It’s hard to think about Network-Attached Storage (NAS) systems these days without thinking about Synology, especially with the rate that they are rolling out new products. Today we’re checking out the company’s latest addition to its slim line of NAS systems: The Synology DS620slim.
If you recall our previous DS419slim review, then the small size of the Synology DS620slim will already feel familiar. It takes on a similar form factor, though with a new design and a few critical updates – the most noticeable being two additional drive bays.
That means you can now add up to six 2.5-inch drives. With each bay supporting up to a 4 TB drive, the DS620slim offers up to 24 TB of total storage in a package that takes up minimal desk or shelf space.
Make sure you check out the video below to see the unit in action, then read on for the full review.
Synology DS620slim review video
Quick tech specs
- 121 mm x 151 mm x 175 mm
- Dual-Core 2.0 GHz (2.5 GHz burst) Intel Celeron J3355 CPU
- 2 GB DDR3L (can upgrade to 6 GB)
- Six bays for 2.5″ storage
- HDD and SSD compatible
- 2 – 1GbE LAN ports
- 2 – USB 3.0 Port
Setup
Like all Synology systems, setup is a breeze. You plug the NAS unit into power and your network, then visit find.synology.com in your browser. Synology’s in-browser Web Assistant holds your hand and walks you through the rest of the setup process until you reach the DiskStation Manager. The DiskStation Manager is a simple in-browser interface that gives you access to the many different features and abilities of the DS620slim.
There are tons of different applications that you can install onto the NAS unit, and Synology makes them easy to find and use.
Performance
The biggest thing to keep in mind about the performance of the Synology DS620slim is the type of use it is intended for. This is very much meant to be an at-home, consumer-level machine. And for that purpose, it works great. The two 1 gigabit LAN ports can be linked for an up to 2Gbps connection. While some people may have hoped for a 10Gbps option here, the maximum of 2Gbps will likely suffice for most home use and helps to keep the price affordable at just $450. And that’s considering we have some major hardware upgrades here over the DS419slim.
The DS620slim also supports a lot more features than the previous DS419 slim. It offers support for the new Btrfs file system, 4K transcoding, and up to 25 IP cameras. It also supports Synology’s Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), something no other slim-line product in Synology’s offering can do.
It’s also a super quiet machine, especially when using solid-state drives. But even with HDDs, the small drives and miniature architecture of the unit keeps noise down makes your desktop server room not much louder than a box of tissues – which is about the same size.
The upgradeable nature of the Synology DS620slim also means that it can be an excellent option for power users as well. You can bump it up to 6 GB of RAM to handle more demanding tasks and stuff it full of 4 TB drives to reach a total of 24 TB of storage space.
The bays are even lockable, so you don’t accidentally pull out a drive in use. The key isn’t meant for security since you could open the lock with a pair of needle nose or a small flathead driver, but that’s probably an advantage for if you ever lost your little plastic Synology keys anyways.
Summary
All told, the Synology DS620slim is a small machine with significant potential. The base model is more than enough for the casual home user and can be upgraded to the point that it should satisfy the most demanding users as well.
Its most limiting spec is likely the 2 Gbps connection speed, but that should still be fine for nearly anyone using this machine for personal use. If you need pro-level hardware, Synology has you covered with higher-end NAS units. The DS620slim is designed with affordability and practicality in mind.
For $450 and with specs like this, can you ask for more?
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