Introduction

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




Contrary to popular belief, NAS boxes don't have to be expensive to be fully featured and functional, especially since most models run the same operating system as their high-end siblings. The Synology DS214se we will evaluate in this review is a solid example of this. It can only take up to two disks that aren’t installed on easily removable trays or caddies and its hardware is average to keep the price as low as possible, but it runs Synology's new DSM 5.0 operating system with even more features than Synology's already richly featured DSM 4.0. Synology put a long road behind itself to create an OS with so many features and such usability, and we are very curious to see how well a mainstream NAS will exploit its capabilities.

Synology tried hard to keep cost to a minimum while offering a product that will cover all the needs of a regular home user. The first feature to go were hot-swappable hard drives, which is sound since most home users won't make use of it. Nor did Synology use a strong CPU by using a low-clocked, single-core CPU, which, however, will also result in a very small footprint, a crucial feature to home environments. Synology says the DS214se to average over 58 MB/s write and 102 MB/s read in RAID 1. Write speed definitely looks low, but given the weak CPU, though it includes a floating-point unit for enhanced performance, such performance doesn't come as a surprise. Read speed, however, is normal for a single Ethernet NAS. The fact that the DS214se is a fully certified DLNA media server will probably also be of great interest to most since it can stream music, photos, and videos to DLNA-compliant devices easily and reliably.

Specifications

The Synology DS214se features a Marvell Armada 370 CPU, an ARM V7-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) with a Floating Point Unit (FPU) operating at up to 1.2 GHz (3000 DMIPS), with 256K L2 cache and multiple I/O peripherals. This SoC features two Ethernet controllers, but the DS214se only comes with a single Ethernet port because it is meant for use at home. The Armada 370 supports the older USB 2.0 protocol, so Synology would have had to use a separate controller to offer USB 3.0 compatibility, which they unfortunately didn't. The unit also only comes with 256 MB of RAM, which is low for even mainstream NAS servers. We would feel more comfortable with at least 512 MB as RAM modules are, after all, fairly affordable now-a-days.

The DS214se can take up to two HDDs and is compatible with both SATA II and SATA III, although it doesn't take advantage of the faster speeds that the latter provide since it lacks the appropriate SATA III controller. It is also compatible with the fresh Seagate 5TB HDDs, so you can use two of those for a capacity of 10 TB. It is very nice to see the NAS support the iSCSI protocol, which most mainstream NAS servers do not.

The DS214se's I/O is rather sparse since it only includes a couple USB 2.0 ports and a single Ethernet port. We would at least like a USB 3.0 port and an eSATA port, but Synology didn't do us the favor. They apparently meant to cut cost by excluding those options, so you had better go with a higher DS model if you need more I/O ports.

The DS214se is very compact and pretty light. Its low-clocked CPU also makes it incredibly power efficient, which curtails the power consumed nicely. It consumes less than 20 W of power while operating normally with two large HDDs installed, a reading its strong power brick will easily provide. The 92mm fan keeps everything cool, and we are pretty satisfied by its relatively large diameter; that is, in relation to other fans that equip NAS servers. The fan will provide adequate cooling and the same amount of airflow at lower speeds than a 80mm fan.

Synology's warranty is only two years long, which, however, isn't terrible as a mainstream product like the DS214se comes with the same warranty period as high-end NAS servers. As for its price: It is quite low for a branded NAS that runs Synology's famous DSM operating system. You, after all, aren't just paying for the hardware but Synology's support and the software Synology painstakingly developed over several years to ensure the NAS performs incredibly well and is easy to use. The programmers that worked and continue to work incredibly hard to develop and improve all of Synology's software need to be paid, too, especially since all of them are delivering such excellent work.

Packaging

There is no need for an expensive box since this is a mainstream product, so the DS214se comes in a plain but sturdy cardboard box.


The only sticker on the box holds a photograph of the product itself, its hardware specifications, and a list of contents.


Synology sent us the DS214se 2200. It comes with two pre-installed WD HDDs with a combined capacity of 4 TB.

Contents & Bundle

Spacers out of cell foam provide adequate protection to the NAS that comes in a synthetic bag as an additional protective measure.


A small box contains all the accessories. These include the quick-start guide and a welcome note, the power brick with its corresponding AC cord, and a LAN cable. Since the HDDs were already pre-installed into our sample, no fixing bolts were included in the bundle.


The DSM manual is quite comprehensive, which has Synology provide it as a .pdf file. You will, however, get a hard copy of the Quick Start Guide, which is all a novice user needs to quickly initialize the NAS.


