Sections
- Page 1 Synology EDS14 Review
- Page 2 Performance, Value & Verdict Review
Synology EDS14 – Performance
So the Synology EDS14 is an intriguing product, well made, loaded with features and backed up with great software. But there’s an inevitable but: it isn’t particularly fast.
In our tests USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 read times with large files reached just 51.3MBps (410.4Mbps) and 30.5MBps respectively. This despite us using a 64GB SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive, one of the fastest drives on the market and capable of speeds in excess of 200MBps. The EDS14’s write speeds fared better at 42.5MBps and 27.6MBps with USB 3.0 reads close to Synology’s claims of 50MBps.
As our router testing has shown, it takes a lot of horsepower to drag USB content over a network quickly and given we’ve seen cutting edge routers like the Linksys WRTAC1900 pack higher powered chipsets we’d lay the blame here. 
This is backed up by the performance hit we saw transferring small files. Our 2GB folder of over 2,000 files is a real CPU killer and both read and write times for the EDS14 fluctuated significantly hitting averages of 20.2MBps and 11.4MBps respectively. This is in line with the slowest budget NAS we’ve seen: the Netgear ReadyNAS 102.
SD card performance (graphs in the Photos tab at the top of the page) was better achieving 40.7MBps reads and 35.5MBps writes. Again read performance was down on claims, but write speed is fairly strong.
Should I buy the Synology EDS14?
The EDS14 might not be in the same performance class as large, dedicated NAS, but this is to be expected. Furthermore, performance still remains fast enough for the majority of applications.
That said, there is a bigger question: how much do you need the EDS14’s portability? This is because Synology has given the EDS14 an eye opening £169.99 price tag. This places it above budget NAS like the aforementioned Netgear ReadyNAS 102 and you can find Synology’s excellent dual bay DS213 (last year’s model) for around £160 and even the current DS214 for £219. Needless to say these NAS are unpopulated at these prices, but then again so is the EDS14.
The EDS14 is an innovative device that could
drive interest in a whole new category of NAS, but it needs to be
cheaper.
Verdict
If the specific features on offer here interest you then then Synology
EDS14 is worth considering, but it needs to be cheaper and faster to
earn our recommendation.
Next, read our best routers round-up
Trusted Score
Score in detail
-
Performance 6
-
Value 5
-
Features 9
-
Build Quality 8
-
Usability 9
-
Design 8
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
