Synology DS3612xs

The DS3612xs is much bigger than the TS-879 Pro for the simple reason that is supports 4 more 3.5" drives. It measures 310mm (H) x 300mm (W) x 340mm (D) (12.20" x 11.81" 10 xiii.38") and weighs 10.53kg (23.21lbs) empty. With twelve drives installed, Synology says the DS3612xs generates just 29.4dB when operating and consumes 132 watts.

It'south also quite easy to go inside the DS3612xs and install a 10GbE network bill of fare, requiring the removal of two case screws. Dissimilar the TS-879 Pro, the DS3612xs accepts cards with a low-profile bracket and doesn't demand its own custom bracket, which helps improve compatibility.

While it's apparent from the exterior that the DS3612xs is around 40% larger than the TS-879 Pro, the departure is fifty-fifty more obvious when you become within. The DS3612xs uses a standard ATX power supply while its Core i3 is cooled using a belfry-style heatsink.

The DS3612xs is powered past a Seasonic SS-500ET 500w PSU, which is bronze 80 plus certified and retails for roughly $lx. Notwithstanding, replacing this role is not every bit simple as only ownership an SS-500ET online, every bit the DS3612xs uses a custom version without SATA or Molex connectors.

Stripping the DS3612xs downward reveals two big blue PCBs: a motherboard and a hot-swappable SATA module with a dozen ports. However, dissimilar the QNAP TS-879 Pro, SATA controllers aren't on the SATA module. The motherboard has v Marvel 88SX7042 controllers, with each supporting iv SATA 3Gb/s ports using the PCIe jitney.

For the most role, NAS devices such every bit the DS3612xs volition exist outfitted with hard drives that tin't exhaust the 3Gb/s interface, only we're all the same disappointed that such an expensive unit lacks 6Gb/southward support.

In case you're wondering why a twelve-drive NAS has five SATA controllers supporting upward to xx drives, the reason is pretty straightforward: future expansion. Three of the v 88SX7042 chips power the NAS' twelve hot-swappable SATA ports, while the other ii controllers are for two InfiniBand ports that connect the DS3612xs to DX1211 expansion units for a total storage capacity of 100TB.

The Core i3-2100's heatsink measures 140mm tall, 130mm long and 85mm wide (5.51" x 5.11" x 3.34") and features four dual copper heatpipes. The 32nm Sandy Bridge chip itself features two cores with four threads via Hyper-Threading, it operates at 3.1GHz (200MHz slower than the TS-879's i3-2120), and it has a 3MB L3 enshroud, Hd 2000 Graphics and a 65-watt TDP. Equally with QNAP's device, upgrading the CPU will void your warranty.

Reverse the processor are not two simply four DDR3 DIMM slots which come with a pair of Apacer 75.073C8.G020C DDR3-1333 1GB retentiveness modules for 2GB of RAM. It's possible to upgrade the DS3612xs to 4GB or even 6GB of memory using the ECC Memory upgrade kit, or you lot tin buy 2GB of ECC memory for as picayune as $20. We're not sure what Synology is charging for its official upgrade kits, but it's probably more than etail.

You won't find USB 3.0 or any front panel connectivity on this $3,500 NAS. Instead, there are 4 USB 2.0 ports at the rear. Granted, USB 3.0 and forepart panel connectivity are more essential for abode users, nosotros're still bummed to run across them missing on such an expensive product.

However, Synology has upped the ante in network support. Also 10GbE, the DS3612xs supports four Gigabit Ethernet ports correct out of the box. Whereas the TS-879 Pro has ane WG82574L controller, the DS3612xs boasts four, meaning two pairs of link-aggregated ports can be configured.

The I/O panel has a pair of InfiniBand ports, iv USB ii.0 ports, four Gigabit Ethernet connections, a COM port and VGA, though the display output is reserved for arrangement maintenance.