Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Which Should You Buy

Buying your first network-attached storage device can be really intimidating! If you have spent the better part of a decade storing your personal or business data on public cloud services or in a drawer full of USB drives, but have now taken the grown-up decision to go ahead and migrate over to your own private network-attached storage (NAS). You might have done this for reasons of cost, centralization or perhaps for security, whatever the reason for your data migration, there is simply no denying that the world of NAS can be a fraction complex and confusing early doors. Like any kind of modern computer appliance, you want to make sure you buy right the first time and when it comes to choosing between two of the latest generations of Synology NAS devices, these two incredibly similar two-bay devices might be two of the most different solutions I have ever compared. The Synology DS224+ is a home and small business-focused compact NAS designed to leverage an affordable price point between reasonable hardware and reasonable software and abilities. The slightly older Synology DS723+, on the other hand, has much of a high and even in some places entry enterprise-level focus about its architecture and is needless to say the more expensive of the two. Nevertheless, both of these Synology NAS devices can be picked up for around $350 to $450 (without drives), the contrast between their pricing, are actually very different beasts. Therefore, for users that don’t quite know their AMD embedded from their Celeron integrated processors, or who aren’t sure of the benefits that ECC can bring, today I want to compare the Synology DS224+ and Synology DS723+ and help you decide which one best deserves your data!

Just before we get into the meat and potatoes of this comparison, it is worth highlighting that regardless of whether you buy the Synology DS723+ or DS224+, you are guaranteed to get a system that can perform all of the following:

• Both units feature x86 processors, which allow a wide degree of app/services to run well and are a good price vs hardware balance
• Both the DS723+ and DS224+ are constructed of plastic desktop compact chassis, thereby reducing power consumption, noise and heat generated
• Both can Stream 1080p HD or 4K media, with superior performance natively and mid-range performance in Plex
• Both the Synology DS723+ and DS224+ NAS support AI-supported photo and ‘thing’ recognition supported to a very high degree from the free branded software included
• For Business users who currently enjoy the use of Google Workspace or Office 365, both of these NAS provide excellent means to backup your mass cloud accounts (as well as natively sync, dupe and configure rules on the fly)
• Both the DS224+ NAS and DS723+ NAS support snapshots, for more incremental and version protecting failsafe in efforts to protect you from Malware and Ransomware attacks, by allowing multi-versioning storage history to browse through and restore
• Both units are DLNA certified so can be accessed, browsed and played from by popular DLNA devices, such as Amazon Firestick, Alexa, Google Home Chromecast, Apple TV, Bose, Sonos, iPads, etc, as well as connectivity between these platforms with IFTTT
• Both are multi-bay, RAID enabled devices NAS devices that support JBOD, RAID 0 and RAID 1 (as well as Synology Hybrid RAID too for their Plus series range), though it is worth highlighting the DS723+ is the only one that supports an expansion and therefore also can support RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 and SHR-2 (more on that later)
• Both devices run on their own proprietary operating system that can be accessed remotely or locally. These include regular updates to the firmware, security patches, applications and more. Ranging from multimedia, home and multi-tiered backup applications, to more business end tools such as Surveillance software, Virtual Machine deployment and business-class backup and synchronization tools.
• Both the DS224+ and DS723+ use and can be accessed equally by a multitude of mobile applications such as DS File, DS Video, DS Photo, DSCam and DS Music that are created by and constantly improved by Synology.
• Both NAS are completely compatible with Windows, Android and Mac systems, as well as acting as a bring between software platforms to share and distribute files for migration and file sync]
• Both units can be used as a mail and/or business servers, providing excellent 3rd party CRM and first-party CMS systems, as well as the fantastic Synology collaboration Suite of applications Chat, Drive, Mail, Calendar, Office and Active Backup Suite
• Both systems will support DSM 7.1 or DSM 7.2 out the box, as well as support software updates (security and feature) for many years moving forward
• Both systems support the Synology Surveillance Station applications, support numerous cameras and arrive with 2 camera licenses with your purchase

But you didn’t come to this comparison page to find out what they had in common, you wanted to know what makes them different and which one best suits your needs, so let’s crack on with this comparison.

 

Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Price and Value

Now, for those of you that are keeping a very close eye on the budget, it will already be clear to you that the Synology DS224+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, by quite a considerable margin! Arriving, depending on where you are in the world, for around $330 to $360, it will immediately look more appealing to those on a tight budget when compared against the $450 to $499 of the DS723+. And that is before you’ve gone ahead and purchased any storage media too, so that’s saving of $100 to $150 could go a long way to further bolstering your network-attached storage setup. So, if the most important thing to you right now is remaining within a tight budget, then it might be worth seeing to read the rest of this article as when comparing DS224+ and DS723+, we have to look considerably more at the subject of value, not price. Price. Both of these devices arrive with the same software, Synology DSM 7.2, as well as both systems being two drive NAS solutions that support nearly identical ranges of storage media too, but more on that later. In terms of physical size, the range of components, they are pretty darn similar at a casual glance. However, it is in terms of the individual hardware components and scalability where the Synology DS723+ shows its worth, which we will cover shortly in the hardware section. But at least in terms of numerical value, the Synology DS224+ carries the lead. However, the reality isn’t quite that simple.

This is because the Synology DS723+ was released more than half a year earlier than the DS224+ and because of its wider availability and longer presence in the market, it has been featured in numerous special offers throughout that time. We saw this near $500 NAS on a few considerably impressive special offers throughout Amazon Prime day and other smaller eShop-specific events. So, yes, the DS224+ is the lower-priced NAS of the two, but do make a point of checking your local online retailer to see if the DS723+ is on special offer right now!

Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Hardware and Connections

The hardware architecture of the DS224+ and DS723+ clearly have two very different target audiences in mind. The DS224+ has more of a home and multimedia feel about it, while the DS723+ feels substantially more like a business solution. This is reflected in numerous areas such as the distinct differences in CPU, memory specifications, and potential for growth. Even if you were to take into account the affordability of the DS224+, it has to be said that in the majority of hardware available, the DS723+ is significantly more powerful and scalable in practically every way. Here is a brief summary of the key hardware highlights of either system, side-by-side:

Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS Hardware Comparison
Synology NAS
Amazon Price:	$349	$449
Processor model	Intel Celeron J4125 (2019 Gen)	AMD Ryzen R1600 (2020 Gen)
processor architecture	64-bit	64-bit
processor clock	4-core 2.0 (base frequency) / 2.7 (burst frequency) GHz	2-core 2.6 (base frequency) / 3.1 (max overclock) GHz
Integrated Graphics	Yes (250-750Mhz)	No
Hardware encryption engine (AES-NI)	Yes	Yes
system memory	2 GB DDR4 non-ECC	2 GB DDR4 ECC
Pre-installed memory modules	Yes	2GB (2GB x 1) via SODIMM
Total number of memory slots	1	2
Maximum memory capacity	6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB)	32GB (16GB x 2)
The maximum number of disk slots for an expansion unit	N/A	7 (DX517 x 1)
M.2 drive bay	N/A	2 (NVMe, PCIe 3×1)
Compatible Disk Type	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
Disk hot-plug support*	Yes	Yes

So first and foremost, we need to discuss the main differences between the CPUs available here. The Intel Celeron found inside the DS224+ is a four-core, four-thread processor with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz that can be burst to 2.7 GHz when needed. However, despite the age of this CPU, which was released towards the end of 2019, it is the integrated graphics of this processor that gives it a slight edge for some users in terms of NAS deployment- especially those looking at multimedia use for their system. For users that are looking at the manipulation of graphical data, or more commonly are using the NAS as a multimedia server and wish to convert dense multimedia into something more manageable locally (for example, converting a dense 4K file into a much smaller and portable version to watch on the phone whilst commuting to work, on the fly), integrated graphics allow the NAS to perform this task with much lower overall resource consumption.

Thanks to it having a more specialized tool to get this job done. The embedded Ryzen R1600 processor on the other hand, lacks the integrated graphics and is a dual-core processor instead of a quad-core. However, it substantially makes up for this by being a much more powerful dual-core processor, with four threads that allow the system to assign system resources in a similar way to that of having multiple cores. Equally, the clock speed is noticeably higher here with the DS723+ CPU having a 2.6 GHz base power that can be burst when needed to 3.1 GHz. It is true that in cases of graphical manipulation or multimedia conversion, the AMD CPU here will be far less efficient and capable. However, in practically every other way, it is superior to that of the J4125 inside the DS224+. And if you are more concerned with traditional file transfer speeds internally and externally, the DS723+ will comfortably be the better-performing NAS.

The CPU choices in the DS224+ and DS723+ also result in very different memory architectures in each device, which will undoubtedly result in different scalability in the long term. The DS224+ arrives with 2GB of memory, soldered to the main controller board, which can be further expanded via an available SODIMM memory slot to 6 GB total. This may be a little disheartening when you find out that the CPU here is actually capable of supporting 8 GB maximum memory. However, due to that initial 2GB memory being fixed internally, you cannot officially exceed 6 GB physically. This shortfall is considerably magnified when you bring into comparison the DS723’s memory structure. It arrives with 2GB of DDR4 memory which can be expanded to a whopping 32 GB total across two available SODIMM slots. Additionally, the system arrives with error-correcting code (ECC) memory, which ensures that data that passes through the memory during write operations will have its integrity checked by a separate module on the memory of the system. If any irregularities or inconsistencies are spotted, that data will be repaired. This goes a long way to reassure any doubts around the integrity of long-term archival data and susceptibility to things like bit rot. This is one of the main reasons why the DS723+ is considered much more of a business solution overall.

Much like the memory choices by Synology in these two NAS devices, the ports and connections of them both are similar, but one is definitely more scalable than the other. Both systems arrive with standard gigabit ethernet connectivity, with two available ports that each will provide up to a maximum 109 megabytes per second. Both systems also arrive with USB 3 connectivity, but it is only 5GB gen 1 USB, and the more expensive DS723+ only has a single port when the DS220 Plus has two, which really surprised me. However, it is from here onward that the DS723 massively upscales things.

