Synology Explain WHY They Changed Drive Support and Verification in 2025 NAS

During a recent visit to Taipei for Computex 2025, I took the opportunity to visit Synology’s headquarters and speak directly with company representatives about one of the most discussed and divisive topics in the NAS community today — the company’s increasingly strict stance on hard drive compatibility. With the rollout of Synology’s latest generation of hardware, users have been met with significant limitations on the use of third-party drives, prompting concern over reduced flexibility, potential e-waste, and the future direction of Synology’s hardware ecosystem. This article provides a can overview of that visit, beginning with the HQ tour, but mainly it is about putting several big questions users have about the brand’s change in support of Seagate, WD, etc on their 2025 devices.

Four core questions — based on direct community feedback — were put forward, addressing the motivation, risks, and future implications of Synology’s current drive support policy. Each answer is presented exactly as delivered. Note, this article is not sponsored by Synology and they have no control over the editorial stance and output! For users, partners, and industry observers alike, understanding these policy shifts is essential for making informed decisions about Synology systems moving forward.

Touring the Synology Headquarters

The Synology headquarters tour took place during a coordinated visit arranged alongside the Computex 2025 trade event. Approximately 30 to 40 individuals were in attendance, a mix that included official Synology partners, resellers, independent media, and technology commentators. The tour began with a structured company overview presentation outlining Synology’s operational history, business units, and market positioning.

While much of this information was familiar to long-term observers, it served to reinforce the company providing integrated storage and data management solutions. The presentation also included a brief overview of Synology’s global distribution and the evolving structure of its enterprise product lines.

Attendees were then guided through various areas of the facility, which covered several floors within a shared building. Synology does not occupy the entire structure, but the portions shown during the tour were substantial, comprising office sections, collaborative workspaces, logistics coordination areas, and support-related operations. Notably, many desks were temporarily unoccupied due to staff presence at Computex’s Nangang Exhibition Center.

Nonetheless, the offices remained populated with active terminals and systems undergoing live testing.

A significant portion of the tour focused on the environmental and durability testing facilities, including designated zones for acoustic profiling, thermal analysis, and dust resilience. The diversity of units being tested suggested coverage across multiple device classes, including both rackmount and desktop models.

The most extensive portion of the tour was the dedicated test and burn-in area. This floor was almost entirely devoted to long-term performance and diagnostic evaluations. Numerous Synology NAS units — some dating back to the early 2010s — were in continuous operation, either running synthetic workloads or undergoing compatibility assessments with the current DSM operating system.

The presence of so many legacy devices in active testing underscored the company’s emphasis on software longevity and cross-generational hardware support. However, it also provided a contrast to Synology’s new strict verification policies, especially given the mixed hardware environments visible during testing. The tour was led by ZP Kao, Sales Director at Synology, and Chad Chiang, Regional Manager for the UK and Germany, who offered clarification and responded to several direct inquiries during the walkthrough.

Why Has Synology Changed Its HDD Support Policy? Questions and Answers

Questions I put to Synology about their change in policy regarding verifying and supporting drive media being used on their 2025 and later series of NAS devices. I based these on the comments and suggestions from videos on the YouTube channel and comments on previous articles. I am under no illusions that these changes by Synology in their drive support policies have financial justifications (ranging from Support efficiency and it’s financial overhead, to the simple profitability of prioritizing their own labelled firmware optimized storage media choices over those of other brands), but I wanted to know if these were the only reasons for this? What other reasons could Synology provide to support this large and unpopular move. Thank you once again to Chad Chiang for taking the time to answer these questions.

Note – for a better understanding of the current DSM Support of Unverified media, as well as test scenarios detailing each setup and how DSM handles it, you can read it HERE in my Test Article.

How has the verification process changed for which drives you can use on Synology systems moving forward? And are there drive options from WD and Seagate currently undergoing support verification?

Answer – At Synology, we constantly reflect on a core question: Why do people choose a NAS? We believe the answer lies in the need for secure, reliable, and hassle-free data storage. This belief has guided our mission for over a decade. When analyzing our support history, the data clearly shows that systems using Synology-branded drives experience 40% fewer issues compared to those with third-party HDDs. This insight underscores the importance of using thoroughly tested drives. As for which third-party vendors are currently undergoing drive verification, we’re unable to disclose details. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, we recommend reaching out directly to the respective manufacturers.

The response positions Synology’s verification changes as a reliability-focused initiative and smooth platform running as the chief reasoning for them, referencing internal data that suggests a 40% reduction in support issues when Synology-branded drives are used. However, as mentioned previously, the statement does not provide supporting metrics such as sample size, timeframes, or specific failure modes, making it difficult to assess the scope or significance of this claim. I do not doubt that it is true, but without the X/Y and details of how this result was achieved, we are only getting half the story here.  The policy shift is framed as a precautionary measure aimed at minimizing user disruption, but the absence of transparency regarding ongoing verifications with WD or Seagate limits clarity for users seeking alternatives – which is why users are seeing this more as a means for the brand to increase profitability in the 2025 series as a bundled utility purchase – not as a means of system stability.

Ultimately, discussing the technical standards or benchmarks involved in the verification process in paramount here. It largely confirms that responsibility for future third-party compatibility lies with the drive manufacturers themselves, effectively shifting the onus of transparency to them. While it is understandable that Synology might want to mitigate support complexity, the lack of specificity about how the verification criteria have evolved or what steps vendors must follow leaves key questions unanswered for both users and third-party storage providers. I reached out to representatives from Seagate and WD to see if they could elaborate further on this new media side verification process with their respective NAS/Server class media – neither was able to provide further details at this time.

UPDATED 07-05-25 = Added Unverified HDD and SSD (Migrated) Storage Pool RAID Repair, RAID POOL Expansion and Hot Spare Tests. Right now, the following is what works and what does not (between pre-2025 Series and the 2025 Series that is releasing now):

Feature / Function	Pre-2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1821+, DS920+, DS923+)	2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1825+, DS925+, DS1525+)
DSM Installation – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
DSM Installation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked completely
Drive Migration (Non-Verified Drives)	Fully functional, minor alerts	Works, but shows persistent warnings
Storage Pool Creation – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Creation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked
Storage Pool Expansion – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Expansion – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (mixed arrays supported)	Blocked – drives flagged as incompatible
Hot Spare Assignment – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Hot Spare Assignment – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed	Blocked
RAID Recovery – Verified Drives	Supported	Supported
RAID Recovery – Non-Verified Drives	Supported	Blocked – system will not rebuild with unverified media
M.2 NVMe Cache – Synology SSDs	Supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Cache – 3rd Party SSDs	Supported	Blocked
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – Synology SSDs	Not supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – 3rd Party SSDs	Not supported	Blocked
SMART Monitoring – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
SMART Monitoring – Non-Verified Drives	Full support	Limited or blocked (TBC)
Storage Manager Alerts – Non-Verified Drives	Warnings, dismissible	Persistent, cannot be cleared
Overall Compatibility Flexibility	High – mix-and-match drives allowed	Low – walled-garden enforcement

Users are able to migrate existing storage arrays that feature Unverified/unsupported drive media in previous Synology systems into 2025 Plus series devices and still use DSM services – however once they do so, they are unable to use the same model ID of drives to perform RAID recovery, RAID expansion or introduced a hot spare, unless that drive is on the verified drive list. Why is this?

Answer- Advanced operations such as RAID recovery, expansion, or hot spare assignment are technically intensive and carry a higher risk of data loss if inconsistencies arise. Drives that haven’t been validated through Synology’s verification process may behave unpredictably under stress, impacting array stability or performance. For this reason, support for these functions is limited to verified drives—a precaution designed to safeguard user data and maintain long-term system reliability.

So, this answer outlines Synology’s rationale for restricting critical RAID operations on unverified drives and It emphasizes the increased risk associated with advanced storage operations, particularly when performed on drives that may not have been tested under stress or fault conditions. The justification focuses on data integrity and system reliability, suggesting that verified drives have undergone stress testing scenarios that others have not. However, the lack of granularity in what defines “unpredictable behavior” makes it difficult to independently evaluate the severity or frequency of these issues. Much like the statistics point earlier, this seems a remarkable stretch in terms of reaction to what many users would consider a very, very low % risk factor. Equally, though there is an argument that some drive media is less suitable for NAS usage (eg the WD Red SMR drives, desktop single drive use media like Seagate Barracuda and high power draw HDDs/SSDs in some cases), these make up a very small % of drive media in the market and using this as a reasoning to effectively bar the continued support of drive media that has been supported/used in Synology server use over the last 2 decades to prevent RAID recovery and Expansion in the latest gen for those carrying them over seems insane overkill.

The policy effectively limits upgradability and flexibility in mixed-drive environments. While it is technically reasonable to restrict risky operations on unvalidated components, the ability to migrate but not expand or rebuild a RAID introduces a half-measure — allowing users to enter unsupported configurations while restricting them mid-cycle. The result is a system state that may appear functional at first but ultimately lacks key functionality unless users conform to the verified list. For long-term users upgrading from older systems, this shift can lead to unexpected limitations without adequate warning, particularly in small or home office deployments. The messaging has been poor and though I made a video about these limitations (embedded above), there is practically no other clear and transparent information about this online (with incongruous detailson the Synology Knowledge base that could stand to be a lot clearer and louder).

HOT TAKE, and hear me out – If Synology do not allow support of RAID repair/Expansion on drives that have been migrated over from older NAS systems where the drives WERE originally supported (unless they use 2025 verified drives) because of reasons of stability, I have a somewhat extreme suggestion. As unpopular as it might have been, Synology should have just BARRED the support of migration from older generation Synology NAS devices with unverified drives entirely. I personally think they should have allowed for RAID repair/Expansion of unverified drives, but if they are going to pursue this for reasons of system stability, they should have committed to this fully and not allowed this grey area with migration. As it just looks bad for the brand, as means of ensuring people can upgrade/remain in the ecosystem, but then have limited scalability when those older drives require replacement/growth.

Were pre-populated Synology NAS devices considered, given the strict verified support stance that this new Synology hardware generation contains?

Answer – Regarding pre-populated NAS solutions, there hasn’t been significant internal discussion or a formal strategy around this model. As such, I don’t have a concrete answer at this time. The focus remains on ensuring that any storage media used—whether user-installed or bundled—is fully verified to meet Synology’s reliability standards.

Not much to unpack here. It makes sense. I imagine they DID discuss this as an option (as they are already engaging with this with systems like the Beestation), but at least for now, it seems off the table. As unpopular as this might have been, in some ways it could have solved a lot of this friction for some users. Provide the 2025 PLUS series as an empty/enclosure-only solution with similar compatibility as the 2024 and earlier generation – but then also supply several pre-populated options that feature Synology drive media as standard. However, that would be a different discussion entirely (eg logistics, SKUs, viability, ROI by offering this alongside flexible options).

Can you provide example(s) of critical system issues that using unverified drives caused, that were the tipping point for this new strict HDD support policy?

Examples of what stepped up our verification process moving forward:

Performance Issues: Unverified drives may function under light workloads but can suffer serious performance drops (e.g., IOPS decline) under multi-user access or when running demanding services like virtualization, backup, or databases. This can lead to poor user experience or service disruptions (e.g., iSCSI timeouts).

Stability Risks: Without thorough testing, unverified drives are more prone to failures under stress conditions such as unexpected power loss or long-duration file transfers—leading to timeouts, reboot failures, or data integrity issues in high-load or long-term operations.

Compatibility Problems: Drives not validated for compatibility may show unstable behavior with certain NAS controllers, resulting in drive drops, RAID instability, or data access interruptions over time.

Advanced Feature Failures: Unverified drives may fail during operations like SMART testing or Secure Erase, especially after unexpected power outages. Some drives may not respond properly under frequent access or specific command sets, affecting system stability.

Drive Failures Under High Load or Density: Some drives may become unresponsive under high data density or I/O intensity, with issues persisting even after a reset.

The examples provided by Synology highlight a variety of operational issues associated with unverified drives, most of which relate to performance degradation, system instability, or failure of advanced features under stress. These scenarios focus on workloads involving sustained I/O, power fluctuations, and controller-level interactions. In isolation, many of the issues described are plausible for lower-tier or unsuitable drive models, particularly in demanding or enterprise-like environments. That said, that are very low margins (eg 0.01% or lower) when you look at the traditional deployment of many Synology NAS solution in the Plus series. Again though, the scale and frequency of these issues remain unclear. There is no indication of how widespread such failures are across Synology’s user base, nor whether they represent rare edge cases or common occurrences. The examples also apply more logically to enterprise or high-density configurations, whereas the same strict policies now affect all tiers — including two-bay and four-bay systems used by home and prosumer users. Without concrete statistics or clearer thresholds, it is difficult to assess whether these issues justify the breadth of the policy. The policy appears to target potential worst-case scenarios, but may have broader consequences for user flexibility than the risk profile necessarily warrants.

Additional Information and Details from the MyBroadband Article

Further context on Synology’s new drive compatibility policy was provided in an interview between MyBroadband journalist Daniel Puchert (click to read) and Michael Chang, Synology’s Regional Sales Manager. The discussion reinforced many of the points raised during the HQ visit, while also offering additional information into the motivations behind Synology’s stricter approach to drive support in their latest generation of NAS systems. Chang explained that Synology’s primary objective was to ensure product reliability and reduce system-level faults that were increasingly traced back to third-party hard drives. According to Chang, complaints received by Synology often involved third-party drive issues, yet Synology would still be held accountable by users due to their role as the NAS provider. This prompted the company to centralize responsibility and tighten control over supported hardware configurations. While Synology-branded drives are currently the only models certified, Chang noted that other vendors are being invited to participate in the compatibility validation program — provided they meet the same testing standards.

(In the case of the NAS drives) “..because Synology’s product would typically facilitate the usage of third-party hard drives, it would also be the scapegoat for any faults with the entire system.”

“..complaints received by Synology regarding issues relating to its NAS devices were most often caused by faulty hard drives.

“severe storage anomalies have decreased by up to 88%” for hard drive models that have adopted its hard drive compatibility policy, compared to older models.”

“We still welcome third parties to join Synology’s ecosystem and have invited vendors to join our validation program,”

Michael Chang, Synology Regional Sales Manager – full article HERE

The article also mentioned that Synology-certified drives undergo over 7,000 hours of testing, and systems using those drives reportedly experience 40% fewer failures than those using uncertified media. Additionally, Synology claims that severe storage anomalies have dropped by up to 88% in systems following its compatibility policy. Although Chang confirmed that third-party compatibility may expand in the future, it will only do so under strict adherence to Synology’s internal benchmarks. These statements align with Synology’s position during the HQ tour, further emphasizing a shift toward a closed, highly controlled ecosystem that prioritizes consistent performance over hardware flexibility.

Synology and HDD Support and Verification – Conclusion and the Long Term

My biggest issue with all this is that, almost certainly, we are going to see Seagate, WD, Toshiba and more slow (slooooooooowly) appear on the compatibility lists for a number of the 2025 generation of devices over the coming months. So, what was all this for? The PR damage and likely early sales damage of the Synolgoy 2025 Series because of this change of support I would estimate is going to be pretty substantial – and all the reports and reactions to this online are not going to go away as soon as a Seagate Ironwolf or WD Red drive appears on the support lists. Also, Synology work on these devices for a very, very long time before launch – why is all this happening now – and not before launch. The cynic in me wants to just assume it was pure profitability and that Synology want to maximize profits, and if when this does begin to U-Trun ,that the brand can say that it was the plan all along. But whether that is true or not, the damage to the brand in the eyes of a substantial % of their long term fans is notable, and with many more players in the market (UniFi, QNAP, UGREEN and more) launching new products in Q3 and Q4 – is this all going to be a gamble by the brand that ends up costing them more than just leaving the support status quo where it was? Only time will tell.

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Synology at Computex 2025 – New NAS, Flash, and Surveillance Solutions Unveiled

At Computex 2025, Synology unveiled an extensive range of new hardware and storage solutions across both consumer and enterprise tiers. From compact desktop NAS to high-performance rackmount flash storage systems, the 2025 product line spans diverse use cases in home multimedia, business backups, AI-powered surveillance, and parallel active storage infrastructure. However, a significant underlying theme across this year’s announcements is Synology’s strict enforcement of Synology-verified storage media across both the Plus series and enterprise-class devices.

This ongoing shift in policy has raised concerns within the NAS community—especially among users who rely on third-party drives for flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Messaging around this storage validation system remains inconsistent, with key technical and strategic details still unclear. Nonetheless, this year’s lineup confirms Synology’s intent to consolidate hardware and media under its own ecosystem, even while expanding its presence into flash-first infrastructure and turnkey surveillance platforms.

PAS7700 – Flagship NVMe Enterprise Rackmount Storage

The PAS7700 marks Synology’s formal entry into high-performance all-NVMe storage for the enterprise sector. It is the most powerful product in the new Parallel Active Storage (PAS) series, designed with a dual-controller architecture and full end-to-end U.3 NVMe support. Each controller in the PAS7700 is powered by an AMD EPYC processor, supports up to 1TB of DDR4 ECC memory, and is capable of sustaining 30GB/s sequential throughput with over 2 million 4K random read IOPS. This architecture supports true active-active failover, high concurrency, and data consistency across large virtualized workloads or AI/ML pipelines.

Networking options include up to 4x 100GbE and 12x 25GbE ports (via optional NICs), and expansion is achieved using the PAX224, a 24-bay U.3 NVMe expansion chassis connected via HD-SAS 12Gb/s dual-link architecture. The PAS7700’s chassis is built to scale up to 216 NVMe drives for a maximum raw capacity exceeding 1.6PB, though real-world capacity will depend on drive model, RAID configuration, and overhead.

One of the more contentious elements is that, like all of Synology’s 2025 enterprise lineup, the PAS7700 mandates the use of Synology-verified U.3 NVMe SSDs. The drives shown on the show floor included 8TB Synology-branded U.3 SSDs, though Synology did not confirm their OEM origin, controller model, or endurance ratings beyond stating that they were optimized for sustained IOPS workloads. This storage lock-in policy has drawn criticism from users seeking flexibility in enterprise deployments.

PAS7700 Specifications

PAS3600 – Hybrid Flash Storage for Cost-Efficient Deployment

Positioned as the mid-range sibling to the PAS7700, the PAS3600 provides a more accessible entry into the Parallel Active Storage series by utilizing SATA drives rather than U.3 NVMe. Designed for hybrid flash deployment, the PAS3600 features dual controllers, each running an Intel Xeon processor and supporting up to 256GB of ECC DDR4 memory per controller. While it doesn’t match the raw performance of the PAS7700, it still delivers substantial throughput and redundancy suitable for enterprise virtual machine hosting, storage tiering, and backup environments.

Network connectivity includes support for up to 4x 25GbE and 8x 10GbE ports via optional NICs, with the system capable of scaling out using the PAX212, a 12-bay SATA flash expansion chassis. These expansion units also use 12Gb/s HD-SAS, and maintain redundant power supplies and dual data interconnects to ensure performance stability and non-disruptive scaling. Like the rest of Synology’s 2025 enterprise systems, the PAS3600 enforces the use of Synology-verified SATA SSDs, understandable in this sector of the industry and in line with this kind fo product.

PAS3600 Specifications

DVA7400 – AI-Powered Surveillance Rackmount System

The DVA7400 represents the most powerful surveillance solution Synology has introduced to date. It is the first in the DVA (Deep Video Analytics) lineup to be available in a rackmount form factor, making it suitable for larger, centralized surveillance deployments. The unit leverages an AMD Ryzen processor in combination with a dedicated GPU, enabling support for up to 100 camera streams and 40 simultaneous AI video analysis tasks, such as motion detection, facial recognition, and people counting.

In terms of connectivity, the DVA7400 includes dual 10GbE ports to ensure adequate bandwidth for high-resolution video ingestion and management. Additionally, it features a separate remote management interface, streamlining system oversight in enterprise environments. Internally, the system includes a dedicated AI processor with 190+ TFLOPS FP8 performance and 16GB of VRAM, allowing for real-time video indexing and recognition tasks.

As with most Synology surveillance systems, the DVA7400 includes a limited number of camera licenses by default. However, users deploying Synology-branded cameras benefit from license-free operation. Support for ONVIF-compliant third-party cameras is included but requires standard Synology Surveillance Station licenses. While the hardware is a significant leap forward, the system’s drive compatibility remains subject questionable, as the brand does not currently have an inhouse branded surveillance optimized HDD (eg comparable to WD Purple or Seagate Skyhawk – designed for much heavier WRITE over READ).

