Synology DS423+ 4 Bay Desktop NAS Storage Server

Product Information

A arguably smaller point here and one that has increased in it’s important lately! Unlike a number of higher profile (i.e more powerful and expensive) NAS systems in the Synology NAS portfolio that have much stricter supported official HDD and SSD compatibility/support, the Synology DS423+ supports pretty much everything you would expect! As long as it is SATA and 2.5/3.5″ – they will almost certainly appear on the Synology compatibility lists. There is still talk of Synology releasing a standard class range of HDDs (to accompany their existing enterprise HDDs and SSD media), but if/when they do, they will likely always allow competitor 3rd party HDDs in the WD Red and Seagate Ironwolf NAS drive series to be used on value series NAS like the DS423+. They DO only support upto 18TB at the time of writing across all supported HDD brands, likely down to Synology’s own drives currently capping at 18TB, but most buyers of the Synology Diskstation PlusNAS systems like this one were far less likely to install HDDs of this scale! 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! Taipei, Taiwan—15 March 2023—Synology today announced the release of the 4-bay Synology DiskStation DS423+, the latest in its lineup of all-in-one storage solutions for home office and small business use. 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. The DS423+ comes with two easily accessible M.2 NVMe slots, which can be used to either enable fast flash caching or create SSD storage volumes without occupying standard drive bays. SSD storage pools are ideal for workloads that require low latency and high random write performance, while​ SSD cache volumes can significantly boost I/O performance on slower HDD volumes. On-premises storage with cloud integration

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! Well (and this is going to get VERY ‘inside baseball’), but 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. Lets discuss the Synology DSM software and what the DS423+ can do for you and your data. Powered by the versatile Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, DS423+ offers comprehensive solutions to protect and manage business data, facilitate collaboration on documents, provide remote file access, and serve as the core of an IP camera-based surveillance system, all within a compact desktop format. PCIe add-in cards, expansion units, and storage drives are sold separately. Refer to the compatibility list for compatible devices.

Create a private cloud hub for your data

With Synology Drive, DS423 users can manage, share, sync, and access data via PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, wherever they are. Businesses with remote employees or geographically spread-out operations can leverage Drive ShareSync to synchronize data between Synology devices scattered across locations to keep teams aligned.

The new DS423+ offers exceptional value to users with limited storage requirements," said Anya Lin, Product Manager at Synology. "It boasts 21% faster photo indexing over its predecessor, among other performance improvements, and continues to offer the comprehensive and robust features that our customers have come to rely on." Storage platform built for home and small office H.264, HEVC, H.265: The compression techniques H.264, HEVC, and H.265 are used to make large media presentations suitable for viewing on home devices. While H.264 is widely supported by all devices, not all have permission or a license to play H.265/HEVC, as the licensing and patents for H.265/HEVC are complex, expensive, and spread across multiple providers. This can lead to the need for automatic conversion/transcoding of H.265/HEVC media into H.264, which consumes more system resources. The Synology NAS drive, like the rest of the Synology NAS range, does not come with HEVC support by default. In terms of speed, this NAS can deliver enough when it comes to network transfers with 1GbE (100MB/s) or with the use of the new SMB multichannel option up to 200MB/s between compatible platforms. Do note that multi-channel is still not supported via DSM's File Station and remote share, so to utilize it there will be a need to run it against a compatible OS like Windows, or macOS that support it. [ ID] Interval Transfer BitrateThe 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 Transcoding, Encoding, Decoding: Transcoding, encoding, and decoding are various terms used when a media file needs to be transformed to be better suited for a specific device, internet connection, or hardware. When accessing media locally, transcoding may not be necessary, unless your files are mainly H.265/HEVC based. However, when accessing media from remote locations with limited bandwidth, weaker internet connection, or smaller devices, you may want to access the media in lower quality. This is where transcoding, or real-time encoding, comes in handy. Keep in mind that transcoding is one of the most demanding tasks for a NAS. To utilize the full resources of the NAS CPU, including its embedded graphics, you may need to enable the “Make My CPU Hurt” option in the encoder menu of the Plex NAS settings menu, which may require a Plex Pass subscription depending on the NAS. 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.

With support for a maximum 72 TB of raw storage, the DS423's size and capacity make it perfect for remote employees or small businesses looking to consolidate data onto a centralized platform and gain access to Synology's essential data management applications. The new DS423+ offers exceptional value to users with limited storage requirements," said Anya Lin, product manager at Synology. "It boasts 21% faster photo indexing over its predecessor, among other performance improvements. It also continues to offer the comprehensive and robust features that our customers have come to rely on - performance and flexibility." Storage platform built for home and small office The Synology DS423+ NAS drive is structurally similar to most personal computers and laptops, as it features a CPU, memory, and storage. However, it boasts components that are designed to be more energy-efficient and provide optimal performance for 24/7 usage, with a greater emphasis on storage-related applications. On the other hand, the hardware in a PC or laptop is geared towards running general applications, with storage services being relatively basic. The DS423+ NAS is equipped with a popular mid-range server CPU, DDR4 memory, and can accommodate both Hard Drives and SSDs using SATA connections. Although the specifications of Synology NAS drives are not directly linked to Plex, it is important to understand the hardware specifications relevant to Plex when considering the DS423+ NAS. Below, I have compiled a list of the hardware specifications of the DS423+ that play a significant role in its compatibility and performance with Plex: Bellevue, WA (May 17, 2023) - Synology today launched the 4-bay DiskStation DS423, its newest addition to the Value Series, designed as a multipurpose storage solution for homes and small businesses.The DS423+ arrives with the accessories you would expect. The NAS unit itself, an external 90W PSU, Screws for 2.5″ media (3.5″ media installation is toolless), RJ45 Cat 5e ethernet cables, keys for the storage bays, first-time setup document and information on your warranty. All fairly standard stuff, though I am always surprised by the fact that Synology never include heatsinks for the M.2 NVMe SSD bays, given the high priority of the brand towards caching on these storage bays – something that can get those M.2 SSDs pretty hot. x 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA SSD/HDD (hard drives not included)