Synology DS1520+ NAS Drive – Specifications Revealed

Brand New Synology DS1520+ 5-Bay NAS Drive

We are starting to hear more and more about the new 2020/2021 series from Synology and this latest news is one that will get the attention of alot of prosumer users. Today I want to talk about the new Synology DS1520+ 5-Bay NAS and why it might well be the best of the bunch so far for SMB users. This is not the first time that Synology has crafted a 5 HDD, Intel-powered NAS, but this NAS takes alot of the architecture of the DS1019+ and DS1517+ released previously and then forms them into this well equipped, mid-range 5 drive NAS. This will likely be the last of the NAS drives from Synology to carry the x20+ model ID, so let’s take a good look at everything we know about this NAS and whether it will deserve your data?

Synology DS1520+ 5-Bay NAS Drive Hardware Specifications

First ad foremost, the DS1520+ NAS arrives with a good degree of similarity to that of the new Synology DS920+ 4-Bay NAS, with regard the CPU of choice, memory supported, gigabit architecture, caching options, expandability and chassis build. Although, even in some of those areas, there is a noticeable jump. For a start, the CPU (the J4125) arrives with the maximum memory of 8GB of DDR4 memory included as standard (4GB on the main controller board and 4GB in an available SODIMM slot) at 2666MHz. Additionally, though it is 1Gbe like the DS920+, the DS1520+ arrives with 4 RJ45 LAN ports, opening the door to 4Gbe network connectivity via the use of link aggregation/port trunking. Finally, possibly the most interesting step up in its design is the inclusion of twin eSATA expansion ports. This means that you can connect two units of the DX517 eSATA JBOD NAS expansion chassis, allowing up to a maximum of 15 media bays across the DS1520+ and the DX517’s. With 16TB as the current maximum size of Seagate ironwolf NAS hard drives (knocking on the door of 18TB shortly, thanks to HAMR), that is a staggering 240 TERABYTES of potential storage. Below are the highlights:

• Intel J4125 Celeron CPU – CPUBenchmark 3235
• 2.0Ghz per core that can be burst to 2.7Ghz
• Intel HD Graphics 500 250 – 750 MHz (8GB)
• 8GB DDR4 Memory (4GB+4GB)
• 5x SATA 3.5″/2.5″ Bays

• 2x eSATA Expansion Bays, Supporting 5 Bays each via the DX517
• 2x NVMe 2280 SSD Caching Bays
• 2x USB 3.0(Type A) Ports
• 2x 1Gbe RJ45 LAN Ports (Supporting LAG)

• 166 x 230 x 223 mm in size and 2.62KG empty
• Plastic Diskstation Chassis
• 3yrs Warranty

Synology DS1520+ 5-Bay NAS Drive Software Specifications

As you might expect, software support on the DS1520+ NAS is pretty high, but there is an extra little thing to consider when looking at how your file performance and handling will be on this NAS. The Synology DS1520+ NAS is one of only around 8 Synology of NAS in the range that feature twin NVMe SSD slots for vastly improving internal data speeds – but the DS1520+ also arrives with 4 LAN ports, so the external speeds that the device can reach (with the right RAID and internal media) can surpass 400MB/s Read/Write and likely all the way up to 450MB/s. Additionally, as it is arriving with quite an impressive internal hardware base, it means that you are going to be able to get practically every single Synology 1st party application (along with a whole bunch of solid 3rd party ones) running very well on the DS1520+ and every single application should’ve supported, such as:

• Synology Office (Docs, xls, PDF, etc – Alternative to Google Docs)
• Synology Chat (Alternative to Skype for internal User Conversation/Collaboration + mobile app)
• Synology Drive (Alternative to DropBox/Google Drive with 1-point access to all file types for Mobile and Desktop)
• Synology Moments (Photo Sorting and Tagging system with Deep Learning)
• Synology Calendar (Smart Calendar App, can be used in conjunction with other apps)
• Synology Active Backup (Manage Multiple Server/PC backups via a single control point)
• Synology Surveillance Station for a business class surveillance solution of up to 40 cameras at 720p (2 licenses inc)
• Synology Virtual Machine Manager (setup and manage multiple VMs on your NAS)
• Synology High Availability (for Syncing Synology NAS and having instant failover support to ensure constant connectivity)
• Synology Cloud Station
• Synology Multimedia Apps (Video Station, Photo Station, Music Station, File Station, etc)

So, this will stand very well in between the other plus series devices in the Synology portfolio and when DSM 7.0 lands at the end of the year (fingers crossed) this will be an excellent hardware architecture to make the most of it.

When will the Synology DS1520+ NAS Be Released

Release information on the new Synology DS1520+NAS is still pretty early, though it is starting to appear on price lists in different platforms online (google for yourself) and that generally means we are going to see release pretty soon. Additionally, the fact the DS1520+ NAS has the 20+ in t’s title also suggests that it will see release quite soon. I would consider towards the end of August. Tough to confirm, but watch this space.

Synology DS1520+ vs DS1019+ NAS Drive – Buy or Wait?

If you are looking to buy a NAS drive from Synology right now, then (despite the DS1520+ NAS early appeal) I would recommend ordering sooner rather than later. A number of the key hardware specifications of the Synology DS1520+ NAS are available in the DS920+ and DS1019+, and if the safety and integrity of your data are at stake in the short term, is just not worth waiting for. Below is how those NAS compare:

Synology DS1520+ NAS	Synology DS920+ NAS	Synology DS1019+ NAS
Intel J4125 1.5-2.7Ghz 8GB DDR4 Memory (8GBMax) 5 HDD Bays Expandable to 15 Bays 2x NVMe 2280 NVMe Cache Bays 2x USB 3.0 4x 1Gbe RJ45 LAN 3yr Warranty Price: TBC	Intel J4125 1.5-2.7Ghz 4GB DDR4 Memory (8GB Max) 4 HDD Bays Expandable to 9 Bays 2x NVMe 2280 NVMe Cache Bays 2x USB 3.0 2x 1Gbe RJ45 LAN 3yr Warranty Price: Approx £550+	Intel J3455 1.5-2.3Ghz 8GB DDR3L Memory (8GB Max) 5 HDD Bays Expandable to 10 Bays 2x NVMe 2280 NVMe Cache Bays 3x USB 3.0 2x 1Gbe RJ45 LAN 3yr Warranty Price: Approx £685+

Alternatively, learn about the new Synology DS1621xs+ NAS arriving much later in 2020:

Click Below to Read the latest news of the DS1621XS+

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  This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today’s video. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases