Why You SHOULD Buy the Synology DS220+ NAS
Synology is a good brand, with DSM (their software, applications and GUI) and the DS220+ brings a lot of functionality for home and business users. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider buying the DS220+ NAS in 2020.
The Synology DS220+NAS full review can be found here – https://nascompares.com/2020/06/01/synology-ds220-nas-hardware-review
1. The Price of the DS220+ NAS
If you are considering an affordable Synology NAS that can perform pretty much all of the current expectations of a network-attached storage device in 2020, then it is genuinely hard to find a better-priced example of this right now than the DS220+. Although by no means the most powerful NAS in Synology’ product portfolio, the DS220+ is pretty much the lowest price you are ever going to need to pay to have a device that can support everything from Plex Media Server, to surveillance, to VMs and ultimately to create a multi-tiered backup device for your home or business needs. Likewise, the DS220+ is not the lowest price NAS available from Synology right now but every device in a lower price bracket (J series or Standard) features compromise in one way or another. The price of the Synology DS220+ NAS has managed to remain parallel to that of its predecessor released 3 years before, yet significantly more powerful.
2. The DS220+ features an Impressive CPU
The above-mentioned abilities of the DS220+ at this price point are largely possible thanks to an excellent choice of processor by Synology. Although everyone expected the new DS220+ to feature a dual-core Celeron processor, we did not expect the J4205 processor, which is a pinch more capable than perhaps the J4005 series upgrade we were expecting. This two core processor manages a clock speed of 2.0GHz that can be burst all the way up to 2.9Ghzz. This processor also opens the door too modern features and functionality, such as 4K and 1080p transcoding, AES-NI encryption, greater performing graphical processes and DDR4 memory. The fact this device arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory is something I will touch on more later, but the CPU choice of the Synology DS220+ is a real winner, at both this price point and this tier of the Synology product family.
3. The DS220+ NAS Features Dual LAN Ports)
One somewhat unexpected hardware choice in the new Synology DS220+, for the better over it’s predecessors, is the fact that it arrives with dual LAN ports on the rear. This means it is able to support link aggregation (or port trunking), effectively doubling potential transmission speeds between the NAS and its connected network. This advantage can be leveraged towards multiple users via a link aggregation supported switch or directly point to point with a PC system with multiple ethernet ports and a sufficient network adapter. Although many users have yet to take advantage of the benefits of link aggregation, it is still nice to have this option in terms of scalability. Likewise, with file sizes growing regularly, the ability to effectively double your network traffic bandwidth availability should not be overlooked.
4. The DS220+ has a USB Copy Button – Hear me out!
Although it may appear somewhat rudimentary and old hat, the fact that the Synology DS220+ arrives with a USB copy button on the front is actually rather useful. The bulk of desktop Synology NAS systems have tended to arrive with a front-mounted USB port for conducting localized backups on a physical drive as part of an extended multi-tier backup strategy, with the majority of these systems having either relied on the host NAS system triggering an automated backup schedule or require the end-user to interact with DSM directly to conduct the backup. Of course, you can enable a setting to allow the Synology NAS system to automatically conduct your chosen USB backup method when a given external drive is connected, but it is always more reassuring to know when you physically connect the USB drive that there is also a physical button to simply click once and action the backup procedure. It’s a small detail, but given the home and small business nature of the DS220+s audience, I like that this device continues to have this rather low key but very useful feature even in 2020.
5. Best Entry Point into DSM with the Synology DS220+
Not only is the Synology DS220+ one of the best price vs hardware NAS’ in 2020, but it is also easily the best entry point into the award-winning Synology diskstation manager (DSM) platform. When you buy any Synology NAS drive system, you aren’t just buying hardware but are really buying a combined hardware and software solution. DSM includes hundreds of useful applications across both first and third party providers and although Synology are keen to advertise the utility of these applications, it is worth highlighting that the availability and extent of individual apps within DSM will often be dictated by the power of your NAS drive. Therefore I’m pleased to say that thanks to the improved hardware in this new DS220+ system, it is easily the best entry point into the DSM NAS platform and all its advantages. This is thanks in no small part to the affordability of the Intel processor, memory available and generally high standard of architecture found in the DS220+ NAS.
