While cloud services have increased in popularity for storage options, there are still reasons to appreciate fast, local storage on the network. Synology’s latest refresh is proof that there is still some demand out there but the question remains if Synology met those needs with the DS1517+ and DS1817+.
To break down the naming convention of the DS1517+, the D indicates it is the desktop form factor with the S for storage (NAS), and sits on its own compared to a rack-mounted NAS. The 5 indicates the number of bays, or slots to insert hard drives. The 17, for 2017, indicates the year the product was released while the + indicates it is a stepped up version of the hardware configuration.
Speaking of configurations, these NAS devices come in 2GB or 8GB pre-built variations, though you can upgrade manually as well to a maximum of 16GB. The number of bays restricts how many drives you can have your data split across for maximum storage and redundancy. The more the better but also the more expensive. Another option to increase storage is to use the new DX517 expansion bay. You can add up to two expansion bays to the DS1517+ and the DS1817+ for a maximum number of 15 drives and 18 drives, respectively.
Other significant hardware components include the CPU and a new PCI-e slot for expandability. The quad core CPU is an Intel Atom C2538 at 2.4GHz. This has been a disappointing point to fans that have been anticipating this release as this CPU chipset has a known errata from Intel that could brick the device while the c3000 series Atom chips are available. This becomes more of an emphasis as encryption, video transcoding, and other services running on the NAS use the CPU. The PCI Express slot can be used for two M.2 SSD slots for caching or for a 10Gbps port.
One of Synology’s strengths is the DSM 6.1 operating system on the device that allows for simple use and advanced features. One of the primary reasons that Synology has held my interest is it’s ability to use other features like cloud storage for backup or other applications for media streaming. Compared to my current dated NAS from Netgear, the Synology would allow a lot of options for network and cloud services that could increase the backup options and usefulness of the always-on storage appliance. The DS1517+ and DS1817+ come with 3-year limited warranties.
You can learn more about the releases from the press release, the product pages, or buy them from Amazon.com when they become available.