Synology DS423 NAS Revealed

New Synology DS423 Value 4-Bay NAS Revealed

Note 15/03/23 – I have updated this article to reflect new information on the chassis design

Synology has unveiled a new 4-bay NAS, the DS423, in its Value Series line. The device features a Realtek ARM v8 processor, marking the latest entry in a likely expanding value range to replace older models such as the DS218, DS118, DS418, DS120j, and DS220j. The DS423 has similar hardware to the company’s previous value/budget devices, with the main difference being an upgrade in processor from the RTD1296 to the RTD1619B. This update will improve DSM and build upon the older generation’s capabilities. Earlier in 2023 we saw Synology release the DS223 2-Bay Value series NAS, which is largely identical to the DS423 (though with one less RJ45 and 2 less bays) and despite it’s modest stature, still supports BTRFS, SHR and even (thanks to the Synology DSM 7.2 beta that rolled out last week) container support too! So, the DS423 NAS has got a reasonable amount of umpf, so such a small device. Let’s discuss what we know about it.

Synology DS423 NAS Hardware Specifications

As previously stated, the majority of the DS423’s hardware is similar to the DS418 NAS. Synology has maintained the same chassis, USB standard, network connection, memory capacity, and scalability. The only significant change is the CPU. However, Realtek’s product family has proven to be successful for Synology in the past, so it makes sense for them to continue using it. Now, let’s take a closer look at the specifications:

Synology DS423 NAS Drive
Processor
Processor model Realtek RTD1619B
Number of CPUs 1
processor architecture 64-bit
processor clock 4-core 1.7 GHz
hardware encryption engine Yes
Memory
system memory 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC
storage device
Number of slots 2
Compatible Disk Type
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD
Disk hot-plug support* Yes
external port
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port* 2
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port* 2
USB / SD Copy No
Remark
  • The maximum MTU value of the 1GbE network port of this product is 1500.
  • The USB-IF renamed the standard formerly known as USB 3.0 as USB 3.2 Gen 1 in 2019.
file system
internal disk
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
external disk
  • Btrfs
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT
Exterior
Size (HXWXD) 166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm
weight 2.28 kg
other projects
system fan 92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
fan mode
  • full speed mode
  • low-temperature mode
  • silent mode
Front panel LED indicators with adjustable brightness Yes
Power Auto Reply Yes
Noise value* 20.9 dB(A)
Timer switch Yes
wake on lan Yes
Power Supply / Transformer 90W
AC input voltage 100V to 240V AC
current frequency 50/60 Hz, single frequency
warranty
2-year hardware warranty, you can purchase Extended Warranty Plus to enjoy up to 4-year product warranty service.
environment
RoHS Compliant
package contents
  • Host X 1
  • Accessory bag X 1
  • Transformer X 1
  • Power cord X 1
  • RJ-45 network cable X 1
  • Quick Installation Guide X 1

The Synology brand is not the first to use this processor. The Terramaster brand released their own Value series using the same processor at the end of 2022. In the coming weeks, we will investigate the capabilities of this CPU. However, it is certain that Synology has thoroughly tested the performance and efficiency of DSM 7.1 and the upcoming 7.2 Beta on this processor. The system comes with 2GB of non-ECC DDR4 memory that cannot be upgraded, but this is not surprising for this product family and similar scaling in memory can be expected in other Synology Value tier alternatives for 2023/2024. The system does not feature M.2 NVMe SSD bays, which is not unexpected for this series. Some users may have questions about hard drive and SSD compatibility, as Synology has prioritized their own storage media and upgrades in their Plus and above series.

I am pleased to confirm that the Synology DS423 NAS will have compatibility and support for 3rd party HDD/SSD manufacturers in addition to their own HDDs and SSDs. The maximum supported capacity remains at 18TB, which is in line with their own HAT5300’s limit of 18TB at the time of writing. This means that users of this value tier device will not have to worry about using media from other brands. Let’s now talk about the features and services supported by DSM on the Synology DS423 NAS.