DVA7400 Specifications

FS200T – Compact All-Flash NAS for Quiet Environments

The FS200T, formerly expected as the DS625Slim, is now reclassified under the FlashStation series. This compact 6-bay NAS is designed for SSD-only deployments using 2.5″ SATA drives, and is aimed at users needing high-speed, low-noise storage in home studios or small office environments. Internally, it is powered by the Intel Celeron J4125, a quad-core processor that, while dated, includes integrated graphics. It is paired with 4GB of DDR4 memory, which is not ECC and may limit enterprise use.

Network connectivity includes 1x 2.5GbE and 1x 1GbE RJ-45 ports, a configuration that presents a noticeable bottleneck when combined with a 6-SSD RAID setup. No PCIe or expansion options are available. Despite the performance limitations imposed by its dated processor and limited bandwidth, the FS200T’s small form factor and flash-focused design make it a viable solution for read-heavy tasks or quiet operation environments where rotational noise from HDDs is undesirable.

FS200T Specifications

DS725+ – Dual-Bay Plus Series NAS with Expansion Support

The DS725+ is Synology’s latest 2-bay entry in the 2025 Plus series, offering modest upgrades over its predecessor, the DS723+. It features a 2-core, 4-thread AMD Ryzen R1600 processor, 4GB of ECC DDR4 memory (expandable), and includes two Ethernet ports: one 2.5GbE and one 1GbE. Unlike the previous model, the option for PCIe 10GbE upgrade has been removed, marking a notable downgrade in scalability.

Despite its small size, the DS725+ supports expansion up to 7 total drives using the Synology DX525 USB-C expansion unit, allowing users to migrate to larger RAID arrays over time. Internally, it includes two M.2 NVMe slots that can be used for either SSD caching or storage pools, enhancing read/write performance if properly configured. However, NVMe performance may still be limited by the relatively modest CPU and system architecture.

As with all 2025+ series units, this model enforces strict use of Synology-verified drives for optimal compatibility. This includes both the internal SATA bays and NVMe SSDs, aligning with Synology’s broader shift to a closed hardware ecosystem—an approach that continues to draw mixed reactions from the NAS community.

DS725+ Specifications

DS425+ – 4-Bay Multimedia NAS with Modest Refresh

The DS425+ is the 2025 refresh of the DS423+, aimed at SOHO and multimedia users seeking a 4-bay system with enhanced network throughput and M.2 NVMe support. Internally, the DS425+ continues to use the Intel Celeron J4125, a quad-core processor with integrated graphics, and comes with 4GB of DDR4 non-ECC memory. This model includes two Ethernet ports—1x 2.5GbE and 1x 1GbE—a somewhat disappointing choice that limits link aggregation potential and overall throughput compared to systems offering dual 2.5GbE.

The DS425+ includes two M.2 NVMe slots, usable for either SSD caching or as part of a storage pool. However, given the CPU and system bus limitations of the J4125, real-world NVMe performance may be constrained. There are no PCIe upgrade slots, meaning no pathway to 10GbE or further expansion beyond USB and the DX525 expansion unit.

Crucially, as part of the 2025 Plus series, the DS425+ requires Synology-verified drives for compatibility—both for its SATA and NVMe bays. This has led to pushback from users accustomed to broader drive support, especially in the mid-range where cost-effectiveness and flexibility are often more important than validation.

DS425+ Specifications

DS1525+ – 5-Bay All-Purpose NAS with Enhanced CPU and Expansion

The DS1525+ sits in the middle of Synology’s Plus series, offering a blend of scalability, multimedia handling, and business backup functionality. It upgrades the CPU from the DS1522+ by moving from the AMD Ryzen R1600 (2C/4T) to the AMD Ryzen V1500B, a 4-core, 8-thread processor that previously powered the DS1621+ and DS1821+. The system comes pre-installed with 8GB of DDR4 ECC memory, double that of its predecessor.

The DS1525+ includes two 2.5GbE RJ-45 network ports and supports the Synology Network Upgrade Module, which provides a pathway to 10GbE networking via a compact add-in module. This model also retains two M.2 NVMe slots for SSD caching or storage pool creation. It supports expansion to 15 total drives when connected to two DX525 expansion units, making it suitable for growing media libraries or multi-user project environments.

However, it still falls under Synology’s 2025 policy requiring Synology-verified storage media, both for the five primary SATA bays and the M.2 NVMe slots. This requirement continues to stir user debate, particularly in the mid-range segment, where third-party storage flexibility has historically been an expectation.

DS1525+ Specifications

DS1825+ – 8-Bay High-Capacity NAS for Power Users and SMBs

The DS1825+ serves as the high-capacity flagship in the 2025 Plus series, aimed at power users and small to medium businesses that require extensive storage and moderate processing capabilities. Like the DS1525+, it is powered by the AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) and includes 8GB of ECC DDR4 memory by default. The unit offers two 2.5GbE RJ-45 ports, replacing the four 1GbE ports found in its predecessor, the DS1821+.

Storage can be expanded up to 18 total drives by connecting two DX525 expansion units via USB-C. The DS1825+ also includes two M.2 NVMe slots, supporting both SSD caching and dedicated NVMe storage pools. Unlike the DS1525+, it retains a standard PCIe slot, supporting full-sized 10GbE and higher NICs—with Synology now offering 25GbE and 50GbE upgrade cards, expanding its relevance in virtualization and high-bandwidth media workflows.

However, as with all devices in the 2025 Plus series, the DS1825+ enforces Synology’s drive verification system. Only Synology-verified SATA drives and NVMe SSDs are supported for optimal operation, and unsupported drives may be flagged or disabled in future DSM updates—a policy that continues to concern experienced users building mixed-brand NAS environments.

DS1825+ Specifications

DX525 – 5-Bay Expansion Unit for DS and Plus Series

The DX525 is Synology’s latest 5-bay expansion unit, designed for use with a wide range of their 2025 DS and Plus series NAS models. It connects via USB-C rather than the older eSATA standard, supporting newer devices such as the DS725+, DS425+, DS1525+, DS1825+, DS925+, and others.

It provides a seamless way to expand storage without migrating to a larger system or creating a new volume, and is fully integrated into DSM’s Storage Manager for volume extension and RAID expansion.

The DX525 supports both 3.5″ and 2.5″ SATA drives, with hot-swappable trays for quick replacement. While no network or processing capability exists on the unit itself (it’s entirely dependent on the host NAS), it can be used for extending existing RAID volumes or creating new independent volumes. This makes it useful for both capacity growth and tiered storage strategies.

DX525 Specifications

SNV5420 – Enterprise NVMe SSD for Sustained Caching Workloads

The SNV5400 is Synology’s newest high-performance M.2 NVMe SSD for caching and sustained-write workloads, positioned above the earlier SNV3400 series. Targeted at SMBs and enterprise deployments requiring high-speed caching, the SNV5400 delivers up to 660,000 random read IOPS and 120,000 random write IOPS, with a rated endurance of 2,900 TBW. It features end-to-end data protection and power loss protection, ensuring data integrity during unexpected shutdowns—essential for cache-tier applications in critical environments.

Unlike previous Synology NVMe SSDs, the SNV5400 also supports in-system firmware upgrades, reducing maintenance downtime during drive management or lifecycle refresh. It is available in at least one confirmed variant, though broader capacity options have not yet been fully disclosed. The controller used is reportedly the IG5636 FAA, believed to be a Gen4 NVMe controller, but Synology has not publicly confirmed full hardware details or OEM sourcing. In addition to the SNV5400 enterprise drive, Synology showed off a new high-performance M.2 NVMe SSD at Computex 2025 that appears to target heavier workloads than the SNV3400. It reportedly uses the IG5636 FAA controller, which supports PCIe Gen4, suggesting significantly higher throughput than their current Gen3 offerings. However, Synology did not publicly confirm specs such as endurance, capacity range, or the NAND type used.

This unnamed SSD is presumed to be part of a future SNV or new series aimed at advanced caching, AI workloads, or even storage pool applications in high-performance Plus and enterprise NAS models. Synology staff on the show floor were unable to confirm OEM origins or whether this model would be mandatory in future NVMe-capable systems.

HAT5300 20TB – Synology’s Largest Enterprise-Grade HDD

The HAT5300 20TB is the latest and highest-capacity addition to Synology’s line of enterprise SATA hard drives, extending the HAT5300 series for large-volume and high-workload environments. Designed specifically for compatibility with Synology’s 2025 NAS and SAN systems, this 3.5-inch SATA drive offers up to 23% higher sustained sequential read performance than previous models, positioning it as a reliable option for high-throughput backup, archival, and surveillance storage tasks.

The drive supports workloads of up to 550 TB/year, making it suitable for 24/7 operation in business-critical storage arrays. It also includes persistent write cache technology, which helps preserve data integrity during power loss events. Like other models in the HAT5300 line, this drive undergoes over 500,000 hours of internal validation on Synology systems and supports in-system firmware upgrades directly via DSM.

This is currerntly the largest hard drive offered by Synology in their existing line up of storage media drives.

HAT5300 20TB Specifications

BeeStation Plus – Preconfigured Private Cloud with Plex and AI Tools

The BeeStation Plus is Synology’s latest entry in the consumer-grade NAS lineup, positioned as a plug-and-play private cloud aimed at home users, content creators, and families. It comes pre-populated with an 8TB Synology HAT3300 Plus hard drive, sealed within a single-bay enclosure that does not allow for internal drive replacement or expansion. This closed-box approach prioritizes simplicity but removes RAID failover and user-serviceability, relying instead on USB or cloud-based backups.

Internally, the BeeStation Plus runs on an Intel Celeron J4125 processor—an aging but capable quad-core CPU with integrated graphics. It is paired with 8GB of memory, doubling that of the original ARM-based BeeStation. The device ships with Synology’s BeeStation Manager (BSM) software preinstalled and fully configured Plex Media Server, with media libraries and directories already initialized, enabling fast setup for streaming to smart TVs, tablets, and mobile devices. It also features local AI-powered photo indexing and object recognition via Bee Photos.

Backup support includes USB-A and USB-C ports, as well as integration with BeeProtect, Synology’s new cloud backup platform. Each BeeStation Plus includes a 3-month free trial of BeeProtect, after which it transitions to a subscription model. While this system offers some of the easiest Plex deployment in Synology’s portfolio, users should be aware of its limitations—chiefly, the lack of RAID protection, upgrade paths storage scalability limits.

BeeStation Plus Specifications

DS225+ – Budget 2-Bay NAS for Entry-Level Users

The DS225+ is Synology’s entry-level 2-bay NAS refresh for 2025, intended for home users, small backups, and basic multimedia needs. It features the same Intel Celeron J4125 processor found in the DS425+ and BeeStation Plus—offering integrated graphics but limited modern performance. Paired with 4GB of DDR4 memory, the system supports two SATA bays, making it suitable for mirrored RAID 1 setups or small independent volumes.

In terms of connectivity, the DS225+ includes 1 x 2.5GbE and 1 x 1GbE Ethernet ports—adequate for most basic workloads, but still a step behind systems offering dual 2.5GbE or upgradable networking. The system lack the two M.2 NVMe slots that can be configured for SSD caching or used as additional storage pools in the DS725+.

While the DS225+ offers a very approachable route into NAS usage, it is subject to the same Synology-verified storage media policy as the rest of the 2025 series. Users are limited to verified drives for both SATA bays will be especially annying at a device level that is considered very, very ‘entry’, which continues to frustrate those hoping to reuse older hardware or source drives independently.

DS225+ Specifications

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The Synology DS925+ versus Synology DS923+ – Buy OLD or BUY New?

Every few years, when Synology chooses to refresh several of its popular devices—updating a number of its hardware features—new buyers and those looking to upgrade have a choice to make. Is it nobler in the mind to purchase the more affordable and already well-known older-generation device, or hold out and purchase the brand-new, refreshed, updated model with its improved hardware but likely slightly increased price tag? Refreshes are planned for 2025. Today, I want to discuss whether users should consider purchasing the DS923+—which has been in the market for several years now—or set their sights on the newer DS925+ NAS. On the face of it, many will consider this an easy choice, as newer hardware likely means a better system. However, the reality is much more nuanced. Alongside older-generation hardware having had a greater deal of time to be developed within its own ecosystem and by third-party developers, there is also the question of whether newer-generation hardware really is genuinely a hardware upgrade. Or do you have the potential to miss out on certain hardware features in the new generation that may have become legacy options (remember the DS920+?). Which one deserves your money and your data?

Synology DS925+ NAS		Synology DS923+ NAS
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Synology DS925+ vs DS923+ – Hardware Specifications

When comparing Synology’s DS925+ and DS923+, it’s easy to assume the newer model automatically holds the advantage. However, a closer inspection of their hardware specifications reveals a more nuanced story where hardware changes in the 2025 Series are…mixed (that sounds fair, right?). While both systems cater to prosumers and small business users with high expectations for performance and reliability, they differ in several key areas—from CPU architecture and networking capabilities to expansion options and noise levels. Below, we break down the detailed hardware specifications of both NAS units side-by-side, highlighting where one system clearly outshines the other and where parity exists.

Category	DS925+	DS923+	Advantage / Notes
CPU Model	AMD Ryzen V1500B	AMD Ryzen R1600	–
CPU Cores / Threads	4 Cores / 8 Threads	2 Cores / 4 Threads	DS925+ offers more cores and threads
CPU Frequency	2.2 GHz	2.6 GHz (base) / 3.1 GHz (turbo)	DS923+ has higher clock speeds
Architecture	64-bit	64-bit	–
Hardware Encryption Engine	Yes	Yes	–
Memory (Pre-installed)	4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM (1x 4 GB)	4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM (1x 4 GB)	–
Total Memory Slots	2	2	–
Max Memory Capacity	32 GB (2x 16 GB)	32 GB (2x 16 GB)	–
Drive Bays	4	4	–
Max Drive Bays (with Expansion)	9 (DX525 x1)	9 (DX517 x1)	–
M.2 Drive Slots	2 (NVMe)	2 (NVMe)	–
Supported Drive Types	3.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD	3.5″ SATA HDD, 2.5″ SATA SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD	–
Hot Swappable Drives	Yes (SATA only)	Yes (SATA only)	–
LAN Ports	2 x 2.5GbE RJ-45	2 x 1GbE RJ-45	DS925+ offers faster network ports
USB Ports	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1	–
Expansion Port Type	USB Type-C	eSATA	DS925+ has a modern expansion port
PCIe Slot	None	1 x PCIe Gen3 x2 (network expansion)	DS923+ allows NIC upgrades
Dimensions (HxWxD)	166 x 199 x 223 mm	166 x 199 x 223 mm	–
Weight	2.26 kg	2.24 kg	DS923+ is slightly lighter
System Fans	2 x 92mm	2 x 92mm	–
Fan Modes	Full-Speed, Cool, Quiet	Full-Speed, Cool, Quiet	–
LED Brightness Control	Yes	Yes	–
Power Recovery	Yes	Yes	–
Noise Level (Idle)	20.5 dB(A)	22.9 dB(A)	DS925+ is quieter
Power Supply	100W Adapter	100W Adapter	–
Power Consumption (Access / Hibernation)	37.91 W / 12.33 W	35.51 W / 11.52 W	DS923+ is slightly more power efficient
BTU (Access / Hibernation)	129.27 / 42.05	121.09 / 39.28	DS923+ generates less heat
Operating Temp	0°C to 40°C	0°C to 40°C	–
Storage Temp	-20°C to 60°C	-20°C to 60°C	–
Humidity	5% to 95% RH	5% to 95% RH	–
Warranty	3 years (extendable to 5 years)	3 years (extendable to 5 years)	–

The hardware comparison between the Synology DS925+ and DS923+ highlights that, while these two NAS models share a common design and similar baseline features, they also differ in ways that could significantly impact real-world use. Both offer 4 drive bays, dual M.2 NVMe slots, dual memory slots supporting up to 32 GB ECC DDR4 RAM, and nearly identical physical dimensions and cooling configurations. However, their distinct hardware differences become apparent when you look beyond these fundamentals. The DS925+ provides users with faster 2.5GbE LAN ports by default—doubling the network throughput capability compared to the DS923+’s 1GbE ports. This makes the DS925+ better suited to environments where higher network bandwidth is required, such as multi-user file sharing, large media transfers, or remote backups. Additionally, it features a more modern USB Type-C expansion interface and operates at a lower idle noise level, which may be important for those placing the NAS in noise-sensitive spaces like home offices or studios.

Meanwhile, the DS923+ offers a unique advantage in expandability, thanks to its PCIe Gen3 x2 slot, which allows for add-on network cards—something the DS925+ lacks. This modularity can be a decisive factor for users who want the flexibility to upgrade to 10GbE networking or other accessories in the future. The DS923+ also comes in slightly lighter and marginally more power-efficient under typical access and hibernation loads, which may appeal to users seeking a balance between performance and energy use. In the end, both models are capable and versatile NAS units, but their hardware differences point them toward different user priorities. The DS925+ favors users looking for built-in speed, quieter operation, and simplicity. In contrast, the DS923+ caters more to those who value customization, long-term expandability, and subtle improvements in efficiency. Matching these characteristics with your specific deployment goals will help determine which model is the better fit.

DS925+ wins in: CPU core/thread count Network port speed (2.5GbE) Expansion port type (USB-C) Lower noise output

DS923+ stands out for: Higher CPU frequency PCIe expansion slot for upgrades Slightly lower power and heat output

---

AMD R1600 vs V1500B – CPU Specifications (Synology DS923+ vs DS925+)

When we examine the CPU specifications in isolation, it’s clear that the V1500B in the DS925+ delivers greater multi-core throughput, while the R1600 in the DS923+ offers higher single-core clock speeds. But understanding how these numbers affect real-world tasks within Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM) is far more meaningful. Thanks to its 4-core, 8-thread configuration, the DS925+ excels in multi-threaded workloads, which is evident in its higher software limits. It supports up to 8 virtual machines and 8 virtual DSM instances through Virtual Machine Manager, making it ideal for users running containerized services, development environments, or isolated OS instances. Additionally, it handles more concurrent SMB connections (up to 40 with RAM expansion), supports up to 150 Synology Chat users, 80 Synology Drive users, and 80 Synology Office users—all reflecting its capacity to manage a larger user base and more simultaneous services without bottlenecks.

For surveillance and media workloads, the DS925+ also pulls ahead, matching the DS923+ in the number of supported camera channels (up to 40 cameras and 1200 FPS at 1080p H.265), but benefiting from more headroom when additional tasks are running in parallel—such as snapshots, backups, or AI-powered photo indexing via Synology Photos. Meanwhile, the DS923+, with its faster per-core performance and support for PCIe expansion, remains well-suited to users running lighter, more focused workloads or who plan to scale via hardware add-ons, such as a 10GbE network card. It still supports a respectable 4 VMs, 60 MailPlus users, and 50 users each for Synology Drive and Office, making it perfectly adequate for small teams or power users who prioritize customization and future expansion. While both CPUs are capable, the DS925+ delivers superior multi-user, multi-tasking performance, aligning closely with higher software thresholds and offering better out-of-the-box readiness for more demanding and concurrent applications across Synology’s DSM suite.

• R1600 (DS923+) excels in single-core performance (better for fast app responsiveness and lighter workloads).

• V1500B (DS925+) dominates in multi-core performance (better for multitasking, virtualization, and heavier parallel tasks).

• The V1500B also has more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8), which may benefit systems with more storage or networking needs.

Synology DS925+ vs DS923+ – Software Specifications

Beyond hardware, the real power of a NAS lies in what it enables users to do—and that’s where software specifications take center stage. Synology’s DSM (DiskStation Manager) operating system unlocks a vast suite of applications and services, from virtualization and backup to media streaming, file sharing, and surveillance. However, the scope and scale of these capabilities are directly influenced by the underlying system hardware and memory architecture. Let’s compare the software capabilities of the Synology DS925+ and DS923+, not just in terms of what each system can technically support, but how far each can be pushed in real-world use. We examine backup limits, virtual machine support, hybrid cloud services, user and group management, surveillance channel support, and more—offering a complete picture of each system’s software potential under DSM 7.2.

While both the Synology DS925+ and DS923+ run the same robust DSM software and offer access to the full Synology ecosystem, their software ceilings differ significantly—reflecting the difference in overall system capability. The DS925+ consistently supports higher concurrent workloads across nearly every category. It enables up to 8 virtual machines, compared to just 4 on the DS923+, and supports double the Virtual DSM instances. It also allows for more Synology Chat users (150 vs 100), more Synology Office and Drive users (80 vs 50), and handles twice the VPN connections (8 vs 4). For collaborative environments, this means smoother performance when multiple users are accessing files, editing documents, or messaging in real time. It’s also more equipped for enterprise use with double the number of Shared Folder Sync tasks and higher MailPlus user capacity (90 vs 60 users), making it ideal for larger teams or more demanding deployment scenarios.

