Synology RackStation RS812 Review

1. Introduction2. Synology RackStation RS8123. Synology RackStation RS812 (Super High Res Gallery)4. The DiskManager Operating System5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Acoustics, Power Consumption and Temperatures7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

For a business, getting the correct system for networked storage is massively important. Synology have released the RS812 specifically with a goal in mind – to offer the best performance and capacity at the lowest possible price.

At Kitguru we are used to seeing some of the more powerful NAS systems priced at £2,000+ … before you even buy a hard drive. This would be hard to justify for a small, local business who only need to power an office environment with around 10-20 people. When you look at the Synology RS812 pricing in the United Kingdom, it can be found for around the £500 mark (Ebuyer) which means it is difficult to ignore.

As our testing has shown, the RS812 is capable of handling sustained transfer rates over 100MB/s when reading data and over 50 MB/s when writing data. This will be more than adequate for serving basic files across an internal network. The metal chassis is built to last, and with dual LAN fallover / Link Aggregation Support built in it should prove reliable over many years.

The unit is louder than many of the RackStation devices, although this is unavoidable as the rackmount chassis shape means that small 40mm fans will have to be incorporated into the design to ensure there is enough active cooling.

The build quality and component selection inside the RS812 is top notch. Synology are using the highest grade parts, including an 80 Plus Bronze certified 250W power supply by Seasonic. The unit has clearly been designed to last for many years in a 24/7 environment with minimal servicing by an I.T. department.

If you are in the market for a low cost NAS system for a growing, small business, then the RS812 is definitely worth buying.

Pros:

• well built.
• great internal components including Seasonic power supply.
• solid performance.
• low price point.

Cons:

• Performance won't suit a demanding environment.

Kitguru says: An excellent NAS for a small business/office environment.

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