Introduction

We would like to thank Synology for supplying the review sample.



We already reviewed and tested the DS1815+, the big brother to the DS1515+ we are going to evaluate today. Both of these NAS servers are mostly for SMB environments since they can be paired with two DX513 expansion units for up to 18 and 15 HDDs respectively, which doesn't mean that enthusiast users with deep pockets are prohibited from buying these NAS servers; however, such enthusiasts should have all the corresponding networking equipment since such high-end NAS boxes require those to unfold their full networking transfer speeds.

The DS1515+ is based on a high-peformance Rangeley platform, all while consuming very little energy, which is crucial for a NAS that is going to operate around the clock. This unit's only notable disadvantage after taking a quick look at its technical specifications appears to be the low memory total out of the box. It should at least come with 4 GB or, better yet, 8 GB of memory since it is meant for business environments where many will access it simultaneously while it executes other applications and services. Highly optimized, Synology's DSM operating system thankfully utilizes very little memory in most scenarios. In this review, we will also check on DSM 5.2 as it was released while we were evaluating the DS1515+. Synology was even kind enough to provide us with a DX513 expansion unit, so we will use this opportunity to figure out what advantages it offers NAS servers that support it. Although we have reviewed many Synology products in the past, this is the first time we get to evaluate one of Synology's expansion unit, and we are very excited about the opportunity to do so.