Introduction

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We would like to thank Synology for supplying the review sample.

According to their website, Synology is a company dedicated to taking full advantage of the latest technologies in order to provide businesses and home users with reliable and affordable ways to centralize data storage, simplify backup, share files across different platforms and operating systems. Indeed this company is specialized into making Network Attached Storage devices and is considered among the key players in this industry. Synology's products are interesting to everyone from the plain home users to large business administrators.

In this review we are going to take a detailed look at their DS412+ NAS server which addresses mostly the SMB users and also a portion of the enthusiast home users that want a rich-featured and strong NAS. The DS412+ is equipped with a dual-core Atom processor running at 2.13 GHz and has 1 GB DDR3 RAM installed. It can take up to four HDDs and its max internal capacity reaches 16 TB (if 4x 4 TB HDDs are used). Also it features two Gigabit ports that support Link Aggregation (LACP) and it also has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 and one eSATA.

One of the strongest points of this NAS, and of all Synology products, is the DSM (DiskStation Manager) operating system which offers a windowed graphical interface and combines enhanced usability with high performance. If you want to take a look at it you can run this live demo (it isn't available all the time) that Synology includes on their site. Through this demo you will get a good impression of the newest DMS 4 and its capabilities. From the first look it resembles Microsoft Windows, so even inexperienced users will find their way around it.

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Specifications

<table class="tputbl">
<thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Synology DS412+ Specifications</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Processor</th>
<td align="center"> Intel Atom 2.13 GHz Dual-core Processor </td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Operating System</th>
<td align="center">Embedded Linux</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory</th>
<td align="center">1 GB DDR3</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Storage</th>
<td align="center">4x 3.5"/2.5" SATA II</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">RAID Levels:</th>
<td align="center">Single Disk, JBOD, <br>
RAID 0, 1, 5, <br>
5 + Hot Spare, 6, 10, Synology Hybrid RAID</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Capacity</th>
<td align="center">up to 16 TB (disks not included)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">iSCSI</th>
<td align="center">Target & Initiator</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Hot-Swap</th>
<td align="center">4x</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Networking</th>
<td align="center">2x 10/100/1000 Mbit Ethernet</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Additional Connectors</th>
<td align="center">2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dimensions</th>
<td align="center"> 165(H) x 203(W) x 233.2(D) mm</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td align="center"> 2.03 kg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Power Consumption</th>
<td align="center">Sleep: 15 W<br />
In operation: 44 W (with 4 x 3TB HDD installed) </td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Power Supply</th>
<td align="center">External, 100 W, 100-240 V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan</th>
<td align="center"> 2x 92 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Warranty</th>
<td align="center">2 years</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row"> Price excluding VAT<br/>
(at the time of the review)</th>
<td align="center">$679.99</td>
</tr>
</table>

A dual core Atom is the brain of the DS412+ and although this is considered a small CPU for a Windows PC, for a NAS it has sufficient computing power to cover all cases. The installed RAM reaches 1 GB and Synology doesn't mention anything about upgrading, however once we took apart the unit we discovered that the RAM is not soldered directly onto the mainboard, but loaded into a single RAM slot so if you find a compatible 2 GB DIMM you can probably upgrade it. Up to four hot swap drives can be installed in the NAS and the newest SATA 6 Gbps protocol is not supported. Normal mechanical HDDs cannot take advantage of its speed improvements so there will be no bottleneck even with SATA II. Also before you purchase any HDDs you better take a look at this HDD compatibility list provided by Synology.

The networking part of the DS412+ is equipped with two Gigabit NICs which support port trunking (or LACP); however in order to take advantage of LACP's increased speeds your switch support it too. The same applies for Jumbo frames which offer a speed boost for large transfers. The other I/O ports are two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 and one eSATA.

The NAS features compact dimensions and its weight is pretty low thanks to the extended usage of plastic, something we don't like that much, we prefer steel over plastic even though metal is much heavier.

