Synology DS420J Budget NAS Revealed

As the new DS420j uses the same rear-access chassis design as it’s predecessor, we already know quite a few things about it’s design. This mostly metal casing looks very different from the rest of the designs in the Diskstation series, with no support for hot-swapping, memory upgrades or NIC upgrades, this is a NAS that arrives at a low price point sure, but also arrives with a glass ceiling. That said, the specifications are very similar to those of the DS418 and DS218play (with differences in RAM quantities). This 4 Bay NAS also arrives with the standard ports you would expect, but nothing that will blow your socks off.

CPU: Realtek RTD1296

CORES: 4

FREQUENCY: 1.4Ghz

MEMORY: 1GB DDR4

BAYS: x4 (Non Expandable)

RAID SUPPORT: RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, SHR

NUMBER OF FANS: x2

USB 3.0 PORTS: x2

RJ45 LAN PORTS: x1

EXPANSION PORTS: N/A

Hot-Swap: No

CHASSIS MATERIAL: Metal

It certainly has enough to support DSM 6.2 and likely DSM 7.0 when it is released in beta at the start of 2020, as well as the other key popular applications in the Synology app center. If you are a business user looking for a central backup server, this will certainly do the trick on a budget. Along with that, you have access to the majority of the collaboration suite applications that you can build a business around. Additionally, if you are a home user, this will serve as a great data storage solution for you and your family. Though that CPU does support 4K and 1080p, it will certainly struggle in Plex Media server and it is recommended that you use this NAS for more native/Synology owned applications. As this CPU has been featured already in recent times, we know that it comfortably supports 10-12 cameras in the surveillance station application and will likely arrive with two camera licences. As previously mentioned, the limits in this device are less about the CPU inside, but the 1GB memory limitations and inability to upgrade it further that prevent many applications not being usable.

BTRFS Support: Yes (TBC)

Synology Hybrid RAID: Yes

Snapshot Support: Yes

4K Support: Yes

Transcoding Support: Yes

Synology Multimedia Suite*: Yes

Synology Moments: Yes

Synology Drive: Yes

Synology Chat: Yes

Synology Active Backup: No

Synology Surveillance Station: Yes

Synology Virtual Machine Manager: No

Synology High Availability: No

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Synology Mail: Yes

Synology Office: Yes

Docker: TBC

Synology CMS Yes

Synology Download Station: Yes

Hyper Backup:TBC

Plex Media Server: Yes (but low end and without transcoding)

iTunes Server: Yes

WordPress: Yes

Very little is known about the price and release of the new Synology DS420J NAS Drive. As it has been one of the first units to be revealed, we can likely assume that it will arrive pretty soon. As for the price point, I cannot see Synology being able to justify a price point much higher than the £250+ (ex.VAT) of the DS418J NAS. I know for many of you, this device is not the most interesting of the bunch and may look weedy in comparison with the majority of the PLUS series, but for those of you looking for a modest NAS that gives you a solid NAS experience and DSM too, this is a tough price to beat!

If the Synology DS420J NAS 4-Bay is not the NAS that you have been waiting to buy, it is understandable that you might want to look at the current/older generation. Right now, the best alternative to the DS420J that is available to buy RIGHT NOW is the Synology DS218. Though it is a 2Bay, it arrives with the same CPU, Twice the available memory at 2GB and is around £35 cheaper! Give it a look:

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