Model ID	Synology DS224+	Synology DS723+
Synology NAS
RJ-45 1GbE LAN port*	2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)	2 (Supports Link Aggregation / Failover)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port*	2	1
eSATA port	0	1
USB Copy	Yes (inc. Physical Button)	Yes
PCIe expansion	N/A	1 x Gen3 x2 LAN card slot
Size (HXWXD)	165 mm x 108 mm x 232.2 mm	166mm x 106mm x 223mm
weight	1.30 kg	1.51 kg
system fan	92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs	92 mm x 92 mm x 1 pcs
fan mode	full speed mode low temperature mode silent mode	full speed mode low temperature mode silent mode
Front panel LED indicators with adjustable brightness	Yes	Yes
Noise value*	22dB(A)	20.7 dB(A)
wake on lan	Yes	Yes
Power Supply / Transformer	60W	65W
AC input voltage	100V to 240V AC	100V to 240V AC
current frequency	50/60 Hz, single frequency	50/60 Hz, single frequency
Power consumption	14.69 W (access) 4.41 W (disk hibernation)	21.07 W (access) 8.62 W (disk hibernation)

For a start, the DS723+ features an eSATA external port that is used to connect the official Synology 5-bay expansion device, the DX517. This means that while the DS220 Plus has a maximum long-term capacity of two SATA drives, the DS723+ allows you to expand your storage down the line by an additional five SATA bays. This can be done gradually and this storage can either mirror the original NAS or extend the storage pool across both devices.

Scalability and expandability do not stop there though, with the DS723+ also having the option to add a network adapter upgrade module (the E10G22-T1-MINI) to increase your network bandwidth to 10GbE. This is going to be incredibly useful for users who plan on taking advantage of SSDs or plan on having a much busier network environment between the NAS and multiple users and tasks at any given time.

And it doesn’t stop there! The Synology DS723+ also features two SSD bays on its base for installing M.2 2280 SSD modules, which can be used for caching or as raw storage pools, depending on which drive you use (more on that later). This is a feature that, although growing more common across Synology’s NAS portfolio, it is still unavailable on the new DS224+ and, alongside the lack of storage expansion support, severely limits the storage potential long term on the more affordable NAS.

 inally, we need to discuss storage media compatibility, as this has grown to be another thing that has changed the way in which a user can populate their NAS quite a lot in recent years. On the list of storage media that they are prepared to verify as compatible with their systems. Although technically, one could say that any SATA media drive would be compatible with a SATA NAS, there are still a few incredibly isolated examples of compatibility, durability and stability. Synology requires that all drives need to be officially checked and verified before they’re prepared to add them to their list in order to truly guarantee that a user will get the promised Synology experience from their hardware with that media. As questionable as this might sound, the result is that the list of compatible storage media for both of these devices, despite their incredible similarities, is actually pretty darn different. Take a closer look at the slideshow below of compatible HDDs from WD and Seagate on these two NAS systems (from 21st July 2023) and see if you can spot an odd inconsistency:

In the case of the DS224+, we see a smaller pool of supported storage media, as well as a lower list of larger capacity drives being featured also. The DS723+, on the other hand, seemingly has a larger pool of more high capacity drives added and available to it, as well as a larger range of Synology’s own drives available for use with that system that includes the higher end options in the HAT5300 range. Synology has clearly prioritized higher-end drives for more advanced Synology systems, but for those that like to use their system clearly and rigidly within the defined parameters of a brand to maintain their warranty/guarantee, this is going to be a little disheartening to see the smaller pool of verified compatible storage media on the more affordable NAS solution. This is something that may well change over time as more drives are added to verified compatibility lists, but Synology has not exactly been putting their foot on the gas here. Given how close these two systems have been released side by side and the large disparity between their compatibility lists, I can’t see a huge amount of change happening anytime soon. It is absolutely no surprise that the more expensive Synology NAS has a better degree of hardware options in the long term. Though, it should be highlighted that a lot of the real benefits available in the DS723 are optional extras, long-term scalability and upgrades that are not necessarily available in the default model. It could be very easily argued that you are paying for entry to then pay extra for delivering upgrades, SSD upgrades, storage scalability, and increasing your memory years from now. Nevertheless, the fact that the baseline memory is ECC and the AMD CPU is indeed more powerful in most ways, does make up some of that additional cost and ultimately mean that in terms of hardware and connectivity, the DS723+ is the better of the two.

Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Software and Services

At the risk of being incredibly repetitious, both of these devices are remarkably similar in what they can do in Synology’s premium DSM software platform, but the scalability and scope provided by the DS723+ inevitably leads to that more expensive system, ultimately giving you just more resources with which DSM can utilize. In terms of the actual range of applications, services supported on either system and scope for use right out of the box, both the DS224+ and DS723+ have got more than enough to run every single available app and tool available in DSM 7.2. Despite their rather modest scale, both systems can run multiple virtual machines, host a fantastically capable surveillance solution with numerous cameras, both can provide an excellent Plex media server experience (with a slight edge to the DS224+ in terms of conversions and transcoding when needed), and in terms of backups, both systems support the full range of services from Hyper Backup and Active Backup Suite. If you are a small business or just a small group of users who are going to be interacting with either of these NAS units fairly regularly, you’re going to have a largely identical experience in either one of these two systems using the baseline default hardware. However, things will change as soon as you start moving into larger simultaneous access, more high-volume application exchanges between the system and client hardware, and the scope of each one of those individual processes growing over time. In terms of the escalation of accessing the services of DSM and long-term future-proofing of a system running at top speed, despite growing requirements and demands of the system, the DS723+ comfortably wins.

