The Synology works great. Mailserver, WordPress and Gallery work as they should. But compared to the (outdated) server, this thing is SLOW. Uploading three pictures to the gallery takes about 15 minutes. Adding posts, or administering this weblog makes me wait for the pages to change. So, yeah, the Synology can run “normal” PHP applications, but its CPU and its very low memory make it inadequate to call it a server replacement. Which, of course, it isn’t in the first place.
I will be constructing a new server in time, one that can match the old one in speed (2x3GHz CPU/4GByte memory), but will be easier on the electricity bill. For now the choice is between an AMD A-series (FM1-socket) and the lower end Intel CPUs (i3 something). Any advice will be appreciated. The Intels seem to consume a considerable amount less power when idling, but they are twice the price of the AMD and have lousy graphics.