Synology states that the DS412+ in sleep mode comsumes 15W while at full load only 44W are needed. These are very low values, so this NAS will save you lots of money in electricity bills.

Finally the warranty period is similar to QNAP's products and is limited to only two years while the price is on the high side reaching $680.

Packaging

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The box is of medium size and features a light blue background. On the front we find the word "DiskStation" which represents the name that Synology gives to all their NAS servers along with several badges on the bottom, which describe some notable features of the DS412+.

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On one of the two sides we find a photo of the NAS along with a brief characteristics description and a list of the box contents. Also the supported languages are listed here. On the other side there are many icons describing the most interesting features of the NAS.

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Thankfully there is a carrying handle to help you move the box around.

Contents & Bundle

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Once you open the top flap you will find a message from Synology which prompts you to read the quick installation guide, found in the installation disc, to set up the NAS correctly. Also the links to the Synology support and news are given.
Right under the small box that stores all accessories resides the NAS, which is wrapped in a white plastic bag. Unfortunately Synology didn't use any packing foam to provide protection even under extreme circumstances. The small carton box we mentioned above hides the installation disk, two network cables, the AC power adapter along with its power cord, two small bags with screws and a leaflet.

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The compact dimensions didn't allow for an internal PSU so a power brick was used instead. This one can deliver around 100W (8.33A at +12V) so it is strong enough to cover the energy needs of the DS412+.

Exterior

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The Synology DS-412+ has a black, matte finish and the external quality overall is decent although not top notch. We would highly prefer brushed aluminium or at least a steel casing to be used instead of plastic. On the front, a plastic cover hides the removable trays and you have to remove it to gain access to them. On the top of each caddy dots are used for enumeration, however there are no numbers or dots on the caddies so you have to number them by yourself once you install the HDDs, if you plan to remove them frequently at least. In the top right corner all five indicator LEDS can be found, for the status of the NAS itself and the activity of each of the four HDDs. In the bottom right corner resides the On/Off switch and the front USB 2.0 port.

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On the side of the NAS we find the Synology logo engraved into the casing and on the rear side most of the real estate is occupied by the two 92mm fans. On the bottom left side all I/O ports are located, namely two USB 3.0, a single eSATA and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Also the power input socket (12V) resides there along with a K-lock.

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On the bottom of the NAS four rubber pads provide the necessary stability on every surface.

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We removed all four caddies, to give you an image of the internals and the PCIe expansion card that houses all SATA connectors. The two fans are located right behind the HDDs in order to remove the generated heat.

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The caddies can house 3.5" and 2.5" HDDs or SSDs (if you are rich enough or simply don't want high capacity). On their internal sides they are equipped with strips of soft material to absorb disk vibrations and also the HDD mounting holes feature rubber grommets for the same purpose.

A Look Inside

It's time now to strip down the NAS and discover what components it hides under the plastic casing.

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To remove the single-piece top and side panel you need to remove two screws on the rear side first, and gently pull the panel up and back. You must be extra cautious during this procedure, as you risk breaking something.

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Afterwards, to gain access to the mainboard you must remove the HDDs cage which also holds the PCIe card that houses all SATA ports.

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The mainboard of the DS412+ is small and features two PCIe slots. In the bigger slot the expansion card that holds all SATA ports is attached.

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In the second PCIe slot sits the card that holds the two USB 3.0 and the single eSATA port along with the two fan headers. The USB 3.0 controller is a NEC D720200AF1.

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The dual core Atom CPU (D2700) is cooled by a small aluminium heatsink. Since its TDP is low (10W max) only passive cooling is used, something that boosts reliability and reduces noise output.

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The single SO-DIMM slot houses 1 GB of DDR3 1066 RAM. The chips are provided by Hynix and their model number is H5TQ1G83DFR.

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On the mainboard we also found a version of the famous Intel ICH10 southbridge and more specific the ICH10R or 82801JIR I/O controller, which supports up to twelve USB 2.0 and six SATA II port along with Intel's Matrix Storage Technology. The latter offers all popular RAID levels along with JBOD support.

