Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS Comparison

 

Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS – Which Should You Buy

Now that the latest 4 Diskstaiton NAS have arrived on the market, it has caused alot of new buyers to scratch their head and wonder “which one should I buy?”. It is understandable, a NAS is a unique investment for many (especially home users) and is far less clear to distinguish than TVs, Consoles and Mobile phones – the difference between different Synology NAS (especially 4 units as similar as the DS920+, DS720+, DS420+ and DS220+) can be pretty hard to spot. Luckily I have been going through these units (taking them to pieces in some places) to find out exactly what makes them different and hopefully help you decide which one deserves your data. Before we go any further, we need to highlight that all four of these NAS drives give you a huge amount of network and internet data service support. Not just simple backups, but a huge array of applications and services. In fact, the DS920+, DS420+, DS720+ and DS220+ NAS are complete hardware and software solutions. So, below are the things that ALL of them have in common:

  • Family Device Backups – Backup up multiple mobile and desktop devices, all to different folders
  • Photo Collections – Create an impressive archive of photos for DLNA/Network/Internet Access
  • Movie Collections – Watch your Media over the Network/Internet
  • Photo/Video Editing – Suitable for Editing 1080p and 4K in more powerful Cases
  • Mac Users – Software and User-interface  Favoured by Mac Users
  • Windows Users – Software and User-Interface Favoured by Windows Users
  • Plex Media Server with Transcoding – Suitable for a Plex Media Server with Transcoding for better streaming results
  • 4K Transcoding – Playback and adapt 4K Media for the Best Output
  • 1080p Transcoding – Playback and adapt 1080p Media for the Best Output
  • Medium Virtual Machine Use – Can be used for 3-4 Virtual Machines
  • SSD Cache Support – Install SSD drives alongside Hard Drives to have vastly improved Read and Write Speeds
  • Home Surveillance – Support upto 10 Cameras with the included Surveillance Software on the NAS
  • Shop Surveillance – Support upto 20 Cameras with the included Surveillance Software on the NAS
  • Business Surveillance – Support upto and above 40 Cameras with the included Surveillance Software on the NAS
  • Compact NAS – Small Chassis NAS for discreet/tight area installation
  • File Server NAS – Designed with High volume file transit in mind
  • Audio Server – Designed for Audio File streaming and distribution over DLNA/Network/Internet
  • Expandable Storage – This NAS allows users to add more storage above the preliminary bays at purchase
  • HIGH Mobile App Support for iOS and Android
  • BTRFS as a file system choice for file self-healing, easy shared folder handling and faster snapshot creation
  • Synology Hybrid RAID support, for a RAID configuration that allows mixed drive types later in the units life (great for upgrades years down the line)

Now you know that whichever one you choose, you have a solid and robust storage system that (except for the hard drives and/or SSD that need to be purchased separately) arrives with a huge array of software to suit practically any network situation. So now let’s move into what makes them different and how to choose each on its strengths and weaknesses.

 

Below are all four new NAS drives. Click ‘View Details’ to find the Best Deals on the NAS right now or ‘Review’ to read my full review of each NAS

Synology DS920+ NAS Drive – £550+

REVIEW

Synology DS720+ NAS Drive – £420+

REVIEW

Synology DS420+ NAS Drive – £470+

REVIEW

Synology DS220+ NAS Drive – £320+

REVIEW

 

Internal Hardware Specifications of the Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS

Likely one of the most transparent areas of difference between the DS920+, DS420+, DS220+ and DS420+ is the internal hardware. Anyone that has ever purchased (or built) a PC or really any PC system will be familiar with CPUs, Memory (RAM) and LAN ports. However, knowing WHAT they are and WHAT they MEAN is very different. The hardware on these four NAS devices is distinct in a number of key ways and although we have two 2-bay NAS and two 4-Bay NAS devices here, even then they are different in what they bring to the table in their own way. Likely the most important factors here are the following:

The CPU Choices:

This will dictate what you can do on the NAS and to what extent you can do it!