What Are the Software Specifications of the Synology DS423 NAS

The Synology DS423 NAS will arrive with the latest version of DSM 7 available, as well as the support of Synology Hybrid RAID too. As this is an ARM v8 processor, there is going to be the odd compromise here o there (although 4K handling is possible, 4K transcoding and general video encoding/conversion to a meaningful degree is going to be something of a pipe dream! Synology has managed to include the bulk of DSM 7’s features and services with the DS423 hardware here, though the depth of support of 3rd party applications and services is still TBC till I have one in the office for review. Things like Virtual Machines are DEFINITELY NOT going to be possible here and the performance/scale of surveillance on this NAS with Synology’s Surveillance Station application re ging to be a little lighter than on a PLUS model, but again that is something we would expect for a value series device. Let’s go through those services and features of DSM that are supported, as well as the extent to which they run:

DSM Product Specifications
storage space management
Maximum single volume capacity* 108TB
Maximum number of storage spaces 64
SSD TRIM Yes
Support RAID disk array type
  • Synology Hybrid RAID
  • Basic
  • JBOD
  • RAID 0
  • RAID 1
  • RAID 5
  • RAID 6
Remark
  • The usable capacity of each volume is lower than the size of the maximum volume, and actually depends on the file system and the amount of system metadata stored.
  • The actual maximum storage pool and storage space size depends on the hard disk capacity used, the number of available disk slots and the RAID type.
file service
file agreement SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
Maximum simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections 200
Windows Access Control List (ACL) Integration Yes
NFS Kerberos authentication Yes
Remark The test standard is based on the maximum number of simultaneous connections supported by this model. During testing, 25% of the connections were concurrently transferring files. The transmission process only ensures that the connection is not interrupted, and cannot guarantee the minimum transmission speed.
Accounts and Shared Folders
Maximum number of local user accounts 1,024
Maximum number of local groups 256
Maximum number of shared folders 256
Maximum Shared Folder Sync Tasks 4
Hybrid Share
Maximum number of Hybrid Share folders 5
log center
Number of logs received per second 400
General Specifications
Internet protocol SMB1 (CIFS), SMB2, SMB3, NFSv3, NFSv4, NFSv4.1, NFS Kerberized sessions, iSCSI, HTTP, HTTPs, FTP, SNMP, LDAP, CalDAV
Supported browsers
  • Google Chrome
  • firefox
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Safari
supported language English, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Español, Dansk, Norsk, Svenska, Nederlands, Русский, Polski, Magyar, Português do Brasil, Português Europeu, Türkçe, Český, ภษษไทย, Traditional Chinese, Simplified
Remark For details of supported browser versions, please refer to DSM Technical Specifications .
Additional Kits View Full Kit List
Synology Chat
download station
Maximum number of download tasks 80
SAN Manager
Maximum number of iSCSI Targets 10
Maximum number of LUNs 10
LUN Clone/Snapshot, Windows Offload Data Transfer (ODX) YES
Media Server
DLNA compatible YES
Synology Photos
face recognition YES
Snapshot Replication
The maximum number of snapshots supported by a single shared folder 256
Maximum number of system snapshots 4,096
Surveillance Station
The maximum number of cameras supported (camera authorization is required) 20 (including 2 sets of free licenses) (see compatible IP cameras)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.264) 600 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
460 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
300 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
150 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
110 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.265) 600 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
500 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
400 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
350 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
250 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Remark
  • Maximum number of IP cameras and FPS figures are the result of a test unit recording continuously with a full hard drive.
  • Actual system capacity will vary based on system configuration, hard drive performance, number of features enabled, and presence of other workloads.
Synology Drive
Recommended number of clients that can sync simultaneously 200 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
Recommended number of files to store 500,000 (applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
Remark
  • Exceeding the recommended amounts above will not cause the kit to stop functioning, it will just cause longer response times.
  • The Btrfs file system and unencrypted shared folders were used in the above tests.
Synology Office
Maximum number of users 200
Remark
  • The test opens multiple files, and each file is edited by 30 users at the same time.
  • Client performance may affect the maximum number of simultaneous editing users. Client test computer specifications: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB memory
Video Station
YES
VPN Server
Maximum number of connections 20

