Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS Review (Long-Term): Ideal NAS for Individuals and Small Businesses

Leading Network Attached Storage band Synology has been refreshing its lineup of NAS devices for the upcoming year. Synology launched the DiskStation DS920+ (review) successor last year, namely the Synology DiskStation DS923+. The newest NAS comes with M.2 SSD storage support and is AMD-powered with DSM 7.1 OS and better specs. The NAS can install up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and has been designed for heavy use at home or in the office. The NAS is straightforward to use and starting it up requires almost no time. However, whether it is apt for everyday use or not, let’s find out.

Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS Review: Design and Build

In terms of design, the DiskStation DS923+ is very similar to its predecessor. Synology hasn’t changed much, and thus, from the outside, anyone can mistake it for the older model if the model number DS923+ wasn’t printed on the front side. The overall design is sleek and can fit anywhere in your home or office.

The front panel of the NAS features the model number and some LED indicators that show the status of disk and network activity. There is one USB-A port and a power button as well, along with four 3.5-inch drive bays that allow installation up to 80TB without any expansion unit. The sides and top are left vacant apart from branding and ventilation. The bottom side has two M.2 slots behind removable trays.

The rear side of the NAS has DC input from an external PSU port, two 1GbE ports, and one USB-A port, along with an E-SATA port. Synology has not given any HDMI port which means no running Plex or outputting video signals to a display. There is an option to use a 10GbE adapter on the rear that supports Synology’s proprietary cards. We used the same, and it provided excellent online editing speeds along with SATA SSD. However, if you are not interested in spending anymore, then you will have to make do with two 1GbE ports offering limited speeds.

The build quality is good, and the overall look is such that you don’t need to hide it away in a corner. Accessing the drives is easy with levers at the front.

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Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS Review: Software

The DS923+, just like other Synology NASs’ runs on this self-developed operating system called DSM, which is like Windows but for your NAS. It’s super user-friendly with these handy desktop icons that make setting up your NAS a breeze. When you fire it up, you’ll see icons like Control Panel, File Station, Package Center, and DSM Help chilling on your desktop.

Plus, as you download more apps, more icons magically appear. And hey, over on the right side of the screen, you’ve got these nifty windows showing you stuff like how long your system’s been up, how much CPU and RAM you’re using, and your NAS’s IP address.
Now, up in the top left corner, there’s this Main Menu icon that gives you access to a whole bunch of other useful tools.

There’s Storage Manager for creating volumes and tweaking RAID settings, Active Insight for shooting data over to Synology when you need some tech help, Log Center for peeking at system logs and notifications, and Security Advisor for keeping your NAS safe from malware, beefing up your passwords, and making sure your software’s up to date.

There’s a Package Center, which is just like the Google Play store or Apple App Store, where you’ll find all the apps from Synology and third-party developers. These apps turn your NAS into whatever you want – a cloud server, a media hub, a backup wizard, or even an IP camera surveillance recorder. To tweak your network setting, you need to go to Control Panel. And if you need to organize your files or give web access to your folders, the File Station icon’s got your back. Lastly, if you ever get stuck or need some pointers, go to the DSM Help icon for tutorials, which guides you through.

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Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS Review: Performance

The Synology DS923+ NAS is powered by an AMD Ryzen R1600 processor that has two cores and four threads, along with 5MB of cache and boosting capability of up to 3.1GHz. The processor is fast and efficient, leaving many of its competitors behind. A 25W TDP SoC lacks in terms of not having an integrated GPU. Though AMD does allow an integrated GPU, Synology has not opted for it for reasons best known to the brand. The lack of an integrated GPU does undermine the transcoding content performance but it isn’t affecting the performance drastically.

We paired our unit with two 4TB Synology HAT3300-4T drives and two 400GB SNV3400G M.2 NVMe cache. The NAS gave 200MB/s and 185MB/s reading and writing speeds respectively. There is an optional expansion unit with an E-SATA port which makes it a capable device for storing a good amount of data.

One of the best features is the ability to hot-swap drives, which means we don’t have to switch off the entire device to add or swap a drive. When the operating system is working usually, one can pull a drive out and then add one right back without any hassles.

As a part of my review process, we ran a Plex server on DS923; in these three months, we didn’t have to transcode media for any of my devices. The files stored on the NAS can be accessed over our network through a companion app or via other networks. Syncing it with Google or Microsoft Workspaces can provide an excellent active backup thus saving the cost of paying for a virtual backup. Whether you’re running Docker containers, backing up machines via Active Backup, or managing your photos, videos, and documents with Synology’s apps like Photos or Drive, the DS923+ handles it like a champ.

Once you start using the Synology Photos app you will ditch Google Photos or Apple iCloud as with these apps your data stays with you and can be accessed from anywhere and anytime.

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Review Verdict: Should you buy Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS?

The Synology DiskStation DS923+ NAS is a very impressive digital storage option for small businesses, startups, freelancers, and any home office. It can run Plex and enjoy 4K content streaming which makes it a good fit for almost anyone needing a local storage network. Its DSM interface is one the best in the market. Although there is no integrated GPU, most of the users won’t feel any difference due to this slight exclusion. The NAS is not a budget-friendly device but if you own a small business or work a job that requires a good amount of storage, it will prove to be a value-for-money offering.