Introduction

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

According to their website, Synology is a company dedicated to taking full advantage of the latest technologies in order to provide businesses and home users with reliable and affordable ways to centralize data storage, simplify backup, share files across different platforms and operating systems. Indeed this company is specialized into making Network Attached Storage devices and is considered among the key players in this industry. Synology's products are interesting to everyone from the plain home users to large business administrators.

In this review we are going to take a detailed look at their DS412+ NAS server which addresses mostly the SMB users and also a portion of the enthusiast home users that want a rich-featured and strong NAS. The DS412+ is equipped with a dual-core Atom processor running at 2.13 GHz and has 1 GB DDR3 RAM installed. It can take up to four HDDs and its max internal capacity reaches 16 TB (if 4x 4 TB HDDs are used). Also it features two Gigabit ports that support Link Aggregation (LACP) and it also has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 and one eSATA.

One of the strongest points of this NAS, and of all Synology products, is the DSM (DiskStation Manager) operating system which offers a windowed graphical interface and combines enhanced usability with high performance. If you want to take a look at it you can run this live demo (it isn't available all the time) that Synology includes on their site. Through this demo you will get a good impression of the newest DMS 4 and its capabilities. From the first look it resembles Microsoft Windows, so even inexperienced users will find their way around it.

Specifications

A dual core Atom is the brain of the DS412+ and although this is considered a small CPU for a Windows PC, for a NAS it has sufficient computing power to cover all cases. The installed RAM reaches 1 GB and Synology doesn't mention anything about upgrading, however once we took apart the unit we discovered that the RAM is not soldered directly onto the mainboard, but loaded into a single RAM slot so if you find a compatible 2 GB DIMM you can probably upgrade it. Up to four hot swap drives can be installed in the NAS and the newest SATA 6 Gbps protocol is not supported. Normal mechanical HDDs cannot take advantage of its speed improvements so there will be no bottleneck even with SATA II. Also before you purchase any HDDs you better take a look at this HDD compatibility list provided by Synology.

The networking part of the DS412+ is equipped with two Gigabit NICs which support port trunking (or LACP); however in order to take advantage of LACP's increased speeds your switch support it too. The same applies for Jumbo frames which offer a speed boost for large transfers. The other I/O ports are two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 and one eSATA.

The NAS features compact dimensions and its weight is pretty low thanks to the extended usage of plastic, something we don't like that much, we prefer steel over plastic even though metal is much heavier.

Synology states that the DS412+ in sleep mode comsumes 15W while at full load only 44W are needed. These are very low values, so this NAS will save you lots of money in electricity bills.

Finally the warranty period is similar to QNAP's products and is limited to only two years while the price is on the high side reaching $680.

Packaging

The box is of medium size and features a light blue background. On the front we find the word "DiskStation" which represents the name that Synology gives to all their NAS servers along with several badges on the bottom, which describe some notable features of the DS412+.


On one of the two sides we find a photo of the NAS along with a brief characteristics description and a list of the box contents. Also the supported languages are listed here. On the other side there are many icons describing the most interesting features of the NAS.


Thankfully there is a carrying handle to help you move the box around.

Contents & Bundle

Once you open the top flap you will find a message from Synology which prompts you to read the quick installation guide, found in the installation disc, to set up the NAS correctly. Also the links to the Synology support and news are given.
Right under the small box that stores all accessories resides the NAS, which is wrapped in a white plastic bag. Unfortunately Synology didn't use any packing foam to provide protection even under extreme circumstances. The small carton box we mentioned above hides the installation disk, two network cables, the AC power adapter along with its power cord, two small bags with screws and a leaflet.


The compact dimensions didn't allow for an internal PSU so a power brick was used instead. This one can deliver around 100W (8.33A at +12V) so it is strong enough to cover the energy needs of the DS412+.

Exterior

The Synology DS-412+ has a black, matte finish and the external quality overall is decent although not top notch. We would highly prefer brushed aluminium or at least a steel casing to be used instead of plastic. On the front, a plastic cover hides the removable trays and you have to remove it to gain access to them. On the top of each caddy dots are used for enumeration, however there are no numbers or dots on the caddies so you have to number them by yourself once you install the HDDs, if you plan to remove them frequently at least. In the top right corner all five indicator LEDS can be found, for the status of the NAS itself and the activity of each of the four HDDs. In the bottom right corner resides the On/Off switch and the front USB 2.0 port.


On the side of the NAS we find the Synology logo engraved into the casing and on the rear side most of the real estate is occupied by the two 92mm fans. On the bottom left side all I/O ports are located, namely two USB 3.0, a single eSATA and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Also the power input socket (12V) resides there along with a K-lock.


On the bottom of the NAS four rubber pads provide the necessary stability on every surface.


We removed all four caddies, to give you an image of the internals and the PCIe expansion card that houses all SATA connectors. The two fans are located right behind the HDDs in order to remove the generated heat.


The caddies can house 3.5" and 2.5" HDDs or SSDs (if you are rich enough or simply don't want high capacity). On their internal sides they are equipped with strips of soft material to absorb disk vibrations and also the HDD mounting holes feature rubber grommets for the same purpose.