The above photograph is of the provided power brick, its AC power cord, and the bundled Ethernet cable.


The power brick is by EDACPOWER, and its model number is EA10721A-120. It can provide up to six Amps at +12V, which is enough to meet the needs of this device.

Exterior

The white plastic enclosure is indicative of the product's mainstream category. You would have to invest a lot more than the $155 the DS214se costs to get an enclosure out of aluminum or high-quality plastic. At the face of the NAS's chassis are four status LED indicators and the on/off button, but there are unfortunately no USB ports on the same side since both have been installed into the rear. A nice feature of convenience, a USB port in the front would have been great since this NAS is mostly meant for use at home.


Synology punched its logo into one of two sides.


Most of the space in the rear is occupied by a plastic fan grill. Below it are the DC input socket, the Ethernet port, both USB 2.0 ports, and a Kensington Security Slot.


A front and rear scheme of the NAS and a description of its LED indicators.


The bottom of the NAS features pretty large rubber feet and a small label with the model number, power input specifications, and two arrows that explain how the chassis is opened and closed.


We opened the NAS before starting our tests to replace its HDDs with those we use in every NAS review, which ensures that the results in this review are compatible with all our previous test results. As you can see, the DS214se 2200 comes two WD20EZRX Green HDDs for a combined capacity of 4TB, which is not bad for a home NAS unless you want to store all of your blu-ray movies on the NAS. Doing so would either take a larger NAS or 2x 5TB HDDs.

A Look Inside

It is now time to strip this NAS down to discover what components it hides inside its casing.


Remove both screws in the rear to take the side cover off.


As already mentioned, our NAS came with two pre-installed WD HDDs.


A small connector connects the on/off switch to the mainboard.


After removing a metal shield that protects the NAS's mainboard, we found the board to be really small and without any heatsinks. Even the CPU doesn't need a heatsink because of its incredibly low TDP.


The PCB model number.


The NAS's CPU, a Marvell Armada 370 (88F6-BM12), is only clocked to run at 800 MHz.


The unit comes with 256 MB of DDR3 RAM by Samsung (K4B2G1646E - BCK0).


Right below the single PCIe 1x slot is a Marvel Alaska 88E1318 Gigabit controller.


The battery of the mainboard is provided by Mitsubishi.


The NAS uses an SMD magnetic buzzer, and it is quite loud. Its model number is AD-7504-MA1-LF.


The solder side of the mainboard hosts one of two SATA connectors.


The SATA PCIe expansion card to which the second HDD is attached.


The 3-pin fan connector.


The fan is made by YS. Tech, and its model number is FD129225LL-N (92 mm, 12 V, 0.12 A, 1900 RPM, 36.3 CFM, 23 dBA, 50.000 MTBF). It uses a Sintetico bearing, an upgraded type of sleeved bearing with better longevity. It never spun up terribly high in our tests, which kept noise produced pretty low.

Initial Setup

You only have to follow the directions of Synology's Quick Start Guide to quickly and easily set this NAS up. It will prompt you to turn the DS214se 2200 on after connecting Ethernet and power cables. You will now visit Synology's Download Center to download Synology Assistant. The application will find and identify the NAS on your network, with its model and serial number, to take you through the initialization process. Synology didn't include a software disc in the bundle to make sure users download the latest versions of all compatible software packages through Download Center.


This step will prompt you to define the file path for DSM (Disk Station Manager), the OS you downloaded.


The set-up phase continues with the steps above, where you set an administrator's password and configure your network settings. You can also pick to automatically create a Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR) volume after installation is complete.


The DSM 5.0 login page looks very nice and even provides, based on your location, a weather forecast. You will have to enter your credentials to log into the administrative interface.


You will be greeted by the pages above upon first logging into DSM 5.0., where you will be asked to quickly set up a QuickConnect account if you don't have one already. QuickConnect is a service that allows a user to easily host his private cloud, which removes the need for sophisticated network-specific know-how and results in relative ease-of-use when it comes to Synology's apps. This service also easily allows you to find and log into your NAS from anywhere as long as you have Internet access to use such popular services as Cloud Station, DS cloud, DS audio, DS photo+, and DS file; that is, with your custom "myNAS" ID instead of a long IP address. You can read up on QuickConnect in detail here.


QuickConnect allows you to access your NAS from everywhere through the Internet.

If you don't want to install Synology Assistant, you can set the NAS up by following the method we covered in our DS214play review. Just type "find.synology.com" or "diskstation:5000" into your browser and both of the aforementioned URLs will fire up an easy-to-follow set-up process.