Synology Unveils DiskStation DS723+, a Capable Storage Device with a Small Footprint

[TheLostSwede]

Synology today announced the new 2-bay Synology DiskStation DS723+, the smallest expandable option in its lineup of all-in-one solutions for home offices and small businesses. Powered by the versatile Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, the DS723+ offers comprehensive solutions to protect and manage business data, easily collaborate on documents, access files remotely, and monitor physical assets, all within a compact desktop format.

"This new unit delivers impressive performance and capability for its size," said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology. "With its extremely compact form factor, it will certainly appeal to those that have smaller storage requirements but don't want to give up on the convenience of centralized storage and the possibility to scale in the future."




Storage platform with expandability options
Ideal for teams of professionals, small businesses looking to step into the world of centralized storage, or as an edge node in distributed deployments, the DS723+ can scale up to 7 drive bays with a DX517 expansion unit when more capacity is needed.

Users can also upgrade performance thanks to the option to add 10GbE connectivity and M.2 NVMe SSD drives through the built-in PCIe slot to enable fast caching or create additional all-flash storage pools.

On-premises storage with cloud integration
The DS723+ delivers intuitive file management and sharing with Synology Drive, which combines cross-platform file access with the privacy offered by on-premises storage. For teams working remotely and businesses operating across multiple locations, site-to-site file syncing is also available to mirror content between Synology devices.

Hybrid cloud capabilities provided by Synology Hybrid Share allow users to merge the benefits of on-premises and cloud by storing cold data in the cloud while keeping frequently accessed files cached on the local device for access at LAN speeds.

Backup hub for multi-tier data protection
Windows and Linux systems, Hyper-V/VMware VMs, and Microsoft 365/Google Workspace accounts can be backed up onto the DS723+ using Synology's Active Backup Suite, protecting critical or sensitive data against ransomware and other cyberthreats.

For an increased level of protection, users can also create backups and point-in-time snapshots of the data stored on the NAS, which can then be secured offsite on another server or in the cloud.

Versatile and intuitive surveillance solution
With support for more than 8,300 validated IP cameras and ONVIF devices, the powerful Synology Surveillance Station VMS can turn the DS723+ to a full-fledged video management system that privately stores footage on site.

Users can quickly set up and manage up to 40 cameras through a modern and customizable interface, and even overlay floor plans or Google Maps/OpenStreetMap maps when monitoring larger or multiple building environments. Simple and effective failover between recording servers, multi-device management, and the option to simultaneously record footage to the Synology C2 cloud boost resiliency and availability of important recordings.

Availability
The Synology DS723+ is available starting today through Synology partners and resellers worldwide.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Chaitanya]

Since they dont mention network capabilities in PR, I suspect they are still dragging their feet with 1Gbps NICs.

 

[bug]

Since they dont mention network capabilities in PR, I suspect they are still dragging their feet with 1Gbps NICs.

It is. 10Gbps Ethernet module sold as an add-on. USB is also "3.2 Gen 1"

Still looking for pricing, it's got an AMD CPU so I'm sure it wont be cheap.

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Since they dont mention network capabilities in PR, I suspect they are still dragging their feet with 1Gbps NICs.

There is no need to raise suspicions on logical conclusions, given that the product already has a web page where the specifications are listed in great detail. You should read it carefully as there are some limitations in the base specs. They are described in normal size font, so only a bored reader would miss them.

 

[Chaitanya]

It is. 10Gbps Ethernet module sold as an add-on. USB is also "3.2 Gen 1"

Still looking for pricing, it's got an AMD CPU so I'm sure it wont be cheap.

Also looking at connector that module seems proprietary meaning it could be difficult to source in few years time depending on how well it sells in 1st place.
Edit: Given that AMD R1600 is a 12-25W class CPU, it certainly wont be a cheap unit, though I hope there is enough cooling provided for full 25W operation.

https://www.amd.com/en/product/11221

 

[bug]

Also looking at connector that module seems proprietary meaning it could be difficult to source in few years time depending on how well it sells in 1st place.
Edit: Given that AMD R1600 is a 12-25W class CPU, it certainly wont be a cheap unit, though I hope there is enough cooling provided for full 25W operation.

https://www.amd.com/en/product/11221

I'm not buying anyway. I could use some sort of NAS, but I'd like a 2.5" solution, I don't need a huge brick for that (and another, smaller one, if you consider the power supply). I'm also not sold on pricing. For the asking price of a decent NAS (no disks), I can get 5-10 years of Google Drive. With the advantage of having an off-site backup.
And I have to admit, I follow product launches, but I couldn't tell you what has improved in the past few years. Despite being refreshed every year, NAS solution all look the same to me.

