For the final two years, the DiskStation DS920+ dominated the NAS gross sales charts. There’s an excellent purpose for that; the DS923+ provided the best mixture of {hardware} within the type of an Intel Celeron J4125, 4 drive bays, twin Gigabit ports, and one of the best set of software program options in its class. It’s no marvel, then, that the NAS was the clear favourite for many dwelling customers seeking to get the finest NAS for Plex.
Synology isn’t often recognized for making drastic adjustments to its NAS servers — significantly its best-selling fashions — however that’s what it did with the DiskStation DS923+. The NAS nonetheless has the identical set of ports as its predecessor, nevertheless it presents a solution to change to 10GbE networking by way of an improve.
The most important change is that the M.2 drives on the DS923+ can be utilized for storage, making it that rather more versatile. And as we have seen over the course of the final 15 months with different DiskStation fashions, there’s Ryzen {hardware} beneath the hood.
Whereas the {hardware} adjustments are nice for essentially the most half, the transfer to Ryzen signifies that the DS923+ loses out on native Plex transcoding — identical to the 2-bay DiskStation DS723+. Principally, there’s no solution to transcode by way of the {hardware}, and that’s now pushed by the software program, which is noticeably slower.
Nonetheless, I discovered that this omission doesn’t actually make a distinction in each day use. I received began with the DS923+ six months in the past, and used it as my Plex server, streaming dozens of TV reveals and excessive bitrate films to a slew of TVs and linked gadgets in my dwelling.
Right here’s why I believe the DS923+ continues to be one of the best 4-bay NAS for Plex, and why you need to contemplate it for those who’re planning an improve.
Synology DiskStation DS923+: Pricing and availability
The DiskStation DS923+ was unveiled again in January 2023, and it went on sale shortly thereafter. The NAS is now obtainable within the U.S. for $598 from Amazon, and it’s offered in all areas the place the model has an official presence. As is normal with all DiskStation fashions, you get a three-year guarantee right here.
Apart from switching to AMD, the feature-set is essentially similar to the DS920+; you get the identical 4GB of RAM out of the field, similar 4 drive bays, two M.2 NVMe SSD drive bays, twin Gigabit Ethernet ports on the again and an eSATA port that permits you to connect an exterior drive housing. This is a quick rundown of the {hardware}:
| Class | Synology DiskStation DS923+ |
|---|---|
| Inner drive bays | 4 (18TB every bay), 3.5-inch HDD, 2.5-inch HDD/SSD, M.2 storage |
| Community interface | 2 x Gigabit Ethernet, Hyperlink Aggregation |
| USB ports | 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 |
| eSATA ports | 1 |
| PCIe | 1 x Gen3 x2 community slot |
| CPU | Twin-core 2.6GHz AMD Ryzen R1600, 64-bit |
| Plex transcoding | No |
| RAM | 4GB DDR4 ECC, two SODIMM slots, as much as 32GB whole |
| M.2 slots | Storage and SSD caching |
| File system | Btrfs, EXT4 |
| Cooling | 2 x 92mm, 20.7dB(A) |
| Extensibility | 1 x eSATA port, 5 further drive bays |
| Dimensions | 166 x 199 x 223mm |
| Weight | 4.9lb (2.24 kg) |
Synology DiskStation DS923+: Design and options
The design of the DS923+ is just about similar to its predecessor; cowl up the title and also you received’t be capable of differentiate the 2. It is a good factor because it maintains design consistency, and the general aesthetic ensures the NAS doesn’t draw an excessive amount of consideration to itself.
The design additionally permits for good airflow; the edges are vented, and the identical twin 92mm followers are positioned on the again, guaranteeing the drives throughout the NAS don’t overheat when operating beneath load. The chassis itself is made out of aluminum, with the drive bays made out of plastic — identical to earlier generations.
You get 4 drive bays on the NAS, and like all different DiskStation fashions, putting in a 3.5-inch HDD is about as simple because it will get due to the tool-less design. If you wish to use 2.5-inch SSDs as an alternative, you’ll want to make use of the bundled screws and mount the drive.
What’s significantly fascinating with this era is you could lastly use M.2 NVMe SSDs for storage; this was beforehand restricted to SSD caching. The transfer means you may slot in an M.2 SSD and use it as a storage drive, identical to a typical 3.5-inch HDD or 2.5-inch SSD. With SSD costs nosediving in recent times, the transfer could not have come at a greater time, and it makes the DS923+ that rather more helpful — significantly if you wish to fill the drive bays with quick SSDs.
There’s just one caveat right here — you may’t simply use the M.2 drive bays on their very own. You will want to put in a mechanical laborious drive or SSD in one of many 4 drive bays, after which you may slot in M.2 SSDs.
Synology DiskStation DS923+: Ports
The ports on the again are just about similar to that of the DS920+, with the DS923+ that includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports that may be bridged by way of Hyperlink Aggregation, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, and an eSATA port for attaching an exterior drive unit just like the DX517.