Synology NAS	Synology DS224+	Synology DS723+
Maximum single volume capacity*	108TB	108TB
Maximum number of storage spaces	64	64
M.2 SSD volume support*	Yes	Yes
SSD Read/Write Cache (White Paper)	Yes	Yes
SSD TRIM	Yes	Yes
Support RAID disk array type	Synology Hybrid RAID Basic JBOD RAID 0 RAID 1	Synology Hybrid RAID Basic JBOD RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 (with expansion unit) RAID 6 (with expansion unit) RAID 10 (with expansion unit)
file agreement	SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV	SMB/AFP/NFS/FTP/WebDAV
Maximum simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections	500	500
Maximum number of simultaneous SMB/AFP/FTP connections (with extended memory)	1500	2000
Windows Access Control List (ACL) Integration	Yes	Yes
NFS Kerberos authentication	Yes	Yes
Maximum number of local user accounts	2048	2048
Maximum number of local groups	256	256
Maximum number of shared folders	256	512
Maximum Shared Folder Sync Tasks	8	8
VMware vSphere with VAAI	N/A	Yes
Windows Server 2022	N/A	Yes
Citrix Ready	N/A	Yes
OpenStack	N/A	Yes
Media Server	Yes	Yes
DLNA compatible	Yes	Yes
Synology Photos	Yes	Yes
face recognition	Yes	Yes
Snapshot Replication	Yes	Yes
The maximum number of snapshots supported by a single shared folder	1024	1024
Maximum number of system snapshots	65536	65536
Surveillance Station	Yes	Yes
The maximum number of cameras supported (camera authorization is required)	25 (including 2 sets of free licenses	40 (including 2 sets of free licenses)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.264)	750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 750 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 350 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 275 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 170 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 800 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 350 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 280 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 170 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.265)	750 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 750 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 600 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 475 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 1200 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 600 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 480 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 200 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Synology Drive	Yes	Yes
Recommended number of clients that can sync simultaneously	350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)	350 (the number of devices that can be connected at the same time when the recommended number of stored files is reached)
Recommended number of files to store	5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)	5,000,000 (Applicable to files indexed or belonging to Synology Drive , files accessed through other protocols, please refer to the file service in the above field)
Synology Office	Yes	Yes
Maximum number of users	1200	1200
Video Station	Yes	Yes
Virtual Machine Manager	Yes	Yes
Recommended number of virtual machines	2 (see more)	4 (see more)
Recommended number of Virtual DSMs (licensing required)	2 (including 1 set of free licenses)	4 (including 1 set of free licenses)
VPN Server	Yes	Yes
Maximum number of connections	40	40
Synology High Availability	Yes	Yes
log center	Yes	Yes
Number of logs received per second	800	800
Backup folders and packages	Yes	Yes
backup the whole system	Yes	Yes
Remark	Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.	Full system backup requires DSM 7.2 or later.
Maximum number of Hybrid Share folders	10	10

Notwithstanding that the system has a much higher clock speed CPU that, despite only being a dual-core processor, features a four thread architecture with DSM, allowing a lot of the spreading of resources normally associated with cores to be made available with vCPU allocation (containers, virtual machines and just natively). Then there is the scope for the larger overall capacity available to be upgraded towards in terms of memory, with the rather modest 6GB of memory on the DS224+ looking quite underwhelming when compared against the whopping 32 GB maximum memory that is scalable on the DS723+. That ultimately adds up to the more expensive NAS system having a better opportunity to grow alongside a more demanding data storage network of connected devices and users over time. And we haven’t even touched on the performance benefit in DSM and all of the first and third party applications when we factor in support of SSDs for caching or storage pools in the DS723+, both of which are going to allow much better, long-term utilization and overall, a much smoother experience for a considerably longer amount of time than that of the DS224+. Ultimately, if you think your utilization of the NAS is going to grow steadily and increasingly over time, the DS723+ is the better choice here in terms of software, in and out of DSM.

Synology DS224+ vs DS723+ NAS – Conclusion and Verdict

Unsurprisingly, what we have here is an old-fashioned case of getting what you pay for. The DS224+ is a very solid, and reliable NAS solution and is definitely more than capable of running the bulk of modern NAS hardware needs, also, remaining pretty flexible in the resources available to it on day one to get the job done. Equally, for home users and particularly those seeking a more flexible approach to multimedia, the DS224+ does bring a decent amount of bang for buck when you compare it against the bulk of other Synology solutions in the brand’s portfolio. But it just pales in comparison to the sheer scope of scalability, upgrade options and flexibility long-term that the DS723+ provides. And regardless of whether you’re a business user or a home user that may perhaps be looking to do something more aggressive with their storage down the line, the DS723+ justifies a lot of the extra expense, simply by weight of it having that ECC memory, SSD NVMe storage options, expandability, 10G as an optional extra and the scale of how far you can upgrade the memory. As mentioned earlier, we have to at least acknowledge that a lot of these advantages that the DS723+ presents compared with the DS224+ are ones that you will only really take advantage of if you spend a little bit more money, but having the option for that scalability down the line for many users is going to be worth the investment on day one. Side by side, in most cases, the DS723+ will comfortably outperform the DS224+ even in the default model, so you still aren’t losing out just because you’re paying extra for upgrade options you may not use later down the line.

Synology NAS
Amazon Price:	$349	$449

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
[contact-form-7]
Join Inner Circle

This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below

Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

WE LOVE COFFEE

 

Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon X Plus SoC, a more affordable alternative to the X Elite. Both chips are made for Windows on Arm laptops, and they're expected to revolutionize the space when they start showing up in new PCs later this year.

© Qualcomm

In addition to the forthcoming Snapdragon X Elite laptop CPU, Qualcomm has revealed another more budget-friendly Snapdragon X Plus chip. Despite not being as powerful as the X Elite, the new Snapdragon X Plus processor is still 10% faster than Apple's M3, found in the MacBook Pro.

