Synology DS223 NAS Drive – Does It Deserve Your Data?
The DS223 NAS is one of the best Synology Value 2-Bay systems that the brand has ever released, featuring a number of series-firsts in terms, yet still maintaining largely the same price point as the other two bays in the Value/J series to date. However, there is no avoiding that this is not going to be a system that suits everyone and although I waxed lyrical and was largely positive about its features in my Synology DS223 NAS Review, there are definitely going to be some elements of the DS223 NAS that will convince you to opt for a different solution. So, today I want to discuss the five things about the Synology DS223 that make it a must-have NAS in 2023 and five things that will possibly convince you that your money and data should go elsewhere. Let’s begin.
Note – You can find my full ‘Before You Buy’ video on the Synology DS223 NAS here. It covers mostly the same points, but also touches on a few more.
Reasons You SHOULD Buy the Synology DS223 NAS
So, first things first! Here are five reasons why the Synology DS223 NAS might well be exactly the private desktop server that you have been waiting for.
DSM 7 Still runs great on the DS223 NAS, even though it’s ARM Powered
The Synology DSM software is a great piece of software that allows you to do most anything you would ever want with your Synology NAS device, as well as replace your existing 3rd party software for backups, communication and multimedia with Synology’s 1st Party ones. Synology has been in business for many years and has a large range of products, including the DS223 NAS. This NAS runs on an ARM CPU instead of the traditional x86 Intel or AMD CPUs found in most devices. I was pretty sure this would be a major issue with the DSM software and the extent to which it would run, but much to my surprise, it ran perfectly. Everything I could think of trying worked perfectly, though there are some bigger applications that are absent (such as Virtual Machine Manager and Active Backup Suite), but the bulk of the long-running DSM applications are here and as an entry device into the Synology ecosystem, you are getting a huge range of applications and the Synology OS provided to a high level – especially at this price point.
Note – The Synology DSM 7 Value Realtek NAS vs Intel/AMD x86 NAS Video embedded below will be live in the next week or so, so if it is not available below, don’t worry. It will be published soon.
The Synology DS223 Value NAS Still Supports SHR, BTRFS and Snapshots
Another arguably useful improvement that Synology has made to its value systems in recent years is improving the base-level services, despite the more modest ARM processors they include. The Realtek ARM processor inside the DS223 is still more than enough to allow you to choose EXT4 or BTRFS as the system’s file system, with the latter providing several benefits in terms of resource impact of snapshot creation and file integrity checks. Then there is the support of SHR. Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is a type of RAID storage technology that is designed to provide flexibility, scalability, and advanced data protection. It allows you to use different sizes and types of hard drives to create a storage pool and adapts to the differences between the drives automatically. Unlike traditional RAID, which only allows you to utilize hard drives of the same size and type, SHR allows you to mix and match different sizes and types of drives to create a storage pool. It also automatically adjusts the storage configuration to ensure data integrity and optimize storage utilization. Additionally, SHR provides data redundancy with an error-correction algorithm with mixed drive use that is more advanced than traditional RAID. This means that it can protect your data even if one of the drives fails. Some might argue that the benefits of SHR in a 2-Bay are limited (largely negating the benefits of mixed drive capacities vs resulting storage), but if you plan on upgrading the DS223 towards a largely NAS down the line, an SHR storage pool is much easier to migrate over to another Synology and can also then take advantage of the increased bays with larger capacity drives!
Synology’s BTRFS offers many advantages over the traditional EXT4 filesystem, such as increased storage space and data availability, as well as the ability to take frequent and scheduled backups. Snapshots are a major benefit of using BTRFS, as they allow you to easily take instant snapshots of an entire shared folder and clone it easily. This ensures data consistency and integrity, as well as the ability to recover from a hard drive failure or damage. The main advantage of using BTRFS is that it enables you to keep a schedule of hourly, daily, weekly and monthly snapshots. Although the DS223 NAS is not the first Synology NAS in the Value series to allow BTRFS, Snapshot Replication and supporting SHR, it is still good that this is included in this value package.