Meanwhile, the DS923+ still provides an impressive software suite, especially considering its smaller hardware footprint. It supports all major DSM features—Snapshot Replication, Hyper Backup, High Availability, Surveillance Station, and more—making it a solid choice for small businesses or power users who may not need the extended capacity but still want rich functionality. Its support for 10GbE upgrades via PCIe also allows for flexible scaling, even if its base configuration starts at a lower software threshold. The DS925+ is better suited for multi-user environments, heavier workloads, and broader deployment, while the DS923+ is ideal for lighter workflows, cost-sensitive setups, or users planning to grow into the system gradually. Understanding these software limitations and allowances is key to choosing the right NAS for your workload, user count, and future planning.

• The DS925+ outperforms the DS923+ in:

  • Max volume size (up to 200 TB with RAM upgrade)

  • SMB connections

  • Shared folder sync tasks

  • Synology Chat users

  • MailPlus users

  • Synology Drive & Office users

  • Virtual machines and VPN connections

• The DS923+ has an edge only in volume count, supporting 64 internal volumes vs 32.

Synology DS925+ vs DS923+ NAS – Hard Drive and SSD Compatibility

As of this writing, Synology is taking a more restrictive stance on third-party drive support, especially with the introduction of its 2025 hardware series—including the DS925+. Since launching its own branded SSDs and HDDs in 2020–2021, Synology has steadily reduced the number of third-party drives listed as compatible with DSM. This trend escalated with DSM 7.1 in 2022, which introduced warning states for systems using unverified drives.

Although the impact of these warnings was later reduced, Synology has continued moving toward a locked-down storage ecosystem. The DS925+ marks a significant escalation. At launch, it only lists Synology-branded drives as compatible, and more critically, the system will not allow DSM initialization at all if unsupported drives are detected. This is a sharp departure from earlier practices where unverified drives merely triggered warnings post-setup. Despite sharing identical internal hardware with earlier NAS models from 2020 and 2023—which still support a wide range of drives from Seagate, WD, Toshiba, Samsung, and others—the DS925+ now enforces this compatibility policy at the firmware level.

In contrast, the DS923+ remains more flexible. While it will flag third-party drives as “unverified,” it still allows users to fully initialize the system, create storage pools, and access all DSM storage services without restriction. This flexibility makes the DS923+ a more appealing option for users who already own or prefer third-party HDDs and SSDs, particularly in regions where Synology’s own media is either overpriced or hard to source. Compounding the issue is the lack of clarity around Synology’s rollout. The policy was first disclosed on Synology’s German site and remains vaguely worded on the official DS925+ product page. There’s still no definitive answer on whether compatibility will expand to include major third-party brands—raising concern for system integrators, resellers, and first-time buyers.

If Synology’s goal is to ensure higher reliability through tighter integration, it should match that with transparent testing data, global pricing consistency, and readily available stock. In many regions, Synology drives are neither as accessible nor as competitively priced as third-party equivalents, which makes this policy feel restrictive rather than protective. While existing users can still migrate third-party drives from an older NAS into a DS925+, this is of little comfort to new buyers building from scratch. And the inconsistency with the DS923+—which continues to operate under the older, more open approach—only adds to user confusion. Synology appears to be transitioning toward a closed appliance model, where software, hardware, and media are tightly controlled. Whether this delivers long-term benefits or alienates a portion of its user base remains to be seen. For now, the DS925+ presents both a warning and a decision point for those evaluating their next NAS—especially if they rely on third-party drives.

Synology DS925+ vs DS923+ NAS – Which Should You Buy?

The DS923+ is a NAS system that, when first launched by Synology at the end of 2022, was met with mixed reactions. This was largely due to Synology shifting the system’s focus away from multimedia and GPU-accelerated tasks, and instead toward file processing and business-oriented deployments. Fast forward a few years, and the rest of Synology’s portfolio has realigned—bringing back more home and multimedia models—making this more utilitarian, file-centric 4-bay system easier for users to appreciate in context. That said, the DS925+ is the better choice in almost every way. It features a processor originally designed for higher-tier business-class systems, offering more cores, more threads, and greater performance potential across productivity tasks and multi-user workloads. Synology has also finally introduced 2.5GbE on this system—an overdue improvement that significantly enhances out-of-the-box network speeds compared to the 1GbE-only DS923+. As long as the DS925+ is priced within a reasonable 5% margin of the DS923+’s original launch price, it stands as the more capable system by default. However, it does come with a notable caveat: the lack of a 10GbE upgrade option. Unlike the DS923+, which includes a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot allowing for a future 10GbE NIC upgrade, the DS925+ is capped at its built-in 2.5GbE ports. While this still provides a theoretical 6Gbps of total bandwidth across both ports via link aggregation, it means there’s no room for expansion beyond that ceiling. This limitation becomes particularly relevant for users planning to fully populate the NAS with high-performance SATA SSDs or utilize M.2 SSD storage pools. In these cases, the network will eventually become a bottleneck—one that the DS923+ can avoid through its 10GbE upgrade path. Additionally, the DS923+ supports a wider range of third-party HDDs and SSDs, allowing greater flexibility and cost control, especially in regions where Synology-branded drives are less available or more expensive. The DS923+ will still let you initialize, create storage pools, and run DSM services using unverified third-party drives, unlike the DS925+, which now enforces stricter media validation at the OS level.

Reasons to Buy the Synology DS923+

Reasons to Buy the Synology DS925+

Faster 2.5GbE Networking Out-of-the-Box – Dual 2.5GbE ports offer higher baseline network speeds (up to 6Gbps aggregated), doubling the network performance compared to the DS923+ without requiring expansion cards. More Powerful Processor (More Cores/Threads) – The V1500B CPU offers 4 cores and 8 threads, delivering superior multitasking and heavier workload handling, especially for virtual machines, multiple users, and simultaneous services. Quieter Operation – The DS925+ operates at a lower idle noise level (20.5 dB vs 22.9 dB), making it better suited for office, home office, or studio environments where sound matters. Higher User and Service Limits – Thanks to the more powerful CPU, the DS925+ supports more Synology Drive users, Synology Office users, Synology Chat users, more concurrent SMB connections, and more virtual machines than the DS923+. Better Out-of-the-Box Experience – With stronger networking, higher multi-threaded performance, and no need for immediate upgrades, the DS925+ is ready to deliver higher performance without any additional investment, perfect for users who want maximum capability from day one.

PCIe Expansion for 10GbE Upgrades – The DS923+ features a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot, allowing users to install a 10GbE network card later, massively boosting network speeds beyond the built-in 1GbE ports. Broader 3rd-Party Drive Compatibility – Unlike the DS925+, the DS923+ allows full system initialization, storage pool creation, and DSM services even with non-Synology hard drives and SSDs—giving users more flexibility and choice. Lower Power Consumption and Heat Output – The DS923+ is slightly more energy-efficient in both active use and hibernation modes, making it a better fit for always-on environments where power savings add up over time. Potentially Lower Price (Especially Post-DS925+ Launch) – As the newer DS925+ replaces it, the DS923+ is likely to see discounts and wider availability, offering excellent value for budget-conscious users without sacrificing capability. Ideal for Customization and Long-Term Scalability – With the ability to upgrade the network, use a wider range of drives, and maintain full DSM functionality, the DS923+ is better suited for users who plan to evolve their setup over time.

In practical terms, the DS925+ is the stronger out-of-the-box choice, especially for users who value simplicity, improved default performance, and do not anticipate needing higher-than-2.5GbE networking down the line. However, the long-term value proposition becomes murkier when you factor in the DS923+’s PCIe expansion, broader drive compatibility, and the potential price drops that will follow its ageing status in Synology’s lineup. In short, the DS925+ is the better NAS on day one—more powerful, faster, and quieter. But if you’re planning for day 1,000, it’s worth pausing to consider whether the expandability and media flexibility of the DS923+ may be a better fit for your storage and networking needs over the next five to seven years.

Synology DS925+ NAS		Synology DS923+ NAS
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Synology DS1825+ NAS Revealed – New 8 Bay NAS on the Block

Synology has quietly launched the new DS1825+ NAS, an 8-bay desktop solution aimed at prosumers, creative professionals, and small businesses in need of high-capacity, high-reliability network storage. Replacing the 2020-era DS1821+, this new model has debuted across eastern markets including Taiwan, Japan, China, and Australia, with broader availability expected within the coming month. While the DS1825+ shares the same AMD Ryzen V1500B processor as its predecessor, it introduces meaningful upgrades in system memory, network connectivity, and expansion port design. This release also reflects Synology’s increasingly closed hardware ecosystem approach, particularly in terms of drive compatibility. With pricing expected to be similar to the DS1821+—around $999 to $1099 USD—the DS1825+ positions itself as an incremental yet strategically significant refresh in Synology’s “Plus” lineup.

Synology DS1825+ NAS – Hardware Specifications

The DS1825+ is powered by the AMD Ryzen V1500B, a quad-core, 64-bit processor running at 2.2 GHz. This is the same CPU used in the DS1821+, and while it lacks a performance boost on paper, it continues to deliver reliable, multi-threaded performance suited for virtualization, large file transfers, and simultaneous user workloads. The system comes with 8 GB of DDR4 ECC SODIMM memory pre-installed, up from 4 GB in the DS1821+, and supports up to 32 GB across two slots. ECC memory adds an additional layer of data protection by automatically correcting memory errors—a key consideration for business-critical environments.

Component	Specification
CPU	AMD Ryzen V1500B (4-core, 64-bit, 2.2 GHz)
Memory (Pre-installed)	8 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM (1 × 8 GB)
Memory (Max Capacity)	32 GB (2 × 16 GB)
Drive Bays	8 × 3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD (Hot-swappable, except M.2)
M.2 NVMe Slots	2 × M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (for caching or storage pools, Synology drives only)
Max Drive Bays (with Expansion)	18 (with 2 × DX525 via USB-C)
LAN Ports	2 × 2.5GbE RJ-45 (Link Aggregation / Failover supported)
USB Ports	3 × USB 3.2 Gen 1
Expansion Ports	2 × USB Type-C (for DX525 expansion units)
PCIe Slot	1 × PCIe Gen3 x8 (x4 link)
Cooling	2 × 120 mm fans (user-replaceable; Full-Speed, Cool, Quiet modes)
Power Supply	Internal 250W PSU
Power Consumption	60.1W (Access) / 18.34W (HDD Hibernation)
Noise Level	23.8 dB(A) (Idle with Synology drives)
Dimensions (H × W × D)	166 mm × 343 mm × 243 mm
Weight	6.0 kg
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C
Drive Compatibility	Only Synology-verified HDDs and SSDs supported for full functionality

In terms of connectivity and expansion, the DS1825+ introduces two 2.5GbE RJ-45 LAN ports, replacing the older model’s four 1GbE ports. This change offers significantly higher throughput potential out of the box, particularly for multi-user environments or those running link aggregation. For further scalability, the unit includes one PCIe Gen3 x8 slot (x4 link), which supports 10GbE or 25GbE network interface cards. Additionally, Synology has swapped out the traditional eSATA expansion ports in favor of two USB-C-based connectors, used to link up to two DX525 expansion units, increasing total drive support to 18 bays.

Drive flexibility is offered through eight 3.5”/2.5” SATA drive bays and two M.2 2280 NVMe slots for SSD caching or storage pools – though we will return to the subject of just how flexible drives are in this system in a wee bit. The NVMe slots are not hot-swappable and are positioned internally, but provide a route for improving IOPS performance. Two 120mm fans handle cooling with configurable profiles, and the system operates at an idle noise level of 23.8 dB(A), slightly louder than the DS1821+ but still relatively quiet for an 8-bay desktop NAS. The DS1825+ also retains a 250W power supply, with typical access power consumption rated at 60.1W.

Synology DS1825+ NAS – DSM Software Specifications

The DS1825+ runs Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM), a Linux-based operating system that brings a wide array of software features designed for both home and business environments. Core functionalities include Synology Drive, which supports up to 100 users for cloud-style file syncing and sharing, and Synology Office, which enables real-time collaborative editing across documents, spreadsheets, and slides with similar user caps. For data protection, Snapshot Replication allows up to 256 snapshots per shared folder and 4,096 total system snapshots, while Hyper Backup and Active Backup for Business provide comprehensive options for client and server backups. Surveillance Station is also included with two default IP camera licenses and supports up to 40 1080p or 4K streams, depending on codec and frame rate, making it suitable for medium-scale surveillance setups.

One area where the DS1825+ makes a notable shift is in its storage pool policies. While the M.2 NVMe SSD slots can be used to create dedicated storage pools in addition to cache, this functionality is locked behind strict hardware validation. Only Synology-certified drives—specifically the SNV3400 series—are permitted for this role. This tighter integration may offer improved thermal management and reliability assurances but represents a step away from the broader compatibility seen in previous Plus-series devices.

Synology DS1825+ NAS vs the DS1821+ NAS

At first glance, the DS1825+ and DS1821+ appear nearly identical in core architecture, both using the AMD Ryzen V1500B processor and offering 8 drive bays with optional expansion to 18. However, the DS1825+ introduces several hardware-level improvements that cater to modern network environments. These include a bump in default RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB, upgraded LAN ports from four 1GbE to two 2.5GbE, and a shift from eSATA to USB-C-based expansion for DX525 units. These changes may not result in dramatically different performance under all conditions but do reflect a push toward better bandwidth utilization and a more consolidated hardware platform. Additionally, while the PCIe slot remains the same (Gen3 x8, x4 link), users looking to upgrade to 10GbE or 25GbE networking will benefit from increased LAN speed potential out of the box.

Category	Synology DS1821+	Synology DS1825+
CPU	AMD Ryzen V1500B (4-core, 2.2 GHz)	AMD Ryzen V1500B (4-core, 2.2 GHz)
System Memory (Default)	4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM	8 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM
Max Memory	32 GB (2 × 16 GB)	32 GB (2 × 16 GB)
Drive Bays	8 × 3.5″/2.5″ SATA (Hot-swappable)	8 × 3.5″/2.5″ SATA (Hot-swappable)
Expansion Support	Up to 18 drives (2 × DX517 via eSATA)	Up to 18 drives (2 × DX525 via USB-C)
M.2 NVMe Slots	2 × M.2 2280 (cache only)	2 × M.2 2280 (cache or storage pools, Synology SSDs only)
LAN Ports	4 × 1GbE RJ-45	2 × 2.5GbE RJ-45
USB Ports	4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1	3 × USB 3.2 Gen 1
Expansion Ports	2 × eSATA	2 × USB Type-C
PCIe Slot	1 × PCIe Gen3 x8 (x4 link)	1 × PCIe Gen3 x8 (x4 link)
Cooling	2 × 120mm fans	2 × 120mm fans
Power Supply	250W internal	250W internal
Power Consumption (Access)	59.8W	60.1W
Power Consumption (HDD Hibernation)	26.18W	18.34W
Noise Level (Idle)	22.2 dB(A)	23.8 dB(A)
Dimensions (H × W × D)	166 × 343 × 243 mm	166 × 343 × 243 mm
Weight	6.0 kg	6.0 kg
Drive Compatibility	Broad third-party drive support (with warnings)	Only Synology-verified drives supported

That said, the DS1825+ introduces certain trade-offs compared to its predecessor. While the DS1821+ maintained broader compatibility with third-party hard drives and SSDs, including full DSM functionality even with unverified drives, the DS1825+ enforces a stricter hardware compatibility policy. As a result, users are now limited to Synology-verified drives for core functions like volume creation and SSD caching. This shift may benefit system reliability and warranty alignment but could deter users with existing non-Synology storage media or those seeking cost-effective alternatives. Moreover, while the DS1825+ enables a higher potential single-volume size (200 TB with expanded memory), it actually reduces the number of internal volumes from 64 to 32, which may be a consideration for more advanced or segmented storage environments.

Category	DS1821+	DS1825+
DSM Version	DSM 7.2+	DSM 7.2+
Max Internal Volumes	64	32 ▼ Reduced
Max Single Volume Size	108 TB	200 TB (requires 32 GB RAM) ▲ Increased
M.2 SSD Storage Pools	Not supported	Supported (Synology NVMe only) ▲ Added
Third-Party Drive Support	Allowed (with warning banners)	Blocked during DSM install ▼ Restricted
Snapshot Replication	256 per folder / 4,096 total	256 per folder / 4,096 total
Synology Drive Users	110 ▲	100 ▼
Synology Office Users	110 ▲	100 ▼
Virtual Machines (VMM)	Up to 8 VM/Virtual DSM instances	Up to 8 VM/Virtual DSM instances
Surveillance Station Support	Up to 40 IP cameras (4K H.265: 480 FPS)	Up to 40 IP cameras (4K H.265: 480 FPS)
SMB Connections (RAM Expanded)	60	60
Hybrid Share Folders	10	10
High Availability Support	Supported	Supported
Snapshot / Backup Tools	Full support for Hyper Backup, Active Backup, Snapshot Replication	Full support for Hyper Backup, Active Backup, Snapshot Replication
Virtualization Integration	VMware vSphere, Windows Server, Citrix, OpenStack	VMware vSphere, Windows Server, Citrix, OpenStack
RAID Support	SHR, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10	SHR, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10
Syslog Throughput	1,000 events/sec	1,000 events/sec
Protocols Supported	SMB1/2/3, NFSv3/v4.1, FTP, WebDAV, Rsync, iSCSI, HTTP/HTTPS, SNMP, LDAP	SMB1/2/3, NFSv3/v4.1, FTP, WebDAV, Rsync, iSCSI, HTTP/HTTPS, SNMP, LDAP

Synology DS1825+ NAS – Hard Drive Compatibility

With the release of the DS1825+, Synology has fully adopted its stricter hardware validation policy, significantly limiting support for third-party hard drives and SSDs. Unlike earlier models such as the DS1821+, which allowed DSM installation and storage pool creation with non-verified drives (albeit with warning messages), the DS1825+ enforces compatibility checks at the system level. Currently, only Synology-branded drives — such as the HAT3300 and HAT5300 series HDDs, and the SAT5200 and SNV3400 SSDs — are included on the official compatibility list. Attempts to install DSM with unverified HDDs, including popular models like the Seagate IronWolf and WD Red Plus, result in a complete block at initialization. There is no option to bypass or ignore these restrictions, and DSM will not proceed past setup when such drives are detected.

This strict policy has also been observed during storage expansion and migration. Migrated volumes from older Synology systems using unverified drives will still mount successfully on the DS1825+, allowing users to retain access to their data. However, the DSM interface will persistently display warnings, error icons, and status alerts across the Storage Manager and system health panels.

Feature / Function	Pre-2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1821+, DS920+, DS923+)	2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1825+, DS925+, DS1525+)
DSM Installation – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
DSM Installation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked completely
Drive Migration (Non-Verified Drives)	Fully functional, minor alerts	Works, but shows persistent warnings
Storage Pool Creation – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Creation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked
Storage Pool Expansion – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Expansion – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (mixed arrays supported)	Blocked – drives flagged as incompatible
Hot Spare Assignment – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Hot Spare Assignment – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed	Blocked
RAID Recovery – Verified Drives	Supported	Supported
RAID Recovery – Non-Verified Drives	Supported	Blocked – system will not rebuild with unverified media
M.2 NVMe Cache – Synology SSDs	Supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Cache – 3rd Party SSDs	Supported	Blocked
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – Synology SSDs	Not supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – 3rd Party SSDs	Not supported	Blocked
SMART Monitoring – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
SMART Monitoring – Non-Verified Drives	Full support	Limited or blocked (TBC)
Storage Manager Alerts – Non-Verified Drives	Warnings, dismissible	Persistent, cannot be cleared
Overall Compatibility Flexibility	High – mix-and-match drives allowed	Low – walled-garden enforcement

These alerts cannot be dismissed or suppressed, and while they do not affect system operation, they may be problematic for less technical users or managed IT environments. Furthermore, expanding an existing storage pool with unverified drives is no longer allowed — even if the new drives are identical to those already in use. Tests confirm that DSM will refuse to integrate non-listed drives into a pool, issue compatibility errors for hot spare assignments, and block recovery attempts for degraded arrays using unverified media.

One exception, as currently observed in testing, involves SATA SSDs. While unverified 3.5” HDDs are completely blocked from use during initialization, certain non-Synology SATA SSDs can still be used to install DSM or create volumes. These drives are flagged with warnings post-installation, but DSM allows the setup to proceed. That said, these SSDs also carry ongoing status alerts, and users cannot combine them with verified HDDs in mixed arrays or use them to expand verified pools. M.2 NVMe support is even more restrictive — only Synology SNV-series SSDs are accepted for either caching or pool creation, and all third-party models are entirely blocked. For now, users relying on legacy or third-party drives face a clear trade-off: adopt Synology’s ecosystem fully or accept a range of functional and visual limitations that reduce overall flexibility.