If you are interested in the full range of services and applications (of which the Synology DS423 will likely run around 80% or so of which, just not the higher-end process/graphically demanding ones), you can watch my full Synology DSM 7.1 Review below. It covers pretty much everything and you can use the chapters at the bottom to fast-forward to the appropriate app/service/function that you are most interested in.

Next, let’s discuss how much improvement/difference we have in the DS423 against the DS418 NAS that it is seemingly refreshing for 2023.

How Do the Synology DS423 compare with the DS418 NAS?

The Synology DS423 NAS will not be a significant increase in capabilities compared to the DS418. The new CPU will bring improvements in power, resulting in better performance, but it is also more efficient due to Realtek’s advancements in maximizing these economical processors. The DS423 CPU, which is a newer generation, has a clock speed of 1.7GHz and is quad-core, providing more resources for tasks and using less per task, making it a double win. Below is a comparison of the DS423 and DS418:

Hardware

Synology DS418 NAS (2018/2019)

Synology DS423 NAS (2023)

Processor model Realtek RTD1296 Realtek RTD1619B
Number of CPUs 1 1
processor architecture 64-bit 64-bit
processor clock 4-core 1.4 GHz 4-core 1.7 GHz
Memory
system memory 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC
Remark Synology reserves the right to replace memory components with the same or higher frequency depending on the supplier’s product availability. Its compatibility and stability have undergone the same rigorous testing and inspection, please feel free to use it. Synology reserves the right to replace memory components with the same or higher frequency depending on the supplier’s product availability. Its compatibility and stability have undergone the same rigorous testing and inspection, please feel free to use it.
storage device
Number of slots 4 4
Compatible Disk Type* (see all supported disks)
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD
Ports
external port
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port 2 2
USB 2.0 port 0 0
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port* 2 2

When Will the Synology DS423 NAS Drive Be Released and what is the Price?

Currently, Synology is gradually releasing information about the DS423 NAS globally. The full release of the Synology DS423 NAS is expected to be available globally before the end of the first quarter of 2023. In terms of pricing, Synology is likely to maintain the price point of their other value series NAS devices, so the DS423 is expected to be priced around $399 / £360 / €390. Keep in mind that local taxes and shipping will also apply. Additionally, it is likely that we will see the release of a more versionS of the Realtek RTD1619 value series family NAS in the near future.

Check Amazon and other retailers to see if the Synology DS423 NAS is available now using the links to them below (it supports us, costs you nothing extra and me and Eddie who run NASCompares will get a commission that goes directly back into the YouTube channel and blog):




Amazon UK UK £332 (15% OFF) [LINK]
Amazon usa USA 30.82 OFF (WAS 550) [LINK]
Amazon usa USA 195.89 OFF (WAS 1345) [LINK]

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      59 thoughts on “Synology DS423 NAS Revealed

      1. Hello,
        I am doing research to buy my first NAS to backup files and more importantly family photos and videos. I read a couple of your reviews. Seems 4 bay is a better option to start with (expandability). May I ask how would you compare the DS423 and DS423+? For photo arrangement, which NAS system would have the best software to support?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      2. Had this on in the background over a couple of days. This is the comment you requested — I made it to the end! =D

        It’s definitely not in the budget for me yet, but I’m dreaming about a NAS in my setup in the future!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

          1. I asked Synology about this and got this answer 😩

            We don’t have fixed development cycles for our products, so I don’t have any information about a successor of the DS418. Therefore you can assume that the device will not be released in the near future.
            Beyond that I can unfortunately not give any reliable information