Intel J4025 CPU, 2.0-2.9Ghz, Dual-Core – A solid 2 core CPU that allows hardware transcoding natively up to 4K and 1080p, 256bit data encryption, a great multi-user user environment and around 15-20 cameras in surveillance at once-  a good standard of support of the software from Synology

Intel J4125 CPU, 2.0-2.7Ghz, Quad-Core – A 4-Core processor that can do everything the dual-core J4025 can do, only much more so! More 4K/1080p transcoding streams, more users supported at once, higher sustained encryption performance and more cameras in the surveillance software. The 4 core CPU also opens the door to better Virtual Machine and Container support on your NAS.

Memory Amounts:

This dictates the maximum number of applications,users and tasks you can run at once – as well as how far each of those applications can run (eg cameras in surveillance and VMs)

2GB of Memory (Upgradable to 6GB) – 2GB of memory is a good start for around 3-5 users, but you will feel this when multiple users are interacting with the NAS at once. The system will generally uses % of that memory for supporting the device and it’s functions in the background generally, so most users will likely upgrade to that 6GB mark in the lifespan of the product.

4GB of Memory (Upgradable to 8GB) – 4GBis more and more being accepted as the general minimum needed for the best Synology NAS hardware and software experience. Additionally, the 4GB NAS model allows a higher maximum of 8GB, thanks to the SODIMM upgrade slot being separate from the 4GB of soldered memory inside

Dedicated SSD Caching Bays

SSD caching is a way in which you can improve the performance of generally slower HDDs inside your NAS drive. You can leverage the traditionally faster access speeds, IOPS and caching technology of admittedly more expensive SSDs and pass those benefits in a hybrid storage system to the slower, but lower price+larger capacity HDDs in your RAID. Some NAS have dedicated SSD bays for this feature, whilst others require you to use the normal HDD bays and populate them with a 2.5″ SSD

No Dedicated Bays – This means that you are going to need to use SATA 2.5″ SSD media in one or more of the main 3.5£ storage bays. Still works very well, but limits your HDD RAID storage potential

2x NVMe SSD Bays – This means there are two NVMe SSD bays (PCIe Gen 3×4 NVMe) that let you install 1800-5000MB/s SSD to cache on behalf of the HDD RAID Storage

Storage Bays

These are the main area of the NAS Drive that holds your hard drives for storage. You can run a Synology NAS with a single HDD/SSD if you choose, but it is recommended that you use multiple drives in order to take advantage of the performance and safety net (redundancy) made available with a RAID configuration. Different numbers of Bays will result in different levels of RAID support – generally the more bays, the more options. Likewise, you can expand your storage at a later date with some Synology NAS, allowing you to leverage your spending on day one away from storage and towards internal hardware for higher performance, then add more storage years later with an expansion.

2-Bays – A 2-Bay Synology NAS Drive will allow you to take advantage JBOD (loose drives), RAID 0 (combined drives into 1 big area), RAID 1 (mirrored drives) and SHR (Synology’s own fluid RAID, gives 1 drive of protection and can allow mixed drive types)

4-Bays – a 4 drive NAS gives you ALL of the options of a 2-Bay (JBOD,RAID 1,RAID 0) but also allows RAID 5 (1 Drive failure protection), RAID 6 (2 Drive failure protection), RAID 10 (double mirror and 2 disk failure protection), SHR-1 (comparable to RAID 5 but with mixed drive support) and SHR-2 (comparable to RAID 6 with mixed drive support).

Expandable – If your Synology NAS has an eSATA bay, that means you can connect the DX517 expansion device and add 5 more drives to your storage array.

Below are the full internal hardware specifications of the DS220+, DS920+, DS420+ and DS720+ compared