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The monitoring IC is an ITE IT8728F.

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The Lattice LC4064V High Density PLD (Programmable Logic Device). You can read more about PLDs and their functionality in a circuit here.

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On a connector of the main PCB a much smaller one is attached holding a Samsung flash memory (K9F1G08U0D-SCB0) and a UT165-L46 controller. In this flash memory resides a part of the DSM operating system which is used only for booting up the system since the main part of the DSM is installed on the HDDs.

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A Silicon Image Sil3531, single-lane PCI Express to single port Serial ATA (SATA) II host, controller is soldered on the mainboard. Normally this controller is used to connect the NAS with an expansion unit (e.g. DX510) through the eSATA port but currently the DS412+ is not compatible with the DX510.

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The two Gigabit Ethernet controllers are provided by Intel (82574L) and they support port trunking and Jumbo frames.

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We also found a PIC16F883 8-bit microcontroller installed on the mainboard.

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The buzzer/speaker of the DS412+. It is quite powerful despite its small footprint!

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The two, 92mm diamete,r fans are made by Y.S. Tech and their model number is FD129225LL-N (12V, 0.12A, 1900RPM, 36.3CFM). Their speed is kept at low RPMs at normal operation so their noise output is minimized. According to Y.S Tech they are equipped with Sintetico bearings, a bearing type we have never encountered before, but it looks to be of high quality and should last longer than sleeve bearings or double-ball bearings.

Initial Setup & Software

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The software disc that comes with the DS412+ contains two essential programs, the Data Replicator 3 and the Synology Assistant. The latter will help you setup the NAS quickly and easily.

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At first the Synology Assistant will ask you for the path of the DSM firmware. It is far better to download the latest version from the Synology's download center page and not use the probably older version contained in the software disk.

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In the next phases of the initial setup you will be asked to input the administrator password and configure the network settings.

Software

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As we already mentioned, the Data Replicator 3 software can be found on the installation disc, however it would be wiser if you visited Synology's download center to check if there is a newer version available for download. Through this program you can backup or restore your files quickly and easily.

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You can download Synology Cloud Station software from here. Through it you are able to sync files between your Synology NAS and your workstation or client PCs.

DiskStation Manager 4

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Once you finish the quick setup through the Synology Assistant and installed the newest available version of the DiskStation Manager operating system to the NAS, it is time to open your favorite browser and type the address that you selected for the NAS (or find the one that was automatically assigned by DHCP). Once you give the correct administrator password you are ready to interact with the windowed interface of the DSM.

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As we already mentioned DSM is a windowed operating system based on Linux so it is very light and fits like a glove to the hardware of the DS412+, using as little system resources as possible. The second and more interesting thing about it is that it is stored across all installed disks so that you can boot and use the DiskStation when you remove any of the hard drives, including the first disk. This provides extra safety since all the crucial system files are stored on multiple disks and only if they all fail you will lose your configuration files. Nevertheless in such a worst case scenario you will, most likely, worry less about the configuration files of the DSM.

Quick Start Wizard

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The first time you start the DSM you will be greeted by the Quick Start Wizard which will walk you through the first steps you should follow, to quickly configure your NAS server. First of all you have to open the Storage Manager and create a single or multiple volumes.

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Besides the standard RAID levels that most NAS boxes support, Synology also offers a Hybrid RAID level (SHR) which is accessible through the "quick" option of the Volume Creation Wizard. SHR is an automated RAID Management system and addresses users who do not care or do not want to know what the finer aspects of the various RAID-levels are. The SHR level in DS412+ allows for up to two disks worth of redundancy - meaning that the SHR volume can suffer the loss of up to two disks. Finally SHR is the best option if you plan on installing different sized disks in the NAS, since it creates the ideal partitions in order to exploit the full capacity of all disks. So not a single byte of disk space is left unused. More info about SHR is available here.