Synology DS1825+ NAS – Price and Release

The Synology DS1825+ is currently available only in select eastern regions, including Taiwan, Japan, China, and Australia, with broader global availability expected to follow within the next few weeks. Based on current distribution information, retail listings, and typical rollout timelines, availability in North America, the UK, and Europe is anticipated by the end of May or early June 2025. While Synology has yet to confirm official regional pricing, early indications suggest the DS1825+ will launch at approximately $999 to $1,099 USD—on par with the original MSRP of the DS1821+. This pricing strategy maintains Synology’s established positioning for its 8-bay “Plus” series NAS models, appealing to both advanced home users and small business environments looking for scalable, reliable storage solutions.

As with recent releases in the 2025 Synology lineup, prospective buyers should pay close attention to official announcements and trusted retailers, particularly in light of increasing emphasis on bundled hardware and reduced third-party flexibility. The DS1825+ introduces modest but meaningful hardware changes—such as default 8GB ECC memory, dual 2.5GbE LAN, and USB-C expansion support—while retaining the same core CPU. Although it lacks a generational leap in processing power, the unit aims to refine the overall platform rather than reinvent it. However, potential buyers should be fully aware of the enforced drive compatibility limitations, which mark a shift from previous models and may impact long-term upgrade plans. For those seeking a dependable NAS with improved baseline specs and tighter integration into the Synology ecosystem, the DS1825+ presents a balanced, if slightly more controlled, successor.

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The Synology DS1525+ NAS is Confirmed and Just Overshadowed the DS925+

The Synology DS1525+ NAS represents a significant evolution in the brand’s 5-bay desktop series, bringing forward a more scalable, performance-focused solution aimed at both advanced home users and professional environments. Positioned as a more powerful and versatile alternative to the recently launched DS925+, the DS1525+ is clearly engineered with broader deployment scenarios in mind—from creative professionals handling high-volume media workflows to small businesses seeking reliable virtualization, backup, and collaboration tools. It boasts a modernized hardware foundation, including a Ryzen quad-core processor, 8GB of ECC memory (upgradeable to 32GB), dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots, and native support for 2.5GbE networking—features that now align with the increasing demands for multi-user, high-throughput environments.

Yet the DS1525+ isn’t just about faster networking or raw internal horsepower—it also brings back long-requested upgrade options like 10GbE scalability via a PCIe slot and dual DX525 expansion support for up to 15 drives total. This places the DS1525+ in a much more flexible tier compared to previous 5-bay Synology NAS systems and even challenges some of the lower-end rackmount models in terms of features and performance. With the continuing integration of Synology’s DSM 7.2 platform and a shift in how the brand is enforcing drive compatibility policies in the 2025 generation, the DS1525+ also enters the market during a controversial transition period for the company—something that may significantly influence buying decisions. Whether you’re upgrading from an older DS920+/DS1520+ or looking to deploy a scalable data solution for your home or office, the DS1525+ arrives at a pivotal moment for Synology.

Synology DS1525+ NAS – Hardware Specifications

The Synology DS1525+ brings a refined balance of processing power, memory, connectivity, and scalability that reflects its positioning in the upper end of Synology’s Plus Series. At its core is the AMD Ryzen V1500B processor, a 64-bit quad-core chip running at 2.2GHz with support for hardware encryption and virtualization. While this processor first debuted in Synology’s higher-end SMB models in 2020, its migration to the 5-bay desktop tier represents a welcome boost in capability for power users. It offers significantly more multitasking headroom compared to the dual-core Ryzen R1600 seen in the DS923+, and its support for native virtualization, container workloads, and file services under sustained loads makes it a particularly strong choice for office deployments and edge data processing.

Category	Specification
CPU	AMD Ryzen V1500B, Quad-Core, 2.2 GHz, 64-bit architecture, AES-NI encryption
Memory (Default/Max)	8 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM (1 × 8 GB) / Up to 32 GB (2 × 16 GB)
Drive Bays	5 × 3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD (hot-swappable)
M.2 Slots	2 × M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots (for caching or storage pools, Synology drives only)
Expansion	Up to 15 drives with 2 × DX525 expansion units
PCIe Slot	1 × PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot (for 10GbE upgrade module E10G22-T1-Mini)
LAN Ports	2 × 2.5GbE RJ-45 (Link Aggregation & Failover support)
USB Ports	2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
Cooling	2 × 92mm system fans (auto speed control)
Power Supply	External 100W AC power adapter (100V–240V, 50/60Hz)
Dimensions	166 mm (H) × 230 mm (W) × 223 mm (D)
Weight	2.67 kg (without drives)
Max Volume Size	108 TB (200 TB with 32 GB RAM and Btrfs)
RAID Support	SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10
File Systems	Internal: Btrfs, EXT4 / External: Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, FAT32, NTFS, HFS+, exFAT
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Warranty	3 years (extendable to 5 years in select regions with EW201/EW+ plans)

Alongside this CPU is a pre-installed 8GB ECC DDR4 SODIMM module—double that of the DS925+—with support for up to 32GB across two slots. ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory is still rare at this price point and capacity, and it adds another layer of data integrity assurance, particularly useful when running business-critical workloads like database hosting, mail servers, or multi-user collaborative suites. Whether you’re hosting Synology Office or leveraging multiple Docker containers, the default 8GB RAM already places the DS1525+ above its peers in out-of-the-box readiness, with upgrade options that scale appropriately with larger RAID arrays and SSD caching.

Specification	AMD Ryzen Embedded V1500B	AMD Ryzen Embedded R1600
Cores / Threads	4 Cores / 8 Threads	2 Cores / 4 Threads
Hyperthreading	Yes	Yes
Base Frequency	2.20 GHz	2.60 GHz
Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	Not Supported	Up to 3.10 GHz
Turbo Frequency (All Cores)	Not Specified	Not Specified
Overclocking	No	No
TDP	16W	25W
Cache (L1 / L2 / L3)	384KB / 2MB / 32MB	192KB / 1MB / 4MB
Socket Type	BGA1140	BGA1140
Architecture	Zen (Normal)	Zen (Normal)
CPU Class	Embedded / Mobile	Embedded / Mobile
First Seen	Q2 2021	Q4 2022
Single Thread Rating (CPUBenchmark)	1230 (-28.7% vs R1600)	1724 (Higher)
CPU Mark (Overall) (CPUBenchmark)	4829 (Higher)	3276 (-32.1% vs V1500B)
Estimated Yearly Power Cost	$2.92	$4.56

The DS1525+ also introduces versatile storage configuration options. It supports five 3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDDs or SSDs, with the option to add two DX525 expansion units for a maximum of 15 bays total—translating to 300TB of raw capacity with 20TB drives. Additionally, the system includes two M.2 NVMe slots, allowing users to add SSD cache acceleration or create separate storage pools without sacrificing any of the main drive bays. As with other 2025-generation Synology models, the M.2 slots currently only support Synology’s own SNV-series drives for both caching and pool creation, further tying storage choices to the Synology ecosystem.

Network and expansion features on the DS1525+ are another standout area. The NAS includes two native 2.5GbE LAN ports that support Link Aggregation, failover, and SMB multichannel. This addresses a long-standing complaint of previous generations, which were limited to 1GbE by default. Better still, the DS1525+ includes a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot for installing Synology’s E10G22-T1-Mini 10GbE network card—something that was removed from the DS925+ entirely. This combination of faster default networking and optional 10GbE makes the DS1525+ suitable for demanding data workflows, such as multi-camera surveillance, real-time 4K media editing, and large-volume backup tasks.

Synology DS1525+ NAS vs the DS925+ (2025) or DS1522+ (2022)

The release of the Synology DS1525+ will naturally invite comparisons with two other key models in Synology’s portfolio: the recently launched DS925+ and the 2022-era DS1522+. On paper, the DS1525+ shares a large portion of its DNA with both of these models — borrowing the same AMD Ryzen V1500B processor from the DS925+, and directly succeeding the DS1522+ as Synology’s latest 5-bay NAS in the Plus series. But while these three models target similar audiences — advanced home users, creative professionals, and small businesses — there are clear differences in hardware, scalability, network architecture, and long-term usability that separate them meaningfully. The DS1525+ builds directly on the foundation laid by the DS925+, which itself introduced a wave of hardware upgrades to the Synology Plus series in early 2025. Both devices feature the same AMD Ryzen V1500B 4-core, 8-thread processor and support ECC memory up to 32GB. However, where the DS925+ stops at 4 bays with no support for expansion units, the DS1525+ supports up to 15 total bays with the inclusion of two DX525 expansion chassis — a major difference for users planning long-term storage growth. The DS1525+ also doubles the memory out of the box (8GB vs 4GB in the DS925+), includes the same 2x 2.5GbE ports for faster-than-gigabit networking, and features dual M.2 NVMe slots for cache or storage pools. In essence, the DS1525+ is the more scalable, robust choice — particularly if you foresee needing significantly more storage or concurrent users down the line.

The DS1522+, launched in mid-2022, was one of Synology’s most widely praised 5-bay NAS systems, with an excellent price-to-performance ratio. It featured the AMD Ryzen R1600 processor (dual-core, 4-thread) and came with 8GB of ECC memory, a PCIe Gen 3 slot for 10GbE upgrades, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports for flexible network configurations. The DS1525+ modernizes and refines that package. While it drops the PCIe slot, it replaces it with native 2.5GbE networking — removing the need for upgrades just to get faster-than-Gigabit speeds. It also improves processor efficiency with the more capable V1500B CPU (same as in the enterprise-grade DS1823xs+) and retains support for up to 32GB of ECC RAM. Additionally, the M.2 NVMe slots in the DS1525+ support both caching and storage pools — unlike earlier models where storage pool creation was either unsupported or limited to Synology-only drives.

Which of these NAS systems is right for you comes down to a blend of performance needs, scalability goals, and budget. The DS1525+ offers a more future-proof solution with high raw performance, 5-bay storage out of the box, superior expansion support (up to 15 drives), and a modern networking stack with 2.5GbE ports included as standard. It’s ideal for content creators with large media libraries, teams running shared services or VMs, or businesses needing long-term flexibility. The DS925+, on the other hand, is the budget-conscious user’s pick — priced lower and providing nearly identical internal hardware, but in a more compact 4-bay enclosure with no option to scale beyond that. If you’re confident you won’t need more than 4 drives and don’t require 10GbE or PCIe expansion, the DS925+ still provides DSM 7.2 and Synology’s excellent software ecosystem without compromise. Finally, for users still holding onto the DS1522+ or considering it due to its often discounted price post-DS1525+ launch, it’s worth weighing the trade-offs. While the DS1522+ provides a PCIe slot for 10GbE expansion, it lags behind in CPU power, lacks 2.5GbE out of the box, and doesn’t support NVMe storage pools. The DS1525+ is clearly the better long-term investment — if the price difference fits your budget. For users looking for the right balance of power, performance, and scalability — without needing to jump to the pricier XS series — it may well be the best 5-bay Synology NAS to date.

Synology DS1525+ NAS – HDD and SSD Compatibility

One of the biggest points of contention with the new Synology DS1525+ — following the controversy sparked by the DS925+ — is Synology’s stricter enforcement of drive compatibility. Historically, Synology supported a broad range of third-party hard drives and SSDs, merely issuing warning messages when unsupported drives were used. That changed with the DS925+, and the DS1525+ appears to double down on this new policy. At launch, the DS1525+ only lists Synology-branded HDDs and SSDs — such as the HAT3300, HAT5300, SAT5200, and SNV3400 — as officially compatible. If users attempt to initialize DSM using a drive not listed, the system will block installation entirely. This is a significant departure from earlier models like the DS1522+ or DS920+, which allowed DSM installation with third-party drives, even if accompanied by warning banners.

This tighter control extends to both SATA HDDs and M.2 NVMe SSDs. In the DS1525+, users can no longer use third-party NVMe SSDs for even basic caching — a feature previously accessible with non-Synology drives. Storage pools and caching are now restricted to Synology’s own SNV-series drives. This limitation can be a deal-breaker for users with existing SSDs or those seeking more affordable alternatives.

Drive migration from older NAS systems still works, with volumes booting as expected — but warning messages about unverified drives will be persistent. Moreover, trying to expand existing storage pools with unlisted drives will now fail outright, blocking the option in Storage Manager unless using Synology-verified models. While Synology cites system reliability and long-term support as reasons for these restrictions, the user base has expressed growing frustration. This new approach marks a clear shift toward a walled ecosystem, and while it may enhance stability, it reduces flexibility — especially for enthusiasts and IT professionals used to Synology’s former openness.

Synology DS1522+ NAS Release Date and Price?

The Synology DS1525+ NAS is expected to see a staggered global release, continuing the rollout pattern observed with the DS925+ and other 2025 series models. Initial availability is anticipated in Synology’s eastern markets — including Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand — with Western availability (North America, UK, and Europe) likely landing in late May or early June 2025. This regional launch strategy has become common for Synology, allowing them to manage early feedback and firmware polishing before global distribution.

As for pricing, early indicators suggest that the DS1525+ will launch between $699 and $799 USD, depending on local taxes and bundled accessories (such as pre-installed memory or included drives). This places it squarely between the DS925+ ($599–$649) and the older DS1522+, which has often dipped below $550 in recent sales due to its older hardware and limited upgradability. Despite being the most expensive of the trio, the DS1525+ justifies its price tag with enhanced default memory, greater expansion potential, and retained PCIe support for optional 10GbE — features notably absent on the DS925+.

While Synology has yet to officially confirm regional pricing or exact release dates, retail listings and early distribution documents hint that pre-orders and launch events may begin rolling out in key Asian markets before the end of May. As always, early adopters should watch Synology’s official channels and trusted retailers for updates, especially considering recent trends toward drive bundling and tighter ecosystem control. For those who waited for a more robust refresh of the DS1522+, the DS1525+ is shaping up to be the spiritual and practical successor many had hoped for.

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Synology 2025 NAS Series 3rd Party Drive Compatibility Tests

UPDATED 07-05-25 = Added Unverified HDD and SSD (Migrated) Storage Pool RAID Repair, RAID POOL Expansion and Hot Spare Tests. Right now, the following is what works and what does not (between pre-2025 Series and the 2025 Series that is releasing now):

Feature / Function	Pre-2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1821+, DS920+, DS923+)	2025 Synology NAS<br>(e.g., DS1825+, DS925+, DS1525+)
DSM Installation – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
DSM Installation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked completely
Drive Migration (Non-Verified Drives)	Fully functional, minor alerts	Works, but shows persistent warnings
Storage Pool Creation – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Creation – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (with warnings)	Blocked
Storage Pool Expansion – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Storage Pool Expansion – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed (mixed arrays supported)	Blocked – drives flagged as incompatible
Hot Spare Assignment – Verified Drives	Fully supported	Fully supported
Hot Spare Assignment – Non-Verified Drives	Allowed	Blocked
RAID Recovery – Verified Drives	Supported	Supported
RAID Recovery – Non-Verified Drives	Supported	Blocked – system will not rebuild with unverified media
M.2 NVMe Cache – Synology SSDs	Supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Cache – 3rd Party SSDs	Supported	Blocked
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – Synology SSDs	Not supported	Supported
M.2 NVMe Storage Pools – 3rd Party SSDs	Not supported	Blocked
SMART Monitoring – Verified Drives	Full support	Full support
SMART Monitoring – Non-Verified Drives	Full support	Limited or blocked (TBC)
Storage Manager Alerts – Non-Verified Drives	Warnings, dismissible	Persistent, cannot be cleared
Overall Compatibility Flexibility	High – mix-and-match drives allowed	Low – walled-garden enforcement

Here’s what we’ve confirmed so far in the tests as of 07/05/25:

Using Synology 1st Party Drives – Everything Works as Expected

If you’re using Synology-branded HDDs or SSDs, then your experience on the DS925+ will be completely normal.

System initialization, DSM installation, storage pool creation, and all other operations work exactly as they always have, with no warnings, compatibility errors, or feature restrictions. This includes both the Plus series (e.g., HAT3300/HAT3310) and the Enterprise-class HAT5300 drives.

These drives are the only ones currently listed as fully supported on the official compatibility list for the DS925+, and this exclusive support ensures full DSM integration, performance monitoring, and system health reporting. If you’re a first-time buyer who’s starting from scratch, and you’re willing to buy fully into the Synology ecosystem, this route remains the most seamless — albeit more expensive — option.

New Installations Blocked for Non-Verified Drives

As discussed in our NASCompares coverage and testing videos, attempting to initialise the DS925+ with hard drives that are not on the 2025 series compatibility list will block you from even starting DSM installation.

Below is the Synology DS925+ HDD Compatibility as of 3rd May 2025

This marks a major departure from Synology’s previous approach in DSM 7.0 and 7.1, where unsupported drives could still be used — though users would receive warnings in Storage Manager.

Below is the Synology DS923+ HDD Compatibility for comparison

Now, if you’re using unverified HDDs (such as Seagate IronWolf or WD Red Plus), the DS925+ will not proceed past the initial setup.

You’ll receive a message informing you that the drive is not compatible, and DSM cannot be installed. There’s no bypass, workaround, or “install anyway” option — and this applies even if the drives are physically identical to previously approved models.

This new and more limited approach (at least at the time of writing) raises concerns for home and business users alike who have previously relied on mixing and matching their preferred HDD brands with Synology hardware.

Drive Migration from Older Synology NAS – It Works, But Comes with Warnings

If you already own a Synology NAS and are planning to migrate your storage pool from an older system to the DS925+, you’ll be able to do so — even if your drives are no longer listed as compatible on the newer system.

DSM will recognize the array, import the configuration, and boot the system using your original DSM setup.

However, the entire system will then display a persistent series of warnings and error states, including amber and red icons in Storage Manager, drive health indicators marked “At Risk,” and compatibility warnings across the interface.

While everything technically works, the interface becomes visually and functionally “noisy.” For system integrators or IT administrators, this is especially important — your clients may perceive something is seriously wrong with the NAS even when the system is healthy.

It’s recommended to proactively inform any end users or clients about these warnings post-migration, to avoid unnecessary concern or support tickets. Synology has not yet provided a method to suppress or acknowledge these warnings permanently.

SATA SSDs Seem to Bypass the Block – But Still Carry Warnings

One of the more surprising findings in our testing was that SATA SSDs, even when not listed on the official compatibility list, were still able to initialize the DS925+ and allow DSM to be installed.

We tested this with several models, and the installation process continued normally — a stark contrast to the hard stop experienced with unverified HDDs.

However, this partial loophole comes with a catch. Once DSM is up and running, the system flags the non-verified SSDs the same way it flags migrated drives, with warnings in Storage Manager and ongoing notifications.

So while you can proceed, you’ll still be treated to that same red and amber text throughout your DSM environment. Still, for users willing to tolerate the interface alerts, this may provide an interim solution — especially for those who prefer SSDs for quiet, low-power deployments.

Expanding Existing Storage Pools with Unverified Drives is Blocked

Another key limitation to note is that you cannot expand an existing storage pool using unverified drives — even if your system was initialized using fully supported drives.

We tested this by creating a pool with Synology-approved HDDs, then attempting to add a non-Synology drive as an expansion. While the drive appeared in Storage Manager as “available,” the system refused to proceed with the expansion, citing that the drive was not verified or supported.

This strict enforcement essentially locks users into an all-or-nothing ecosystem. There’s no flexibility to upgrade later using lower-cost or readily available drives unless Synology chooses to add them to the compatibility list down the line.

M.2 NVMe Drives: No 3rd Party Support for Caching or Storage Pools

Historically, Synology has limited M.2 NVMe storage pools to their own SNV SSDs, but allowed third-party drives for read/write caching. That has now changed in the DS925+ and, presumably, all 2025 series models moving forward.

Our testing confirmed that non-Synology NVMe SSDs are no longer usable at all — neither for caching nor for creating storage pools.

Attempting to configure third-party NVMes results in the same hard block and error messages as unsupported HDDs. At the time of writing, only Synology SNV3400 and SNV3410 drives are listed as supported — both of which are tuned more for endurance than performance, making them a questionable fit for cache-centric workflows.

Pool Expansion Using a 4TB Seagate IronWolf Drive

We attempted to expand the existing migrated RAID pool with an additional 4TB Seagate IronWolf drive (same model, also verified on the DS923+). The drive was physically detected, appeared in Storage Manager, but the system refused to proceed with expansion.