Best/Top = GREEN

DS220+

DS420+

DS720+

DS920+

CPU
CPU Model Intel Celeron J4025 Intel Celeron J4025 Intel Celeron J4125 Intel Celeron J4125
CPU Architecture 64-bit 64-bit 64-bit 64-bit
CPU Frequency 2-core 2.0 (base) / 2.9 (burst) GHz 2-core 2.0 (base) / 2.9 (burst) GHz 4-core 2.0 (base) / 2.7 (burst) GHz 4-core 2.0 (base) / 2.7 (burst) GHz
Hardware Encryption Engine (AES-NI)
YES YES YES YES
Memory
System Memory 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC 4 GB DDR4 non-ECC
Total Memory Slots 1 1 1 1
Maximum Memory Capacity 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB) 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB) 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB) 8 GB (4 GB + 4 GB)
Storage
Drive Bays 2 4 2 4
Maximum Drive Bays with Expansion Unit
N/A N/A 7 (DX517 x 1) 9 (DX517 x 1)
M.2 Drive Slots N/A 2 (NVMe) 2 (NVMe) 2 (NVMe)
Compatible Drive Type* (See all supported drives) 3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
3.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA HDD
2.5″ SATA SSD
M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity 32 TB (16 TB drive x 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) 64 TB (16 TB drive x 4) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) 32 TB (16 TB drive x 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
64 TB (16 TB drive x 4) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Maximum Raw Capacity with Expansion Units
N/A N/A 112 TB (32 TB + 16 TB drive x 5) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
144 TB (64 TB + 16 TB drive x 5) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Maximum Single Volume Size* 108 TB 108 TB 108 TB 108 TB
Hot Swappable Drive YES YES YES YES
Appearance
Size (Height x Width x Depth) 165 mm x 108 mm x 232.2 mm 166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm 166 mm x 106 mm x 223 mm 166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm
Weight 1.30 kg 2.18 kg 1.51 kg 2.24 kg
Noise Level* 19.3 dB(A) 19.8 dB(A) 18.4 dB(A) 19.8 dB(A)
Power Supply Unit / Adapter 60 W 90 W 65 W 100 W
Power Consumption* 14.69 W (Access)
4.41 W (HDD Hibernation)
28.30 W (Access)
8.45 W (HDD Hibernation)
16.44 W (Access)
6.19 W (HDD Hibernation)
32.17 W (Access)
9.69 W (HDD Hibernation)
British Thermal Unit 50.12 BTU/hr (Access)
15.05 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
96.63 BTU/hr (Access)
72.11 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
56.1 BTU/hr (Access)
21.12 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
109.84 BTU/hr (Access)
33.09 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
Warranty 2 Years 3 Years 3 Years 3 Years
Supported RAID Type Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 6
RAID 10
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5 (with Expansion Unit)
RAID 6 (with Expansion Unit)
RAID 10 (with Expansion Unit)
Synology Hybrid RAID
Basic
JBOD
RAID 0
RAID 1
RAID 5
RAID 6
RAID 10

Price of the Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS

The price of your new NAS purchase is going to be a big part of how you decide on the right NAS for you. Each Synology NAS has it’s own very noticeably different price tag, because not only has each got different hardware, but each has different scalability long term. Factors like Bays, CPU, Memory, Warranty and more all play there part, but alot of people completely FORGET to budget the HDD/SSD media that is going inside their NAS. Often the hard drive media will cost more than the actual NAS drive itself! So, below is a breakdown of each of the Synology NAS (DS920+, DS220+, DS720+ and DS420+) and how much they will cost you at each storage tier. It is also VERY important to remember that larger HDDs cost more than smaller ones for the most part and you can often fill a 4 Bay with smaller drives in a RAID 5 and STILL spend less on drives than putting two larger drives in 2-Bay NAS in mirrored RAID 1.

IMPORTANT!!! – THE PRICES BELOW SHOW THE NAS FULLY POPULATED WITH THAT TOTAL CAPACITY AVAILABLE INSIDE WITH AT LEAST 1 DRIVE OF DISK FAILURE PROTECTION (RAID1/5/SHR)!!! 

E.G

2x 6TB on a 2-Bay NAS = 6TB in a RAID 1

4x 2TB on a 4-Bay NAS = 6TB in a RAID 5

DS220+

DS420+

DS720+

DS920+

PRICE 11-07-20 – Pricesinclude NAS + Drives + TAX
0TB (Empty) £310+ £485+ £420+ £550+
LOW + Redundency £690+ (6TB) £805+ (6TB) £800+ (6TB) £870+ (6TB)
MID + Redundency £990+ (12TB) £920+ (12TB) £1100+ (12TB) £985+ (12TB)
HIGH + Redundency £1285+ (16TB) £1220+ (18TB) £1395+ (16TB) £1285+ (18TB)
MAX + Redundency £1285+ = 2X16TB £2400+ (48TB) £1395+ = 2X16TB £2465+ (48TB)

It is worth highlighting that none of these prices factor in an expansion NAS, all feature Seagate Ironwolf NAS Hard Drives and (once again) ALL OF THEM feature 1-Disk of failure protection/redundancy (RAID 1 in the 2-Bays and RAID 5 in the 4-Bays).

