Synology DS713+ NAS and DX213 Expansion Unit Review

1. Introduction2. Synology DS713+ NAS3. Synology DX213 Expansion Unit4. Synology DS713+ NAS (Super High Res Gallery)5. Synology DX213 Expansion Unit (Super High Res Gallery)6. The DiskManager Operating System7. Testing Methodology and Raid 0 Performance (single link)8. ieee 802.3ad dynamic link aggregation performance9. Acoustics, Power Consumption and Temperatures10. Closing Thoughts11. View All Pages

The Synology DS713+ NAS has proven to be a worthy addition to the excellent Synology lineup. The unit is well built, with tough plastic front and rear panels connected to a metal subframe in the center.

Performance of the DS713+ is really as good as you would expect for a home or small business environment.  It can deliver over 100 MB/s when dealing with large data files, and link aggregation reaps noticeable rewards, if your network is up to the task. With our dedicated Gigabit switches, we were able to push performance to almost 200 MB/s when reading data across the network.

There are no shortage of drive configurations supported, such as Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 5+Spare, RAID 6 and RAID 10.

The 2.13ghz dual core processor is able to handle complex, smaller data streams without suffering from dramatic performance losses and it noticeably outperforms our long term DS710, which we have used in an office environment now for a very long time.

The DS713+ is enhanced with the addition of one of Synology's DX expansion units. Today we tested the DX213, and it was able to match the internal performance of the main unit while doubling the storage capacity.

If this is not enough, then Synology also sell the more expensive DX513, which can house five additional drives for more demanding storage environments.

The DS713+ has adopted a key locking system, which will appeal to a smaller business wanting additional security protection for their data. The drive bays are plastic and not metal, although this is a lower priced business model so we can expect a few compromises to meet a specific price point.

Power consumption of the unit is noteworthy and will not inflict noticeable damage to an electric bill, consuming between 20 and 30 watts most of the time with both drive bays populated. The inclusion of a high grade 92mm YS TECH fan ensures that noise emissions are never a concern.

We highly recommend the DS713+ for a demanding home or small business environment. It is capable of very quick data transfer speeds, doesn't drain a lot of power at the socket and is whisper quiet.

The basic unit can be bought for around £450 inc vat. Or you can buy it prepopulated with drives. Check this link out for more details. The DX213 can be bought for around the £140 mark – Amazon have stock for £136.78.

Pros:

• Great build quality.
• quick processor helps transfer of mixed files.
• low power consumption.
• almost silent.
• Scalable to support more storage with optional DX units.
• Reasonable price point.

Cons:

• Parts of the unit are plastic.

Kitguru says: A well priced NAS system for performance environments.

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