Synology DS211 NAS Review – the ultimate budget NAS?

1. Introduction2. Synology Diskstation DS2113. The DiskManager 3.0 Operating System4. Testing Methodology and Performance5. Acoustics, Power Consumption and Power Drain6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components.

Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise was measured from half a meter away.

We recorded noise levels around 29 dBa from the single fan. A very good result for the product and this verifies that it will not be audible under the majority of real world environments.

We measured power from the socket with 2 x 1TB Samsung HD103SI hard drives installed.

When idle, the DS211 is consuming around 11 watts of power and when active this increases to 32 watts. A similar figure to the DS411j we recently tested when populated with two drives.

The single fan does an admirable job maintaining drive temperatures.

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