External Hardware Specifications of the Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS

The external ports and connections of the four Synology flagship Diskstation NAS, the DS220+, DS720, DS920+ and DS720+, have remarkably similar ports and connections, with only a few differences between them. All have 2 LAN ports that support 1Gbe and USB 3.0 throughout for external storage to backup/sync with. Only the expandability of eSATA is the difference between them. Same as the cooling fans, with 2-Bay devices featuring a single fan and dual fans on the 4-Bays. However there is always going to be more refined differences between these NAS.

Best/Top = GREEN

External Ports

DS220+

DS420+

DS720+

DS920+

RJ-45 1GbE LAN Port 2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support) 2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support) 2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support) 2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support)
USB 3.0 Port 2 2 2 2
eSATA Port NO NO 1 1
USB / SD Copy Button YES NO NO NO
File System
Internal Drives
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
External Drives
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT*
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT*
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT*
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT*
System Fan 92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs 92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs 92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs 92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
Fan Speed Mode
  • Full-Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Full-Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Full-Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Full-Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
Brightness Adjustable Front LED Indicators YES YES YES YES
Power Recovery YES YES YES YES

Unsurprisingly, the DS920+ NAS is the one that brings the most internal and external connectivity, but it is worth highlighting that the DS420+ brings very similiar connectivity and the DS720+ near identical,which can open up the possibility of saving a good £60-120 or so.

Software Support the Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS

Thw extent to which each NAS can support the Diskstiaon Manager platform and apps (DSM) differs in a number of key ways. It is worth highlighting that all four can support all the premium first party apps, but it is the extent to which they can be used (as well as how many simultaneous instances) that will dictate how to choose between them. Sure, the CPU and Mmeory amount by default/max will make the biggest impact long term, however some applications just function better with more storage bays (and the combined speed they provide) as well as the support of NVMe cache and it’s effects on internal performance. So, although this si still a case of comparing these four brand new NAS drives, it is almost very a comparison of software support on the Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ 4-Bay NAS’, or DS220+ vs DS720+ 2-Bay NAS’.

Best/Top = GREEN

 
DS220+ DS420+ DS720+ DS920+
Central Management System YES YES YES YES
Synology Chat YES YES YES YES
Maximum Users 1,000 1,000 1,500 1,500
Document Viewer YES YES YES YES
Download Station YES YES YES YES
Maximum Concurrent Download Tasks 80 80 80 80
exFAT Access (Optional) YES YES YES YES
Synology MailPlus / MailPlus Server YES YES YES YES
Free Email Accounts 5 (Licenses required for additional accounts) 5 (Licenses required for additional accounts) 5 (Licenses required for additional accounts) 5 (Licenses required for additional accounts)
Maximum Number of Concurrent Users 50 50 100 100
Maximum Server Performance 936,000 emails per day, approx. 28GB 936,000 emails per day, approx. 28GB 1,224,000 emails per day, approx. 37GB 1,224,000 emails per day, approx. 37GB
Media Server YES YES YES YES
DLNA Compliance YES YES YES YES
Moments YES YES YES YES
Facial Recognition YES YES YES YES
Subject Recognition YES YES YES YES
Auto Color & Rotate YES YES YES YES
Moments Select YES YES YES YES
Snapshot Replication YES YES YES YES
Maximum Snapshots per Shared Folder 1,024 1,024 1,024 1,024
Maximum of System Snapshots 65,536 65,536 65,536 65,536
Surveillance Station YES YES YES YES
Maximum IP cam 25 (including 2 Free License) 25 (including 2 Free License) 40 (including 2 Free License) 40 (including 2 Free License)
Total FPS (H.264) 750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
700 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
350 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
240 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
120 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
700 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
350 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
240 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
120 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
800 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
350 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
280 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
170 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
1050 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
600 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
360 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Total FPS (H.265) 750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
750 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
500 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
250 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
750 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
500 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
250 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
1200 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
600 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
480 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
1200 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
1000 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
600 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
300 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Total FPS (MJPEG) 450 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
250 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
160 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
130 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
450 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
250 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
160 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
130 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
450 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
250 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
200 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
100 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
680 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
400 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
300 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
200 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
Synology Drive YES YES YES YES
Recommended Number of Hosted Files 500,000 (applies to files indexed or hosted by Synology Drive. For file access through other standard protocols, refer to the File Services section above) 500,000 (applies to files indexed or hosted by Synology Drive. For file access through other standard protocols, refer to the File Services section above) 500,000 (applies to files indexed or hosted by Synology Drive. For file access through other standard protocols, refer to the File Services section above) 500,000 (applies to files indexed or hosted by Synology Drive. For file access through other standard protocols, refer to the File Services section above)
Recommended Number of Concurrent Sync Clients 350 (the number of connections that can be maintained when the recommended number of hosted files was reached) 350 (the number of connections that can be maintained when the recommended number of hosted files was reached) 350 (the number of connections that can be maintained when the recommended number of hosted files was reached) 600 (the number of connections that can be maintained when the recommended number of hosted files was reached)
Synology Office YES YES YES YES
Maximum Users 600 600 3,400 3,400
Video Station YES YES YES YES
Virtual Machine Manager YES (limited) YES (limited) YES YES
VPN Server YES YES YES YES
Maximum Connections 30 30 30 30