System Message: The additional drive was flagged as incompatible, and any attempt to integrate it into the existing RAID resulted in an error stating that the media is not suitable or not verified. However, if your migrated pool is using SATA SSDs (or you setup the system with unverified SATA SSDs, which is still possible at the time of writing) you CAN expand the pool with likewise SATA SSDs.

Conclusion: The DS925+ does not permit expansion of an existing pool using unverified drives if you are using unverified HDDs, even if the original array consists of the exact same drive model. But SATA SSDs still allow this feature at the moment.

Pool Expansion Using a 4TB Seagate IronWolf Drive

What if you are using an existing pool that is made up of verified HDDs on the NAS (i.e drives from Synology or drives that are now on the verified compatibility list), but also want to create a 2nd pool, made up of unverified SATA HDDs or SATA SSDs?

Result: As expected, if you use SATA HDDs, then you can ONLY create a new separate pool using verified HDDs. However, SATA SSDs still allow for unverified SSD pools.

Hot Spare Addition Attempt Using Seagate IronWolf Drive

We repeated the process above but this time attempted to add a likewise Seagate IW 4TB drive as a Hot Spare.

Result: Just like the pool expansion test, the additional drive was visible but flagged as unsupported, and DSM blocked any attempts to add this as a failover Hot Spare repair drive with the migrated array.

Recovery of Degraded RAID Pool Using Seagate IronWolf Drive

To test RAID recovery, one of the three IronWolf drives in the migrated SHR array was removed, placing the system into a degraded state. We then inserted a fresh 4TB Seagate IronWolf drive.

Result: DSM detected the new drive but refused to initiate RAID rebuild, citing unsupported media.

Conclusion: Recovery of a degraded array using a Seagate IronWolf drive (unverified for DS925+) is not permitted — even when it’s the same model previously used in the pool.

Drive Removal and Reintroduction to Pool

Lastly, we removed one of the IronWolf drives from the active pool and reinserted it a few minutes later. This drive was part of the original migrated SHR setup.

Result: DSM re-added the drive without issue, recognizing it as part of the existing array. No rebuild or repair was needed, and the system returned to normal status — albeit still with the usual compatibility warnings.

Conclusion: Previously initialized and migrated drives will be accepted back into the same array, provided their identity matches the original configuration. However, these reinserted drives remain flagged as unverified.

Background: How Synology Got Here

At the time of writing this review, Synology is seemingly waging a war on unverified third-party drives being used inside their systems. Back in 2020/2021, Synology began rolling out their own range of storage media for use in their systems — starting with SSDs and eventually expanding to a range of 3.5-inch server-class and enterprise storage-class hard drives. Over the years, we have seen the brand begin to reduce the number of third-party drives listed as certified and verified for use in the DSM platform and in their NAS server devices. This duality — of promoting their own storage media while supporting third-party drives — has had its balance shifted considerably over the last two major Synology generations and across several updates in DSM.

In 2022, when the brand rolled out an update in DSM 7.1 that changed the system status for any NAS using non-Synology-approved drives to display a warning state, the wider Synology user base was in uproar. Synology would eventually roll this back and, although they never reversed the policy of warning users that their drives were not on the compatibility list, they did soften the system’s response. Fast forward to now, and the brand is again changing its third-party drive verification and compatibility methodologies internally. The 2025 series and onward will strictly require drives that are already listed on Synology’s compatibility list. Why is that a problem? Well — twofold. First, right now only Synology HDDs and SSDs are listed on the official DS925+ compatibility pages, despite the hardware inside the DS925+ being identical to previous Synology hardware from both the 2020 and 2023 generations. Second, Synology’s aggressive approach to enforcement. Previously, users could proceed with installation and simply be warned later. Now, installation is entirely blocked.

This will no doubt be problematic with e-retailers and online dealers unless they make this strict compatibility policy exceptionally clear. The rollout has been inconsistent and unclear at best. It first emerged via a press release on Synology’s German website, and the DS925+ page remains vague on the specifics. It might well be that weeks or months from now, the list of drives supported on the Synology DS925+ and other 2025 NAS systems will expand to include more third-party media. Nevertheless, the messaging has been profoundly unclear. If Synology’s verification tests have changed, they need to clearly explain how and why. If they have reported failures with unverified drives, those results should be shared. In discussions with numerous users online, many agree that Synology is walking a confusing line. Either fully embrace third-party drives as before — or bundle your own media and commit to it. Don’t sit in the middle.

Future Expansion & Unanswered Questions

Synology has stated that it is working with Western Digital, Seagate, and others to test and certify additional drives for use in the 2025 series. However, they also clarified that the responsibility for verification now lies more with the drive manufacturers, not Synology themselves. This means the pace and outcome of compatibility expansion are largely out of users’ hands — and still leaves early adopters in a restrictive position. We’ve already seen similar policies with M.2 NVMe SSDs in the 2023 generation — only allowing storage pool deployments if you use Synology-branded drives. And while DSM still supports caching with third-party drives in those older systems, that flexibility has now been removed in the 2025 series.

Conclusion – CHECK DRIVE COMPATIBILITY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!

The Synology DS925+ is a great piece of hardware in many respects, but it arrives with a much more locked-down approach to storage media than any Plus series NAS before it. Users hoping to reuse existing drives, mix-and-match HDDs for flexibility, or use cost-effective SSDs and NVMes from other brands need to reconsider their storage strategy or prepare for an ecosystem that’s increasingly closed. We’ll continue to test newer Synology 2025 devices as they launch and will update this article as compatibility lists evolve and behaviors change. But for now, if you’re planning to buy into this generation — and especially if you need to build on a budget — be aware: the HDDs you might WANT to buy might not be usable with your system – SO CHECK THE COMPATIBILITY PAGES FIRST!.

Stay tuned for more deep-dive comparisons, migration tutorials, and drive compatibility experiments right here at NASCompares. In the meantime, if you are considering purchasing an older generation Synology NAS that has more open and established storage media compatibility, below is a comparison of the Synology DS923+ from 2022/2023 and the new 2025 DS925+ NAS.

OLD Synology vs NEW Synology (DS923+ vs DS925+)

Reasons to Buy the Synology DS923+

Reasons to Buy the Synology DS925+

Faster 2.5GbE Networking Out-of-the-Box – Dual 2.5GbE ports offer higher baseline network speeds (up to 6Gbps aggregated), doubling the network performance compared to the DS923+ without requiring expansion cards. More Powerful Processor (More Cores/Threads) – The V1500B CPU offers 4 cores and 8 threads, delivering superior multitasking and heavier workload handling, especially for virtual machines, multiple users, and simultaneous services. Quieter Operation – The DS925+ operates at a lower idle noise level (20.5 dB vs 22.9 dB), making it better suited for office, home office, or studio environments where sound matters. Higher User and Service Limits – Thanks to the more powerful CPU, the DS925+ supports more Synology Drive users, Synology Office users, Synology Chat users, more concurrent SMB connections, and more virtual machines than the DS923+. Better Out-of-the-Box Experience – With stronger networking, higher multi-threaded performance, and no need for immediate upgrades, the DS925+ is ready to deliver higher performance without any additional investment, perfect for users who want maximum capability from day one.

PCIe Expansion for 10GbE Upgrades – The DS923+ features a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot, allowing users to install a 10GbE network card later, massively boosting network speeds beyond the built-in 1GbE ports. Broader 3rd-Party Drive Compatibility – Unlike the DS925+, the DS923+ allows full system initialization, storage pool creation, and DSM services even with non-Synology hard drives and SSDs—giving users more flexibility and choice. Lower Power Consumption and Heat Output – The DS923+ is slightly more energy-efficient in both active use and hibernation modes, making it a better fit for always-on environments where power savings add up over time. Potentially Lower Price (Especially Post-DS925+ Launch) – As the newer DS925+ replaces it, the DS923+ is likely to see discounts and wider availability, offering excellent value for budget-conscious users without sacrificing capability. Ideal for Customization and Long-Term Scalability – With the ability to upgrade the network, use a wider range of drives, and maintain full DSM functionality, the DS923+ is better suited for users who plan to evolve their setup over time.

In practical terms, the DS925+ is the stronger out-of-the-box choice, especially for users who value simplicity, improved default performance, and do not anticipate needing higher-than-2.5GbE networking down the line. However, the long-term value proposition becomes murkier when you factor in the DS923+’s PCIe expansion, broader drive compatibility, and the potential price drops that will follow its ageing status in Synology’s lineup. In short, the DS925+ is the better NAS on day one—more powerful, faster, and quieter. But if you’re planning for day 1,000, it’s worth pausing to consider whether the expandability and media flexibility of the DS923+ may be a better fit for your storage and networking needs over the next five to seven years.

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Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Good News, Bad News

If you have been looking at making the move away from your cloud service provider to gain better ownership of your data, or are looking to upgrade your existing network storage system to something a tad more modern, chances are that Synology and the new DS925+ system have already appeared on your radar. Synology, a 25-year veteran in the world of network-attached storage, is arguably one of the biggest names in the game and has long commanded the largest market share in home and business purchases of NAS. The new DS925+ is the refresh of the late 2022 Synology DS923+, upgrading a few things and arguably clipping the wings of others. Whenever Synology refreshes its range of solutions every few years, it is normally a moment of largely universal praise as long-term Synology users consider upgrading their kit.

However, the Synology 2025 series of devices has been arguably more contentious and criticized internet-wide due to the brand’s changing stance on its support of hard drives in this newer generation, revamping the way in which users can choose which drives they can use in their systems. This change is still very much in its early days and could easily end up working out for the best — or being reversed — but nevertheless, the Synology DS925+ has arrived on the scene to a great deal more criticism and apprehension than most other Synology NAS devices ever launched in the brand’s two-and-a-half-decade-long history. But all of that aside, is the DS925+ actually any good? What can it do, what can’t it do, and does it deserve your money and your data?

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

On a sheer hardware level, the Synology DS925+ is one of the strongest 4-bay systems the brand has ever released in this class. Whether compared to the 2023 refresh or earlier models, it delivers a noticeably better hardware package for the price. The long-overdue move to 2.5GbE is welcome, even if extremely late, and the upgrade from a dual-core, four-thread processor to a quad-core, eight-thread chip is ideal for VMs and containers. The continued inclusion of ECC memory (4GB, expandable to 32GB) reinforces its focus on reliability. DSM remains a standout — arguably still the best turnkey NAS OS on the market for stability, usability, and features. However, the removal of 10GbE upgrade options feels like a significant regression, especially as external 2.5G/5G USB network adapters are now commonplace. The hardware, while generally solid, will still feel underwhelming to users who expect more flexibility — especially given the price.

But it’s Synology’s aggressive stance on storage compatibility that casts the longest shadow. The DS925+ refuses to initialise DSM unless you’re using approved drives — a dramatic shift from previous generations using identical hardware that supported many third-party drives. Synology’s vague communication and inconsistent rollout of this policy only amplify user frustration. It’s hard to escape the sense that Synology is either hesitating to fully commit to bundling its NAS units with storage, or clumsily trying to control the ecosystem. The DS925+ is still a very good NAS, maintaining a decade-long price point while offering improved internals and software. But unless Synology quickly clarifies this compatibility policy, this release may be remembered more for controversy than capability — their biggest “Apple moment” yet, for good or for bad.

SOFTWARE - 10/10

HARDWARE - 6/10

PERFORMANCE - 8/10

PRICE - 9/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.2

PROS

Dual 2.5GbE Ports: Finally upgrades from 1GbE, offering significantly better bandwidth and support for link aggregation and SMB multichannel.
ECC Memory Support: Comes with 4GB ECC RAM (expandable to 32GB), rare at this price point and excellent for data integrity in long-term storage.
Quad-Core Ryzen V1500B CPU: A proven server-grade processor with 4 cores and 8 threads, ideal for multitasking, VMs, containers, and business apps.
Excellent Thermal Performance: Dual 92mm fans and a well-ventilated chassis keep internal temperatures low even under extended load.
Low Noise Operation: Impressively quiet in idle and moderate use; system noise is more dependent on drive selection than fan noise.
USB-C Expansion Support: Adds future-proof connectivity via the DX525 expansion unit, replacing the aging eSATA interface.
Top-Tier DSM Software: Ships with DSM 7.2 — widely considered the best NAS OS — offering excellent backup, cloud, and media tools with a polished UI.
EXCEPTIONAL License-free software in Active Backup and inclusive-license Surveillance Station Software

CONS

No 10GbE Upgrade Option: Removes the PCIe slot from the DS923+, eliminating any path to scale beyond 2.5GbE.
Comparatively underwhelming hardware compared to similarly priced Turnkey NAS solutions available from QNAP, UGREEN, Asustor, etc
Strict Drive Compatibility: Will not initialise DSM without Synology-branded HDDs or drives on the compatibility list (which we are still awaiting confirmation on re: verification). Brand messaging on which drives work now, later, long term, etc is messy at the moment

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Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Design, Cooling and Power Consumption

The DS925+ maintains Synology’s long-standing chassis design, which has remained largely unchanged since around 2018–2019. It features a compact black plastic exterior with a solid metal internal frame that offers excellent durability and airflow.

The unit measures the same as its predecessors and blends easily into home or office environments. Ventilation is a central focus of the design, with large ventilated side panels, additional intake on the base, and a dual-fan array at the rear. These two 92mm fans replace the more typical single-fan setup found in many rival 4-bay systems, providing a more even and effective airflow throughout the unit.

The DS925+ also uses an external 100W power brick, though actual usage rarely approaches that limit.

In terms of noise, the DS925+ is impressively quiet during idle and moderate use — provided you’re using standard Synology-branded drives. With the system fully idle (RAID built, fans running at variable speed, no active users), the noise levels hovered around 36–37 dB(A).

When pushed with dual 2.5GbE connections and all drives under load, noise levels rose to about 48–50 dB(A), though much of this was attributed to the drives rather than the fans. Users planning to install high-capacity, enterprise-class drives like the HAT5300 series should expect higher operational noise. While the NAS fans remain relatively quiet, drive selection plays a significant role in the overall acoustic footprint of the system.

Power consumption during testing was also well within expectations. In a fully idle state, with base apps installed and the system not being accessed, the DS925+ drew approximately 28 watts. When fully loaded — with all four bays filled, SSDs installed, the CPU under strain, and both 2.5GbE connections active — consumption peaked around 62–64 watts.

These numbers align with what you’d expect for a Ryzen V1500B-based system with ECC memory and SSD support, though it’s worth noting that Synology’s own published power usage figures are lower. This discrepancy is likely due to Synology using SSDs in their testing rather than HDDs, which naturally draw more power and generate more heat.

Thermal performance on the DS925+ is particularly strong, especially considering the plastic enclosure. At the one-hour mark under moderate usage, system temperatures ranged from 35°C to 39°C.

After 24 hours of intermittent access, including background tasks like scrubbing and package installation, the system maintained a stable range of 34°C to 36°C. The dual rear fans, in conjunction with the well-ventilated chassis, clearly play a key role in keeping the internal environment controlled. These results are especially encouraging given that many competing 4-bay NAS systems still ship with only a single rear fan and less efficient airflow paths.

Bottom line, the DS925+ offers a refined, if familiar, physical design that prioritises quiet operation, effective heat management, and reasonable power efficiency – something this product series has always excelled at vs it’s competitors (such as the QNAP TS-464, Asustor Lockerstor series or still new UGREEN DXP4800. While Synology hasn’t reinvented the chassis, the dual fan design, ample ventilation, and strong thermal numbers show thoughtful incremental improvements. However, as with most NAS systems, the overall experience is still influenced heavily by drive selection — particularly in terms of noise and power draw. For users seeking a low-noise, power-efficient solution with excellent temperature control, the DS925+ remains a very well-balanced option in the 4-bay NAS category.

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Ports and Connectivity

The Synology DS925+ supplies a fairly middling range of connections, depending on your point of view. Hot take: if you were to compare this device against previously released Synology devices, there is actually something of a mixed bag here to like as well as dislike. Likewise, if you compare the device to the available range of NAS solutions from this brand’s competitors, you could probably be especially critical of what you see here. However, there are some interesting features worthy of note, and given Synology’s heavy emphasis on internal operations and remote access priorities, it isn’t a huge surprise that the physical connections on this modest system are likewise pretty understated.

The front of the system features a single USB Type-A 5 Gb per second connection port that is predominantly used for connecting storage drives to make them remotely accessible. Synology has largely reduced the utility of these USB ports on their systems to simply storage and connection of a UPS system. So you can forget about utilising the majority of PC USB peripherals, directly connecting to the device over USB, or even simple network USB adaptors — a particularly unpopular choice by Synology in their DSM 7 update a few years ago. That said, the USB connectivity integrates extremely well with the backup software on this system, allowing for scheduled and automated backups to be conducted via this port, with particularly sophisticated filter customisation as needed.

Flipping the device around shows us the more important system connections available on the DS925+. The big headline here is Synology finally — finally — upgrading this system and the 2025 generation moving forward with 2.5 GbE ports, rather than the pedestrian and outdated 1 GbE network ports. The system features two ports, and the DSM platform allows for merging of these connections via protocols such as port trunking, link aggregation, load balancing, and SMB multi-channel, as well as failover as needed. These are certainly a welcome — if hugely overdue — upgrade on this system (when the bulk of this brand’s hardware competitors rolled out 2.5G as much as five years earlier at a similar price point). But at the very least, this does mean that users are going to be able to enjoy fuller saturation of the four SATA drive connections on this system more so than in previous generations of this product series.

That said, Synology giveth and Synology taketh away! Even though Synology has upgraded the default network connections on the device, they have removed the optional mini PCIe upgrade slot that was available on the DS923+ before this. This is going to be a huge kick in the ass for a lot of users who were considering purchasing this device over the DS923+ predecessor, as it means that the ability to scale up the network connectivity toward 10GbE is now not available on this system. So despite the fact that this system can now comfortably accommodate over two and a half times the external network bandwidth of its predecessor out of the box, it also means that the effective potential maximum network connectivity that a user could hope to achieve down the line has now been effectively halved! Again, this was always an optional upgrade in its predecessor, but it was an extremely welcome one for many — and given that even their value series of hard drives can hit between 180 and 200 MB per second per drive, that means that even the most inefficient RAID cluster with these drives will almost certainly still oversaturate the base twin 2.5G connections that the base model has. Therefore, you are being somewhat bottlenecked down the road because of this lack of network adapter upgradability. And don’t even get me started on the throttling that you will likely encounter if utilising M.2 NVMe RAID pools on the DS925+ via remote network connectivity.

Finally, we find another change in this product over its predecessors, and that is the shift in expandability on this system toward a USB-C output. This USB-C provides 5 Gb/s connectivity and only supports the new DX525 expansion chassis, which costs around $350 to $450 depending on where you are in the world and your local tax rate. Synology has always afforded the ability to expand this product series with a 5-bay expansion, either to spread the RAID configuration or mirror it appropriately, so this is a welcome — if expected — integration in the DS925+ class nonetheless, and it allows for greater storage scalability over the years.

All that said — and I’m sorry to be negative again — I can’t help but feel that this expandability is still being handled a tad clumsily. For a start, even at USB-C, that still means that the five SATA drives that the expansion supports are effectively capped in their maximum external bandwidth potential. And although you were never really going to enjoy greater speeds regardless — due to the 2.5 GbE network connectivity anyway — there are definitely going to be users who are sad about this further bottleneck on the performance of those drives in the expansion.

The fact that Synology did not implement an improved means of network connectivity — perhaps via 10 GbE or USB 3.2 Gen 2 (almost certainly due to a CPU choice limitation) — is really disheartening. Likewise, since this expansion now connects over standard USB, why are we still only limited to one expansion, and only via that specific USB port? The fact that we could have increased the number of expansion devices in line with the other available USB ports would have been tremendously appealing to users thinking about the long-term scalability of their system. And given that USB ports are common (if a little more restrained) on practically every single Synology NAS, this is a real missed opportunity to add storage expandability — and I can only assume it’s a conscious and deliberate choice by the brand to maintain their portfolio segmentation.

Bottom line: I love that this system is expandable, and I do like that a number of the features of the system have been improved over its predecessor. But as I mentioned earlier, the general standard of connectivity on the DS925+ is still awfully restrained when you take even a casual glance at the rest of the market right now. It only further underlines the fact that Synology is doubling down on this system more in terms of its software and capabilities rather than its hardware — which is no doubt going to please the bulk of users looking at this system who just want a stable NAS that does its job, but will nonetheless annoy enthusiasts and prosumers who want to make the most of their hardware.

