Synology today announced the availability of the DS923+ 4-bay NAS server in the US.
You can order one today for $599.99 (diskless). But, similar to the case of the DS1522+, you might want to spend a bit more than that.
Let’s find out.
Note the Network Upgrade Slot that hosts a 10GbE Synology E10G22-T1-Mini module.
Synology DS923+: An all-new member of the 4-bay single-expansion family
The DS923+ is part of Synology’s family of 4-bay servers that can handle up to 9 internal drives.
The server can host four internal drives by itself, but it comes with eSATA ports to host a 5-bay DX517 expansion unit, so it has 9 bays in total, which explains the DS923+ in the model name, per Synology’s naming convention.
That aside, the DS923+ has a couple of things that differentiate it from previous 4-bay servers, such as the DS920+ of the 2020 model year.
First, it runs DSM 7 right out of the box. You won’t be able to run DSM 6 on it, not that there are many reasons you want to do that.
Secondly, it’s the first in the DS9xx family that moves from an Intel CPU to an AMD one. Specifically, the new DS923+ runs on an AMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core CPU.
This transition generally means better overall performance at the expense of media transcoding. Overall this is a welcome trend since media transcoding has become less important considering the new generation of front-end streamers that can transcode on the fly.
And finally, the DS923+ is the first of the family and the second from Synology, besides the DS1522+, that comes with a quick slot for10GbE upgrade via the $150 Synology E10G22-T1-Mini module.
Clearly, the support for the new module is welcome news. However, it also means Synology has made the backing for Multi-Gig a low priority.
The DS923+ still has two Gigabit ports — you have to spend another $150 to add Multi-Gig to this server, which you should do if you’re serious about network storage.
Ideally, the new server should have at least a Multi-Gig port built-in. To put things in perspective, TerraMaster’s low-cost F3-223 server comes with two 2.5GbE ports.
| DS923+ | |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen R1600 Dual-core 2-core 2.6GHz / 3.1 GHz (turbo) |
| System Memory | 1x 4 GB DDR4 ECC (installed) |
| Max Memory | 32 GB via two memory slots (16 GB x 2) |
| Dimensions | 6.53 x 7.83 x 8.78 in (166 x 199 x 223 mm) |
| Weight | 4.93 lbs (2.24 kg) |
| Drive Bays | 4 |
| Expansion Support | Yes (1x DX517) |
| Drive Interface | SATA 6Gbps/3Gbps; Hot-swappable |
| Drive Support | 3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (cache only) |
| Built-in M.2 Slots | Two |
| RAID Types | SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 |
| Ports | 2x RJ-45 1GbE LAN, 2x USB 3.0, 1x eSATA |
| PCIe Expansion | None |
| Add-in-card Support (not included) | 10GbE E10G22-T1-Mini module |
| Operating System | DSM 7 |
| File System (Internal / External) | Btrfs, EXT4 / Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+, exFAT (via app) |
| MSRP (Diskless) | $599.99 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Other than that, the DS923+ shares the same advanced operating system, useful features, and many apps to expand its functionality, including the ability to run virtual machines, host a powerful security system, and much more.
It’s the second from the company that features a slot for the quick 10GbE upgrade module.
Available to order today
The new DS923+ is available to order immediately in the US. However, it’ll take a few days, if not longer, before you’ll get it.
If you’re looking for a 4-bay robust server that can upgrade the network connection to 10Gbps, the DS923+ is an excellent choice.
