Synology Diskstation DS1010+ and DX510 Expansion unit review

1. Introduction2. Synology Disk Station DS1010+ NAS3. Synology DX510 Expansion Unit4. The Diskstation Manager 3.0 Operating System5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Acoustics, Temperatures and Power Drain7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

There is no denying that the Synology Diskstation DS1010+ is well in excess of what most people will need for a home environment … this is a NAS system primarily developed for the more demanding business audience. That said, for enthusiasts with an ever increasing media collection this is an expandable, capable and well built product.

In regards to performance there is nothing lacking in any area – the DS1010+ is quiet, doesn't consume a lot of power and yet delivers record breaking performance, putting all other NAS systems we have tested so far, to shame.

Finding fault is difficult, however we would like to see the drive bays being replaced with those of metal construction rather than plastic and while they are at it, incorporate a key based locking system. The way it is currently designed, the business audience will find this missing feature a reasonably negative oversight.

The DX510 expansion unit works exactly as advertised and across the eSATA bus speeds are just as impressive when compared against the main DS1010+ control unit. We think this is a fantastic conceptual idea from Synology … after all who wants to replace their main device or lose a raid configuration when storage demands increase? 20TB across ten drives should be more than enough for any small to medium sized business user.

It would be remiss of us not to mention the new operating system, because it is absolutely remarkable. It is a truly capable multitasking package with a very low overhead and we found it an absolute pleasure to use. The fact we could navigate and set up various settings while the RAID configuration was in progress is an aspect that competitors will surely be adopting in the very near future.

Synology really are making a name for themselves as the leading light in the NAS world, and rightly so, if they keep pairing this high level of invention and creativity with exceptional build quality then we can only see their market share increasing.

KitGuru says: A stunning performer which delivers first class storage capabilities with a fantastic upgrade path.

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