Hard Drive and SSD Compatibility on the DS223 NAS is Still Good
Unlike a number of higher profile (i.e more powerful and expensive) NAS systems in the Synology NAS portfolio that have much stricter supported official HDD and SSD compatibility/support, the Synology DS223 supports pretty much everything you would expect! As long as it is SATA and 2.5/3.5″ – they will almost certainly appear on the SYnology compatibility lists. There is still talk of Synology releasing a standard class range of HDDs (to accompany their existing enterprise HDDs and SSD media), but if/when they do, they will likely always allow competitor 3rd party HDDs in the WD Red and Seagate Ironwolf NAS drive series to be used on value series NAS like the DS223. They DO only support upto 18TB at the time of writing across all supported HDD brands, likely down to Synology’s own drives currently capping at 18TB, but most buyers of the Synology Value NAS systems like this one were far less likely to install HDDs of this scale!
All that said, do keep in mind that the Hard Drives that you choose to use will make an impact on noise. Any NAS HDDs (WD Red or Seagate Ironwolf) of 8TB or lower capacity will be lovely and quiet (only really making noticeable noise in periods of high access frequency), but larger capacity HDDs or enterprise class/industrial built Hard Disks will make more ambient noise (vibration hum, clicks of the internal arm/actuator and spinning disk platters) and these will be easily noisier than the DS223 noise when in operation.
The DS223 NAS Features Low Noise, Small Power Use and Compact Design
This is a point that will appeal to a very specific % of NAS buyers, but the 223 NAS arrives in the same 2-Bay Diskstation chassis as the DS220+ and DS218 before it (with tweaks here or there), which was very low impact in it’s design. What I mean by that is that it is quite a compact casing that is very easy to deploy, very well-ventilated on almost all sides (even the official logos on either side are ventilation panels) and is surprisingly low noise when in operation. The DS223 has a single rear active fan, and it is a low-noise fan too. The huge amount of ventilation that passes over the internal heatsinks (no internal CPU fans or a PSU fan, as that is external) is assisted by the copious ventilation and the result is a NAS that has had alot of time in R&D to balance between internal system temps in 24×7 operation AND having low ambient noise/space impact to the end user. HERE is my noise testing of the Synology DS920+ NAS (using a similar chassis, but in 4 bays) using different kinds of HDD and SSD media to show the noise levels that were hit.
Ensuring sufficient ventilation and cooling is essential for preserving the health and performance of a NAS like the DS223. Without proper cooling, a NAS system can become overheated, leading to poor performance and potential hardware damage. Furthermore, excessive heat can lead to increased power consumption, higher noise levels, and even shortened equipment life. Ventilation and cooling are especially important for a NAS that is located in an environment with high ambient temperatures or in an area with limited air circulation. To help ensure proper cooling, NAS systems should be placed in an open and well-ventilated space and away from large objects that could obstruct the flow of air. Additionally, the use of fans and other cooling components can help reduce operating temperature while also reducing noise levels. The compact but well-ventilated chassis of the DS223 NAS means that it finds a very good balance between noise during operation, good internal system temps and all the while making a very small impact on your home/work environment.
The DS223 NAS Arrives with Three USB Ports and a One Touch Copy Button
Unlike the more small-medium Business DS723+ and DS923+, the Synology DS223 NAS has really pushed the support of USB, with the device featuring three Typ-A ports that will be very, VERY handy for home users. The USB ports can be used to connect storage devices and support pretty much ANY USB storage device and some docks/readers, but more on that later. The USB copy button on the front of the DS223 NAS is a quick and convenient way to transfer data from any external storage device to the NAS. This button, when pressed, will automatically copy over all the data from a USB drive, external hard drive, or another storage device to the NAS. It is a great way to quickly and easily back up and store data on the NAS without having to go through the process of manually conducting regular backups via the browser/App GUI. This backup can be conducted in either direction (i.e NAS to USB or USB to NAS) and can be manually triggered with the button (for peace of mind) or automated when a specific drive is connected. You can also create custom backup and retention policies. These can ensure that versions of backups are maintained and can be prevented back to, can ensure that only files of a certain type/date/size/format are actioned and also policies for if an error/interruption occurs. Its a really useful little feature with a physical button attached that is often absent in more expensive/larger Synology NAS.