 

[Zareek]

It is. 10Gbps Ethernet module sold as an add-on. USB is also "3.2 Gen 1"

Still looking for pricing, it's got an AMD CPU so I'm sure it wont be cheap.

Listed on Amazon for $449.

Amazon Link

I'm not buying anyway. I could use some sort of NAS, but I'd like a 2.5" solution, I don't need a huge brick for that (and another, smaller one, if you consider the power supply). I'm also not sold on pricing. For the asking price of a decent NAS (no disks), I can get 5-10 years of Google Drive. With the advantage of having an off-site backup.
And I have to admit, I follow product launches, but I couldn't tell you what has improved in the past few years. Despite being refreshed every year, NAS solution all look the same to me.

I totally agree, they all look the same and the pricing seems steep for what you get. I could build a small PC that does the same thing and be able to fix it with off the shelf parts when it breaks down. These things go bad, and you are at the mercy of the manufacturer, so you need to have that Google Drive or whatever backup anyway.

 

[Solidstate89]

Listed on Amazon for $449.

Amazon Link

None of their adapters should cost that much. It's probably a third party reseller on Amazon selling it for that much. I bought it from BHP for significantly less but still more than what it should cost.

Synology E10G18-T1 10GbE PCIe Expansion Card

Buy Synology E10G18-T1 10GbE PCIe Expansion Card featuring For Select Synology NAS Servers, Supports 802.3an 10 Gb/s Ethernet, Supports 802.3bz 2.5 & 5 Gb/s Ethernet, Supports 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet, Supports 802.3u Fast Ethernet, Supports 802.3x Flow Control, PCIe 3.0 x4 Interface, Full...

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[Zareek]

Since they dont mention network capabilities in PR, I suspect they are still dragging their feet with 1Gbps NICs.

Should at least include 2.5Gb IMO.

 

[Chaitanya]

I'm not buying anyway. I could use some sort of NAS, but I'd like a 2.5" solution, I don't need a huge brick for that (and another, smaller one, if you consider the power supply). I'm also not sold on pricing. For the asking price of a decent NAS (no disks), I can get 5-10 years of Google Drive. With the advantage of having an off-site backup.
And I have to admit, I follow product launches, but I couldn't tell you what has improved in the past few years. Despite being refreshed every year, NAS solution all look the same to me.

If I remember correctly QNAP had a 4x2.5" NAS solution few years back. It was very compact and mostly targeted towards travelers. While having cloud storage for off site copies is good strategy but generally cloud service providers aren't responsible for file loses(I lost few files from Google drive, though luckily they were just final drafts of short notes we published in journal not much of loss in the end).
Seems like it has been updated quietly with Dual 2.5Gbps NICs.

Qnap's Tiny Portable NAS Crams in Four SSDs and Dual 2.5GbE

A NAS for notebooks

www.tomshardware.com

None of their adapters should cost that much. It's probably a third party reseller on Amazon selling it for that much. I bought it from BHP for significantly less but still more than what it should cost.

Synology E10G18-T1 10GbE PCIe Expansion Card

Buy Synology E10G18-T1 10GbE PCIe Expansion Card featuring For Select Synology NAS Servers, Supports 802.3an 10 Gb/s Ethernet, Supports 802.3bz 2.5 & 5 Gb/s Ethernet, Supports 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet, Supports 802.3u Fast Ethernet, Supports 802.3x Flow Control, PCIe 3.0 x4 Interface, Full...

www.bhphotovideo.com

One listed on B&H is standard PCI-e NIC and there seems to be a 40% overhead in pricing for it being a Synology NIC.

 

[Crackong]

Not interested
Still waiting for an updated 620silm type with 10G network support

 

[ymdhis]

This is a joke, it costs 500€, for that you can build your own small Ryzen box that idles at as low as 28W depending on what power supply you get. And may still have enough left over to get a 10GbE NIC for it.

 

[Chrispy_]

FFS, Synology still refuse to use 2.5G NICs in 2023.

Sure, you can buy a 10G port but the refusal to move beyond 1G by default is a real downside to Synology. Even models without SSD cache are severely hampered by the 1G ports and hard drives can easily stream reads and writes at 2GB/s. Port aggregation doesn't cut it and is rarely any better than a single 1G port.

