Synology 2GB DS418 4 Bay Desktop NAS Enclosure

Product Information

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 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.

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 The 16GB of DDR4 RAM is an incredible amount of RAM, but you could more than double it up to a maximum of 48GB, which is more than enough for most NAS use. There aren’t any M.2 PCIe slots for installing SSD cache, but Synology did include two expansion slots and a PCI slot for expansion cards. Synology Video Station – Manage all your movies, TV shows, and home videos. Stream them to multiple devices or share them with friends and family. The Synology DiskStation Manager is an excellent operating system and is what you’ll find on all branded enclosures. It truly shines on the DS220+. The two 1Gb LAN ports can be linked together for additional network bandwidth too. The Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 isn’t a brilliant processor, but it’s more than enough to handle file storage and some other lighter apps — you could even run Plex Media Server and stream music. The 512MB RAM isn’t enough for more intensive tasks, but it won’t cause any issues for the aforementioned tasks.CPU: Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 | Drive bays: 1 | RAM: 512MB DDR4 | Features: 1x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0 I will also be maxing out the M . 2 slots with the highest expandability **STRICTLY for Caching only**

Update 25/02/23– Synology is having a remarkably busy start to 2023, with several high-profile NAS solutions being introduced to the market and today we want to discuss one that many have been waiting to hear about for quite a while – The Synology DS423+ NAS. With some much of Synology’s hardware output in the last year or so feeling that they were erring more and more in the direction of business users, it is quite a breath of fresh air to hear that Synology is releasing a new desktop 4-Bay that is arguably more multimedia friendly. Serving as the followup to the summer 20202 released DS420+, this new 4-Bay is an Intel Celeron-powered compact system that (although not exactly reinventing the wheel – more on that later) is a slight shake-up of what we have come to expect from this dual-core equipped tier of the brand’s portfolio. Let’s discuss the Synology DS423+ Diskstation. Then there’s the included support for expansion units to add a further 9 drive bays to the mix. This enclosure is future-proof and would make for a solid investment for those looking for a server to last them for years before needing to find a replacement. The Synology DiskStation DS220+ has it all for a great price. The Intel Celeron J4025 processor is brilliant for running more intensive tasks and applications. Should you have multiple members of the household wanting to use the NAS simultaneously, the DS220+ won’t provide any issues. Local and Secure Remote Network Access**: Capability for local network access and secure remote access via brand-supported services, at no extra cost.My thoughts: If you’re looking at the DS220+ as the perfect NAS but find the two drive bays a little too limiting for storage capacity, the DS420+ may be a better option. It has four drive bays and even SSD caching support. 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:

The AMD Emb.Ryzen instead of a Intel Celeron (with Integrated Graphics) will be a dealbreaker for alot of users I don’t really have a good place to put it – particularly if it’s going to be louder than the DS918+ (and I’m assuming most of the noise would come from using Seagate 20 TB Iron Wolf Pros, which are 7200 RPM and much denser compared to my four WD Red 12 TB drives, which are 5400 RPM) Synology has been providing its own branded range of hard drives and SSDs for a little over 2 and a half years now and it is surprising how ‘normal’ it seems now. Originally when the SAT5200, SNV3400/SNV3500 and HAT5300 ranges were launched, many (myself included) wondered what the uptake would be when Seagate and WD hold such dominance in this area. Fast forward to MID 2022 and enterprise/high-scale-business NAS user base has started to take them on board (a little because of changes in device compatibility, but also that the HDDs themselves, firmware upgraded Toshiba MG Enterprise drives), with the only major criticisms being that the pricing seems a tad high and the available capacities somewhat limited. Now, that first criticism is tough to counter, given the current hardware shortages globally AND the fact that these enterprise (not Pro) series drives are not in-hosue built, so the Toshiba middle ground is something of a hurdle in the profit margin no doubt). However, Synology HAVE been working on the range of capacities and alongside the original HAT5300-8T, HAT5300-12T and HAT5300-16T capacities, they introduced a modest 4TB in the spring of 2022 and now, an 18TB HAT5300-18T (using the Toshiba MG09 Drive). Now, it is also worth highlighting that Toshiba has been working on making a 20TB (MG10) drive commercially available, so expect this to get Synology HAT5300-20T adaption in the near future too, but below is how the 18TB compares with the rest of the range Hardware SpecificationsShould I buy an SSD for the drive slot number one {1ssd &5hdd}? My assumption is that will help with performance because the system will utilize that drive slot for the OS. Metal chassis and trays is going to result in an increase of ambient noise (hum/vibration) than other plastic casing/tray NAS systems 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? Bays, Intel J4125 4x 2.0-2.7Ghz CPU, 4/8GB 2666Mhz Memory, 2x 1Gbe Port, 2x NVMe SSD Cache Bays, 3-5yr Warranty These highlights alone make it ideal for media streaming. Totaling four drive bays, you can store up to 72TB of data on this unit. It’s got plenty of other cool features too, including an eSATA port as well as M.2 SSD slots for installing flash drives as caching to improve performance.

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 best overall NAS from Synology is the DiskStation DS220+. This enclosure has two drive bays, allowing for up to 32TB of data to be stored. This is more than enough for most NAS owners who are new to the market, and the 2GB of non-upgradable DDR4 RAM is brilliantly matched to the Intel Celeron J4025 processor. Synology High Availability – Synology High Availability (SHA) combines two Synology NAS servers into one active-passive high-availability cluster, alleviating service disruptions while mirroring data. Also i am longer periods away from home due to my job. Want to control the Nas with my phone. Probably a Fold 5. 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

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 you 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 includes the following software and services: CPU: Intel Celeron J4025 | Drive bays: 4 | RAM: 2GB DDR4 (max 6GB) | Features: 2x 1Gb LAN, 2x USB 3.0, upgradable RAM