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The second step of the Quick Start Wizard is to help you share some folders of your NAS server and make them accessible to users through the network. Once you create your shared folders you can set the access rights for all users or groups. The whole process is quite easy to follow even for inexperienced users.

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The third step guides you through the process of enabling Windows, MAC or NFS networking and into the use of the File Station through which you can move files between your workstation and the NAS server.

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Package center is the next step and through the Package Manager you can take a look at the available packages/applications for your NAS and install them with the press of a button. Some of the more interesting packages are: antivirus, audio station, cloud station, download station, media server, photo station, surveillance station, time back up and iTuners server. There are of course many more available packages for you to download and enhance the functionality of your NAS.

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Once you finish with Package Manager in case you haven't yet installed the Cloud Station package you are prompted to do so into this step. There is also the corresponding application for the client PCs which can be downloaded from the Synology Download center (the link is given by the corresponding icons). Through the Cloud Station application you can sync files between your Synology NAS and computers; however files with over 1 GB size won't be synced.

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The last step of the Quick Start Wizard helps you build your own cloud on the Internet and access DiskStation from anywhere in the world. All the above are enabled through the EZ-Internet Wizard which guides you through the entire process of setting up your Internet connection, doing the appropriate port forwarding in your router, setting up the firewall and finally setting up the DDNS service, in order to be able to locate your NAS server IP even when this changes (if you have an Internet connection with dynamic IP like most home users).

DiskStation Manager 4 Tour

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As we already stated, DSM is a windowed operating system so it is very easy to use. The task bar is located on the top side and in the top left corner resides the Windows "Start Menu" button which opens a window with the most popular programs/applications and also provides two buttons for restarting or shutting down the NAS server. On the right side of the interface there are the widgets which provide useful information about the NAS and an easy way to access popular functions like resource monitor, scheduled backup, system logs etc. You have the option to hide the widgets if you find them annoying.

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The control panel provides access to all settings and functions of the NAS. All choices are categorized into four main categories: file sharing and privileges, network services, system and application settings. The icons used are quite self explanatory and won't confuse you. Below we will take a look at some of the settings that are listed in the control panel menu.

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You can create new users and groups and assign access permissions to them through the "User" and "Group" choices. If you want the NAS to be accessible by anyone you should enable the guest account which by default is deactivated.

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The NAS is equipped with a firewall through which you can create various rules for each of the two network interfaces.

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Another interesting selection of the control panel is the power setting, through which you can adjust the power recovery settings, set the fan speed mode, tamper with the beep control, enable UPS support if your UPS can be controlled through network, create an operational schedule for the NAS and finally adjust the HDD hibernation modes.

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Through the Network choice you can set the NAS name on the network, the DNS server and the default gateway and also set up the network interfaces. In our case we bonded the two network interfaces together to form one with higher capacity (2 Gbps). In the network interface tab you can also enable or disable Jumbo frames and enable VLANs. Remember that LACP and Jumbo frames should be supported by the switch to which the NAS is connected and also the frame size on the client PCs should be set accordingly.

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If you feel lost in the DSM operating system you can fire up the DSM help application and get some guidance.

Application Packages

Now let's take a look at some of the more interesting packages that you will install likely on your NAS server. Here we should note that besides Synology some applications are also provided by 3rd party developers.

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Since we already mentioned the Cloud Station package we will start with the Media Server which as its name implies provides a multimedia service through which you can browse and play multimedia content from the NAS, through DLNA/UPnP home devices. So you can stream multimedia files to your DLNA TV, tablet etc. and enjoy music, photos and videos.

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Via the iTunes server you can share music and videos located on the NAS with all iTunes clients within a local network. You are also able to browse and play these multimedia files with iTunes.

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Another interesting package is Photo Station which in essence is an online photo album integrated to a blog, through which you can easily share photos, videos and also write blog entries. You can access the saved photos and videos through smart phones and tablets (running iOS or Android operating systems).

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The antivirus package is a free and fully featured antivirus application for your NAS. If you move dangerous files to/from your NAS then you should install it.

