Which one is best for Plex?
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Synology DiskStation DS923+
The default choice for home offices
The new DS923+ takes the best of the DS920+ and brings you an upgraded and even more capable package. This four-bay NAS is the new default choice for most home offices, where it can be used for both work and play or even for a small team in your office.
Pros- NVMe SSD can be used in the storage pool
- Excellent performance
- DSM OS is clean and versatile
Cons- Included network ports are still 1GbE
- No integrated GPU
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Synology DiskStation DS920+
If it ain’t broke…
The good-old DS920+ may have been discontinued, but it still holds its own, whether streaming media at home or storing your office files. It is also quite efficient for demanding tasks like running multiple security cameras, plus it can handle Plex streaming (even in 4K) like a breeze.
Pros- Solid quad-core Intel processor
- DSM works well across the board
- Built-in GPU
Cons- NVMe drives can only be used for caching
- No way to upgrade the 1GbE network ports
The Synology DiskStation DS920+ has long been a fan-favorite NAS enclosure. That’s mainly because of how well-suited it is for running a Plex server. In fact, the DS920+ was our default choice for streaming your movie collection. But Synology recently replaced the DS920+ model with the DiskStation DS923+ as the new mid-tier champ with some major interior changes that could affect its Plex performance.
The new processor on the DS923+ is actually beefier than the outgoing model, making it better at handling certain apps. And it may not be entirely bad news for those looking to set up a Plex media server, either. In this comparison, we’ll see how the DiskStation DS923+ stacks up against the DS920+ and if its Plex compatibility is anything to worry about.
Price, availability, and specs
The DiskStation DS920+ came out in 2020 and was a notable addition to Synology’s lineup of top NAS enclosures for consumers. This model has been officially discontinued, but it’s still so sought-after that its unsold stock and renewed variants are available for a hefty markup (which we don’t recommend going for).
Interestingly, the DS920+ launched at $700, then it was quickly slashed to $600, and it has stuck to that price ever since. Its follow-up, the DS923+, hit the market with the same $600 price tag, which is good news for buyers as it gets you better internals for the same upfront cost.
But, the prices have started to drop, presumably due to competition, and the DS923+ can be found for a little over $500.
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Synology DiskStation DS923+ Synology DiskStation DS920+ CPU AMD Ryzen R1600 Quad-core Intel Celeron J4125 Memory 4 GB (max. 32 GB) 4GB, expandable up to 8GB Drive Bays 4 4 Expansion 2x M.2 slots, 1x eSATA, 1x PCIe (for 10GbE LAN adapter) 2x M.2 slots, 1x eSATA Ports 2x 1GbE, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x eSATA 2x 1Gbe LAN, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x eSATA Caching 2x NVMe slots 2x NVMe slots OS DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7,2 DIskStation Manager (DSM) 7.2 Price $599.99 $550
Design
If we don’t tell you which NAS is which, you probably won’t be able to tell them apart. Besides their names printed on the front, the only thing differentiating the DS923+ from the DS920+ is the additional PCIe slot on the back of the DS923+. Other than that, they look exactly the same, with four bays on the front to access your hard drives. The bays are easy to use and don’t require any additional tools to secure your HDDs; the M.2 slots to insert your NVMe drives are located at the bottom of both NAS models.
On the back, the port situation is also pretty much the same on the DS923+ and the DS920+. There is a pair of 1GbE network ports that support link aggregation, one of the two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and an eSATA port that you can use to attach a drive expansion unit from Synology.
As mentioned earlier, the DS923+ also comes with a PCIe slot that you can use to attach a 10GbE network card from Synology (sold separately). While the new model at least gives you the option to upgrade its network performance, unfortunately, you’re stuck with 1GbE ports on the DS920+.
Software
Like most things about the DS923+ and the DS920+, the software experience is the same. They both run Synology’s latest DSM 7 OS, which has a user-friendly interface and offers a ton of options suitable for work and personal use. The web-based control center is clean and well-arranged, and you’ll feel right at home coming from a previous DSM version or even Windows and Linux.
The operating system’s highlight is the variety of first-party apps that you can use on your Synology NAS. Synology bundles its Photos app for free with the NAS, which you can set up as a perfect Google Photos alternative. Meanwhile, professionals will find that Synology Drive can be easily used instead of Google Drive for safekeeping your critical office files offline without missing any of the latter’s handy features. Then there is the more advanced Surveillance Station, which supports dozens of connected security cameras (camera licenses sold separately). The list goes on, with many more third-party apps, like Plex, and integrations for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
You can do all that on both NAS models, and if you already own a DS920+, rest assured you are not missing out on anything — except for one thing: Synology pushed an update to the DS923+ last year, allowing NVMe drives to be used as the storage pool, which the older model cannot do, at least right now.