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Internal Hardware

If there is one area that Synology consistently gets criticised for, it is the hardware they choose to use. It can definitely be argued that, as a NAS is a 24/7 system, manufacturers need to focus heavily on the efficiency of hardware and keep things as high-performance as possible at the lowest cost of power consumption and hardware utilisation. Equally, it could be argued that because Synology prioritises software over hardware — and wants to maintain tightly locked price points in its portfolio — over the years they have had to be awfully tactical in the hardware they choose to use across their product lines. All these things no doubt play their part, but nonetheless, it all adds up to a system that is not exactly going to blow anyone away if they are looking at the hardware specs as the chief buying point for their first server or an upgrade.

The first thing I want to discuss is that CPU! Keeping things positive, this is a four-core, eight-thread AMD embedded server-class Ryzen processor. In human speak, that means this CPU is designed for server utilisation — chiefly for file processes and for spreading itself quite thinly across multiple processes and tasks with efficient ease. Additionally, this processor has already been utilised and heavily investigated by Synology since its first rollout at the higher end of the SMB section of its portfolio as early as 2019/2020 — so the brand has extensive experience in getting the very most it can out of this processor. Additionally, Synology has often taken the hardware configuration of a higher-tier solution in their portfolio and — between multi-year refreshes — then passed this hardware configuration down into lower and more affordable tiers over the years. So this processor’s appearance, and its refresh of the previous R1600 dual-core, four-thread processor in the DS923+ predecessor, is not unexpected — and for many, actually quite welcome.

Here is how the R1600 in the DS923+ 2022/2023 Release compares with the V1500B in the DS925+ Refresh:

Likewise, this processor provides the full spectrum of system software services and abilities that DiskStation Manager 7.2 has to offer. There is not a single DSM application or component that you are unable to take advantage of on this hardware spec. Alongside that, this CPU will comfortably allow for a decent number of VMs, containers, file processes, and simultaneous proprietary application services to all run at the exact same time — despite this system’s modest stature. Integrated graphics processors have been phased out from this particular product family — and this is the second refresh of the product line to remove integrated graphics-equipped processors — instead moving this kind of deployment to its smaller and more multimedia-focused DS425+ and DS225+ models. There are mixed results to this of course, especially given that the DS925+ has removed network upgradability — which I think may well leave quite a lot of CPU bandwidth by the roadside somewhat. But given the similarity in price point between this system and previous refreshes of this 4-bay series, I’m not, on the whole, unhappy with this processor. It’s just a continued departure by the brand away from classic 4-bays like the DS920+ and DS918+.

Alongside this processor, the system arrives with 4GB of DDR4 ECC SO-DIMM memory. ECC memory, in most network storage tech circles, is absolutely paramount for high-volume and high-frequency file transfers and long-term storage. Very, very few systems at the $550 price point ever include ECC memory in a turnkey NAS solution, and I know this is something that has always met with phenomenal praise by system integrators (SIs) who recommend Synology for simple and effective business storage requirements. Additionally, this memory can be scaled up all the way to 32GB, which — once you factor in the eight threads on this processor being spread out across multiple processes — is pretty darn good when you think about the scale of this system physically versus the potential of that software! Of course, in line with several other Synology policy changes over the years, the system is strictly compatible with only first-party memory upgrades from Synology — which you will not be surprised to hear are notably more expensive than third-party options in the market from Crucial, Kingston, and Samsung. This has always been something that has been met with notable disapproval by many, but Synology defends this by repeating the point that they want a single-party ecosystem, and the DS925+ is an appliance that centres around being smooth, efficient, and easy to deploy.

At the base of the system, we find the two M.2 NVMe slots that allow you to install one or two 2280-length SSD drives that can be utilised for read & write caching and/or use as storage pools. The benefits of utilising caching — when used in conjunction with the ECC memory and that file-transmission-focused processor — are pretty bloody significant, and it does allow for a degree of versatility and optimisation for users once again focused on high-volume and high-frequency data storage needs 24/7. But the use of these bays for storage pools is still pretty underwhelming at launch, and a big part of this is — much like other system upgrades — these M.2 bays are limited to only using Synology NVMe SSDs. This is a limitation compared with the predecessor, and while it’s a small tweak over the status quo, it becomes a significant one when you factor in that, currently, the only Synology M.2 NVMe offering is the heavily durability-focused but write-performance-weak SNV3400 series.

No doubt, as Synology rolls out more proprietary media-focused systems in their 2025 lineup and continues to expand the offering of branded storage media, the brand will eventually roll out a much more performance-rich NVMe SSD (perhaps the SNV5300 or SNV7400). But until that happens, these bays are a little restricted in terms of compatible media to really make the most of their capabilities right now.

Bottom line: for the money you’re laying down here — and if you factor in the value and quality of the software — many are going to be happy to overlook the comparatively underwhelming internal hardware on offer here when comparing it against the number of competitors on the market that focus on the hardware more than the software. If you’ve followed the brand for a long time, you’ll probably agree that what we’re seeing here is fairly standard for what this brand tends to include in their systems, and therefore you may be happy to give them a pass on this. But if this is a system that is chiefly being sold on its software and services — let’s discuss those a great deal more!

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – DSM Software and Services

The DS925+ arrives preloaded with Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.2, the latest version of their industry-leading NAS operating system. DSM has long been praised for its clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy for even novice users to get started while still offering deep functionality for IT professionals. Everything from user account creation, network configuration, file sharing, and app management is presented through a streamlined browser-based GUI. It’s an OS that feels more like a well-polished desktop environment than a traditional NAS UI, and the DS925+ handles it with ease thanks to its Ryzen CPU and ECC memory.

DSM offers comprehensive file management through File Station, and supports standard protocols such as SMB, FTP, WebDAV, and Rsync. Whether you’re accessing files locally or remotely, the experience is responsive and customisable. File previews, right-click menus, and in-browser streaming of media files all work out of the box, while features like folder-level encryption, WORM (write once, read many), and fine-grained user permissions ensure strong data governance. The included Synology Drive application further enhances file syncing and backup capabilities across multiple platforms — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Synology has also baked in powerful backup and disaster recovery tools into DSM, with Active Backup for Business standing out in particular. It supports full OS and file-level backups for Windows, Linux, virtual machines, SaaS apps like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and even other NAS devices.

Best of all, it requires no additional licenses for most features. Hyper Backup provides flexible multi-destination backup options, while Snapshot Replication protects against ransomware or accidental deletions by allowing near-instant recovery of shared folders or entire volumes.

For users focused on multimedia, DSM supports apps like Synology Photos, Audio Station, and Plex Media Server. While Synology has scaled back some native media tools like Video Station, DSM remains highly compatible with third-party platforms. Container Manager and Virtual Machine Manager allow for lightweight app deployment and virtualisation without a license fee — with the DS925+ capable of running multiple Docker containers or virtual DSM instances simultaneously. Synology’s mobile apps also tie in seamlessly with DSM services, offering secure access to files, surveillance feeds, photo backups, and more.

Ultimately, DSM is the DS925+’s strongest asset. Synology’s software-first approach continues to pay off, delivering an experience that’s miles ahead of most competitors in terms of polish, security, and integration.

Whether you’re a home user setting up private cloud storage or a small business deploying multi-site backups, DSM remains the gold standard in NAS operating systems. For many users, the value of DSM alone justifies choosing Synology — even when hardware compromises or compatibility limitations exist.

Below is a breakdown of how the Synology DS925+ improves upon the software and service support of the DS923:

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Storage and Compatibility

At the time of writing this review, Synology is seemingly waging a war on third-party drives being used inside their systems. Back in 2020/2021, Synology began rolling out their own range of storage media for use in their systems — starting with SSDs and eventually expanding to a range of 3.5-inch server-class and enterprise storage-class hard drives. Over the years, we have seen the brand begin to reduce the number of third-party drives listed as certified and verified for use in the DSM platform and in their NAS server devices. This duality — of promoting their own storage media while supporting third-party drives — has had its balance shifted considerably over the last two major Synology generations and across several updates in DSM.

In 2022, when the brand rolled out an update in DSM 7.1 that changed the system status for any NAS using non-Synology-approved drives to display a warning state, the wider Synology user base was in uproar — whether it was because they didn’t like the brand’s position on dictating which drives worked and which didn’t, or because, as a system integrator or admin, they suddenly had a bunch of clueless users complaining that the system had gone from green to amber. Synology would eventually roll this back and, although they never reversed the policy of warning users that their drives were not on the compatibility list, they did soften the system’s response. Fast forward to now, and the brand is again changing its third-party drive verification and compatibility methodologies internally. The 2025 series and onward will strictly require drives that are already listed on Synology’s compatibility list. So why is that a problem right now?

Well — twofold. First, right now only Synology HDDs and SSDs are listed on the official DS925+ compatibility pages, despite the hardware inside the DS925+ being identical to previous Synology hardware from both the 2020 and 2023 generations — both of which still list many Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Samsung, Kingston, and more drives. That does look a little off.

But the second, more serious reason is Synology’s aggressive approach to this policy. Previously, if you used an unverified drive, the system would warn you in Storage Manager after setting up DSM, informing you that the drives were not verified by Synology and that using them might put your system in an unsupported state — potentially limiting any after-sales or technical support the brand could offer. The 2025 series, however, currently will not even allow you to initialise the system out of the box if you are using non-Synology hard drives.

This will no doubt be problematic with e-retailers and online dealers — unless they make this strict compatibility policy exceptionally clear. The rollout of these changes across the 2025 series has been inconsistent and unclear at best. It first emerged via a press release on Synology’s German website, despite now being mentioned in different areas of global Knowledge Centers. Even now, as I write this review, although the official Synology DS925+ page is live, the wording surrounding unverified drives and their support on this new system remains very diplomatic and vague.

It might well be that weeks or months from now, as this system rolls out, the list of drives supported on the Synology DS925+ and other NAS systems in the 2025 series will eventually include third-party drives from WD and Seagate. Nevertheless, the messaging has been profoundly unclear and inconclusive. Synology has always supported third-party drives in numerous systems before this one — systems that, as mentioned earlier, have exactly the same hardware as this system and run the latest version of DSM as well! If their verification and compatibility tests have changed, they need to make this a great deal clearer and more justifiable to users. If they have numerous reported cases of unverified drives wreaking havoc, they need to share these results.

On the flip side, many could argue that as long as Synology provides a range of hard drives and SSDs that are comparable in price and performance to those of third parties, then losing access to third-party drives is no big deal. Unfortunately, that is not globally true. While there are some examples of Synology media being at the same price and performance level as third-party options, the availability and pricing for these drives is nowhere near as consistent as those of third-party brands — and for many, that forms one of the greatest long-term issues for their storage.

If you have an existing Synology NAS that is using third-party hard drives, you are still able to migrate drives over to the new system physically. This will allow for an easy upgrade path for existing users — but it’s not really a tremendous benefit for those who were considering the DS925+ as their first shiny new NAS system.

Migrating your drives physically from an older Synology NAS to a new device allows you to proceed – but with warnings

In discussions with numerous people online, a lot of us agree that Synology is kind of half-assing something here. If they’re going to support third-party hard drives and SSDs on their systems, then they need to do it — and do it as well as they have before. Revamping a verification system in-house that many would argue didn’t need revamping in the first place seems silly at best and calculated at worst. Otherwise, if they want to commit to recommending their own media above all else, just go the whole hog: bundle the solutions as standard, pre-populated, and maybe even extend the savings too. Interestingly, the changes in system recognition of non-listed compatible drives seems to only impact HDDs at this time. If you first-time-setup your Synology DS925+ NAS with SATA SSD(s) – you are still able to initialise the NAS as before – albeit with red and amber warnings on the storage GUI:

We’ve already seen the brand’s stance on storage media play out this way with M.2 NVMe SSDs in the 2023 generation and later — only allowing storage pool deployments if you use Synology-branded drives and no others (yet still supporting third-party drives for caching, if you like). Synology knew this was going to be an unpopular policy, but obviously, this is part of their wider roadmap. The brand themselves state that this is a move toward redefining their platform — away from being just hardware and toward becoming a full and complete data appliance.

I do also want to comment on the way that the system presents the use of 3rd party drives, even when used in authorized ways (eg using SATA SSDs in initialization does NOT bar you from their use the way HDDs are when not on the compatibility pages – likewise when you use drives from an older Synology NAS via physical migration to the DS925+).

When you DO have non-synology confirmed drives in the system via these methods – the presentation of DSM is notably more negative and aggressively alarming. Red and Orange text, icons, warnings, alerts and triggering words like ‘At Risk’ are thrown around far, far too liberally.

As mentioned several times, this might all turn out to be a storm in a teacup, and Synology may expedite verification of hard drives on their compatibility lists — or even U-turn on this decision entirely and pretend it never happened. Either way, a lot of users — new and old — have based significant purchasing decisions on this change by the brand.

Synology DS925+ NAS Review – Conclusion & Verdict

On a sheer hardware level, the Synology DS925+ is largely a superior system out of the box compared with any previous 4-bay Synology NAS solution released by the brand in this class series. Whether you’re comparing how much has scaled up in this refresh of the previous 2023 series release, or just generally looking at the standard of what you get for your money here, for the most part — in terms of hardware — it is better than the majority of systems that came before it. The long, long overdue upgrade to 2.5 GbE network connections is welcome (even if the brand is especially late to the party here). The upgrade from a dual-core, four-thread processor to a quad-core, eight-thread processor is certainly going to please those VM and app sandbox/container users greatly. And the continued implementation of ECC memory at 4GB, with scalability up to 32GB, only further doubles down on this point.

DSM continues to impress and still holds itself comfortably as the premier turnkey NAS software solution on the market — both in terms of its feature set as well as its stability and usability. The lack of 10GbE scalability is a bitter pill to swallow when many of us were just getting used to the idea of Synology engaging with 10G NIC upgrades at this hardware level. And although this feature is promised on the DS1525+, it is still something of a pain point on the DS925+ — especially now, as $25 USB-to-2.5G and 5G network adaptors are very much a thing and widely supported everywhere. But for the most part, the hardware is consistent — if a little underwhelming. Synology solutions, though, have never been about the hardware. But beyond this is where the rather curious and unpopular choices by the brand regarding storage compatibility and verification in DSM and the 2025 series in general really end up marring what could have been a very confident release by Synology in the DS925+.

I hope that months from now, this matter is just a memory, and Synology has either expedited the verification of third-party drives or reversed the majority of these decisions due to public outcry. In truth, I think a lot of users would probably have preferred the DS925+ to roll out pre-populated with storage media — much like their new BeeStation series does. Going down the road of restricting which drives people can use was never going to be popular, so either don’t do it or fully commit to it. There is, of course, the argument that these drives — which were previously verified and confirmed working on the exact same hardware (CPU, motherboards, network deployment, and software utilisation) in previous generations — have mystically now been deemed unverified on the new 2025 series and its genuinely identical hardware to what came before. It’s an odd line in the sand to draw, a message that has been delivered messily, and I do not envy the Synology marketing team having to shape the narrative on this one. The bottom line is that the DS925+ is still a very, very good Synology NAS system, and although it loses a few bells and whistles compared to its predecessors, it still delivers very well on a platform that has maintained the same price point for its scale for more than a decade — despite changing world events. But until Synology clears up exactly how and why they’ve changed drive verification on this system in a clear and transparent fashion, I do think this is a NAS device that is going to pale in comparison to the deployment and overall sales of its predecessor — and the brand needs to sort this quickly.

The DS925+ is a good NAS for the money in terms of hardware and software, but we may well be witnessing Synology’s biggest “Apple moment” — for good and for bad.

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Synology DS925+ NAS Officially Launches in Eastern Markets – Full Specs and Features Confirmed

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BELOW:

Following early retailer listings and semi-official leaks earlier this year, the Synology DS925+ NAS has now been formally launched in Eastern markets, including Taiwan, Japan, and China. With full documentation and product pages now publicly available, we finally have confirmation of the system’s complete hardware and software capabilities, as well as early indications of pricing and the compatibility of Hard Drives and SSDs (something of a hot button topic of late). As expected, this system builds on the DS923+’s foundation but introduces key changes that shift its performance profile and position within the Synology portfolio once again!

At the heart of the DS925+ is the AMD Ryzen V1500B, a quad-core, eight-thread processor previously used in larger business-class NAS models like the DS1621+, DS1821+, and DS2422+. Its integration into a 4-bay unit marks the first time this CPU has appeared in Synology’s enthusiast/prosumer tier, bringing greater virtualization, multi-user performance, and multitasking efficiency to this class. With a base frequency of 2.2 GHz and TDP of 16W, the V1500B is a lower-power but more scalable chip compared to the dual-core R1600 in the DS923+, which has a higher clock but fewer threads. This change benefits users focused on Docker, VMs, or simultaneous file operations.

Confirmed in the datasheet is the DS925+’s dual 2.5GbE network ports, supporting Link Aggregation (LAG) and SMB Multichannel, allowing up to 5GbE aggregate throughput—a significant improvement over the DS923+’s 2x 1GbE configuration. Expansion also sees a shift: the DS925+ uses the new DX525 expansion unit, connected via USB-C (6Gbps), replacing the legacy eSATA-based DX517. Internally, the system includes four hot-swappable drive bays (3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD), and two M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 3 slots for SSD caching or storage pools (when using Synology’s SNV series drives).

Memory support includes 4GB of DDR4 ECC by default, expandable up to 32GB via two SODIMM slots, and the system supports 200TB volumes (with 32GB RAM) and up to 32 internal volumes. Storage management features are as expected from DSM 7.2+, including Snapshot Replication, Hyper Backup, Active Backup for Business, and Hybrid Share. While the system does not support 10GbE upgrades (removal of mini PCIe slot), Synology appears to be emphasizing strong native network performance and reduced complexity over modular upgrades.

Physically, the chassis weighs 2.26kg, has two 92mm fans, and offers 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, alongside one USB-C expansion port. It operates within a 0°C to 40°C range, supports high altitudes up to 5,000m, and includes all standard Synology DSM security tools: firewalls, encrypted folders, SFTP, HTTPS with custom ciphers, and Adaptive MFA. As a data platform, the DS925+ supports 500,000 hosted files in Synology Drive, up to 80 Office users, and 150 Synology Chat users. On the virtualization side, it supports VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix, OpenStack, and allows for up to 8 virtual DSMs or VM instances (license-dependent). Surveillance support includes two default camera licenses, and scalable support for up to 40 IP cameras at 1200FPS (H.265), with full integration into Surveillance Station and optional C2 cloud backup.

Synology DS925+ Pricing and Availability

Following the official launch of the Synology DS925+ NAS in Eastern markets—including Taiwan, China, and Japan—we now have more concrete pricing details. In China, the base unit without drives is priced at ¥4,999, which converts to approximately £500 before tax. Pre-configured options are also being sold, featuring combinations of Synology’s own-branded hard drives in 4TB, 8TB, 16TB, and even 64TB arrays. For example, a DS925+ with 2 x 8TB Synology drives (16TB total) is listed at ¥8,469 (~£845 pre-tax), while a fully populated 64TB configuration with 4 x 16TB drives is priced at ¥14,919 (~£1,490 pre-tax). In the UK and other Western markets, the DS925+ is expected to launch in early May, with Amazon UK listings already live very briefly last week before it was taken offline, showing the base unit at £550 including VAT. Here’s a rough estimate pricing table for the Synology DS925+ configurations, converted from Chinese Yuan (CNY) to both US Dollars (USD) and British Pounds (GBP) using the exchange rates as of April 22, 2025 (remember this does not precisely calculate tax across nations and their currencies, so these are for rough guidance only):

• 1 Yuan= 0.1371 USD

• 1 Yuan = 0.1025 GBP​

Note: Prices are approximate and based on exchange rates as of April 22, 2025. Actual prices may vary due to fluctuations in exchange rates and regional pricing policies with regard to inclusive tax at checkout.

The accompanying DX525 5-bay USB-C expansion chassis—which replaces the legacy DX517 and uses a similar metal casing—is priced at £439. These prices align with Synology’s long-standing strategy of maintaining consistent MSRP targets for its 2-, 4-, and 5-bay Prosumer-tier NAS units year-over-year, even when internal hardware evolves.

Synology DS925+ NAS HDD Compatibility in 2025

One of the biggest shifts accompanying the DS925+ release is Synology’s newly enforced drive compatibility policy on 2025 and newer NAS systems. Starting with this model, only drives listed on the official Product Compatibility List (PCL) will be supported during initial installation. At launch, this list consists exclusively of Synology-branded HDDs and SSDs, though Synology has confirmed that it plans to expand the third-party validation program moving forward. This move represents a broader shift by Synology toward an appliance-like ecosystem, citing increased reliability, faster support diagnostics, and significantly reduced system anomalies when validated media is used. According to the company, using listed drives can reduce storage-related issues by up to 40%, while severe disk anomalies on newer systems have reportedly decreased by as much as 88% under the new policy. Even though the DS925+ NAS has not been globally launched, in the regions it HAS been launched (China, Australia and Jopan, at the time of writing) it has opened up access to the DS925+ hard drive compatibility pages. Here is what you will find:

Practically speaking, this doesn’t mean you can’t install third-party drives (e.g. Seagate or WD), but using unlisted drives may limit your access to certain features—such as volume creation, deduplication, disk health analytics, automatic firmware updates, and even eligibility for Synology technical support. Fortunately, drive migrations from older Synology systems are supported, and older Plus series models (up to and including 2024) remain unaffected.