QNAP have been offering 2.5G on even fairly basic models for about 5 years now...

 

[Wirko]

FFS, Synology still refuse to use 2.5G NICs in 2023.

Sure, you can buy a 10G port but the refusal to move beyond 1G by default is a real downside to Synology. Even models without SSD cache are severely hampered by the 1G ports and hard drives can easily stream reads and writes at 2GB/s. Port aggregation doesn't cut it and is rarely any better than a single 1G port.

QNAP have been offering 2.5G on even fairly basic models for about 5 years now...

Also Synology's OS used to be very good at supporting various USB peripherals, including Ethernet and Wi-fi dongles. Then, supposedly for security reasons, they locked everything down and few types of devices remain supported (USB storage of course does).

 

[Chrispy_]

Also Synology's OS used to be very good at supporting various USB peripherals, including Ethernet and Wi-fi dongles. Then, supposedly for security reasons, they locked everything down and few types of devices remain supported (USB storage of course does).

Something terrible happened at Synology last year. All of their SMB and enterprise stuff stopped working properly with any disks other than Synology's own brand of disks.

Despite being relabelled variants of the cheapest Toshiba NAS drives (perfectly decent drives) they are more than double the price and by far the most expensive option available.

It's 100% a "f*ck you" to customers, and even if they roll back that policy, Synology have shit the bed and that's on their permanent record. This is along the same lines as dropping support for USB peripherals and non-Synology AIBs that previously worked, but no longer do.

Meanwhile, I took a couple of old Dell 10GbE NICs out of a retired server this week and plopped them straight into a couple of QNAP TS-series rackmount NAS at the datacenter; Worked without complaint, no unnecessary vendor-lock bullshit. Last time I tried that on our Synology NAS it pooed its underwear and threw a tantrum until I took it out.

Honestly, Synology don't deserve the lead they currently enjoy in the NAS sector. They earned it half a decade ago and are now coasting on stagnation and extortion of existing customers - get out while you can!

 

[Minus Infinity]

Since they dont mention network capabilities in PR, I suspect they are still dragging their feet with 1Gbps NICs.

WTF! Not even a 2.5Gb/s port in 2023. Won't be upgrading my current model to another Synology if they keep down this path.

 

[fredfat1983]

wonder is m.2 socket featuring screwless or not?

 

[A Computer Guy]

Generally I like Synology NAS especially DSM. Just some thoughts as a home user of Synology NAS.

I can live without the 2.5Gb connection but nightly backups and power outage detection is a must so the unit can shutdown properly.
This new model only having 1 USB port really sucks bigtime as you won't be able to have UPS and nightly backup disk connected at the same time.
For a small office user that is going to suck having to constantly deal with only 1 USB port unless you are going to do some cloud backup.

- Pros
- Has ECC and ECC memory expandable to 32GB
- Has a (beefier?) CPU (just not good for Plex)
- 10Gb adaptor if you need faster network speeds
- Surveillance Station
- Should perform pretty well

- Cons
- The expansion unit seems way overpriced for what it is (also doesn't provide additional USB ports) to the point one might as well get a larger bay device anyway with the expansion port.
- If you have a 10Gb network and your going to put the 10Gb adaptor in you might as well get a larger bay unit with that feature anyway.
- $459.99 (diskless) seems a bit to much for a 2 bay unit.

I have the ds920+ and the the general lack of USB ports and USB hub support is a PITA. If they wanted to go the Apple route they could have at least produced a USB hub along with their 10Gb adaptor.

Some other thoughts...

For home users a 2 bay unit the ds220+ will be cheaper and still run Plex and give you 2 USB ports.

The ds920+ (a step up from ds220+) is still a good deal as long as your fine with limited 1Gb speeds.
- you will get the NVMe read/write cache
- can increase memory (+4GB non-ECC officially supported, +16GB if you want to void your warranty and live dangerously)
- can run with 4 drive 2 disk fault tolerance (better for small office use)
- often goes on sale for nearly the same price as this new ds723+ system (however not sure if it's still produced)

 

[terroralpha]

i hate to be that guy, but this doesn't make sense at this price. i'd see the appeal at maybe $300 max.

i ditched my synology unit for an unraid box. took some time to figure things out but now i'm so glad i did. you can build a monster set up for $450 using some second hand hardware. ryzen 3xxx cpus are dirt cheap these days and an be tuned to consume very little power. SFP+ NICs and transceivers also cost nothing.

