yr Warranty

This enclosure also supports up to 8GB of RAM, compared to the 6GB in the DS420+. Then you have full enclosure support (via the eSATA port), allowing you to throw in the Synology DX517 into the mix and add a further nine drives. Other than these improvements, the two NAS are pretty much identical in size and design. Synology Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) – An intuitive hypervisor that supports Windows, Linux, and Virtual DSM virtual machines. Its powerful disaster recovery tools help users achieve maximum service uptime. Most users are going to have a plexa library that they’ve probably customized and should customize in one bulk “media folder” and then break it down within…. If you do stuff like that for all your multimedia they’re native apps don’t work you have to have it where they want it…. Same with sync you have to have it where they want it and it’s only sync … Me personally I want one-way sink data goes on the NAS … You can delete it off the phone or computer and that won’t transfer over…. They have improved the drive application but I still have to improve video photo and the other ones to be one way and for us to control the locations multiple or single nested location I don’t want to be told or you got to have it in the ” home /user /names/ photo/ to have the photo application work Ensure that any 4-Bay NAS you are considering possesses these features, as they are critical for a quality NAS experience. Now, let’s delve into the top 4-Bay NAS drives to invest in for 2023-2024. The Synology DiskStation DS420+ is a brilliant NAS enclosure. For starters, we’ve got the same Intel Celeron J4025 processor that’s found in the DS220+. This CPU is more than happy to run more intensive tasks on the NAS, such as transcoding 4K movies through Plex.For those last two camps, a NAS that features a CPU with integrated graphics is going to be ENOURMOUSLY desireable – which is something I am pleased to say the Synology DS423+ NAS has! CPU: Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 | Drive bays: 1 | RAM: 512MB DDR4 | Features: 1x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0 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. You can read more about the Synology BC500 and TC500 IP Cameras for Surveillance Station HEREin the full article on it and HERE on the YouTube video.

CPU: Realtek RTD1296 | Drive bays: 2 | RAM: 512MB DDR4 | Features: 1x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0, upgradable RAM They have tonnes fo media that they ONLY want to access remotely, but have strong internet connections, the client Hardware has the file format/licence support and/or client-side transcoding support (NVidia Shield, Xbox with the HEVC licence enabled) Compatibility Across Multiple Operating Systems**: Each NAS system should work seamlessly with Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux.It is worth remembering that although there are ALOT of different 4-Bay NAS drives available to buy, they are by no means created equal! With numerous super budget brands popping up online, it can be tempting to consider these alongside the premium NAS brands. However, all too often they offer solutions righty seem ‘too good to be true’ and then are gone from the web before your warranty even gets cold! So, whether yo are looking at the three best 4-Bay solutions that I am recommending below OR are looking at another 4-Bay NAS you saw on offer/recommended elsewhere – the best NAS system ALWAYS include the following software and services: So, first up, let’s discuss the high points! Here are the five reasons why the Synology DS423+ NAS drive deserves your money and your data! Most users who have been considering purchasing a brand new NAS Drive will often find a 4 drive (also known as a 4-Bay) desktop system to be the easiest and most capable entry point into this kind of technology. If you are trying to storage a decent sized amount of data over 10-12TB, you will all too often find that a 4-Bay NAS gives you the best middle ground between the price of your storage, the scalability in the lifespan of the system and the general hardware level of the NAS solution itself. It provides a great deal of storage/drive-failure-safety in its RAID 5/6 vs that of a 2-Bay and its RAID 0/1, whilst also allowing you to multiple the performance and throughout of the NAS thanks to the larger number of HDD/SSDs on offer. Most modern 4-Bay NAS released in the last few years have typically been the most creative areas for brands to start equipping their solutions with the most innovative features, such as m.2 SSD caching bays, PCIe upgrade slots, improved default network ports (such as 2.5GbE) and HDMI. Likewise, you will all too often find that most NAS brands (such as Synology, QNAP and Asustor) will have more 4-Bay solutions than any other tier – it is THAT much of a popular hardware choice. So, with a new year beginning, I wanted to make it easier for you and highlight the best three 4-Bay NAS systems to consider, right now in 2022. These three NAS What Have All the Best 4-Bay NAS Drives Have in Common? Until the end of 2022 and start of 2023, Synology was pretty rigid on how the M.2 NVMe SSD bays of their NAS could be used. Despite them being one of the first (if not THE first brand) to introduce a turnkey desktop solution with M.2 NVMe SSD bays in conjunction with traditional SATA bays at the SOHO/SMB scale, they limited their use for ONLY caching. Caching does have great benefits, with write caching improving the speed and response from uploading/sent data to the NAS and read caching improving the access and response for connected users to frequently accessed data (arguably mainly I/O and small-scale data that is high in count, but low in volume) – but when users have spent a good chunk of money on M.2 NVMe SSD storage, which is SUBSTANTIALLY faster than traditional HDDs, it’s a real pain for some when you cannot use them for traditional storage pools and volumes! So therefore, it was a welcome surprise that Synology started easing up on this policy in their 2022/2023 releases to allow these bays to be used for storage pools and I am VERY pleased to say that the DS423+ NAS supports this too! Yes, this IS a feature that is available on other NAS systems in their portfolio now AND is it s feature that brands such as QNAP, Asustor and Terramaster have offered for 2-3 years, but it is still great to see it on the DS423+ NAS. The fact that the 2GB of RAM is soldiered to the NAS and only has one free DIMM that will only allow 4GB (6GB total) is a letdown. In this day and age why would anyone soldier the RAM making it unreplaceable is mind boggling. If it came with 2GB but both DIMMs could be swapped out would be the smart option so I have zero idea why Synology would do that. Even if they limited it to 8GB, that would still be better than what they did here IMO.