© Qualcomm

Vous pensiez avoir tout vu en matière de distributeurs automatiques ? Et bien le pays du Soleil Levant repousse une fois de plus les limites de l’imagination avec une machine pour le moins insolite : un distributeur de… CPU Intel ! Si, si, vous avez bien lu. Au pays des capsules toys, tout est possible même de tomber sur un Core i7-8700 pour la modique somme de 500 yens, soit environ 3 dollars.

La scène se passe devant une boutique d’informatique nommée 1’s PC, qui a visiblement eu l’idée farfelue de recycler ses vieux processeurs en les mettant dans un distributeur façon gacha. Le principe est simple : vous insérez une pièce, tournez la manivelle, et hop ! Voilà votre petite capsule contenant un CPU mystère. C’est comme une pochette surprise, mais avec des puces en silicium dedans. Évidemment, c’est la loterie : vous pouvez aussi bien tomber sur un vieux Celeron tout poussiéreux que sur une pépite comme ce fameux i7-8700.

Un YouTubeur japonais nommé Sawara-San a tenté sa chance et a eu la main particulièrement chanceuse en décrochant le précieux sésame pour seulement 500 yens. Ni une ni deux, notre bidouilleur s’est empressé de rentrer chez lui pour tester la bête et vérifier si le CPU est fonctionnel ou non. Parce que bon, à ce prix-là, on peut légitimement avoir des doutes.

Après un montage express sur une carte mère d’occasion, première tentative de boot et… rien. Nada. Que dalle. L’écran reste désespérément noir. Le CPU serait-il mort ? Que nenni ! Après quelques secondes de panique, notre cher Sawara-San s’est rendu compte qu’il avait juste oublié de brancher le câble d’alimentation du GPU. Une fois ce léger détail corrigé, l’ordinateur a enfin daigné s’allumer.

Direction le BIOS pour checker les infos CPU et là, bingo ! C’est bien un Core i7-8700 qui est détecté. Ce processeur possède 6 cœurs et 12 threads, avec une fréquence de base de 3.2 GHz et un boost jusqu’à 4.6 GHz. Il est compatible avec les cartes mères équipées d’un socket LGA 1151 et d’un chipset de la série 300. Maintenant, il faut installer Windows et vérifier que tout fonctionne correctement. Et c’est là que les choses se corsent un peu…

L’installation se passe sans accroc, mais une fois sur le bureau, Sawara-San remarque quelques artefacts graphiques suspects. Après investigation, il semblerait que la puce graphique intégrée du CPU ait morflé. Ces soucis semblent spécifiques à ce processeur en particulier et ne sont pas forcément représentatifs de tous les Core i7-8700. Bon, tant pis, il décide de passer outre et de lancer quelques benchmarks pour voir ce que le proc a dans le ventre.

Résultat : l’i7-8700 se comporte plutôt bien malgré son statut de rescapé d’un distributeur automatique ! Sous Cinebench R15, il atteint un score de 992 points en multi-thread. Certes, c’est un poil en-dessous d’un modèle fraîchement sorti d’usine, mais pour 3 dollars, on va éviter de faire la fine bouche, hein.

En fouillant un peu dans le Gestionnaire des tâches, Sawara-San se rend compte que le CPU ne compte que 5 cœurs actifs au lieu de 6. Étrange… Serait-ce un autre dommage collatéral ? Ni une ni deux, il fonce dans le BIOS et décide de désactiver manuellement le cœur défectueux. Et voilà, le tour est joué ! Windows ne voit plus que 5 cœurs, mais au moins, le système est stable.

Au final, ce Core i7-8700 bradé dans un distributeur aura fait le bonheur de Sawara-San qui, pour seulement une poignée de yens, a pu mettre la main sur un CPU encore vaillant. Certes, la puce a quelques défauts, comme son iGPU aux fraises et un cœur en moins, mais pour ce prix, c’est tout bonnement exceptionnel. Un vrai coup de bol !

Et vous, seriez-vous prêt à tenter votre chance dans ce drôle de distributeur de CPU ?

Qui sait, peut-être que la chance vous sourira aussi ! En attendant, si vous passez devant la boutique 1’s PC au Japon, n’hésitez pas à faire un petit tour au rayon gacha, car c’est peut-être vous le prochain gagnant d’un processeur haut de gamme pour le prix d’un café !

Source

Microsoft highlights how its Surface and Azure team used Azure's high-performance computing technology to revolutionize the product design process for manufacturing Surface products while simultaneously saving time and money.

© Daniel Rubino

5G connectivity isn't new to laptops, but it's expected to become more prevalent thanks to the next generation of Windows on Arm devices headed our way. Do you need 5G, or is Wi-Fi good enough? We can help you decide.

© Image Creator from Designer | Windows Central

Thanks to a new Geekbench listing, we know at least one upcoming Arm Surface Pro 10 SKU will feature the Snapdragon X Plus, paired with 16GB RAM.

© Future

With Intel Arc A530M graphics, Lenovo's affordable LOQ range expands the ultra-budget gaming laptop category with the LOQ 15IAX9I, but is it worth it over an in-house portable alternative?

© Ben Wilson | Windows Central

Ça y est les amis, on a atteint le summum du bidouillage et de la miniaturisation avec le Short Stack, un mod complètement dingue de la Nintendo Wii qui arrive à faire tenir toute la puissance de la console dans un boîtier de la taille d’un paquet de cartes ! C’est juste ahurissant quand on y pense.