              1. Yeah, it’s just weird that the DS423+ and DS423 were both announced together in Asia, Afrika and South America, but in North America and Europe only the DS423+ with the DS418 still listed.
                Maybe chip shortage 🤷‍♂️

      3. Update 15-03-23, I have found out since this video was recorded that the chassis of the Synology DS423 is going to be using the J series casing (as seen in the DS420j, DS418j, DS416j, etc). I have updated the thumbnail for this vid and the details in the article linked here – https://nascompares.com/2023/03/14/synology-ds423-nas-revealed/
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      4. Would this be considered a good entry into synology as someone currently without any NAS? This would be a step up from the J model as far as what it can run on the DSM software is my understanding. 

        I am considering just a DAS as well, but then I get hung up on speeds and RAID software and all that as well. Considering OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad (USB C 3.1 gen 2). End of the day I would like a 4 bay, Raid 5 (or SRH) system to update my backups and storage system and would use four 4 TB drives unless the next sizes up come down in price to close the gap.

        Currently running M1 Mac mini with 512 GB internal. I have an old 1 TB drive on Time Machine duty, as well as a drive pulled from my old mini that I do a CCC backup each week and store in firesafe.

        I also have two old 2 TB WD essential drives that hold old media files from back in the day when I ripped all my dvs and streaming was still a crappy option. One drive clones to the other each morning as a backup using CCC.

        A new NAS/DAS could take over these duties, freeing up the older drives as some redundancy backups or something. I do use iCloud for my entire user documents folder so it’s all synced and accessible on iPhone and iPad.

        *edit* strictly person use for files and backup.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      5. Just Wondering if you will do a video on WHen you should upgrade? I have a DS918+ along with the expansion unit and I mainly use it only for Emby Media I have over 5 Thousand movies and I am looking to get more and more Blu-Rays. Can My Collection get too large??
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      6. Well for those of us that are still on the two bay 200 series and want an upgrade but the 923+ is out of budget, then this is a good alternative. Thanks for all your hard work.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      7. How this doesn’t have more likes is unjust. He covers so much and shows great examples. He also has time marks for reference. Great resource! Keep up the good work, would give you more likes if I could.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      8. One thing I wish sonology would do especially further backup program is allow you to back up to a networked windows pool drive aka the NAS sync with networked multipooled Windows drive giving you to a form of backup even if you cannot see the data on the Windows pool that be fine if it was just an encrypted image or better yet allow the damn system to read Windows pool drives…. You’re plugging a USB hub with all your USB drives the nas makes its own virtual pool out of those drives and then it backs up just in case there’s nobody has a single 60 terabyte drive …. The fact that most people are coming from multiple hard drives externally to Nas and can’t use those multiple drives as a single pool backup is annoying especially when there’s hard drive crashes or or anything like that at least you’d have a personal backup I didn’t even pay 10-15 dollars per drive one time fee to make a pool for image backup

        I literally had to Jerry rig using always-sync to back up the entire NAS drive on a 9 hard drive pool on the Windows side
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      9. Insert the biggest thing I hate about Synology outside of their “hard drive requirements” (if the damn hard drive says Nas supported then it should just work you shouldn’t need a specific hard drive) is them telling you where to put your media or files for specific programs they own you should be able to tell the programs just like in Plex where the files are where you wanting to put the files and have one way think as an option with no deletion
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      10. I personally find it difficult still for a novice user especially for making user accounts … Aka having public and private folders for individuals in a group setting (you can’t have both) we’re in the group setting everyone has the rules AKA right and no delete for public folder and the ability for only individual users in that group to only see their private folder and not everyone else’s

        Aka private “Jon” public “all” private “Sarah”

        John can still see Sarah’s folder
        Because I haven’t nested in an outside folder public and an outside folder private where all their names are in the private folder so it’s nice and organized

        But everyone can still see everyone’s folder I’d love to have it so that you can easily isolate nested folders
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      11. The one and only thing I don’t like about Synology multimedia apps or drive apps…. Is they TELL you where to put your media AND GENERALLY HAVE TWO-WAY SINK AS DEFAULT