Still, new users and businesses investing in DS925+ hardware should factor these limitations into their decision, especially if they plan on using existing non-Synology drives. We are still awaiting FULL confirmation on the extent of the utility of 3rd party HDDs in realword use however. For example – can you even initialize a Synology DS925+ NAS with unverified Synology Hard Drives? There have been claims online that you cannot – but until this is fully verified, I/we will need to hold off full judgement!

Final Thoughts

The Synology DS925+ marks a meaningful update to the company’s 4-bay Plus series—bringing improvements in multi-core processing, networking, and system efficiency. The shift to a more capable 4-core, 8-thread AMD V1500B CPU, combined with 2.5GbE networking and modernized expansion via USB-C, ensures this model is better suited to the needs of virtualized, multi-user, and SMB environments. Yet, some users will see the removal of the PCIe slot for 10GbE upgrades as a notable loss, especially compared with the DS923+ which retains this feature.

That said, the DS925+ does benefit from many refinements learned across the Synology portfolio, and its arrival coincides with a broader strategy shift—one that tightens integration between hardware and software while prioritizing platform consistency. This NAS is clearly aimed at power users and businesses ready to invest in Synology’s controlled ecosystem, and for those who are fine with that trade-off, it offers a lot of value. However, prospective buyers who are still committed to third-party drives or planning future high-speed networking upgrades may want to carefully weigh their long-term priorities before making a decision.

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Synology is closing the gap on third-party hard drive support further in 2025

UPDATE 4 – The Synology DS925+ NAS is NOW LIVE, and that means that the extent to which you can use 3rd Party HDDs and SSDs on the 2025 series (at the time of writing) a now alot clearer. As it stands, it means the following:

If you use Synology 1st Party Drives – Everything is EXACTLY the way it was with Initialization, Storage Pool Creation and System operations:

As discussed on the videos and articles here on NASCompares, if you use HDDs that are NOT on the 2025 generation Synology NAS compatibility list, you will be able to initialize the system out of the box. This is a digniicant departure from when Synology alloed you to install DSM on unverified storage drives on other devices, but did so with warnings and disclaimers during the Storage Pool and Volume setup:

If you have an existing Synology NAS with HDD/SSD that are/were on the compatibility list of your older system, but are currently NOT on the 2025 generation Synology NAS (ie the DS925+, DS1525+, DS1825+, DS225+, DS425+, etc), you CAN still physically migrate the drives and your DSM setup over to the new system – however the system will show multiple ‘At Risk’ and ‘Warning ‘ signs across the board, and Red and Amber text/icons will appear at numerous points in the storage manager. So this is a little jarring to say the least, and if you are a System Installer or hired IT admin that upgrades a client’s setup via this method, defintely take the time to soften the blow with your ‘end user’ if they will be accessing DSM down the line – as it does look very alarming.

Interestingly (and importantly – at the time of writing!), if you install SATA SSDs in the DS925+ 2025 series device (despite them not being listed currently on the Synology media supported compatibility tests) these seemingly let you continue with your DSM installation as normal. However, keep in mind that much like when you physically migrate drives from an older Synology system, that if the SATA SSDs you are using are still not on the 2025 generation device compatibility lists, it will still the same amber and red warnings as before:

Additionally, some users wondered about whether you could expand an exxisting Synology Storage Pool that featured verified drives with an unverified 3rd party HDD after the DSM installation was complete. Sadly, the answer is ‘no’, and choosing the expansion option in the Synology Storage manager when you have the unverified drive installed will show the available drive, but the option to initiate a storage expansion will result in a pop up message telling you that the drive media is not suitable/verified:

When it comes to M.2 NVMes – Synology have strictly adhered by the same support and compatibility stance as they did on the SATA HDD support mentioned above, but also adding that the 2025 generation of devices will not be able to use 3rd Party m.2 NVMe SSDs (that are not on the compatibility list, which is only their own SNV series of drives at the time of recording) for both storage pools AND caching – the latter of which was always possible even with unverified M.2 SSDs.

I am currently running other tests. Synology do say that they are working with WD and Seagate (and others?) to get further drives verified – moving drive verification processes over to the drive media companies themselves. However this does still mean that, at the time of writing, the Synology DS925+ (and any other 2025 series devices that roll out in the very near future) with only the Synology branded drives as a choice.

UPDATE 3 – Synology has now made the DS925+ NAS NAS Product Page live in several of the Eastern regions (China, Australia, Japan – not the Taiwan page yet however). With it, we can now see the official compatibility pages. On the hard drive page there is now only Synology Drive media, and the option to select supported 3rd party HDD choices is removed. For all we know, this will return if/when 3rd party drives from WD and Seagate are verified. But at least for now, it seems the brand is serious about only recommending its own storage media in their 2025 systems at launch:

The full list of drives includes the Synology Plus series of HDDs, the Enterprise class drives and the enterprise class SATA SSDs. However, there are currently no Surveillance class drives listed (WD Purple/Seagate Skyhawk, etc):

In terms of M.2 NVMe SSD support, the brand has also removed any selection of 3rd party SSDs from Samsung, WD, Seagate, etc. I am particularly surprised about this, as their own M.2 drives are good for durability, but performance-wise are much lower than most in the market and whether it is as caching drives or as storage pools, there are definitely a lot of good options in the market. I hope Synology roll out some performance class SSDs to compensate for this very soon.

Original Article:

Over the last few years, Synology have not been exact about being forward in supporting. Back in 2021, we started to see the brand reduce the number of third-party hard drives and SSDs on their systems. This diminishing support has manifested itself in two main ways. The first is that drives that are listed on the official support and compatibility pages have significantly reduced, favouring the utilisation of their own growing range of hard drives and SSD media. The second way this has presented itself drew significant criticism in 2022/2023, when utilising third-party hardware resulted in the system presenting warning messages and even service limitations being suggested. It appears that this is something they are putting into force for their new 2025 series of devices. Numerous websites in Germany have today reported that Synology plans to go full first-party drive priority on all systems released from the 2025 generation and onwards. An official statement from Synology via an official source has not been released, but it appears that the brand is going to go hard on pushing their own drives when using their own systems – at least at launch. So, what are the intended limitations for those who want to use non-Synology branded drives from Seagate and Western Digital? And why would Synology do this with their systems that have been open for over 25 years? Let’s discuss.

UPDATE #2 – There is now an official press release by Synology on this, available from Synology.de:

Synology is increasingly relying on its own ecosystem for upcoming Plus models Germany, Düsseldorf – April 16, 2025 – Following the success of the High-Performance series, the company is now increasingly relying on Synology’s own storage media for the Plus series models, which will be released starting in 2025. Users will thus benefit from higher performance, increased reliability, and more efficient support.  “With our proprietary hard drive solution, we have already seen significant benefits for our customers in a variety of deployment scenarios,” said Chad Chiang, Managing Director of Synology GmbH and Synology UK. “By expanding our integrated ecosystem to the Plus series, we aim to provide all users—from home users to small businesses—with the highest levels of security and performance, while also offering significantly more efficient support.”  For users, this means that starting with the Plus series models released in 2025, only Synology’s own hard drives and third-party hard drives certified according to Synology’s specifications will be compatible and offer the full range of functions and support.

There will be no changes for Plus models released up to and including 2024 (excluding the XS Plus series and rack models). Furthermore, migrating hard drives from existing Synology NAS to a new Plus model will continue to be possible without restrictions.  The use of compatible and unlisted hard drives will be subject to certain restrictions in the future, such as pool creation and support for issues and failures caused by the use of incompatible storage media. Volume-wide deduplication, lifespan analysis, and automatic hard drive firmware updates will only be available for Synology hard drives in the future.  Tight integration of Synology NAS systems and hard drives reduces compatibility issues and increases system reliability and performance. At the same time, firmware updates and security patches can be deployed more efficiently, ensuring a high level of data security and more efficient support for Synology customers.

TL;DR: Synology to Restrict Third-Party Drive Functionality on 2025+ NAS Models

Starting with the 2025 generation of Synology Plus series NAS devices, the company appears to be tightening restrictions on third-party hard drives. While you’ll still be able to use non-Synology drives (like those from Seagate or WD), early reports suggest that certain features may be limited or disabled unless you’re using Synology-branded or Synology-certified drives. According to preliminary reporting (not yet officially confirmed by Synology), using third-party drives may restrict (i.e several news reports indicate this, but no official statement/confirmation yet):

• Creation of storage pools

• Access to health monitoring tools

• Volume-wide deduplication support

• Drive lifespan analysis

• Automatic firmware updates

• Access to official Synology support

Older NAS models (up to and including 2024, excluding XS+ and rackmount units) are not affected. Drive migration from existing systems to new ones should remain possible — but full functionality may require Synology drives.

Source – HERE (or click below)

What are the proposed limitations of using third-party hard drives in the Synology 2025 lineup?

Although the brand themselves, at the time of writing, has not officially stated that devices after the 2025 series will only support their drives, sources highlighted on numerous news outlets have detailed that a number of key storage features and functionality are going to be limited. These include health monitoring tools, deduplication features built into DSM, official support from the brand in some cases, and (most worrying of all if it’s true) storage pool support. I’m still waiting for further clarification if this storage pool support limitation to first-party drives is only referring to the use of M.2 NVMEs in storage pools (something we are already aware of from the 2023 series), or whether people are not going to be able to use third-party hard drives in storage pools moving forward in 2025 series releases. But it would seemingly very much indicate the latter. It’s also worth highlighting that this limitation seems to be a ‘launch’ choice and may also mean that drives are granularly added to the supported pages as the likes of WD and Seagate submit compatibility reports. But the message seems to be that Synology themselves will not be the ones who verify the drive compatibility.

It should also be worth highlighting that users who have purchased devices before the 2025 lineup will not be currently affected by this change and will continue to have broader support of third-party hard drives, although even that has diminished since 2021–2022 as it stands. This does bring into question for some whether this broader policy is something that would be applied in a large-scale DSM update down the road, i.e. DSM 7.3 or DSM 8. For now, until we have an official statement from the brand or access to compatibility lists for the intended new products, we need to reserve our full judgement.

Why would Synology reduce compatibility with the majority of third-party hard drives (Seagate and WD)?

There are plenty of reasons why Synology would consider a move like this, for good and for bad. So in the interest of balance, let’s start positive. What are the good reasons why Synology would endeavour to only support the use of their own storage media in their systems?

• To a much smaller group, it allows them to tailor performance and system deployment expectations a great deal more realistically and could result in improved overall performance for all users, as it allows the development of future solutions to be significantly more targeted.
• If Synology solutions only support Synology drives, it allows the brand to be a great deal more effective at reducing the TCO of the system to buyers, as it will be an all-in-one party solution and even opens the door to the brand rolling out bundled systems that will further reduce the total cost of ownership.

• Export costs in the US — Synology centralising the full component list of their products to the end user can also allow them to better absorb any potential costs efficiently and hopefully pass those cost savings onto the consumer, reducing reservations on purchasing the product in light of potential price hikes.
• Support will be a great deal more specialised if end user deployments have fewer variables to consider, resulting in reduced support resolution times and potentially improved support services as an end result for all users.

Beyond the other potential benefits, they will be considering this proposition to drastically reduce third-party hard drive compatibility and utilisation in the 2025 lineup:

• In a word, profit. Having their own storage hard drives as the main — and potentially only — storage option alongside their systems will allow the brand to make profit vertically across the product deployment. For a long time, the brand was only really monetizing the core system itself, which is really only going to be replaced every 7 to 10 years for most users. Storage media, given the escalating growth rate of people’s data, will require a great deal more regular replacement.

• If Synology storage media is largely the only option to buyers, the brand has a greater degree of control over which products are available. So, for example, currently Synology has fewer different capacity tiers and drive variation tiers compared with other brands (i.e. 24TB drives, surveillance-optimized drives, M.2 NVMEs built for performance, etc.), so in some cases a user may have to opt for a larger capacity or a more enterprise-class drive when they might not need to.

• Eliminates smaller-scale purchases. This is a particularly cynical point of view, I know, but a move like this will almost certainly push value series devices significantly more towards the likes of the BeeStation (which are already pre-populated and fixed with Synology storage media) and away from the Plus series, as a divide begins to appear in terms of the overall total purchase price for many users. Alongside upselling their value series to that buyer tier, it will also move only more serious buyers towards the Plus series and higher from 2025 onwards.

All of the above reasoning towards why Synology would prioritise their own drives over that of third parties are my own points of view, but I do think there’s a ring of truth in some of them.7

What are the potential problems surrounding Synology’s push toward its own storage media over third-party drives?

There are several small issues that are worth highlighting in this broader plan of Synology hard drive prioritisation that we should probably touch on — and hopefully ones that Synology themselves will resolve quickly if this is something they’re going to push hard on. Such as:

• The brand inadvertently revealed earlier this year that they are working on a 6 x 2.5-inch SATA SSD system called the DS-625 Slim. However, the only 2.5-inch SATA SSD media the brand has are way too enterprise — the SAT5200 series — and would be like putting a Ferrari engine into a Ford Focus in terms of the disparity in the hardware being used and the price point!

• Synology has still yet to introduce higher-performing M.2 NVMe storage media, and although several of the new 2025 series of devices arrive with M.2 NVMe support, Synology’s own M.2 SSDs prioritise durability over performance. That is a good thing, but users who are not going to be able to use third-party SSDs for caching or storage pools face being restricted to much lower-performing SSDs in these bays.

• How will the system identify the use of third-party drives, and to what extent are these drives going to be limited? Although lots of details have been revealed in the news reports today, we’re still yet to see a full detailing from Synology themselves on an official platform.
• Surveillance utilisation. Synology has an impressive range of surveillance solutions in the NVR and DVA series, as well as support for Surveillance Station on the majority of their systems, but to date, the brand still does not have surveillance-optimised hard drives in its lineup. Surveillance-optimised hard drive media like WD Purple are designed to have much higher write performance leveraging rather than read, and surveillance drives are generally only accessed for a very small percentage of the time when in use. Will third-party drive limitations extend to these systems as well?

I’m still waiting on an official Synology response on this matter, as there have been early indications (such as the Synology DS925+ Amazon.co.uk link 2 days ago) that indicate some of these systems may be arriving in May 2025 — not that far away! So, until we have full and officially backed confirmation on this, still treat it with a grain of salt. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disheartened by this move by the brand, as although their software is still absolutely the king of the hill in the world of NAS, further restrictions on their more modest hardware to only use their own range of hard drives — versus that of more widely available, globally distributed, and industry veteran–backed drives — seems a very odd move, and one that I think a lot of home/prosumer/enthusiast/SMB users might take issue with.

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The Synology DS925+ NAS is (STILL) Coming..and Soon

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BELOW:

It is fast becoming the worst-kept secret in the world of network-attached storage, but Synology’s continued plans to launch refreshes of a number of their popular desktop devices received another public outing this weekend, when keen users on Reddit spotted the official pages for the Synology DS925+ and DX525 on Amazon.co.uk, listing hardware specifications, pricing, release dates, and general background info. Although the appearance of the DS925+ isn’t exactly surprising—given the large info drop semi-officially revealed at an official event by a user on Chiphell—it is nonetheless surprising to see these two official Synology products seemingly added by Synology themselves for Amazon distribution, yet with absolutely zero mention on the traditional Synology platforms (Synology Products, Synology Downloads, Synology Download Registry, etc). Nonetheless, this appearance has confirmed numerous details about the DS925+ hardware specifications, for good and for bad, so I wanted to go through the further confirmed specifications and what they mean.

Synology DS925+ NAS Confirmed Hardware Specifications

As previously alluded to last month in the previous leak, the Synology DS925+ will arrive with the already integrated CPU from AMD that featured on previous SMB releases—the V1500B. This is a quad-core CPU that allows for more cores, more threads (i.e. more vCPUs) than the R1600 in the DS923+, as well as a lower TDP—though also a lower total clock speed available at first. It arrives with 4GB of ECC memory that can be scaled up to 32GB via two SODIMM DDR4 slots. DS925+ includes 2 × 2.5GbE, a very welcome if somewhat overdue upgrade on this product series from Synology. The SSD compatibility for storage pools and the speed allocated to each slot is still TBC. The expansion capabilities of the DS925+ have changed from the long-running eSATA support and DX517 of older Synology devices and now lean towards popular USB-C, and this is what triggered the new DX525 expansion box. We are still awaiting confirmation of the confirmed speed of this USB-C port, as well as its broader compatibility for other things (given the larger variety of USB-C options available in the market compared with eSATA), but slides shown at the Synology partner event last month seemingly indicated that this will NOT be USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps.

Probably the biggest and most controversial change here in the newer generation box is the removal of the mini PCIe upgrade slot that featured on the DS923+. The new DS925+ completely lacks this ability to scale up to 10GbE later down the line, which is probably going to upset a lot of users. PCIe modules they have sold (which would greatly explain, perhaps, the motivation for removing this feature), it is still something of a blow that this new generation device has removed a particularly appealing network upgrade path option. The motivation for this could be theoretically for multiple reasons, such as:

• Synology might well have deemed the two-times 2.5GbE network connectivity on the DS925+ sufficient for the four drives of SATA storage that it features, as well as ensuring that the system does not overlap other devices higher in the product portfolio food chain too much.
• The PCIe line distribution of this CPU and the chipset used on this board might result in limitations to the distribution of those lanes and therefore made the upgrade difficult to implement.
• The USB-C port for expansions may support a 10GbE upgrade module down the line that Synology intend on rolling out—a bit of a long shot though, as currently USB-C to 10GbE is only afforded to TB3/TB4/USB4 connectivity and would commit a great deal of internal lane distribution to that port to accommodate this potential upgrade.
• As previously alluded to, perhaps user integration of this upgrade slot on previous DS923+ devices was too low to justify accommodating this feature in the newest iteration.

Any of those reasons, or others, might well be why Synology decided to rescind this feature on this device. Nevertheless, it is something of a bitter pill that this device will not be featuring the ability to scale up out of the potential 5GbE bonded network connection that it arrives with and likely serves as a slight bottleneck to more high-performance hard drives in the SATA bays, as well as a significant cap on using SATA SSDs or M.2 NVMes in storage pools via the provided slots.

The AMD Ryzen R1600 and V1500B are both embedded CPUs used across Synology’s NAS lineup, but they serve distinct roles depending on the target user and workload. The R1600 is a dual-core, four-thread processor with higher clock speeds (2.6GHz base / 3.1GHz boost), making it ideal for environments that prioritize single-threaded performance—such as general file sharing, light server tasks, and basic backup operations. It has a TDP of 25W and is commonly found in more entry-level to mid-range Synology NAS models like the DS723+ and DS923+. By contrast, the V1500B is a quad-core, eight-thread CPU running at a lower base clock of 2.2GHz, but it delivers greater efficiency and significantly better multi-threading performance—essential for virtual machines, Docker containers, multiple user sessions, and parallel workflows. Its lower TDP of 16W also makes it a more efficient option for always-on deployments in business settings.

CPU Comparison: AMD Ryzen Embedded V1500B vs R1600

What makes the V1500B particularly notable in the DS925+ is that this CPU was previously reserved for Synology’s larger SMB and enterprise-tier systems, such as the DS1621+, DS1821+, and DS2422+. By introducing it into a prosumer-class 4-bay NAS, Synology is clearly continuing its long-standing trend of moving mature hardware platforms down into lower product tiers over time, as the cost of components becomes more accessible and manufacturing scales improve. This strategy enables Synology to offer higher-tier performance at mid-tier price points, effectively refreshing their product range while maintaining price consistency. For users who prioritize multi-tasking, virtualized workloads, or long-term scalability, the arrival of the V1500B in the DS925+ marks a significant shift in capability for this tier of NAS.

Want to Understand How Synology NAS Product Refreshes Work, as well as Why Synology Chooses Certain Hardware? Read my article below:

Synology DS925+ NAS HDD and SSD Compatibility?

Unfortunately, there is no mention of Synology’s position on third-party hard drive and SSD compatibility on the new DS925+ confirmed yet. Realistically, basing it on the predecessor and other Synology Plus Series devices, at the very least, we’re going to see a repeat of the priority towards Synology’s own series of hard drives and SSDs, with a handful of third-party drives from Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba added to the support list. This has now become the status quo with the majority of Synology Plus Series and above devices, and if this device rolls out with that, I’m not going to say that it’s perfect, but at the very least it does still leave a narrow window open for users to use third-party hard drives without the system spitting alerts or amber warnings at you during setup.

