Introduction

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



Intel's most suitable SoCs (System-On-Chip) for various storage applications, including NAS servers, are codenamed Avoton and Rangley and belong to the Atom C2000 family. These SoCs are based on the Silvermont micro architecture known for its good performance and very high energy efficiency, which results in a low TDP (Thermal Design Power), a factor crucial to storage applications.

According to Intel, Avoton SoCs are for micro-servers and other storage devices, while the Rangeley SoCs are for network and communication infrastructures. Synology chose to use the latter with the DS415+ for their own reasons. We should state here that the high-end Rangeley SoCs support the Intel QuickAssist Technology which accelerates cryptographic workload completion times, a feature no Avoton SoC supports; however, the C2538 inside the DS415+ doesn't include the QuickAssist feature. Encryption tasks are crucial in a NAS that addresses the small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) market since such devices will also store particularly sensitive data, so it would be nice to see a Synology NAS with a Rangeley SoC that supports QuickAssist in the near future.

A strong quad-core CPU with an AES-NI hardware encryption engine isn't the only ace up its sleeve as the DS415+ also includes Gigabit Ethernet ports that support the Link Aggregation Protocol (LACP), a silent operation thanks two quality fans that operate at low speeds most of the time, and, last but not least, the fantastic DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system - highly intuitive and one of the most feature-rich NAS operating systems in its area. Synology set the bar incredibly high with their DSM OS and its only serious competitors are QNAP's and Asustor's alternatives.

A quick glimpse at its specifications reveals the DS415+ to be the server for SMB environments or incredibly demanding users who can afford it. The time and effort all companies in this field pour into designing their products and developing their packages and operating systems doesn't come cheap and increases the final price. Consumers also have to understand and properly appreciate the value of these software packages since most usually judge a product's price by its hardware without including the resources it takes to develop and specifically tailor the software around the hardware, which is why a NAS is as powerful and energy efficient as it is. There is almost no use for a powerful NAS with buggy software or a poor feature set since a weak NAS with sophisticated, well-designed software can perform those tasks just as quickly but more reliably.