Synology DiskStation DS420j review: Four bays are better than two
$299 .99
Synology DiskStation DS420j
Buy it Now
Synology DiskStation DS420j Buy it Now
$299 .99
I recently wanted to get some more storage because the archive footage for my Gary Explains videos had outgrown my current setup. I thought about replacing some internal drives in my PC or maybe adding another external drive (or two). Those would all have been workable solutions, but I had an itch to buy a NAS since I have never owned one before. Buying a NAS would solve my storage problems and allow me to play with a new bit of kit. After buying the NAS and setting it up, I thought it would be good to do a mini review!
There are a few key names in the NAS market, including Synology, QNAP, Asustor, DLINK, and ZyXel. Arguably, Synology and QNAP are the most well known. After a bit of research, I opted to get a Synology. Word on the street is that the DiskStation Manager software built into every Synology unit is the best. But which Synology DiskStation should I get? I had a budget and a wish list for the NAS itself and the hard drives. For example, I wanted built-in redundancy, so that meant a two- or four-bay NAS unit.
Buying a NAS would solve my storage problems and allow me to play with a new bit of kit!
One option was to go for a two-bay and buy the highest capacity hard drives I could afford. Or, I could opt for a four-bay (which is more expensive) and get two smaller drives with the option to add two more drives later. Since a four-bay would also offer greater flexibly in terms of RAID configurations, I decided to sacrifice the immediate benefits of the additional storage I could afford today, and opted for a more long-term plan.
I bought the Synology DS420j. The “4” means it is a four-bay unit, and the “20” is the year of release, 2020. So, the DS420j replaces the DS418j, which was released in 2018. The “j” tells you where it fits in the range in terms of performance and features. The “j” devices are the most affordable but offer less, whereas the “play” or “+” models come with faster processors and more memory. However, most Synology NAS setups offer the same basic functionality.
See also: Best external cheap hard drives right now
Synology DS420j review: Setup and Performance
The four bays aren’t accessible from the front, like some DiskStation units, which means you need to remove the cover to get to the drive trays. It isn’t difficult, but it does mean that you can’t hot-swap drives while the unit is running. Each individual hard drive goes into its own tray and is secured using the provided screws. Everything is machine fit so the trays slide in and out without any problems; you don’t need to wiggle anything to get a connection.
Once you have the drive installed, connect the NAS to the power and to your network. Open a browser and go to...