As the system is being listed on the Amazon pages without drives included, that at the very least removes the concern of many that Synology may have been proceeding down the pre-populated system route, or being more rigid on the lock-in of the drives you can use on the system. Nevertheless, there is still the matter of the M.2 NVMe slots and whether this system will continue with the policy of third-party drives only being supported for use as caching, whereas Synology’s own M.2 NVMe drives support both caching and storage pools. It will most certainly continue with this position.

Synology DS925+ NAS Price and Release Date?

As originally predicted last month, the pricing of the DS925+ will be largely the same as that of the DS923+, as Synology is always keen to maintain the pricing at each tier of its portfolio year on year—even if sometimes that can result in the hardware being a little more lean despite the cost of components going up. I kind of respect how long Synology has been able to maintain the same price for their prosumer 4-bay device, right? All the way back since 2015, it has always arrived at that similar £550 price. Keep in mind that the price listed on the early leaked Amazon.co.uk page includes VAT, whereas pricing listed in other countries like the U.S. will likely not include tax.

With regards to the intended release date and availability of the DS925+, the Amazon leak page appears to indicate the 7th of May. Now, whether this has always been the plan by the brand when refreshing all of its currently existing product line, or it is a launch date that has been changed rapidly in light of discussions surrounding tariffs and stock travelling around the world, is yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, that seems like a fairly reasonable launch date in light of the information—originally appearing online with the product page added to Amazon on April 8th—and the slow but steady gear Synology goes through when making a product live across traditional online retailers. You can use the links below to monitor the availability and price of the Synology DS925+ on Amazon, as it will redirect to your own region via the link. Anything purchased via these links will result in a small commission to me (Robbie) and Eddie at NASCompares, which really helps us keep doing what we do.

Synology DS923+ vs DS925+ NAS – Buy Now or Wait?

When comparing the Synology DS923+ and DS925+, the differences are subtle but important depending on your priorities. Both NAS units share the same price point, run Synology’s DSM software with identical features, and include the same baseline 4GB DDR4 ECC memory (expandable up to 32GB). They also both lack integrated graphics, feature four SATA drive bays, and offer two M.2 NVMe Gen 3 slots for SSD caching. However, the DS925+ gains an edge in raw parallel processing power, featuring a quad-core, eight-thread AMD V1500B CPU, which translates to more virtual CPUs (vCPUs) for virtual machines and containerized applications. It also benefits from dual 2.5GbE ports, enabling up to 5GbE performance with Link Aggregation or SMB Multichannel, compared to the 2x 1GbE ports on the DS923+, which top out at 2GbE combined. Additionally, the DS925+ offers a faster expansion interface via USB-C (6Gbps) versus the older eSATA (5Gbps) on the DS923+.

That said, the DS923+ still holds certain advantages. Its AMD R1600 CPU features a higher clock speed, which may offer better single-threaded performance in lighter tasks or low-concurrency applications. Crucially, the DS923+ supports an optional 10GbE upgrade via its mini PCIe slot, a feature completely removed in the DS925+, which could be a deal-breaker for users planning to grow into a higher-speed networking environment. So, should users buy the DS923+ now or wait for the DS925+? If 10GbE upgradeability or faster per-core performance is important for your workload, the DS923+ is still a strong option. However, if you’re prioritizing multi-threaded performance, better default network speeds, and a more modern expansion standard, the DS925+ is the more forward-looking choice—particularly for virtualization and container-heavy environments. Ultimately, both devices serve the same class of user, but choosing the right one depends on whether your focus is scalability or efficiency out of the box.

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Is the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD Your DREAM Gen5 SSD?

Samsung has officially entered the PCIe 5.0 market with the release of the 9100 PRO Series SSD, its first high-performance consumer Gen 5 NVMe SSD. Unlike previous Samsung SSD releases that focused on mainstream users, this drive is built for professionals, power users, and AI-driven workloads. Featuring sequential read speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds reaching 13,400 MB/s, the 9100 PRO is aimed at content creators, data analysts, and enterprise users who require fast and reliable storage solutions. Available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and an upcoming 8TB model, this SSD is one of the highest-capacity consumer NVMe drives ever released by Samsung. With Samsung’s in-house controller, V-NAND TLC (V8) flash memory, and LPDDR4X DRAM-based caching, the 9100 PRO is designed to offer both high-speed data transfer and long-term durability. Power efficiency has also been improved by up to 49% compared to its predecessor, the 990 PRO, making it a more energy-conscious choice for intensive applications. However, despite its impressive technical specifications, the 9100 PRO enters a market where PCIe 5.0 SSDs have been available for nearly two years from competitors such as Seagate and Crucial. This review will assess whether Samsung’s late entry to the Gen 5 SSD market delivers a significant performance advantage or whether its delayed release puts it at a competitive disadvantage. In this review, we will examine the hardware and design of the 9100 PRO, compare it against Samsung’s previous generation 990 EVO and EVO Plus SSDs, and analyze its performance across multiple benchmarks to determine if it truly offers a measurable advantage over existing PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Finally, we will consider its pricing and availability, and whether this drive is a worthwhile investment for users looking to upgrade their storage solutions in 2025.

Samsung 9100 SSD Review – Quick Conclusion

The Samsung 9100 PRO SSD is a true PCIe 5.0 Gen4x4 drive, delivering industry-leading speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s read and 13,400 MB/s write, making it one of the fastest consumer SSDs available. Unlike many competitors using third-party controllers from Phison and Micron NAND, the 9100 PRO is fully in-house, featuring Samsung’s Presto PCIe 5.0 controller and V-NAND TLC (V8) for tighter hardware-firmware integration, improved power efficiency (up to 49% better than earlier Gen5 SSDs), and high endurance (up to 4,800 TBW on the 8TB model). Random performance is excellent, reaching 2,200K IOPS read and 2,600K IOPS write, making it a strong choice for AI workloads, video production, and large-scale data processing. However, heat remains a challenge, as the drive can reach 81°C under sustained workloads, requiring active cooling or Samsung’s optional heatsink model. Pricing is premium, with some PCIe 5.0 competitors offering similar speeds at lower costs due to earlier releases. Additionally, while Samsung has a strong reputation for SSD reliability, firmware issues in past models like the 990 PRO and 980 PRO have left some users cautious. Despite these drawbacks, the 9100 PRO stands out as one of the most refined PCIe 5.0 SSDs, offering a high-endurance, fully in-house solution for demanding users.

BUILD QUALITY - 9/10

HARDWARE - 9/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 7/10

8.2

PROS

Industry-Leading Speed – Offers sequential read speeds up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds up to 13,400 MB/s, making it one of the fastest consumer SSDs available.

Fully In-House Design – Uses Samsung’s proprietary Presto PCIe 5.0 controller and V-NAND TLC (V8), avoiding reliance on third-party controllers like Phison and Micron NAND, ensuring better hardware-firmware integration.

High Endurance Rating – Provides up to 4,800 TBW on the 8TB model, making it ideal for high-intensity workloads like AI computing, video editing, and large-scale data transfers.

Improved Power Efficiency – Samsung claims 49% better power efficiency compared to previous PCIe 5.0 SSDs, reducing heat output and improving overall energy consumption.

Strong Random Performance – With up to 2,200K IOPS random read and 2,600K IOPS random write, it excels in workloads that involve frequent small file transactions, such as databases, virtual machines, and AI training models.

Multiple Capacity Options – Available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB, making it one of the first consumer PCIe 5.0 SSDs with an 8TB variant.

Heatsink Version Available – Samsung provides an optional D8-compliant heatsink, ensuring better thermal regulation for sustained performance, especially for gaming consoles like PlayStation 5.

A True Gen 5 SSD – Unlike the safe and comparatively underwhelming Samsung 990 EVO Plus, which only utilized PCIe 5.0 x2 lanes, the 9100 PRO fully utilizes PCIe 5.0 x4, delivering real next-generation speeds.

CONS

High Thermal Output – Can reach 81°C under sustained workloads, requiring adequate cooling solutions, either through the heatsink model or third-party cooling options.

Premium Pricing – Enters a PCIe 5.0 market where some competitors offer similar speeds at lower prices due to their earlier release, making it a costly investment for budget-conscious users.

Samsung’s Firmware History – While Samsung has a strong reputation for SSD reliability, previous firmware issues in the 990 PRO and 980 PRO raised concerns, making some users cautious about potential long-term stability.

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Samsung 9100 SSD Review – Design and Hardware

The Samsung 9100 PRO SSD follows a standard M.2 2280 form factor, making it compatible with most modern motherboards and laptops that support PCIe 5.0. The PCB layout varies by capacity, with the 1TB and 2TB models featuring NAND chips only on one side, while the 4TB and 8TB versions have NAND chips on both sides of the PCB. Unlike previous Samsung SSDs, such as the 990 EVO, which featured single-sided designs for improved compatibility in laptops, the higher-capacity 9100 PRO models require additional NAND space, making them better suited for desktops and high-performance workstations.

The drive also includes a thermal pad on the back, which assists in heat dissipation when used with compatible motherboard heatsinks. Samsung offers a pre-installed heatsink variant for improved temperature management, utilizing a PCI-SIG D8-compliant design for the 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models, while the 8TB heatsink version features a thicker 11.25mm design for enhanced cooling, making it compatible with PlayStation 5 storage expansion requirements.

At the core of the 9100 PRO SSD is Samsung’s Presto PCIe 5.0 controller, which represents a significant advancement over previous controllers used in Samsung SSDs. This custom in-house design allows the 9100 PRO to achieve nearly full PCIe 5.0 bandwidth saturation, enabling up to 14,800 MB/s read and 13,400 MB/s write speeds. Unlike the 990 EVO, which used a more power-efficient but limited PCIe 4.0 controller, the 9100 PRO benefits from an advanced controller architecture that enhances throughput and reduces latency.

Built on a 5nm process, this controller lowers power consumption compared to earlier PCIe 5.0 SSDs, improves thermal efficiency, and integrates advanced ECC and wear-leveling algorithms for better long-term reliability. Additionally, Samsung’s Presto controller features a larger DRAM buffer and optimized NAND channel management, allowing the 9100 PRO to deliver high sustained speeds under extended workloads.

Unlike the 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus, which were DRAM-less SSDs relying on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, the Samsung 9100 PRO integrates dedicated LPDDR4X DRAM, providing better caching and improved sustained write performance. The amount of DRAM scales with the drive’s capacity, with 1GB for 1TB models, 2GB for 2TB, 4GB for 4TB, and 8GB for 8TB.

This ensures that larger models handle large file transfers, database workloads, and AI-driven tasks more efficiently. The Presto controller’s enhanced memory mapping further improves the effectiveness of DRAM caching, ensuring lower latency and higher sustained write speeds. This is a notable advantage over competing PCIe 5.0 SSDs, many of which cut costs by removing DRAM and relying on slower caching solutions.

The 9100 PRO utilizes Samsung’s latest 3-bit MLC V-NAND (V8), which delivers higher density, improved durability, and greater efficiency compared to previous NAND generations. This 3-bit MLC (commonly referred to as TLC) enables faster read and write cycles, lower power consumption per operation, and improved reliability. Unlike older NAND designs used in PCIe 4.0 SSDs, the V8 NAND architecture allows for greater endurance and a more efficient distribution of read and write cycles, making it better suited for high-performance tasks such as video editing, AI computing, and professional content creation.

The 4TB and 8TB models benefit from additional NAND dies, increasing parallel processing capabilities and enabling higher performance under heavy workloads. Compared to Samsung’s previous consumer SSDs, the 9100 PRO’s NAND offers greater consistency in performance, reducing the risk of slowdowns due to write amplification and NAND wear over time.

Samsung rates the 9100 PRO with a Total Bytes Written (TBW) endurance rating of up to 4,800 TB for the 8TB model, with lower capacities following a scaled endurance pattern of 600 TB (1TB), 1,200 TB (2TB), and 2,400 TB (4TB). This results in a Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) rating of approximately 0.328, meaning users can rewrite around one-third of the drive’s full capacity daily for five years before reaching the warranty limit.

Samsung claims on the 9100 PRO peak sequential read/write speeds (though based on hugely synthetic tests on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950x 16-Core Processor CPU@4.5GHz system) make it one of the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSDs available in 2025. These speeds nearly double those of the 990 EVO (more on that shortly) released around 4-5 months before. Additionally, random read and write speeds exceeding 2.2M and 2.6M IOPS, which is a major improvement for workloads requiring frequent small file transactions, such as AI modeling, LLM training, and cloud storage applications. However, real-world performance may vary depending on factors such as cooling, system architecture, and workload type, which will be explored in the performance testing section of this review.

Samsung also emphasizes the power efficiency gains of the 9100 PRO, stating that the new controller and NAND design allow for up to 49% better efficiency than the previous generation 990 PRO. Power consumption during active operation is rated at 7.6W for the 1TB model, 8.1W for the 2TB, and 9.0W for the 4TB version, ensuring lower power draw compared to other PCIe 5.0 SSDs with similar performance ratings. This efficiency improvement helps reduce heat output and extends the lifespan of the drive, making it a more suitable option for professional and high-end workstation environments.

Samsung 9100 SSD vs the Samsung 990 EVO PLUS – Gen5 SSDs Compared

The Samsung 9100 PRO and Samsung 990 EVO Plus cater to different segments of the SSD market, with the 9100 PRO targeting high-performance workloads and the 990 EVO Plus designed for mainstream users seeking a balance between speed and efficiency. The most significant difference lies in interface and speed, as the 9100 PRO utilizes PCIe 5.0 x4, allowing for sequential read speeds up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds up to 13,400 MB/s. In contrast, the 990 EVO Plus uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 interface, capping its speeds at 7,250 MB/s read and 6,300 MB/s write.

While this makes the 990 EVO Plus one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives, it falls considerably behind the 9100 PRO, particularly in random performance, where the 9100 PRO achieves up to 2,200K IOPS read and 2,600K IOPS write, compared to the 990 EVO Plus’s 1,050K IOPS read and 1,400K IOPS write. The 9100 PRO also integrates LPDDR4X DRAM, ensuring smoother performance under heavy workloads, whereas the 990 EVO Plus relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which is dependent on system RAM and may lead to performance inconsistencies in extended write operations.

Beyond speed, endurance and power efficiency also differ significantly between the two drives. The 9100 PRO offers a higher TBW rating, reaching 4,800 TB on the 8TB model, compared to the 990 EVO Plus’s maximum of 2,400 TBW for its 4TB version. This makes the 9100 PRO more suitable for AI computing, professional video editing, and enterprise applications where large amounts of data are written daily. Power consumption is another key factor, with the 9100 PRO consuming between 7.6W and 9.0W under active operation, while the 990 EVO Plus operates at a lower 4.3W to 5.5W during reads and 4.2W to 4.8W during writes.

While the 990 EVO Plus is more power-efficient, the 9100 PRO compensates with significantly higher performance and an improved energy efficiency rating, reducing power consumption by 49% compared to previous Samsung PCIe 5.0 drives. Overall, while the 990 EVO Plus is a strong option for users looking for a high-speed PCIe 4.0 SSD, the 9100 PRO is a better fit for professionals requiring the fastest speeds, highest endurance, and improved thermal performance.

Samsung 9100 SSD Review – Performance Tests

Performance testing for the Samsung 9100 PRO was conducted on a Windows 10 system with a 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a PCIe 5.0-enabled motherboard. The operating system was installed on a separate PCIe 4.0 SSD, while the 9100 PRO was tested in an available PCIe 5.0 slot.

Benchmarking tools included ATTO Disk Benchmark, CrystalDiskMark, AJA System Test, and real-world file transfer tests to assess sequential and random performance under different workloads. The drive was tested in both bare PCB configuration and with a third-party heatsink, as the proprietary Samsung heatsink version was unavailable for this review.

In ATTO Disk Benchmark, which measures transfer speeds across different file sizes, the 9100 PRO achieved sequential read speeds of between 11.3 GB/s and 11.5 GB/s, with occasional peaks reaching 12.5 GB/s under optimal conditions. These results, while slightly lower than Samsung’s claimed 14.8 GB/s read speed, remain among the highest reported for consumer PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Write speeds in ATTO remained stable at approximately 11.0 GB/s to 12.0 GB/s, showing consistent performance across multiple test runs.

Meanwhile, CrystalDiskMark testing at a 16GB file size reported read speeds of up to 11,881 MB/s and write speeds of 12,444 MB/s, with random IOPS reaching up to 1.5 million under ideal conditions. While the drive’s performance fluctuated slightly depending on workload type, overall speeds remained close to manufacturer specifications, confirming its status as one of the fastest SSDs available in 2025.

For real-world testing, a 52GB mixed dataset comprising 1,711 files across 42 folders was transferred to the 9100 PRO from another PCIe 4.0 SSD. The transfer was completed in just over 34 seconds, with speeds sustaining well above 9,000 MB/s for most of the operation. These figures align with high-end PCIe 5.0 expectations, demonstrating the drive’s ability to maintain consistent performance under heavy workloads.

Additionally, AJA System Test, which simulates video production workloads, recorded sustained read speeds of nearly 10,000 MB/s, making the 9100 PRO a strong choice for video editing professionals working with large 8K or RAW footage files. Notably, write performance remained stable even during long transfers, likely due to Samsung’s expanded Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 cache, which allocates up to 442GB of SLC cache on the 4TB model to handle large sequential writes without immediate slowdowns.

During testing, the 9100 PRO’s temperatures fluctuated between 45°C and 55°C at idle, while sustained workloads pushed temperatures above 81°C under extended high-speed transfers. While Samsung’s new 5nm Presto controller is more power-efficient than previous PCIe 5.0 designs, high-speed Gen 5 SSDs inherently produce significant heat, requiring adequate cooling solutions to prevent throttling. In testing with a third-party heatsink, thermal recovery was fast, and the drive quickly dropped back to safe temperature ranges within seconds after peak workloads ended. However, without a heatsink, performance throttling was observed after extended write operations, reinforcing the importance of active cooling for sustained performance in PCIe 5.0 SSDs.

Overall, the Samsung 9100 PRO delivers competitive and consistent performance across synthetic benchmarks and real-world testing. It consistently reaches 11.5 GB/s to 12.5 GB/s in most workloads, proving it to be among the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSDs available. Real-world file transfers confirm the drive’s ability to sustain high write speeds, while Samsung’s Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 technology minimizes performance drops even under heavy loads. However, thermal management remains a key consideration, as sustained high-speed operations push temperatures close to throttling limits without a heatsink. Despite this, power efficiency is improved over previous PCIe 5.0 SSDs, making it a strong option for professionals requiring high-performance storage for AI, video production, and data-heavy workloads.

Samsung 9100 SSD Review – Verdict and Conclusion

The Samsung 9100 PRO SSD delivers top-tier PCIe 5.0 performance, offering sequential read speeds up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds reaching 13,400 MB/s, making it one of the fastest consumer SSDs currently available. Unlike many PCIe 5.0 SSDs that rely on third-party controllers from Phison or NAND from Micron, the 9100 PRO benefits from Samsung’s fully in-house design, including its Presto PCIe 5.0 controller and V-NAND TLC (V8). This ensures better integration between hardware and firmware, resulting in more stable performance, improved power efficiency, and better overall optimization for workloads like AI computing, video production, and high-speed data processing. Additionally, Samsung claims 49% improved power efficiency over previous PCIe 5.0 SSDs, helping to reduce thermal output compared to some early PCIe 5.0 models. Its high endurance rating (up to 4,800 TBW on the 8TB model) also positions it as a strong choice for users who require reliable, long-term performance.

However, there are some key drawbacks to consider. Thermal performance remains a challenge, as the 9100 PRO can reach temperatures above 81°C under extended workloads, meaning a proper cooling solution is necessary to prevent thermal throttling. While Samsung offers a heatsink version, those using the bare PCB model may need to invest in additional cooling for sustained performance. Additionally, real-world speeds, while impressive, do not always match Samsung’s maximum advertised performance, particularly once the TurboWrite cache is exhausted. Furthermore, Samsung’s reputation for SSD reliability is generally strong, but firmware issues in previous models, such as the 990 PRO and 980 PRO, led to concerns over long-term stability. While Samsung has since addressed those problems, some users may remain cautious about potential firmware-related risks. Despite these concerns, the 9100 PRO still stands out as one of the best PCIe 5.0 SSDs available, offering fully in-house hardware, high endurance, and leading-edge performance for users who need the fastest storage available today.

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