Apparently, there’s additionally a PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot on the again this time, and that can be utilized for slotting in a 10GbE networking card do you have to want to improve the connectivity of the NAS down the road. You should use the $110 E10G22-T1-Mini community card to unlock 10GbE networking on the DS923+, and whereas I might have most popular multi-Gigabit networking out of the field, it is a good different.
Synology ought to have used the DS923+ to introduce 2.5GbE ports on the again, as most different manufacturers on this class now supply these ports as normal. Most dwelling customers can be greater than comfy with Gigabit ports, however for those who’re pondering of utilizing the M.2 ports and slotting in a couple of SATA SSDs, you need to consider switching over to 10GbE networking.
Synology DiskStation DS923+: Efficiency
An enormous speaking level during the last 18 months is how Synology is limiting the usage of third-party laborious drives on its DiskStation fashions. The transfer comes on the heels of the model launching its personal sequence of HDDs, and whereas they’re geared toward enterprise customers, it has affected what NAS HDDs might be formally utilized by DiskStation fashions focused at dwelling customers and fans.
The clearest indicator is the official HDD/SSD charts maintained by the model; the HDD record for the DiskStation DS1019+ options lots of of fashions, together with the likes of Seagate Exos, IronWolf Professional, WD Crimson Professional, and Toshiba’s high-end NAS drives. The similar HDD chart for the DS923+ has considerably fewer choices, and there is not any IronWolf Professional or Crimson Professional drives highlighted anymore.
I get that Synology is attempting to spin up its personal HDD portfolio, and the model has each proper to implement what HDDs can be utilized with its merchandise. That stated, the truth that you may’t slot in a number of the finest NAS HDDs and newer choices just like the 20TB Seagate Exos with the DS923+ is a little bit of a letdown, and whereas most mainstream consumers will not be involved in such a lot of storage, this nonetheless looks like a step backwards.
Having stated that, the DS923+ nonetheless works with most consumer-focused 16TB and 14TB drives from Western Digital and Seagate, and you should use normal Crimson Plus and IronWolf drives — I used 6TB IronWolf drives right here with none points in any way.
Fortunately, the DS923+ does all the fitting issues in relation to efficiency; though it has fewer cores than its predecessor, it’s noticeably quicker in most each day use eventualities, whether or not that is operating Docker containers, backing up machines by way of Energetic Backup, and utilizing Photographs or Drive to handle pictures, movies, paperwork, and different knowledge.
However the DS923+ is at its finest in relation to media streaming. There are native shoppers for Plex and Emby, and you may as well arrange Jellyfin and an entire suite of different utilities that make the NAS that rather more versatile. Whereas there is not any means to make use of {hardware} transcoding with the Ryzen fashions, that is not an enormous subject in 2023 — most consumer gadgets have already got the requisite codecs.
Within the six months I used the DS923+ as my Plex server, I did not see any purpose to transcode media on any of my goal gadgets, together with one of the best Android TVs, projectors just like the XGIMI Aura, a number of telephones together with the Galaxy S23 Extremely, Pixel 7 Professional, Xiaomi 13 Extremely, and so forth. Whereas there have been some points on this space with my iPad Air beforehand, it hasn’t confirmed to be an issue of late. In brief, except you are sharing your Plex library with lots of associates and completely want hardware-level transcode, the DS923+ is the best media server for you.
Synology DiskStation DS923+: Software program
Software program is an space the place Synology continues to be in a dominant place, and whereas different manufacturers are making headway on this space, If you wish to avoid wasting money and do not see your self needing 4 drive bays, the DiskStation DS723+ is a strong different. It is almost similar to the DS923+, and also you get the identical set of {hardware} and software program options. It is at the moment promoting for $441 on Amazon, so it can save you $150 and use that towards a 10GbE networking improve or NAS HDDs offered you are comfy with simply two drive bays.
In the event you’re in search of one of the best {hardware} that this phase has to supply, you need to contemplate TerraMaster’s F5-422. The NAS has 5 drive bays, options Intel {hardware} with built-in transcoding, 4GB of RAM, and twin Gigabit Ethernet connectivity on the again together with a 10GbE port. TerraMaster’s software program, TOS, has gotten an overhaul and appears trendy, and whereas it would not have fairly as many options, it’s a viable different. on the DS923+ units the usual. The benefit of use mixed with the in depth feature-set offers DSM a definite edge, and the fashionable design appears polished.
What makes DSM significantly nice is that it really works simply as nicely for novice customers and fans alike. The interface is straightforward to know, and for those who simply need a NAS for media streaming and backing up pictures and movies, you may arrange Plex and the built-in Photographs consumer and simply go away it at that. However for those who’re seeking to take advantage of out of the NAS, there’s Docker integration and a collection of highly effective utilities — together with a VM supervisor, mail server, customized VPN server, and a lot extra — that provides you far more versatility.
On the finish of the day, that is what offers the DS923+ the sting; the {hardware} is way from one of the best you may discover on this class, however the NAS continues to be a best-seller solely due to how simple it’s to make use of the software program and the sheer variety of options obtainable. There is not one other NAS producer that provides you a similar refined cell shoppers that allow you to entry your media and music assortment on the go, and that is simply the largest promoting level of the DS923+.