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The download station application most likely will be installed by the majority of the users since it transforms the NAS into an autonomous and fully featured download system. Basically it is a web-based download application which lets you to download files though BT, FTP, HTTP, NZB and eMule using exclusively the NAS. So you don't have to engage a client PC anymore since all files are downloaded and stored directly on the NAS. Also via download station you can search for torrent files through some popular search engines and you can add favorites as well.

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The surveillance station application enables you to manage multiple IP cameras. You can watch and record live view videos or schedule your recordings and also playback the recorded events via your web browser. Its web interface is also accessible through mobile devices and the application can notify you in every way you desire, whenever important events occur.

There are also many other interesting application packages which might be of interest to you including, the Audio station, DHCP server, HiDrive backup, VPM server, Mail station, WordPress, Python, Plex Media server etc.

Android and iOS Applications

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Besides your workstation or a client PC you can also use some of the features of a Synology NAS through your smart phone. Synology along with several third party developers have built some rather interesting applications for both popular operating systems, Android and iOS. Let's take a look at all mobile applications that Synology developed for their NAS devices.

DS file

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Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
Developer: Synology

DS file enables you to securely browse folders and files on a DiskStation through your iOS/Android devices via WebDAV protocol with HTTPS support, and transfer files between your device and the DiskStation. You are able also to manage your files between the DiskStation and your mobile device local storage, or save important files in a cloud storage.

DS photo+

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Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
Developer: Synology

DS photo+ allows you to easily browse photos and videos on Photo Station with the thumbnail slider on the go, as well as interact with friends using the photo or video comments in real time. You can easily find out the location where the photo is taken, save the pictures onto your iOS and Android device and enjoy the flashbacks anytime anywhere. In addition, you can upload photos and videos from your iOS and Android device straight to Photo Station with DS photo+.

DS audio

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Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
Developer: Synology

DS audio allows you to stream music stored on a DiskStation with your iOS and Android device whenever an Internet connection is available. You can browse music by folders or genres and you are also able to play music in the background. DS audio also comes with a remote control feature which provides an intuitive way to browse through the Audio Station music tank.

DS cam

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Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
Developer: Synology

DS cam allows you to control the cameras you have connected to your DisksStation. You can stream live view in real-time, control camera angles with your touch screen, search and play event recordings. Users who do not own a Synology DiskStation can also access any authorized IP camera directly and stream its live view on DS cam.

DS finder

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Price: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android
Developer: Synology

DS finder helps you to easily monitor the status of your DiskStation on the go; you can even start the DiskStation remotely. IT pros can receive important system notifications of DiskStation instantly or use it for locating the DiskStation in the massive server room with the built-in buzzer.

Test Setup

Our test system (client PC) consists of the following components:

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<thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="2"><strong>Shuttle SX58H7 PRO</strong> Test System Configuration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<th width="120" scope="row">Processor:</th>
<td align="center">CPU Intel Core i7-960 <br />(8M Cache, 3.20 GHz, 4.80 GT/s QPI)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th width="120" scope="row">Graphics:</th>
<td align="center"> SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 Vapor-X</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Chipset:</th>
<td align="center"> Intel X58 + ICH10R</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td align="center">12 GB G.SKILL Sniper DDR3 1600 MHz (3x 4 GB)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Storage:</th>
<td align="center">SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 256 GB<br/>HDD: Samsung F4 2000 GB</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Networking:</th>
<td align="center">2x Realtek 8111E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" align="center">Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1</td>
</tr>
</table>

As you can see we use a pretty strong test system with an ultra-fast OCZ Vertex 4 SSD, from which all tests are executed; so we make sure that there is no bottleneck on this side, since the SSD can achieve up to 550 MB/s read and 465 MB/s write speeds (sequential).

