A closer look inside
The Synology DiskStation DS715 isn’t just small on the outside, it is it too on the insides. It is a compact built system, divided into 3 PCBs: motherboard, rear panel, and SATA bridge. The LEDs and power button are placed on the front of the motherboard itself.
The two add-in cards connect via PCIe connectors and the memory is soldered onto the motherboard – so no upgrade possibilities here. The 2GB that the unit comes with should be enough for most people anyway and it has two Realtek TRL8211DN chips for the ethernet connections
The SATA bridge doesn’t feature anything besides the SATA connectors and the pins so it can connect to the motherboard. The rear PCB, on the other hand, has quite a bit onboard. This is where the USB 3.0 and eSATA ports are located and it’s also where the EltronTech EJ168A USB Host Controller is located.
The reset button is also placed on the small PCB, but the power connector remains on the mainboard itself. A wise choice and one that will give the most stable power for the processor and the other components.