Ultimately, unless yo uare looking to PUSH the NAS software, or are looking for the NAS to performance 1-2 tasks VERY well, all of these systems bring a good level of software support and compatibility. It is simple a case of the more you spend, the more you can do.

The Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS – Which Should You Buy?

All four of these NAS were great examples of what Synology is about and what they consider a priority in the world of network storage. However, choosing between them is not quite so clear. In previous years, it would have been easier to just point and say “the more expensive one is the best”, but it jsut isn’t that obvious. They are a tiered system portfolio from Synology that is designed to allow you to spend your money on your own hardware/software priorities, eg the DS720+ is lower in price than the DS420+, despite it having a better CPU and expandability, but the DS420+ has better base level storage options on day one. So, really if you are serious about capacity, then you are immediately looking at the 4-Bays for RAID 5 level storage. Likewise, if you are looking for a smaller/compact solution that leverages your spending on traditional hardware specifications above storage, you are always looking at 2-Bays. So the real comparison should be DS420+ versus DS920+ and DS720+ versus DS220+ NAS, as chances are you have already at least decided on your storage level requirements.

Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ NAS

The Synology DS420+ drive is a very good NAS system, arriving with a solid CPU/Memory combo and the NVMe and dual LAN advantages of other more powerful devices, however, it is just hard to recommend it when the price is so close to the price of the DS920+. In short, there is nothing that the DS420+ NAS can do that that the DS920+ cannot do better, faster and to a larger extent. You pay a premium on this of course, but given that the price difference is around £60-70, you get 2 more CPU cores, 2GB more memory by default, a 2GB higher maximum memory and can be expanded by 5 more drives in its lifespan. On the other hand, if you are looking for a fully-featured Synology 4-Bay and your budget is exceptionally tight, then the DS420+isastillan excellent NAS drive that allows you to spend your budget more discerningly.

Synology DS220+ vs DS720+ NAS

The difference between the DS220+ and DS720+ NAS drives is far more nuanced than that of the 4-Bay comparison. The DS720+ is one of the most fully-featured and powerful 2-Bay solutions that Synology has ever produced, with the most recent 4-core Intel J4000 series processor at the moment, expandability to 7 total drives and even the new additional of NVMe SSD caching bays (the first NAS brand to introduce this into a 2-HDD system). Unsurprisingly, this comes at a cost and the DS720+ arrives at £420 or so (the price of a low-mid power 4-Bay) – even without HDD/SSDs, that’s quite a chunk of change! Many users who want to use the NAS for low-level Plex, a good tier of backups, personal file handling and just have a good level of access to DSM and its functions would be much, MUCH better off choosing the more affordable DS220+. It is still a very good NAS system that, if you are a single or small group of users, will get a very similar level of software performance to the DS720+ NAS. Just know that the £100+ Price difference between them is because the more pricey unit has 2 more cores, NVMe SSD cache, Expandability and even an extra year’s warranty. In short, if you are a power user or a business user, you will need to spend appropriately.