 

[Chaitanya]

i hate to be that guy, but this doesn't make sense at this price. i'd see the appeal at maybe $300 max.

i ditched my synology unit for an unraid box. took some time to figure things out but now i'm so glad i did. you can build a monster set up for $450 using some second hand hardware. ryzen 3xxx cpus are dirt cheap these days and an be tuned to consume very little power. SFP+ NICs and transceivers also cost nothing.

Even at $300 its a total rip-off given its limitation of 1Gbps NIC, 2GB of RAM and 1xUSB 3.0 port.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Even at $300 its a total rip-off given its limitation of 1Gbps NIC, 2GB of RAM and 1xUSB 3.0 port.

Given the likely cost of proprietary RAM and NIC upgrades to this unit it would be more appealing if the unit was closer to $200 instead of $450 but that will never happen.
I can speculate closer to $200 they would certainly sell more units along with RAM and NIC upgrades (and expansion units) making the ecosystem more effective.

If you go up to ds923+ you get +2 bays and +1 USB port for +$200 out of pocket which is kind of outrageous but more worth while over the ds723+ in my opinion and probably better justifies NIC and RAM upgrade usefulness with the more capable unit. The expansion unit seems a bit of a game and I wonder due to the cost of it you might as well get the higher capacity unit anyway. If the expansion unit was closer to $200 I would definitely get it - no question - but for over $450 I'd rather start swapping out for higher capacity drives instead.

 

[Ferrum Master]

After building my own DIY NAS... I say hard NO to any of the reputable SOHO solutions. Those are overpriced, proprietary and perform worse, consume more energy and are feature limited. Server grade blades are another story, but for home/small office they are going over the red line. They are not appealing just because of the price and will not take off. Do they understand that they compete with Cloud that with that pricing is cheaper and maintenance free.

Creating proprietary hardware, software etc... what are you thinking dudes? You are not Apple, quit the logic and be as user friendly you can and support any device user finds and is Linux supported to be slotted in.

I have a 11900T i9(got cheap from a office crapmachine, had a 30$ G6400T before, same TDP) and my overall system eats 14W in idle from the wall. So what's the magic NAS makers are offering us?

 

[A Computer Guy]

After building my own DIY NAS... I say hard NO to any of the reputable SOHO solutions. Those are overpriced, proprietary and perform worse, consume more energy and are feature limited. Server grade blades are another story, but for home/small office they are going over the red line. They are not appealing just because of the price and will not take off. Do they understand that they compete with Cloud that with that pricing is cheaper and maintenance free.

Creating proprietary hardware, software etc... what are you thinking dudes? You are not Apple, quit the logic and be as user friendly you can and support any device user finds and is Linux supported to be slotted in.

I have a 11900T i9 and my overall system eats 14W in idle from the wall. So what's the magic NAS makers are offering us?

This is very interesting I would like to know more about your setup. If necessary we can carry this to a different thread if you are willing to share. For home use I find the simplicity of DSM is great but I thought it's difficult to match the power usage using of some of these NAS units that use much weaker CPU's unless you go with those SBC industrial boards.

 

[Ferrum Master]

This is very interesting I would like to know more about your setup. If necessary we can carry this to a different thread if you are willing to share. For home use I find the simplicity of DSM is great but I thought it's difficult to match the power usage using of some of these NAS units that use much weaker CPU's unless you go with those SBC industrial boards.

Just PM. It ain't something special. I've had several platforms already it just uses sleep states Intel is offering for years, by default those are often disabled, as most of the crowd is performance gaming oriented and don't care for power consumption.

 

[Chrispy_]

i hate to be that guy, but this doesn't make sense at this price. i'd see the appeal at maybe $300 max.

i ditched my synology unit for an unraid box. took some time to figure things out but now i'm so glad i did. you can build a monster set up for $450 using some second hand hardware. ryzen 3xxx cpus are dirt cheap these days and an be tuned to consume very little power. SFP+ NICs and transceivers also cost nothing.

There's no denying the AIO prebuilt NAS boxes are poor value, but it's hard to beat their form factor or low power consumption.

Despite my dislike of Synology as an SMB/Enterprise vendor, their budget home stuff is great because DSM is actually pretty decent as a simple consumer NAS OS, the units are cheap, tiny, quiet, and low-power. For something I want to set-and-forget, run 24/7 and not cost much - they fit the bill.

This DS 723+?
No. It's twice the price is needs to be to appeal to the consumer market. QNAP, Asustor, Teramaster have it beaten for less.