        Most users are going to have a plexa library that they’ve probably customized and should customize in one bulk “media folder” and then break it down within…. If you do stuff like that for all your multimedia they’re native apps don’t work you have to have it where they want it…. Same with sync you have to have it where they want it and it’s only sync … Me personally I want one-way sink data goes on the NAS … You can delete it off the phone or computer and that won’t transfer over…. They have improved the drive application but I still have to improve video photo and the other ones to be one way and for us to control the locations multiple or single nested location I don’t want to be told or you got to have it in the ” home /user /names/ photo/ to have the photo application work

        NO I want to have it in plex media / photos/ cell phone 01/
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      12. why do I need raid 1 on the ssd cache? It doesn’t matter if the data is gone on the cache if one ssd fails. The data is stored on the HDD after a Data is altered in the read/write cache. or is written again from the HDD when a new SSD is added. So that makes no sense. Raid 0 would be better in this case.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      13. That really is an in-depth and thorough review. I’ve had the DS1621+ for about a year and you’ve helped explain what some of the apps actually do. Thank you.

        As a photographer using Lightroom to manage my my photos, I still cannot understand why I need Synology Photos or S Video to manage them?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      14. Thank you for the detailed review. I am interestedin buying a new Synology Nas (920+) and i own an old XP 32 bit PC do you think there will be any issues about compatibility from Win XP 32 bit to the DSM 7.1 Synology NAs, in that case does any workaround exist?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      15. I’m the one who watched the whole thing! And some bits twice. Very helpful in trying to decide between a Synology DS923+ and Qnap TS464. Synology seems to have the upper hand software-wise which I suspect carries more weight for a home user than the superior hardware of the Qnap? Thank you for providing this extensive review!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      16. Awsome information. Now please a similar video on Qnap. I cant make up my mind as I need both photo management and video surveillance. It seems like Qnap and Synology takes 1 point each.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      17. Jellyfin?!!! Most channels that review media server software, either only deep-dive their preferred offering, or only give an overview compression of the field. If someone like you, who can give the same enthusiasm creating two videos deep-diving two NASs that only differ by a drive bay, puts that into a spin-off series on a topic that is close to a large chunk of your demographic, that would be a real treat.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      18. Thks & I just watched it again & most excellent;
        I’m a retired physicist & have no real problem understanding the infinite details.
        However my problem is how to keep it simple & stupid (ex: high tier levels of simplicity, brevity, encapsulation, etc).
        Oh with my goal is to sociably knit-together all my family, relatives, friends, etc on my synology NAS.
        Unfortunately I’m going to be Mr Tech support for them. Sooooo I gots-tos keep-it-simple is an understatement & I will be abused (I says anything for family/friends though ;).
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      19. You’re a DSM PhD;
        I never hear so dense of a presentation of great DSM info & my head is still spinning, thks.
        Next-time, you think about having something good to drink every-once in a-while.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      20. Thanks for a great video. Really explains what everything is. Recently got my NAS and been already updating hard drives in it. It will mainly be used as a PLEX Server but already considering what i will do when i start upgrading the smaller drives in it. May consider another NAS and use it as strict data back up and maybe a synology Drive / synology Calendar and Email setup. Move my calendar off Google’s stuff. We will see If i do that at some point. Great job again
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      21. My English man!!! What a video! Greetings from Greece! I really appreciate your hard work and that content. I have a DS 1520 + and I am not regretting getting it although the new 1522 is out. You have my admiration. Keep up the professional and good work.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      22. *Note* – Regarding picture quality, this is a BIG video (so many features to cover in a single video) and YouTue can sometimes be a little slow to process HD and 4K uploads, so if this video is in low-quality for you, maybe come back in an hour or so, as YouTube should have finished processing it and have the 4K, 1080p and 720p versions done. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy the review of Synology DSM 7.1, featuring the DS923+ NAS.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE