Synology DS220+

The DS220+ replaces my trusty old DS215j that I used for years and was a budget NAS. The DS220+ really feels a lot smoother and the somewhat meager standard 2GB internal memory can be expanded to a total of 18GB internal memory. Officially, this is only possible up to 6GB with a very expensive 4GB module from Synology itself, but a 16GB SODIMM from Crucial also appears to work fine after some searching on the Internet. So I simultaneously ordered a Crucial 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 SODIMM Dual Rank (1x16GB) SODIMM and it works fine with the DS220+ and it now sees 18GB of internal memory. After running a memory test, no problems were found.

If, like me, you come from a cheap network drive, this NAS is a real experience. I've had it for about two months now. I mainly use the NAS to stream series and movies to TV, and it does that well. Despite the fact that the device supports Plex, I use that standard app from Synology to stream, this meets my requirements. Other users say this NAS is quiet, I don't think so. I live small, so the NAS has to be in the same room where I sleep. If he is busy with tasks you can hear this well. Even when the NAS is in sleep mode and you want to wake it up, it is quite slow compared to my previous system. Once awake it goes fast. The device is pricey, more you get a lot in return. Despite the few minuses, there are also a lot of pluses. The NAS is very user-friendly to set up. And the adjustment possibilities are enormous (even down to the brightness of the LED lights). Multitasking is not a problem for this device. I certainly do not regret the purchase.

I chose a + series NAS from Synology because of the possibility to use Docker and Virtual Machine Manager so that you can turn the NAS into a PC in a NAS. The support of Docker with which you can use, for example, Pi-Hole (ad blocker) or HomeAssistant (home automation) makes the NAS very versatile. Of course, the basic function, saving files, is also very good on this NAS. What is a must, especially if you want to run Docker or Virtual Machine Manager, is a memory upgrade of 8 or 16GB. Fortunately, you can use standard DDR4 2400mt/PC4-19200 laptop memory for this. Despite its higher price compared to other 2 bay NAS, it is well worth its price.