Synology have launched the DiskStation DS220j NAS. The DS220j brings the quad-core Realtek RTD1296 processor seen in the DS218play down to a cost-effective j-series price point of £159.99. Two hard drives up to 16TB each are supported, but memory has been reduced from 1GB to 512MB of DDR4 to hit the lower price point. Synology don’t disclose detailed memory spec but the smallest common DDR4 chips have a capacity of 512MB each so we suspect this might be made up of a single chip with a 16-bit wide interface – effectively a quarter of a single desktop channel.
Synology promote the DiskStation DS220j as a ‘personal cloud’ solution. Rather than putting your data online, you keep it on your own network. Some feel more comfortable with this, plus it means no subscription fees – you own all the hardware. Synology’s software adds value with easy management, backups and home media streaming. We’ve looked at a past version of this software in our DS116 review.
Synology DiskStation DS220j Specs
| Drive Bays | 2×3.5” (2.5” adapter available) |
|---|---|
| Max Supported Capacity | 32TB (16TB/drive) |
| Out-Of-The-Box Capacity | No drives included (0TB) |
| Operating System | Synology DSM 6.2 (linux-based) |
| File System | ext4 |
| CPU Model | Realtek RTD1296 |
| CPU Spec | Quad-core 1.4GHz ARM A53, AES acceleration |
| Memory | 512MB DDR4 |
| LAN | Gigabit Ethernet |
| Cooling | 92mm fan |
| Power | 12.46W Load, 5.06W Idle (based on 2x1TB WD Red 5400rpm) |
Availability and Pricing
The Synology DiskStation DS220j is available for pre-order from Amazon UK with a release date of the 27th of March. In the US, you can buy the DS220j now from Amazon US.