Reasons You SHOULD NOT Buy the Synology DS223 NAS
Of course, though, the Synology DS223 NAS is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. It is fair to say that there are some elements in this follow-up to the 2.5yr old DS720+ that have rubbed a few users up the wrong way. Let’s discuss the five reasons why the DS223 NAS (and indeed a Synology system in some cases) might not be the ideal private server solution for you.
The Synology DS223 has no Plex Media Support Support Right Now
As a pretty affordable Synology NAS system, the DS223 is likely going to be an ideal choice for smaller-scale users looking for a modest media server to enjoy the decades of media that they have collected, to create their very own media server. The DS223 arrives with the Synology Video station application, which is quite swish with metadata scraping, separate directories, transcoding support (NAS dependant) and lots of client applications available for desktop PC/Mac, iOS, Android, FireTV and more. However, many other users will already be familiar and committed to choosing Plex Media Server on their NAS, to manage and stream their multimedia collection. Plex is (to date) the closest you can get to the slick GUI of premium 3rd party streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, etc (as well as supporting a bunch of other plugging for internet TV services, games and more). However, as the architecture behind the Synology DS223 NAS (more precisely that RTD1619b ARM processor) has only just arrived, Plex has not developed an installer package to install Plex on this platform yet. The DS223 (alongside likely future releases in this value series family) also do not support Docker, so you cannot create a container image of plex as a workaround either. Now the process of creating a Plex Media Server installer is 100% in the hands of Plex, but after that they will likely need to either submit this .spk package to Synology for verification and confirmed acceptance to join the rest of the 3rd party/partner apps in the Synology App center. Otherwise, Plex will likely roll out a beta version of this installer in advance, which although will allow DS223 NAS owners to use Plex on their systems, it will not be 100% stable. The good news, is that there is almost certainly be a PLEX media server installer/package for the DS223 (and other 1/2/4-Bay Value Synology NAS) in the near future, it’s just a question of ‘when’.
The DS223 arrives with 1GbE and No SD Card Slot
Those ethernet ports. The default model of the DS223 NAS arrives with two one gigabit ethernet ports (the same as the DS720+, DS718+ and DS716+ before it), despite almost other commercial NAS brands producing solutions at this consumer-tier/scale arriving with at least 2.5GbE. Now, the adoption of greater than gigabit connectivity in client hardware (laptops, PCs, routers, switches, docking stations, etc) is by no means as ubiquitous as 1GbE (which has been around for decades at this point), BUT it is growing. ISPs are providing fiber internet connections globally that exceed gigabit speeds, along with 2.5GbE and WiFi 6 routers. We are seeing more prosumer switches, routers and PCs with default 2.5Gb network ports (at the same/similar cost as 1GbE), $20 USB-to-2.5G adapters and even the affordability of 10GbE on some client devices has allowed users to gradually scale up their hardware environment. The fact the DS223 arrives at the start of 2023 and does not feature greater than 1GbE ports by default is a shame BUT understandable for the price tag – however the lack of even an officially supported option to add 2.5GbE via USB is a heck of a shame! Even if you have no plans for 2.5G right now in your setup and think it something of a fad (favouring 10GbE), in terms of future-proofing and the general standard or networking hardware right now, gigabit ethernet is a surprising weakness here.
Note – The Synology2.5G/5GbE USB Adapter Installation Guide for DSM7 Video embedded below will be live in the next week or so, so if it is not available below, don’t worry. It will be published soon.
Although the lack of greater than 2.5GbE and the option to add it over USB will annoy some people, there is still a lingering question over phantom the SD Card slot! This is a hardware feature that Synology largely abandoned in the 2014/2015 (with the last system to feature it being the DS214play) – but this nevertheless is annoying when you see that the front of the DS223 chassis still has the design lines for this slot visible. It’s a very, VERY small complaint – but with so many amateur/hobby photographers using modest Synology NAS to backup their photos on the fly locally (in conjunction with several impressive Synology Apps for backups and AI Photo recognition on the DS223 still available), leaving the evidence of this slot some 7-8 years later is just rubbing salt in the wound!
USB Functionality and Support on the DS223 NAS are Underwhelming
I know, I KNOW. I am really banging a drum on the subject of USB in this DS223 article and this is going to sound fantastically churlish, BUT when looking at a smaller-scale NAS system, the importance of external connectivity (backups, migration of data, etc) grows in importance. The DS223 has USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, so 5Gb/s (500-500MB/s max bandwidth) – not the now rather common and widely available USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s). Now, the limitations of the USB are perhaps down to the CPU layout/chipset and a lack of USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) support in it’s architecture – although Synology has been pretty sticky on USB 5Gb/s on all their systems – maybe they will surprise us this year and skip immediately to USB 4). But it’s a bit of a shame that as good as having 3 USB ports is (especially for small/home users), the affordability of faster USB alternatives in 2023 and the standard of USB on most client devices being raised is still leaving something of a gap. Much like the 2.5G vs 1Gb complaints I made earlier, most other NAS brands at this price point tier have introduced USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10G / 1,000+ MB) ports, as well as USB-C in some cases. With the ease with which a user can add a USB tier to their 3-2-1 backup strategy (allowing them to be a little more financially creative with a network/remote/cloud backup tier as well), the slightly old skool USB ports here are a little underwhelming. With significantly more affordable RAID-enabled USB solutions in the market and/or M.2 NVMe external USB drives arriving affordable to comfortably provide faster external storage for backups, this seems like a bit of a misstep by Synology to ignore. in such a small-scale system.
Then there is the complaint that USB support in DSM 7 (currently ver DSM 7.1 and DSM 7.2 rolling out relatively soon) has been pretty cut-throat in removing support of USB peripherals. A number of key USB devices that were supported in DSM 6.2 were either reduced in utility or completely phased out when the big upgrade to DSM 7 occurred in 2021, leaving broad support with just USB storage, UPS’ and assignment to VMs/Containers (not applicable on such a modest system like the DS223). This has definitely rubbed a few users up the wrong way who used USB-network adapters, Printers, scanners, USB TV Tuners, Wireless dongles and more. We have never really had a clear answer as to why eliminating the range of supported USB devices happened in DSM 7, likely a question of security and maintaining a closed system from injection. But many users on github have been able to circumvent these limitations and easily reactivate access to many USB peripherals (in most cases, invalidating some/all of the support that Synology can/will provide in the event of system issues down the line – so not massively advised), so in the end – it’s just a bit annoying!
Server Side HEVC/H.265 Support and Conversions on the DS223 are Weak
Finally, there is a lack of conventional integrated graphics and generally weaker support of multimedia that needs system resources on the server-side. Most users will not notice this as an issue in day-to-day use, but multimedia users and especially a large % of dense/large streaming users will notice, if they are a little more reliant on the server-side processing than on the client. For example, if your media collection contains alot of dense/complex audio media (RAW, MP4a, FLAC, etc) OR alot of higher-end HEVC/H.265 Media BUT you do not have client hardware that supports these types (or allows local client conversions/transcoding), then the NAS will have to use raw horsepower to get the job done – much less efficient than embedded graphics doing the job. The Realtek RTD1619b DOES have a graphical component, but it is much more modest than those found in an Intel Celeron/Core or AMD Integrated Vega processor, designed around efficiency. Again, you might not be impacted by this (your client hardware might have enough power and privileges, or you own a local HEVC-licensed device), but it IS a concern if you are running a Media Server on the DS223 and need the NAS to convert files on the fly. Earlier in 2022, I compared the DS920+ (with an integrated graphics equipped Celeron) vs the DS1522+ (with a powerful, but less graphically equipped AMD R1600) in a detailed YouTube video testing 4K Media in Plex HERE. It showed the benefits of a lower-powered CPU that had a competent graphics component when it came to more complex/challenging media handling on the server side. Below are two videos showing how the Synology DS223 NAS performed in both Emby and Video Station with 720p, 1080p and d4K media in several different formats and client tools
Note – The Synology DS223 NAS Multimedia Server testing videos will be live in the next week or so, so if they are not available below, don’t worry. They will be published soon.