Alors bien sûr, la Wii c’est pas la console la plus grosse à la base, mais quand même, passer de 157 x 60 x 197mm à un truc aussi compact, faut reconnaître que c’est quand même sacrément impressionnant. Et le plus fou dans tout ça, c’est que le moddeur n’a pas triché en passant par de l’émulation. Non non, le Short Stack embarque une vraie carte mère de Wii, juste super bien taillée et optimisée !

James Smith, le génie derrière ce projet de titan, a réussi à faire rentrer dans son petit boîtier imprimé en 3D la carte mère réduite de la Wii, un tas de cartes électroniques custom empilées les unes sur les autres (d’où le nom du mod) pour gérer le Bluetooth, l’USB, les ports manettes GameCube, et même un dissipateur thermique sur mesure. Niveau intégration, on est donc sur du très très haut niveau.

Bon par contre, évidemment, pas de lecteur de disque là-dedans, faut pas déconner. Mais ça n’empêche pas d’avoir quand même un petit slice factice qui s’illumine en façade pour faire genre. Les jeux et les sauvegardes sont stockés sur une carte microSD à la place. Et pour faire encore plus pro, le Short Stack se branche en HDMI et s’alimente en USB-C. De quoi faire un joli petit media center rétrogaming, fin et discret.

Alors certes, c’est pas le premier mod de Wii ultra compact, on avait déjà vu passer la KillMii qui tenait dans une boîte d’Altoids. Mais celle-là intégrait un écran, des contrôleurs et une batterie qui tenait… 10 minutes. Pas top pour les sessions de Mario Kart endiablées. Le Short Stack a au moins le mérite d’être vraiment utilisable au quotidien sans trop de compromis. Après, difficile de dire s’il s’agit vraiment de la « plus petite Wii du monde » comme l’affirme Smith, mais une chose est sûre, c’est probablement la plus compacte que vous aurez vraiment envie d’utiliser !

D’ailleurs si ce projet de fou vous tente, sachez que Smith a publié tous les détails, les fichiers de conception et les instructions sur GitHub. Vous y trouverez quelques infos sur la réalisation, même si on ne peut pas dire que ce soit un tutoriel complet non plus. Et attention, c’est clairement pas un mod pour débutants ! Il vous faudra de sacrées compétences en électronique, pas mal de matos spécifique et une bonne dose de patience pour arriver à un résultat similaire.

Enfin bref, je dis chapeau bas Monsieur Smith pour ce boulot de malade mental. On en redemande des comme ça ! Parce que soyons honnêtes, ça sert pas à grand chose mais qu’est-ce que c’est classe !

Source

I. Présentation

Dans cet article, nous allons évoquer le mini PC NiPoGi CK10 dans sa version avec un processeur Intel Core i5-12450H, 16 Go de RAM et un stockage SSD NVMe de 512 Go !

Ce test est l'occasion d'évoquer les caractéristiques techniques, le design, l'évolutivité et les performances de ce modèle compact ! Comme souvent, NiPoGi propose plusieurs configurations pour une seule référence. Le modèle CK10 est également disponible avec 32 Go de RAM et 1 To de SSD, à ne pas confondre avec la version présentée dans cet article.

II. Caractéristiques du NiPoGi CK10

Commençons par découvrir les caractéristiques principales de ce modèle :

• Processeur : Intel Core i5-12450H (jusqu'à 4,4 GHz, 8C/12T)
• GPU : Intel UHD Graphics (intégrée au processeur) - Fréquence 1.20 GHz
• RAM : 16 Go DDR4 - 3200 MHz
• Stockage : 512 Go SSD NVMe (M.2 - PCIe 3.0) + 1 emplacement vide SSD NVMe + 1 emplacement pour disque SATA 2.5 pouces
• Connectique en façade : 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB-C 3.0, 1 x Jack audio et le bouton Power
• Connectique à l'arrière : 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x RJ45 1 Gbit/s et 1 fente de verrouillage Kensington
• Connectique sur le côté gauche : 1 x VGA
• Affichage : prise en charge de trois écrans grâce aux deux ports HDMI et au port VGA
• WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Alimentation (sortie) : 19V/3.42A - 64.98W
• Poids : 470 grammes
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 13,8 x 12,6 x 5 cm
• Système d'exploitation : Windows 11
• Prix : 360.00 euros - Rendez-vous en fin d'article pour notre offre bon plan

III. Package, design et conception

La boite, entièrement blanche, est sobre, mais elle a le mérite de nous donner des précisions sur la version présente à l'intérieur. L'ordinateur et les accessoires sont correctement emballés et protégés par d'épaisses mousses. Le matériel est arrivé en parfait état, c'est ce que nous retiendrons.

Qu'avons-nous à l'intérieur de la boite ? Le mini PC est accompagné par l'alimentation externe et son câble, ainsi qu'un câble HDMI, un support VESA (et les vis), une notice d'utilisation (en français, utile si vous envisagez d'utiliser le support VESA pour fixer le PC à l'arrière d'un écran), et une rallonge SATA à utiliser si vous souhaitez ajouter un disque SATA 2.5 pouces.

Le boitier gris anthracite de ce mini PC NiPoGi est entièrement en plastique. Le plastique est rigide et semble relativement solide. Le boitier est correctement assemblé et tous les ports sont bien accessibles : aucun défaut n'est à relever. La seule chose qui me gêne réellement, c'est l'emplacement hasardeux des deux stickers sur le dessus du boitier (que l'on peut retirer facilement). En dessous, nous retrouvons 4 patins antidérapants d'une épaisseur de 4 mm. Nous constatons qu'il y a une entrée d'air sur le dessus, mais aussi en dessous du boitier, tandis que l'extraction de l'air s'effectue par l'arrière du boitier.