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<thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="2"><strong>NAS</strong> Configuration</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tr>
<th width="120" scope="row">Internal Disks:</th>
<td align="center">4x Seagate ST500DM005 500 GB<br>
(HD502HJ, Serial ATA III, 7200 RPM, 16 MB)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">External Disks:</th>
<td align="center">Seagate Barracuda ST350063 in USB 3.0 enclosure</td>
</tr>
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<th width="120" scope="row">Firmware:</th>
<td align="center">DSM 4.0-2228 Build Date: 2012/05/15</td>
</tr>
<tr class="alt">
<th scope="row">Ethernet Switch:</th>
<td align="center">TL-SG3216 16-port Gigabit managed switch<br>
(LACP and Jumbo frames support)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Ethernet Cabling:</th>
<td align="center">CAT 6e, 2 m</td>
</tr>
</table>

Methodology

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We use three different programs to evaluate the performance of the NAS. The first is Intel's NAS Performance Toolkit. Intel was kind enough to build a NAS performance toolkit and not only release it for free to the public, but also provide its source code. The only problem of this toolkit is that if you use a client PC with more than 2 GB of memory then the results of two tests ("HD Video Record" and "File Copy to NAS") are heavily affected since they actually measure the client's RAM buffer speed and not the network speed, so in our test PC via msconfig advanced options we set the max. memory to 2 GB. During all tests with this toolkit we exploit its batch run function, which repeats the selected tests for five turns and uses the average readings as final results.

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The second program is a custom made program which performs ten basic file transfer tests and for each measures the average MB/s speed. To extract as accurate as possible results we run all selected tests ten times and in the end we use the average as the final result.

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The third program we use in our test sessions is ATTO, a well known program for storage benchmarks. In order to use ATTO for benchmarking we are forced to map a shared folder of the NAS to a local drive, since ATTO cannot directly access network devices.

Finally we should add here that the DS412+ does not have an option to format external USB HDDs in NTFS, so in order to take the respective measurements we had to pre-format the external disk to a Windows PC and afterwards the NAS could "see" properly the disk.

Intel NAS Performance Toolkit - Internal Storage

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Intel NAS Performance Toolkit - External Storage

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TechPowerUp NAS Test Suite - Internal Storage

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TechPowerUp NAS Test Suite - External Storage

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ATTO - Internal Storage

Single Disk

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RAID 1

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RAID 5

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RAID 6

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ATTO - External Storage

Although ATTO showed good results overall in the External Storage tests, the Intel toolkit and mostly our own test suite revealed that the USB 3.0 ports offer low speeds, at least with the external case/disk combo we used.

EXT4

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NTFS

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Performance Summary - Internal & External Storage

The following graph shows the overall performance of the NAS on all tests we conducted using our custom made software.

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In general the DS412+ is pretty fast and the speeds it achieves in RAID 1 configuration are amazing, compared to other NAS we have tested in the past. However the performance of the USB 3.0 external disk we tried was tragic, to say the least, since the attained speeds do not exceed the USB 2.0 limits. This is due to a compatibility problem according to Synology, nevertheless exactly the same USB drive worked flawlessly with the QNAP TS-469 and TS-669 Pro.

Performance Comparison Graphs

Now let's check the performance of the DS412+ against other NAS devices. Currently we have measurements of few NAS devices but after more reviews the following graphs will become much richer. Also we should note that the TS-469 Pro and the TS-419P II were tested with the older Samsung T166 SpinPoint HDDs (HD501LJ, Serial ATA II, 7200 RPM, 16 MB) and although these HDDs share the same characteristics with the newer HD502HJ model they are not as fast. This however makes a difference only in the single disk measurements where the HDD may be not able to pass the max speed that the Gigabit network can attain.

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Power Consumption

Let's check now how much power the DS412+ needs in sleep, idle mode and during heavy throughput.

For all power consumption measurements we use two professional power analyzers, a Prova WM-01 and a GW Instek GPM-8212.

Sleep, Idle and Load

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Even at heavy throughput with four disks the NAS needs only 50W of power so it is very efficient, something that will save you much money especially if you have it working continuously (24/7).