Synology DS920+ NAS Drive – £550+

+ Most Powerful 4-Bay

+ Most Upgradable 4-Bay

+ Fullest DSM Support

–  Expensive

REVIEW

Synology DS720+ NAS Drive – £420+

+ Most Powerful 2-Bay

+ Most Upgradable 2-Bay

+ Fullest DSM Support

–  Only 2/6GB Memory

REVIEW

Synology DS420+ NAS Drive – £470+

+ Best Storage vs Hardware

+ Affordable NVMe Assisted Solution

+ Good Home vs Business Balance

–  Only 2/6GB Memory

–  Price very close to DS920+

 

REVIEW

Synology DS220+ NAS Drive – £320+

+ Best Value PLUS Solution

+ Best DS2xx+ Solution so far

+ Dual LAN first in DS2xx+ Series

–  Only 2yr Warranty

–  Lower ‘glass ceiling’

REVIEW

Thank you for using this comparison and I hope it helped you choose the right NAS for your needs in 2020. If you still need help, feel free to use my free advice service below and I will assist you in choosing the best NAS for your storage needs – this is NOT a paid-for service and is designed to help people spend wisely and get it right the FIRST TIME.

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      Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS Comparison
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      28 thoughts on “Synology DS920+ vs DS420+ vs DS720+ vs DS220+ NAS Comparison

      1. Hi! Ik have been watching a lot of your video’s beacause in looking for a nas. Al lot of the videos when its about multimedia ar about Plex and transcoding. I am using Plex on a shield and a zidoo media player so there is no need for transcoding. What would be the right pick for me? Looking for a 4 Bay system. Thanks again for everything you do for the community!!!
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      2. As a new NAS user I am a little confused with terms like containers, sandbox and VM. I’d suggest you give a bit more context when throwing out these terms, since a lot of your viewers are new to NAS. After a quick google search I’m a little bit more informed.
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      3. If you wanted one of the options with more bays, if you only wanted to start with two HDD could you run it that way until ready to upgrade for more volume? Or do these require all bays to be filled?
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      4. At 14:40 you state the DS920+ is future proof … seems Synology have now discontinued this model and they tell me that ‘The DS920+ will still be supported for on average another 6 years in terms of DSM updates’ wow that is not really future proof is it … oh well think will give up on NAS as looks like not going to find another that will suit my needs.
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      5. I know very little about tech but this was very descriptive, enough for me to understand, truly helpful ++ i will be purchasing the ds720+ based off your recommendation ++++
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      6. Thank you so much for this. I think I may go 920 instead of 923 because the chip change will make some things hard to do for me. Do Synology drop prices to move stock when new models launch?
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      7. Best explanation on Youtube between the Synology servers. Looking for a comparison between 920+ and 1522+. Thanks for taking the time in doing such a great review.
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      8. So I’m new to NAS storage – I’m a single user with a couple of machines around the house looking for backup mainly, need about 10TB of storage. What’s my best option for number of bays/raid config etc.?
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      9. Most of these NAS comparisons effectively push the higher end machines. What is more reasonable is to ask where my use is likely to be in the next 5 years, and choose the box that will handle that. The reason is, of course, that any NAS purchased will be yesterday’s device in 5 years, and moving into obsolescence in 7-8. And a superseded unit can still be great as an on or off-site backup unit, which is what my venerable DS213 is doing in retirement.
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      10. I have a huge issue and no idea how fix it… I am using raid 0 and just went into my Synology NAS to find a drive crashed… what do I do?

        It says data might be corrupt due to bad sectors… am I don’t for?

        Some files are there and the NAS DSM but some folders are just showing nothing…. This is a problem ???? tell me it can be fixed and without expense because otherwise I might be in trouble!
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      11. I was looking to buy a DS420+ to stream my large movie collection from. This video made me aware of the DS920+, which, amazingly is only $NZ60 (£30) more than the DS420+ here in New Zealand. Absolute no brainer. Thanks for this great video.
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      12. NOW IS 2021 !!8K 60 FRAMES !multimedia streaming VIDEO ???? Synology IS NO bACKUP !! IS IT ONLY FOR ????? mARKET JOKE the better algoritmer for compression ned more power!!!!+++ Hard Ware !!! 720 IS NOT NEW! Menyes with no funktion to satifie the juser like an ipad les funktion !!!!
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