La façade de ce mini PC est riche en connectique puisque 2 ports USB 3.0, 1 port USB-C et une prise Jack sont facilement accessibles. À l'arrière, il y a également 2 ports USB 3.0, ainsi que 2 ports HDMI et une interface RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbit/s). Sur la gauche du boitier, il y a également un port VGA : ce qui est assez rare de nos jours, mais cela permet à ce modèle de se démarquer ! Ainsi, vous pouvez connecter 3 écrans : 2 en HDMI et 1 en VGA. D'ailleurs, le port VGA pourrait être utilisé pour connecter un vidéoprojecteur ou un écran qui n'est pas équipé d'un port HDMI.

Pour ouvrir le boitier et accéder à l'intérieur, il suffit de retirer les 4 vis présentes en dessous du boitier. Ceci va nous permettre de découvrir les composants et l'image ci-dessous montre l'emplacement pour disque SATA, au format 2.5 pouces.

À l'intérieur du boitier, il y a un espace confortable entre les différents composants, mais ce sera différent si vous ajoutez un disque SATA 2.5 pouces. Néanmoins, il est important de préciser que ce boitier est un peu plus grand que beaucoup d'autres modèles de mini PC. Voici ce qui est à noter :

• Il y a deux slots pour la mémoire vive (RAM) et les deux sont déjà occupés par 2 barrettes de 8 Go
• Il y a deux barrettes de RAM SO-DIMM de marque Lexar : 8 Go 1Rx8 PC4-3200AA-SA21.2V
• Il y a un disque SSD NVMe, équipé d'un dissipateur et d'une épaisse couche de pâte thermique. C'est appréciable (mais ceci nous empêche de lire l'étiquette pour en savoir plus sur la référence).
• Il y a un emplacement libre pour ajouter un second disque SSD NVMe (PCIe 3.0)
• Il y a une carte RealTek RTL8852BE pour le Wi-Fi 6 et le Bluetooth 5.2

Voici les entrailles du CK10 en photos :

IV. Évolutivité et performances

A. Mise en route et évolutivité

Ce mini PC est livré avec le système Windows 11 Pro, en version 22H2, donc il y aura des mises à jour à installer. Nous devons finaliser la mise en route, mais cela est très rapide puisque nous devons seulement définir le nom d'utilisateur. Il s'agit d'une image personnalisée par NiPoGi (probablement avec un fichier de réponse) et elle occupe 37 Go sur le disque (ce qui est beaucoup !).

Comme pour tous les ordinateurs, je vous recommande de réinstaller la machine avec une image propre et téléchargée depuis le site de Microsoft si vous souhaitez continuer sur Windows. Cette machine est pleinement compatible avec Windows 11, car elle respecte tous les prérequis (y compris la puce TPM 2.0).

À part Google Chrome qui est intégré à l'image de Windows 11, il n'y a pas d'autres logiciels supplémentaires visibles. Bien entendu, nous avons le droit à toute la panoplie d'applications de chez Microsoft.

Le mini-PC est livré avec 16 Go de RAM en DDR4, mais une mise à niveau est possible. Le processeur i5 de ce modèle supporte 64 Go de RAM, ce qui signifie que nous pouvons remplacer les 2 barrettes de 8 Go par 2 x 32 Go. De quoi faire une belle évolution si vous souhaitez utiliser ce PC pour de la virtualisation.

En résumé, pour faire évoluer la configuration de ce mini PC, vous avez plusieurs options : augmenter la RAM, ajouter un disque SATA (2.5 pouces) et ajouter un disque SSD NVMe.

B. Performances

Ce mini PC est propulsé par un processeur Intel Core i5 de 12ème génération lancé au premier trimestre 2022. Le modèle i5-12450H a 8 cœurs et 12 threads, 12 Mo de cache et sa fréquence maximale en mode Turbo est 4,4 GHz. Sachez que NiPoGi a limité la consommation d'énergie du CPU à 35 watts, ce qui affectera légèrement les performances sur du traitement multithread.

Commençons par mesurer les performances du disque SSD NVMe intégré à l'ordinateur.

Le SSD NVMe présent dans ce mini PC NiPoGi offre de belles performances : un copier-coller de gros fichiers en local (de disque à disque, sur le même volume), est effectué avec une vitesse moyenne de 834 Mo/s.

Voici un benchmark du disque effectué avec Crystal Disk Mark :

Ainsi qu'un aperçu du disque dans Crystal Disk Info :

J'ai également effectué un benchmark du CPU et du GPU avec Geekbench, vous pouvez y accéder sur ces pages :

• Geekbench - CPU - NiPoGi CK10
• Geekbench - GPU - NiPoGi CK10

Comment réagit le PC lors d'un stress CPU ?

Pendant le stress test du CPU (charge à 100%), la ventilation souffle un peu plus fort, mais cela reste discret. Au ralenti, les ventilateurs sont vraiment très discrets et ne vous gêneront pas du tout.

D'après HWMonitor, lorsque le mini PC est allumé sans être sollicité, la température du CPU est de 40°C. Pendant le stress test du CPU, la température du CPU monte en flèche jusqu'à 91.0°C (au bout de 5 minutes, environ). Ceci n'est pas surprenant, car l'air exfiltré par l'arrière du boitier est bien chaud ! Par contre, ensuite, la température met du temps à redescendre, comme si le système de refroidissement était un peu à la peine.

