If you have a compatible device that's full, then this is a no-brainer. Yes, it may be expensive if you consider it to be just another set of slots and a power cord, but that's selling the architecture short.
Synology is tops for SMB NAS--features, performance, and usability. Price, not so much, but if you're looking to save money, you're not looking at Synology devices anyway.
A few things that contradict the PDF directions from my experience (and verified by Synology support):
1) The documentation says that you should insert the eSATA plug with the "eSATA" text facing up. At least in my experience, the cable simply didn't go that way; I had to insert it with the "Synology" logo facing up on both the master device and the DX513. Worked just fine.
2) If you boot up the master device with ZERO disks in the DX513, the 513 will briefly power on, then shut itself down, perhaps to save power, I'm not sure. The DX513 will NOT show up in "External Devices" in DSM on the master device. This is intentional, near as I can tell: just put at least one disk in the DX513 and power it on, and it'll stay powered on and the device and the disk(s) will show up in DSM on the master device just fine.
Also, kudos to Synology support for getting back to me so quickly.
Synology is the best, and you get what you pay for. $500 for five bays of top-performing, fully-featured NAS storage is pretty reasonable no matter how you slice it.
| Hard Drive | Portable |
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