An In-Depth Review of Synology’s DiskStation DS1522+ NAS

Have you ever had to delete files as you run out of storage? Have you ever dealt with file loss? We know how frustrating it can be to deal with a failed hard drive or files you haven’t backed up. Fortunately, backing up files is extremely easy with Synology DiskStation DS1522+. And with the help of Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+, which runs Synology’s own DSM 7.1 system, you’ll no longer have to worry about failing hard drives or lost or corrupted files.

Let’s discuss this perfect home NAS from Synology, learn about its features, and see how you can make your files safe.

Part 1. Synology DiskStation DS1522+: General Specifications

The specs make Synology DiskStation DS1522+ an excellent choice for all your NAS needs. Regarding the CPU, it has an AMD Ryzen R1600. On the storage side, there are two M.2 NVMe slots that you can use for caching and five hot-swappable drive bays that can bring you to a whopping total of over 90TB of storage.

There’s 8GB of DDR4 ECC (error-correcting code) RAM on the memory side. However, the installed memory only takes one slot, and the DS1522+ has two memory slots. You can add another 8GB stick for a 16GB RAM configuration or replace it with two 16GB sticks for a total of 32GB RAM.

When it comes to ports, it comes standard with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and two external SATA ports for the DX517 expansion units. Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+ features a 120-watt power supply unit, but the total power consumption should be about 52 watts during access and around 17 watts during HDD hibernation.

Part 2. Main Pros & Cons of Synology DiskStation DS1522+

The Synology DiskStation DS1522+ has many advantages. Compared to the competition and the previous generation Synology models, the DS1522+ is genuinely remarkable. The performance jump from using the AMD Ryzen R1600 CPU is relatively high. Moreover, it is upgradeable to 32GB of DDR4 ECC RAM.

The sleek and powerful system offers support for third-party apps and access to a large ecosystem. It makes the DS1522+ quite capable. It can be a:

There’s also the friendly interface that is Synology’s DSM 7.1 system. Moreover, its size, shape, and the fact that the power supply is now external make it perfect for any spot.

When it comes to disadvantages of the Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+, there are only two:

Part 3. Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+ Performance

Compared to the previous generation of Synology NAS DiskStation units, the DS1522+ sports the new Ryzen R1600. It’s a dual-core CPU running at 2.6GHz as a base clock and 3.1GHz when it boosts. Overall, the performance gains over the previous generation are significant. Everything is smoother and faster when paired with the new DSM7.1 system from Synology.

The H264 and H265 encoded video files work perfectly, but lacking a GPU is a disadvantage. The DS1522+ isn’t the best option if you need to transcode your video files, work with 4K files, or want to use it as a media server. That’s because it doesn’t have the same video-processing abilities as the older generations running Intel Celeron CPUs.

When it comes to solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD) speeds, which are the primary uses of a NAS system, the DS1522+ is genuinely excellent. Speeds of 700MB per second are typical for SSDs and around 400MB/s for HDDs.

Part 4. Synology DiskStation DS1522+ Design & Build

The Synology DS1522+ weighs only 2.7kg and is relatively compact as the PSU is now external, compared to the previous generations. Its dimensions are 166mm x 230mm x 223mm, meaning that you could put it almost anywhere, and it wouldn’t take up too much space. There’s the simple yet elegant and usual Synology black design.

The front side shows the five easily-accessible drive bays that are hot-swappable. Each of them can run a maximum of 18TB of storage. The power button, a single USB 3.0 port, and the LED indicators are on the right front side.

The back side sports two 92mm fans, cooling the drives and the CPU inside. Just below the fans, on the left side, you have the two eSATA ports and, below them, a power port. Going from left to right, next up is the 10-gigabit ethernet RJ-45 port that needs to be purchased separately and added to the NAS. After that, we have another USB 3.0 port, four RJ-45 1-gigabit ethernet ports, and a Kensington lock.

Part 5. Synology Diskstation DS1522+ CPU Features

Compared to the previous generation Synology NAS DiskStations that came with an Intel Celeron J4124 processor, the DS1522+ now comes with an AMD CPU. That CPU in question is the new dual-core Ryzen R1600, a 64-bit CPU running at 2.6GHz base clock and turboing up to 3.1GHz. It makes a powerful NAS system.

However, there’s no integrated graphics processor. It’s something to remember if you’re transcoding 4K files or want to run a media server with non-standard file formats. On the other hand, h264 and h265 encoded videos work fine and play perfectly on all devices, as the CPU itself is powerful enough to transcode them.

Part 6. Synology Diskstation DS1522+ Price

The Synology DiskStation DS1522+ starts at $699, which is not the cheapest option on the market. Of course, there are also more expensive units. However, if you can look past the price and want to invest in a quality NAS with excellent performance, the DS1522+ is worth it. Its features make it an ideal home NAS, but it’s also perfect for small businesses.

Remember that, like almost all other NAS systems, the Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+ doesn’t include drives. Instead, you’d need to purchase them on your own. Installing them is easy, as the DS1522+ offers five hot-swappable drive bays. You could invest in one or two DX517 expansion units for additional storage. Each expansion unit offers five more hot-swappable drive bays, allowing you to upgrade as you go.

It makes DS1522+ an ideal choice, as you can start with an initial investment of $699 and add just a few drives. Then, if storage starts running low, you can gradually keep increasing it, up to 270TB in total.

Part 7. Networking Options of Diskstation DS1522+

The DS1522+ comes standard with four RJ-45 1-gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. Out of the box, it also comes with two quality RJ-45 CAT 5e cables, and if you’re purchasing the DS1522+ for home use, it should be more than enough for your needs.

If not, the Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+ comes with a PCIe Gen3 x2 expansion slot that serves as a network upgrade slot. You could pop in an E10G22-T1-Mini 10-gigabit ethernet network upgrade module, which can maximize the performance of your NAS.

Of course, the network upgrade module comes with a price, but if you consider that you’d have ten times faster network transfer speeds,  you’d realize it’s worth it. It would make your NAS highly future-proof as a home NAS system, but you would also have no problem using it in a small business.

Part 8. Versatile File Management

Along with all other Synology NAS units, the DS1522+ also comes with Synology’s very own DSM operating system. The unit in question comes with Synology’s DSM 7.1 system. If you’re a Windows or a Mac user, the DSM will feel familiar and easy to use.

Moreover, the new DS1522+ and DSM7 support various file systems. It makes the DS1522+ perfect as a cloud server, a backup server, a video surveillance storage system, etc. For internal M.2 NVMe drives, there’s support for BTRFS and EXT4.

On the other hand, the five external drives support numerous file systems, such as BTRFS, EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+, and exFAT. There’s support for multiple RAID options, such as Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), Basic RAID, JBOD, and RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10.

Part 9. Multi-layered Backups

Because it offers five hot-swappable drive bays, the DS1522+ can have a total of 270TB of storage. The internal hard disks use Synology’s Hybrid RAID, but you can configure any RAID option for the five external drives.

It makes using DS1522+ as a backup server a perfect choice, and your data will be safe. Even if losing data happens due to accidental deletion, a RAID reconstruction failure, or a power failure, there are ways to recover your Synology NAS files.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a quality, high-performance file server or want to run apps on your network without a problem, the Synology NAS DiskStation DS1522+ is the right choice for your NAS needs. It’s equipped with a Ryzen R1600 and 8GB of DDR4 ECC RAM, making it quite fast.

The DS1522+ is easy to install, manage, and add storage and comes with a great DSM7 Synology operating system, not to mention that it’s quiet. Being highly scalable, the DS1522+ is an excellent choice for home storage or as a small business NAS.