Exterior

The NAS has a rather boring design, but its dimensions are compact enough for an eight-bay server. The lack of an LCD screen plays a significant role in keeping it as compact. All its trays feature locks, which is a must for business environments where physical data protection is a necessity.


On the top of the front are several LED indicators, and you unfortunately won't find anything else at the face of the NAS; the lack of a USB 3.0 port there is a real shame.


Synology's logo has been punched into one of two sides and acts as an exhaust grill.


At the bottom of the NAS are four stands and a small label with the model number and the unit's power specifications.


The two fans in the rear ensure that HDD operating temperatures will stay low, which increases their lifetime.


The I/O ports are comprised of four Ethernet ports, two eSATA ports, four USB 3.0 ports, and a Kensington lock, along with the reset button you need a sharp, thin object to activate.


Here is a detailed description of all the LED indicators and I/O ports.


Here are some photos with all the candies removed. You will see more of the internals as we break the unit apart.


The trays are unfortunately out of plastic, which didn't impress us all that much. An SMB NAS should come with metal caddies. Synology also didn't equipped these with vibration-absorbing materials, and noise output due to these HDD trays actually increased in our testing sessions, which is a real shame. Synology should do something about it since the high pitch these cause can really be annoying.


The caddies with HDDs installed.


The installation of the HDDs is tool-less since no screws are required. You will only need screws if you install 2.5" HDDs or SSDs.