Que peut-on faire et ne pas faire avec ce modèle ?

Au quotidien, pour de la bureautique et un peu de multimédia, ce PC est parfaitement adapté. Il est très silencieux et supporte très bien la navigation sur Internet avec de nombreux onglets, la lecture de vidéos en 4K (sur YouTube, par exemple), mais également l'utilisation d'applications telles que la suite Microsoft Office. Ceci en fait un compagnon intéressant et abordable si vous recherchez ce type de mini PC.

La principale limitation, c'est la puce graphique intégrée : Intel UHD Graphics qui est un iGPU. Autrement dit, ce n'est pas une configuration adaptée au gaming. Vous pouvez envisager de jouer à des jeux peu gourmands, ou, à des jeux disponibles depuis 3 ans, 4 ans, ou plus, en ajustant les paramètres de qualité graphique, mais c'est tout. À titre d'exemple, vous pouvez jouer à GTA V : tous les effets visuels ne peuvent pas être activés, mais en Full HD, le jeu est fluide !

Voici un aperçu (à gauche, une copie d'écran - à droite, une photo de l'écran).

V. Conclusion

C'est l'heure du verdict ! Le mini PC NiPoGi CK10 n'est pas parfait, mais il y a plusieurs points à mettre en avant. Tout d'abord, sa puce Intel Core i5 de 12ème génération qui répond présente et assure un bon niveau de performances, tout comme son disque SSD NVMe qui offre de bonnes performances ! Quant à la RAM, disons que 16 Go, c'est le minimum recommandé pour utiliser un PC confortablement et pour le multitâches. Si cela ne suffit pas, vous pouvez toujours prévoir une mise à niveau de la RAM (comptez plus de 130 euros pour passer sur 64 Go), mais aussi du stockage, car vous pouvez ajouter un disque SATA au format 2.5 pouces et un second disque SSD NVMe.

NiPoGi cherche toujours à apporter un peu d'originalité au design de ses boitiers, et c'est le cas avec le CK10. J'ai apprécié la présence d'une connectique riche, avec notamment de nombreux ports USB dont 3 en façade (2 USB-A + 1 USB-C). Néanmoins, le boitier de ce mini PC est légèrement plus imposant que d'autres modèles (même s'il reste compact : 13,8 x 12,6 x 5 cm) et il y a également l'absence d'un lecteur de carte SD. C'est à préciser, car pour certains usages, cela peut avoir son importance. Par ailleurs, le port VGA présent sur le côté du boitier peut surprendre, mais c'est malgré tout un atout pour ce modèle. Ce petit détail plaira à ceux qui ont besoin d'une machine récente, compacte et équipée du VGA.

Maintenant, il est important de mettre un tarif en face de cette configuration et ce verdict. Découvrez notre offre spéciale ci-dessous.

Profitez de notre offre spéciale pour acheter ce mini PC au meilleur prix :

Grâce au code "6Q5HMH9M", vous pouvez bénéficier de 7% de réduction sur ce mini-PC ! Ce code est valide jusqu'au 12 juin 2024, à 23:59 (heure française).

Le tarif passe de 360,05 € à 334,85 € soit une réduction de 25,20 €.

Vous devez saisir ce code dans votre panier, sur Amazon.fr. Voici le lien qui mène à l'offre :

• Acheter le NiPoGi CK10 au meilleur prix sur Amazon

N'hésitez pas à commenter cet article si vous avez des questions.

* Le lien ci-dessus intègre notre identifiant d'affiliation Amazon.

The post Test NiPoGi CK10 – Un mini PC avec Intel Core i5-12450H, 16 Go de RAM et un SSD NVMe first appeared on IT-Connect.

HP has announced a new OMEN 17 gaming laptop for 2024, complete with Ryzen 8040 HS CPUs with NPU, NVIDIA RTX discrete laptop graphics, and a Copilot key on the keyboard.

© HP

X (formerly Twitter) user "WalkingCat" leaked four renders of what is apparently Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7 14 2024 Snapdragon Edition laptop. If true, it's our first look at a laptop featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite CPU.

© WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_)

Razer has announced the Firefly V2 Pro, a pro-grade premium gaming mousepad that boasts full-surface Razer Chroma RGB lighting and an extra USB port.

© Razer

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is an excellent convertible laptop, and right now you can get it for almost half price.

© Daniel Rubino

Microsoft's CVP of Design, Windows, and Devices, Ralf Groene, just announced his retirement after 17 years of service. He'll be remembered for his contributions to Microsoft Surface tablets and design for Windows and Xbox OS experiences.

© Microsoft

AMD is launching new Ryzen PRO 8000 processors for desktops and Ryzen PRO 8040 for mobile devices aimed at the business market, with AI inferencing powered by dedicated NPUs scoring up to 39 TOPS as a total system score.

© AMD

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is one of the best business laptops around, but it is also very expensive. That is, unless you get one at 45% off, which is exactly what you can do right now.

© Future | Tom's Hardware

We've already tested a bunch of great new laptops in 2024, with many of them living up to the definition of "AI PC" as set by Intel and Microsoft. We've pulled the best-tested AI PCs to help you pick a winner.

© Daniel Rubino

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is redesigned for a new generation of Intel CPUs, and it's a gorgeous, ultra-portable laptop with some familiar features.

© Windows Central | Zachary Boddy