Best Starter Synology NAS in 2024 (dont waste your money)

Is there any reason you recommend 16TB instead of 20 or 22TB? They all come in around the same price?
Also I've watched the video a few times and am not exactly sure why you dislike 923+. I was actually looking more for a 5 or 6 bay, but the Black Friday price of the 923+ makes it kind of hard to turn down!

Too late for me, the 923+ has been purchased, up and running for about 5 months.

I was really hoping for an opinion on a DS620slim because it is such a specific one. Do you recommend?

I did end up getting the DS923+, but only because it was on Blac Friday pre-sale at my local tech shop in Canada cheaper than the 423+.
DS423+ $729, DS1522+ $999, DS923+ $649 (on sale from $899)

Great video! Quick question: I have a 1522+ that gets maxed out with 18TB drives. Is the extension a good idea or should I migrate to an 8 bay? I hear sometimes that the extension is not the best thing to go for.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. God bless

is it worth getting a Synology DX517 expansion or just invest in a second unit

I did make the newbie mistake of filling up all the bay when purchasing a 4 bay synology. Do you think it is possible to directly swap all the hard disk from a 4 bay Synology to a 5 or 6 bay Synology without any setup?

I wouldn't discount the DS223. It has 2GB ram, which is a requirement for Hybrid Share (storage to C2 cloud). This is what we're looking at getting for small office/work. Not sure there's any point in a 4 bay if we're using Hyperbackup to Ext USB HDD, plus Hybrid Share to C2 Cloud? Hdds are getting quite large and we don't use much data (~1TB). At one point, was thinking just do Raid 0 (say 300MB/s), but 1Gbps lan (125MB/s) doesn't make sense, as you cannot take any advantage of that and now there's double the chance of all data loss / hdd failure. Neither does using SHR with a 2 bay system IF we've got USB Hyperbackup + C2 Cloud Hybrid Share, as I assume if the HDD dies (basic - not shr), then we'd just connect directly to C2 Hybrid Cloud, until the HDD is replaced and cached back to the NAS. So might just start with 1x 'basic' pool, and when needed add a second hdd as basic on a different pool, so it allows for future storage expansion if needed (unlike SHR on a 2 bay)

Lots of rambling with acronyms I could not understand. Wasted my time.

Hey Will, thanks to you I know now what to buy! Quick question: would connecting x2 1GB LAN cables to the NAS & my PC give me 2GB speeds, even if I'm paying my provider a 1GB speed internet plan?

Upcoming sales show the DS923+ on sale for $480. Would that make it worth picking up in your opinion? I'd be using it for Plex and file storage.

You've been recommending the 923+ all year! Even just a month ago! LOL

Hi man, like your videos. Something esle. I netboot my raspberry pi's (rpi4B, rpi3B+ and rpi2B) with just 1 line of code in Synology. Recently pxe boot rpi's with alpine linux (rpi4 and pi3b+) both in 64 bit with Synology. My NAS is an old one DS215j, with DSM 6.2.4-25556 Update 5

TrueNAS and done. iXsystems

TrueNAS is far better and far more secure

In Australia most of the basic units are $300-400 ,the 4-5 bay plus units are about $800-900, the 8 bay plus is about $1k. I just went for the 8 bay, like you said hdds are the big cost at about 300-500+ each here.

It’s not justifiable to spend time learning, keep learning, maintain and keep it safe for one more OS (DSM 7.0) and thats wheat I feel after using a DS420+ for years. 1 GbE too slow and incompatible with Apple Photos.

Thanks for the recommendation. I am planning on buliding my NAS a year later after moving to a new place. I also fear that Synology might make its next generation 8ay unit strictly dependent on Synology HDDs, like its new xs+ NAS. 1821+ seems like a nice choice, but its tested HDD on compatible list are becoming oudated and hard to find. (such as Exos X16, ST16000NM001G - 2KK103) Any recommendations?

Don't waste time with Synology. They emailed us saying they're changing the terms of service.
Don't agree. throw away the product and don't use what you have paid money for.

If you are happy that your device is unsupported and you won't have access to any software or updates, buy one

I've had the DS1522+ for almost 8 months now and I absolutely love it. If you're looking for something that can expand as your storage needs grow then, for a modest investment, look no further. I absolutely concur with SpaceRex on this recommendation. Plus, Synology DSM offers so much in terms of features and functionality OOB that it really is worth the price. The DSM UI is cohesive, aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use. If the sticker-shock has you reeling, maybe check out the DS423+. I have built several home-lab servers over the years and they are rock-solid steady--TrueNAS & ZFSGuru. However, this year I wanted to add Synology to the myriad of home hardware and overall I am very pleased. I do have a few minor gripes, though. I think Synology could do a better job with the tray construction quality. It would be nice if they were of aluminum construction instead of all-plastic. My other minor issue is that Synology expansions, especially memory, is way over-priced. The 10Gbe mini-network card may be worth it, though. The DS1522+ comes with 8GB DDR4 ECC RAM, which is plenty for most workloads. I personally wanted another 8GB just to have crazy, extra headroom. Probably overkill. I went with Timetec 8GB DDR4 ECC instead of Synology brand and have had zero issues, even though Synology warns against using non-Synology RAM. It does not void warranty, afaik, but I would advise caution to anyone considering it since Synology may not provide support for your device while it's installed. Just be forewarned. As for drives, I've loaded mine with 5x12TB Seagate IronWolf drives in SHR-2 which nets a tad under 36TB usable space with protection up to two disk failures.