| Synology DS223 Video Station Multimedia Server NAS Tests | Synology DS223 Emby Multimedia Server NAS Tests |
Release of the Synology DS223+ NAS or Other Multimedia Home Synology NAS Soon…
Much like my point regarding the support of Plex Media Sever on the DS223 NAS mentioned earlier being a point that in time might become redundant, there are still alot of questions floating around on the subject of a new Prosumer 2/4-Bay NAS solution arriving in Spring/Summer of 2023. When the Synology DS923+ and DS723+ NAS were released at the end of 2022/start of 2023 respectively, many users were surprised that the brand had made the switch from an Intel Celeron processor in this series to an AMD embedded Ryzen (more powerful, but lacked the integrated graphics). They definitely liked the inclusion of ECC memory and an option to add 10GbE, but the CPU was quite a sticking point for many (see this video HERE) as it was less proficient at multimedia handling and it’s price point vs value and focus seemed to be more focused towards business users. Now, the DS223 is definitely greatly focused towards the home/entry-level user and it DOES have a decent degree of multimedia support – but it is definitely not comparable to the DS220+ or DS420+ from 2020. So, the question is, will there be a Synology DS223+ NAS in the future? There are DEFINITELY rumbles of a Synology DS223+ model ID in the background of some Synology official site databases if you crawl deeply enough (and even then, this can just be placeholder field entries internally). Additionally, I have heard from several sources mention of a further prosumer/graphical handling improved NAS for the home/prosumer media crowd coming in Spring/Summer of 2023 – but nothing concrete! So, one of the last reasons that you might want to hold off from buying the Synology DS223 NAS (at least for now) is that there may well be a better multimedia-supporting 2-Bay NAS coming from Synology in the coming months. It will definitely cost more than the DS223 (likely comparable to the DS220+ or DS723+ in price), but for the sake of waiting a few months longer and saving – that might just be fine and dandy for some!
Otherwise, you can watch the video below from Summer 2022, where I discuss whether the Synology DS220+ NAS is still worth buying:
Synology DS223 NAS Review – Conclusion & Verdict
As soon as your look at the Synology DS223 as an entry point into the Synology software platform and ecosystem for those that want to have a small, robust and user-friendly NAS – it makes ALOT of sense! There is a reason why it arrives at a price point $120-150 cheaper than the DS723+ and as long as you are looking at the DS223 as a low-power, low impact and low-demand device, you are going to come away from it happy! It provides the bulk of the DSM applications and services that most home/small office users are going to want for Multimedia, Collaboration, Backup, Sync’d team drives and surveillance, but does so in a much more affordable package than the Plus series. Where some users might hit issues when they assume that the DS223 can provide the same extent of features and performance of the DS220+, DS723+ and above. This NAS carries the ‘Value’ tag for a reason and as long as you keep that in mind, it is a great little NAS box and serves as a great first NAS or as an extension of your existing Synology NAS environment as an additional backup layer. The rather lacklustre support of USB in DSM 7 is slightly countered by this device having three on board (though 5Gb/s) for storage, which is more desirable for home users, as is that copy button function. The removal of the SD Card slot in recent refreshes of this series, plus the continued appearance of 1GbE is disappointing but expected at this tier in the brand’s portfolio. But overall I cannot really fault the DS223 NAS for those users who want to be able to access the Synology NAS platform, but are on a tight budget and/or have low-ranged demands for it’s use. Again, just don’t go expecting a Ford Mustang when you are paying the price of a Ford Focus!
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