Power Consumption in Standby Mode

Vampire power or phantom load is the amount of power that a device consumes when it is switched off but still plugged into the power grid. According to the ErP Lot 6 2010 directive it should be below 1W and the future 2013 directive lowers this threshold to 0.5W.

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Unfortunately the DS412+ isn't compatible with the ErP Lot 6 2010 directive so its consumption at standby exceeds the 1W limit by far. This is not good and we expect a fix from Synology in the near future.

Power Consumption Comparison Graphs

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Output Noise

For these measurements we used a high quality CEM-8852 Sound DB Meter which was installed 50cm away from the NAS. The ambient noise in our lab during noise measurements was close to 30dBA.

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Output Noise Comparison Graphs

The following graphs show the output noise of DS412+ in comparison with other units we have tested in the past.

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As you can see at normal operation the DS412+ is quiet enough and won't bother you unless you have super sensitive hearing.

Performance Rating

The following graph shows the total performance rating of the NAS in comparison with other units. The comparison is pretty straight forward, the tested unit is shown as 100% and all other units' performance is relative to it. Please note that we measure only raw performance in the graph below and not available features and functionality of each unit. Also the QNAP TS-419P II and the TS-469 Pro were tested with Samsung T166 SpinPoint HDDs so they had a handicap in single disk measurements.

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Performance per Dollar

For most of you probably the following graph will be the most interesting, since it shows how much it will set you back the performance of the NAS you want to buy. We looked up the current USD price of each NAS on the popular online shop Newegg and used it along with the relative performance numbers to calculate the Performance per Dollar Index. In case Newegg doesn’t stock a specific unit then we search for it at other popular online shops (Tigerdirect, Amazon) and finally if the unit is not sold in the U.S. we search in popular EU shops (e.g. Caseking) and we convert its price to dollars.

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Value and Conclusion

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<td>

The Synology DS412+ retails for $679.99

</td><br>
</tr><tr>
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<td>

Good price compared to the competition
Strong CPU (for a NAS)
Support for four, hot-swap, disks
Lots of features
Intuitive and windowed operating system
High transfer speeds
Dual Gigabit Ethernet NICs
USB 3.0 compatibility
Ability to skip disk checking during RAID setup
Synology Hybrid RAID
Optional application packages boost functionality

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<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>

HDD trays are not numbered
Plastic casing
Only one SO-DIMM slot and it is hard to reach
Cannot format an external disk to NTFS
Not ErP Lot 6 compliant
Not compatible with all USB 3.0 external cases/disks
Short warranty

</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>9.0</th>
<td>All in all the DS412+ left me satisfied with its performance, high reliability and especially its nice operating system, which is very easy to use even for inexperienced users. The NAS proved to be astonishingly fast even in RAID 1 mode and surpassed competing QNAP boxes with similar hardware. However the DS412+ lost the battle of the external storage tests due to its picky USB 3.0 ports. The external USB 3.0 disk we use for our tests wasn't compatible and operated in USB 2.0 mode so the performance hit was huge. Hopefully Synology will look into this matter and try to fix the compatibility issues. Meanwhile you better use the eSATA port for all external drives in order to avoid such problems or acquire one of the USB 3.0 external drives that Synology verifies as compatible.<br />
Synology had to make some compromises in order to lower the price of the DS412+ as much as possible. The most noticeable effect of this are the plastic case and the plastic HDD caddies. It would be nicer if they had used a more rugged material, but on the other hand it is better to make compromises in cosmetic areas and not reduce hardware cost at the price of performance. While the available RAM is enough for a Linux box it would be nice if it could be upgraded easier, since opening the Synology DS412+ is not the easiest thing in the world and on top of that there is only a single SO-DIMM slot.<br /><br />
To sum up, the Synology DS412+ is a highly reliable speed demon, with a ton of features. It is offered at a fair price, which is much lower than the competition, so I have no problem recommending this product to anyone interested in a high performance 4-bay NAS.</td></tr>
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