Performance
Performance is where the real difference between the DS923+ and the DS920+ lies. Like many of Synology’s recent NAS models, the DS923+ uses the Ryzen R1600. While the AMD processor has only two cores, it can reach as high as 3.1GHz in turbo mode with a decent 2.6GHz base frequency, which could be helpful in certain business applications, running virtual machines, and docker containers.
This new processor also adds support for ECC memory, which helps reduce memory errors for better stability while upping the maximum memory capacity to 32GB. The DS920+’s 8GB RAM support is more than enough for freelancers and home users. The additional RAM on the DS923+ will help businesses run multiple apps simultaneously and support a larger team more effectively.
On the other hand, the Intel Celeron processor on the DS920+ is far more efficient, with only 10W power consumption (which also means less heat generation). It also helps that it is a four-core chip, allowing for more optimized processing of tasks. However, its biggest strength is the integrated GPU that gives the DS920+ a definite upper hand when it comes to graphics-intensive apps. If you use Synology’s surveillance service or often transcode large media files on the fly, this additional GPU will surely come in handy.
In our testing of the newer DS923+, we found that the lack of an integrated GPU wouldn’t affect most users. The beefy AMD processor handled streaming videos and security cameras without a hiccup, and the CPU usage was within reasonable limits. Still, certain cases could test its limits and affect how the NAS handles your media on Plex.
These aren’t the only options for Plex, there are some alternative options.
Is the Synology DS923+ good for running Plex?
Plex needs to transcode your media files on the server while you are streaming them only if the client device (like your TV) doesn’t support the codec the movies are saved in. For instance, if your old bedroom TV cannot play files in the HEVC format, your NAS will have to do the hard work to convert the video into a compatible format.
A built-in GPU is made specifically for this task and can efficiently complete it without stressing the CPU. But in the case of the DS923+ with an AMD processor, the CPU will have to do the heavy lifting, potentially maxing it out, depending on the file size and resolution (for example, a 4K HEVC video with a high bit or frame rate would be tougher).
But if all your movies and music files are in common formats (.mp4, .mp3, etc.), you won’t face any problems with the AMD processor. Without transcoding on the fly, the processor won’t work as hard, and you will have a pleasant, stutter-free movie-watching experience. And if you have a fairly recent TV (or any other new client device, for that matter), there is a good chance that it already supports newer media formats; this eliminates the need for the Plex media server to transcode your files.
You can check your TV for media format compatibility before going for an AMD-powered Synology NAS. Alternatively, converting your media to a format that the streaming devices in your home support beforehand could save your NAS some hard work — and you from constant stutters while streaming something.
Synology DiskStation DS923+ vs. DS920+: Should you upgrade?
Synology hasn’t officially stated why it decided to switch away from Intel processors, but the use of AMD chips indicates the DS900 series is increasingly becoming business-focused. If you run a small business that doesn’t rely on graphics-intensive apps, the DS923+ will be a perfect fit for you, especially considering it’s got a powerful new Ryzen processor and up to 32GB of RAM to go with it.
Even home users will find the Synology DS923+ plenty capable for their data backup, photo sharing, and most importantly, media streaming needs. As we found out in our testing, running a full-fledged Plex server on the DS923+ is not taxing on the processor as long as your client devices can play the file format. If Plex needs to transcode your media on the fly, yes, there is a chance that the NAS will struggle, but not in all situations. You can avoid that by picking one of the best NAS enclosures for Plex from Synology and other brands like QNAP and Ausustor. But we strongly advise against buying a DS920+ right now, even if it’s still available from some obscure seller on Amazon or eBay.
Synology DiskStation DS923+
Our pick
The default choice for home offices
$505 $600 Save $95
If you’re looking for a mid-range NAS from Synology, you cannot go wrong with the DiskStation DS923+. Its new processor can easily handle your office work and even Plex streaming, as long as you don’t need server-side media transcoding.
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen R1600
- Memory
- 4 GB (max. 32 GB)
- Drive Bays
- 4
- Expansion
- 2x M.2 slots, 1x eSATA, 1x PCIe (for 10GbE LAN adapter)
- Ports
- 2x 1GbE, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x eSATA
- Caching
- 2x NVMe slots
- OS
- DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7,2
- Price
- $599.99
If you already own a Synology DS920+, your NAS should be as good as new, and you can easily hold onto it for a while longer. This model may be old, but its Intel Celeron processor has plenty of performance headroom to run multiple apps simultaneously without a hiccup — home users are good for years.
But if it has started giving you frequent problems like you often bottleneck the memory or your team size has grown significantly, it might be the time to upgrade. While the DS923+ should give you a noticeable performance bump, you can also look at Synology’s even better DiskStation DS1522+, which is a five-bay system that offers more flexibility with 8GB of base RAM and additional LAN and eSATA ports.
Synology DiskStation DS1522+
Upgraded model
At a slightly higher price, Synology’s DS1522+ offers a better port selection and an extra drive bay for even more storage at your disposal.