Synology is launching new NAS enclosures for 2022, and today we’re taking a look at the new Synology DiskStation DS1522+. It’s a five-bay chassis with an AMD Ryzen processor, plenty of DDR4 RAM, and the option to install a Synology 10Gb LAN adapter.
Not all NAS need to be powerful enough to run a Plex Media Server for 4K transcoding, and that’s where the DS1522+ comes in. Designed to store large amounts of data, it is ideal for a busier home and office. Still, the DS1522+ is more than capable of running more demanding processes. As a replacement for the DiskStation DS1520+, the new AMD processor and 10Gb networking could be just what you need for storage.
Price, specifications and availability
The Synology DiskStation DS1522+ is a high-end home NAS for storing a lot of data, which means you’ll have to pay a pretty penny for the luxury. It costs $699 and doesn’t include hard drives or the optional 10Gb LAN adapter if you have a fast enough network.
| specifications | Synology DiskStation DS1522+ |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen R1600 |
| graphic card | — |
| R.A.M. | 8GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM |
| (Maximum: 32GB) | |
| bays | 5 |
| capacity | 100TB |
| extension | Drives: 2x DX517 |
| LAN: Gen3 x2 Synology slot | |
| cooling | 2x 92mm |
| ports | 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 |
| 2x eSATA | |
| 4x 1GB LAN | |
| power consumption | 52.06W |
| Dimensions | 166mm x 230mm x 223mm |
| weight | 2.7kg |
The specifications of the Synology DiskStation DS1522+ for storing data are impressive. The processor, memory and optional LAN upgrade are great for creating a powerful NAS enclosure. Connecting up to two DX517 expansion units allows for up to 15 drive bays for a total of 300TB.
Synology DiskStation DS1522+: What I like
Synology DiskStation DS1522+ is packaged like any other recent NAS enclosure from the company. You have all the necessary accessories included, as well as the external power brick. The NAS itself is a relatively large black plastic and metal slab with five 3.5-inch drive bays on the front.
Next to the drive bays there are some status LED indicators for drive and network activity. The sides have Synology branding that doubles as ventilation for cooling, and the top is completely bare. Two M.2 drive bays are located under the case for quick and convenient access.
A lot is happening on the back of the DS1522+. There are four 1GB LAN ports, a DC-in, two eSATA ports, and the optional 10GB PCI slot for Synology’s proprietary adapter. Two 92mm fans are used to adequately cool everything, as is the case with Synology NAS cases of this size.
It’s all normal and you’d have a hard time telling the difference between the DiskStation DS1522+ and the older DS1520+ other than the model number printed on the front (and if you were aware of the small physical differences).
After the Synology DiskStation DS1621+, in the Synology DiskStation DS1522+ you will find an AMD Ryzen R1600 processor and 8GB of DDR4 RAM with error checking. If that’s not enough system memory, it can be upgraded to a whopping 32GB. Better yet, Synology includes the aforementioned M.2 SSD slots for installing up to two drives for SSD caching.
For actual storage of data (since Synology doesn’t allow M.2 drives for storage), the five drive bays with five 20TB 3.5-inch NAS drives can reach 100TB in total. And if the was not enough, you can use two DX517 expansion units to expand the maximum capacity up to 300TB before considering RAID.
To test the performance of the DS1522+, we used five 4TB Seagate IronWolf NAS hard drives and IronWolf SSDs, and left the 8GB RAM as the default. The AMD Ryzen dual-core processor runs at 2.6 GHz and can accelerate up to 3.1 GHz. While it doesn’t have the same video processing capabilities as Intel Celeron CPUs used in NAS, I find it performs better overall.
The performance was excellent. The four 1Gb LAN ports allow you to combine two channels for improved bandwidth, but opening the floodgates with the optional 10Gb port is where the magic really happens. If you’re using an SSD, you can expect over 700MB/s in transfer speed when moving files to and from the NAS (I managed around 400MB/s with HDDs).
Using 1Gb ports limits the potential of the NAS, especially if you use it for big data. I would strongly recommend either buying the optional card or going for a NAS with a 10GB port and enough drive bays for your storage needs. Overall system performance is about as expected when compared to similarly performing NAS.
Synology DiskStation DS1522: What I don’t like
I’m not a fan of the optional LAN adapter. Having four 1GB ports for networking isn’t bad, but it would have been good to see two 2.5GB ports. Where Synology really lost the ball is with the 10Gb port, which only works with the company’s E10G22-T1 mini card. It costs $150.
You won’t want the DS1522+ if the primary use for your case is to run Plex Media Server and transcode 4K files. The AMD Ryzen R1600 in this NAS does not have an integrated GPU, a requirement for smooth transcoding.
Synology DiskStation DS1522: Competition
There’s a lot of competition in every drive bay NAS segment, and the DS1522+ is no exception. There is the excellent TerraMaster F5-422 (opens in new tab), which has an Intel Celeron processor (with integrated graphics) and an internal 10 Gb network connection. Synology leaves that behind with the newer DS1522+, as you’ll need to spend even more to unlock this feature.
The worst thing for Synology is that the F5-422 costs a full $100 less. Technically, you get more for less, although the TerraMaster OS isn’t quite as sophisticated as Synology DiskStation Manager. It’s food for thought if you absolutely need the 10GB of network bandwidth.
Synology DiskStation DS1522: Should You Buy?
You should buy if…
- You need a five-bay NAS
- They don’t plan to transcode media
- You need a powerful NAS
- You don’t mind using a proprietary LAN adapter
You shouldn’t buy if…
- You don’t need five drive bays
- You need a NAS mainly for Plex
Synology DiskStation DS1522+ is a great company NAS with its latest operating system DiskStation Manager (DSM). The performance increase with the AMD Ryzen R1600 processor, up to 32 GB RAM and the optional 10 Gb LAN adapter results in a powerful chassis compared to the outgoing DS1520+.
It’s just a shame that Synology forces you to use the E10G22-T1 mini card since it costs a whopping $150. Well, 10Gb LAN cards aren’t necessarily cheap, but it’s easy to find upgradeable PCIe cards with 10Gb ports for less. It seems that this is the route the company is taking with drives and other components of a NAS as well.
All in all, the case itself is brilliant. If 10Gb networking isn’t your thing, this is a massive NAS that can be expanded to support up to 15 drives. The ability to build a network storage solution with up to 300TB of capacity should be a requirement for any growing business.
With built-in 10Gb network, this would easily become one of the best 5-bay NAS.
Synology DiskStation DS1522+
Do you have a lot of data?
Synology DiskStation DS1522+ is a brilliant choice for those who have a lot of data to store. Whether sensitive files, backups or media, the DS1522+ with its five drive bays is a solid NAS.