Synology 2GB DS418 4 Bay Desktop NAS Enclosure

Product Information

I would like to set this up as a place where I can access the entire collection in all one place, similar to a media server like spotify or youtube, but just with my own content. I will also be purchasing a Plex pass.

Bays, Intel J4025 2.9Ghz 2-Core CPU, 2/4/8GB Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 1x HDMI 2.0 4K 60FPS, 2-5yr Warranty All the NAS solutions listed can be accessed DIRECTLY via an ethernet/network cable being connected from your PC/Mac system, to the NAS RJ45 port for 100MB/s and higher connectivity 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. 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.Update (12/10/22 UK) – The CPU in the DS923+ and DS723+ has been confirmed to be the AMD Embedded Ryzen R1600. A Dual Core 2.6-3.1Ghz Processor that was original debut in the Synology DS1522+. 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! CPU: Intel Celeron J4025 | Drive bays: 2 | RAM: 2GB DDR4 (max 6GB) | Features: 2x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0, upgradable RAM I don’t think either one is difficult to set up or manage. I honestly expected less from Jellyfin, being an open source project, but was very pleasantly surprised. There are a few services it doesn’t offer or do as well, such as music management and streaming, but I didn’t really take advantage of those in Plex so their loss wasn’t a big deal to me. If all you want to do is stream your personal video collection on your own network Jellyfin is the way to go in my opinion.

Usable capacity for each volume will be lower than the maximum volume size and is dependent on the filesystem and the amount of system metadata stored. 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. 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. 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. Combined with that, or possibly Alternatively, what can I actually do with the m.2 slots. Is that only for drive cashing? And do I have any direct control over it or will the system utilize it as it needs and I might or might not see benefits from it?

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. I think it would be fair to say that, when it comes to users who are making the jump professionally from Cloud to their own private server, the 4-Bay NAS market is often their first choice! Aside from the obvious benefits in capacity (NAS hard drives are now available at 22TB and 24TB is just around the corner) and redundancy (i.e safety nets), 4 disk servers tend to be where NAS brands introduce better hardware internally and externally. As NAS technology has improved year on year, the standard of the average prosumer/small-business 4-Bay NAS has increased quite substantially – all the while with the price point largely remaining the same at each tier (give or take a few %). So, today I want to discuss the very best 4-Bay NAS drives that you can buy right now at the end of 2022 and into 2023. I have reviewed hundreds of NAS devices in the last few years, and I can comfortably say that 2022/2023 has easily been the most competitive. We have seen the evolution of M.2 NVMe SSD use in these systems extending to caching and storage across all NAS brands, the continued growth of 2.5GbE, a new generation of processors arrive that open the doors to larger bandwidth internally and all the while, the software that all these devices arrive with become incredibly diverse and capable! So, let’s get down to it, what are the best 4-Bay NAS drives of 2022 and 2023? Let’s go. What Have All the Best 4-Bay NAS Drives Have in Common? 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: It’s powered by a quad-core Realtek RTD1296 processor, which won’t win any awards for performance. What this CPU does allow for is a lower price, so too does the 512MB of RAM that you cannot upgrade yourself.

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. Personally I am running a 918+. Even though I am not worried at all about this 7.2 update or any update soon after that from being able to be updated on my NAS … when can I assume I will be unable to install an update? What’s Synology’s history here. Shared Drive Hosting Capability**: The ability to host a shared drive on PC, mobile, or laptop systems, synchronized with the NAS and displayed in the native file manager. 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 WCAG 2.1 guidelines: apps must be accessible to users with impairments to their mobility – like those who find it difficult to use a mouse.The Synology DS420+ is essentially the same as the DS220+, but with a few notable differences. Instead of the front plate, you've got full access to the drive bays without having to detach anything. This NAS also has four bays instead of two. Then there are the smaller differences, like the addition of M.2 SSD cache support and an eSATA port. Preferably 10 gb ports, with expandability options up to 25 or even 40 gb read speeds. Or whatever will be the fastest to stream a 1080p music video, with having the only limitations be the remote user’s connection.

The AMD Emb.Ryzen instead of a Intel Celeron (with Integrated Graphics) will be a dealbreaker for alot of users No 2.5Gb is a letdown also. Even if it was 1 2.5GB and 1 1GB Ethernet port it would give users options. Don’t have a 2.5GB switch/router. Use the 1GB port but if you later upgrade to 2.5GB you could utilize the faster speeds as bonding 2 1GB ports doesn’t mean you instantly get 2GB/s speeds. This a small but very pertinent update to the potential CPU that will be in the Synology Value series. Alongside ongoing rumours that the first wave of DSx23 series diskstation NAS will arrive in October, a new CPU entry has appeared online with DSM 7.1 support of late 2020 released Realtek RTD1619 ARMv8-A processor. The architecture of which is incredibly likely to be for the DS223j, DS223 and DS423: 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. Bays, Intel J4125 4x 2.0-2.7Ghz CPU, 4/8GB 2666Mhz Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 2x NVMe SSD Cache Bays, 3-5yr WarrantyIf you’re just starting out with your very first NAS enclosure, I’d recommend either the Synology DiskStation DS120j or DS220j as Synology’s more affordable servers. They won’t win any awards for performance, but they’re excellent for storing files. I also always use a bash script to create a RAM drive as my transcoding directory as you get better speeds than a Gen 3 nVme drives when using a RAM drive but the 6GB RAM limit kind of makes that difficult. Yes, RAM drives lose all data if there is a reboot or random shutdown but any transcoded data gets wiped out in that scenario anyways