I started out with a DS416 model - Filled it with 4 4TB drives, and then ended up getting a DS918+. I have 4 10TB drives in that now, but not close to running out of space yet.
I also use Surveillance Station now, and with the 2 NAS devices, I have 4 camera licenses. Using CMS in Surveillance Station I could combine the licenses to use 4 cameras recording to 918+. I would definitely recommend looking to the future with these things though. IF you need 12TB now, get the NAS and hard drives based around double or triple that space. Also, make use of the multiple NIC's on the disk stations. Even if the you only get the one with 2NICs it makes a big difference over a single gigabit nic.

Hey, thanks man. This was super helpful. I'm waiting for the black friday sales here in Australia and had put the DS923+ in my cart! Now focused on the 1522+. 🙌🙌

I only see 1 video that is somewhat relevant in so much that it is 2 years old. I have a DS1821+ with an expansion but with 1 raid pool……I know I know stupid hence the reason for this post/question. I didn’t do proper research and thought I could have up to a petabyte with a DS with expansion. Not so fast!! I am limited to 108tb with a disk station. I would like to migrate to a rack mounted nas so I can take advantage of the massive amounts of storage it offers.

The question: can you do a migration video that would address this? Only one relatively “new” video as of 2 years ago by Jerry Schulze.

I’d really like to understand the difference between the “+” series and the “J” series. For example: DS223+ vs DS223J.

Great episode as always. All we need is the right advice on how to invest in crypto and you're back on track, I've been making $ 30k weekly from my trading even if I bearly trade myself

I purchased the 723+ and added Ram as well as ssd. I should have watched this first but I am happy...

Starting a family soon, looking to invest in one of these for the home to keep all our videos and photos and then later on in life hopefully through upgrades our daughter can carry it forward.

4 or 5 bay is for me over done, So I go for the DS723+

Ok, so if you run out of space, you do not actually have to buy a brand new unit. While the procedure is risky. With synology hybrid raid, you can remove and replace one of your lower capacity drives with a higher capacity drive. Wait for the array to rebuild. And then do that again one more time so you can take advantage of the additional space provided by the higher capacity Drive.

Which raid would you apply to the two 16tb drives you would put in the 4 bay unit ? Thanks for the info :)

Hey! Thanks for that great overview! I just got the 224+. Could you just briefly add your perspective on that one? That would be wonderful! :) Thank you!

Agree with your comments, one idea I would float, using a 1 bay as a low cost off site backup for a larger array. I do exactly this. 4 bay NAS at home, backed up to a 1 Bay at my parents. I know not perfect, but the chances of both NAS failing at the same time is low, and as a backup is affordable and relatively low risk, lower risk than a 4 bay NAS with no backup.

Do you recommend SHR (Raid 5) or SHR-2 (RAID 6) for the 1821+? At what point would you recommend moving to RAID 6?

I had a 1515+ since 2017 and starting to look at new nas the 8 bay seems like it would last me a good 6+ years without worrying about limited space which seems with the price

I bought the DS920+ back in March and it was the best decision at the time, I have 3 Toshiba 14tb disks in there said up as SHR, I also own a 5 bay DAS as a back up only device just in case I lose my Synology. I have a docker container set up with Jellyfin on it, primarily use it as a media player and photo backup, it's thanks to videos from Spacerex and mydoodads and a couple of other channels whose videos really help you set it up. Many thanks

1522+ made my day....

It always comes down to money. In Australia a 16Tb drive is $600 each plus a ds423+ is $800. So you’re looking at $2000 which is a large investment for the majority of home based people

I have an 1821+ with WD golds in them and don't get the hard drive warning...does the 2422+ give the hard drive warnings? I thought they were the same except for the extra bays.

I'm wondering why supported RAID levels aren't a consideration?

I like the DS1621+. Cheapest Synology NAS with pcix slot for fiber - what I want. More resilient against lightning. Most of my equipment is on fiber
When they release a new model 😢?

Great Video, excellent explanations on the available options, thanks. I am looking for a NAS specifically to run the Synology Security Station with 6 cameras, the Synology website recommends the DVA1622, and since you didn't address the DVA group in your discussion I was wondering if you'r aware of a better option. all the AI stuff (facial recognition etc) I probably wouldn't get into right away, but perhaps in the future. Thanks again for the excellent information.

What a very strange start of this video. But funny 😅

How to upgrade NAS for example 10TB HDD dies and we replace it with 20TB (and the total capacity goes up). Or even multiple drives. I have seen comments from people complaining that capacity is not going up. I have not seen a video about this ever. Thank you

I bought 923+. I run it in my home. Added the 8GB and also nvmes. all good

good review my guy! I am finding it so hard to pull the trigger on my first Synology. I want rack mount because I love racks of gear and I hate devices sitting around. At some point I'll take the plunge and I think this info helped inch me closer! :)

I just want a basic internal network only 2-bay NAS that supports 4TB+ drives with basic credentialing. My current trusty and stable D-Link DNS-325 with mirrored 2TB drives. I just need more space for fun stuff.