The Synology Solution 2025/2026 Event – What Was There?

Before We Go Any Further – We STILL Have to Discuss Synology Hard Drive Compatibility!

Synology’s hard drive support policy was a recurring topic throughout the event and in direct conversations with staff. The subject was formally addressed in the opening session, where the company framed its approach as a strategic decision to validate and support selected drives for reliability and lifecycle assurance. In a later Q&A with a large Synology customer, the policy came up again, though the exchange felt somewhat staged. Away from the stage, I spoke with almost a dozen Synology team members on and off the record. The consistent message was that verification of Seagate and Western Digital drives is still in progress, but I also received conflicting off-the-record remarks about how validation and support could be expanded in the future. A follow-up article and video from me on this subject will be published soon to explore the matter further.

“As workloads scale and data becomes even more critical. We’ve made the strategic decision to fully validate and support scenario drives in our solution.
This means that we take an end to end responsibility for performance, reliability and long-term availability by managing both hardware and the software stack.
We intend to show you that we can deliver deeper integration, such as real-time health monitoring, predictive risk analysis and seamless firmware updates, all designed to reduce risk and maximise uptime.

This change is not about limiting choice, it’s about accountability. When you deploy a Synology solution, you can be confident that we stand behind every component and that you’ll receive a system optimised for performance and reliability over its entire lifestyle. And for our partners, this also means fewer unknowns of deployment and support, greater predictability and stronger value for your customers. Together, we can focus less on troubleshooting and more on helping businesses innovate, securely.”

The official position is that tighter control of hardware compatibility will improve integration features like predictive monitoring and firmware management, while reducing deployment risks. However, Synology repeatedly stressed that the policy is not yet final, with feedback from customers and partners still under review. From my discussions, the messaging suggests that although Synology’s stance is rooted in system accountability, the practical implications for users—particularly regarding Seagate and WD models such as IronWolf and Red or surveillance-focused drives like SkyHawk and Purple—remain unsettled. The lack of clarity points to an ongoing process where official announcements may evolve, but for now customers are being told the policy is about creating a more reliable platform rather than restricting options.

Introduction to Synology – 25 Years On

The opening session of Synology’s UK Solutions Exhibition marked the company’s 25th anniversary with a review of its history, current reach, and overall strategy. Synology reported that it has 14 million installations worldwide, is protecting around 25 million entities and servers, and manages more than 2 million accounts. Case examples were used to illustrate different applications, including the Imperial War Museum’s video archive workflows, Toyota’s use of scalable backup and disaster recovery, and surveillance and crowd management deployments using Synology cameras and DVA units. The presentation also provided background on the company’s origins in 2000 and the development of DSM as its Linux-based operating system. DSM was described as having grown from a small-business storage platform into a wider environment that spans file management, surveillance, backup, cloud services, and productivity, positioned between consumer-focused devices and enterprise systems.

The session also focused on the conditions in which these systems now operate. Trends highlighted included increasing architectural complexity from hybrid and cloud deployments, stricter compliance and regulatory requirements, persistent security threats, and ongoing budget constraints. Synology framed its approach around four design principles: integrating hardware and software into a single platform, embedding security features from the outset, simplifying management to reduce reliance on specialist expertise, and ensuring predictable long-term costs rather than shifting expenses over time. A notable point was the company’s drive compatibility and accountability policy. Synology stated that it will validate and support specific hard drives and SSDs to provide real-time monitoring, firmware updates, and lifecycle assurances. However, the company also acknowledged that it is still assessing customer and partner feedback on the subject of drive and SSD verification, indicating that its position may continue to evolve. The presentation ended with an invitation to engage with Synology staff during the event and a transition to the next session on data protection.

New / in-progress / future items mentioned:

• Synology’s drive compatibility and accountability policy, with integrated monitoring, firmware management, and lifecycle support.

• Synology confirmed it is still assessing customer and partner feedback on hard drive and SSD verification, leaving open the possibility of adjustments.

Synology and Data Storage Now/Future

Active Protect and the DP series was once again a heavy presence at this event and was more formally presented as Synology’s hardware-plus-software backup appliance family, structured around three guarantees: isolation, visibility, and auditability. It combines technologies such as high-rate deduplication (up to 80%), btrfs checksums with self-healing, immutability at the primary backup layer tied to retention policies, VM-based backup verification and sandboxing, and software-driven offline air-gap replication. These measures are positioned as protection against common and combined attack chains, including phishing, stolen credentials, ransomware, insider threats, and zero-day exploits. Large-scale management is enabled through clustering (tested with over 2,500 nodes and 150,000 endpoints), protection plans, and failover between backup servers to avoid single points of failure. Audit logs can be forwarded to external SIEMs and long-term retention is supported via Synology’s Secure Scalable Storage with WORM. Case studies included a Japanese bank with six appliances across DR sites, a Taiwanese logistics company consolidating over ten devices, and Toyota, which migrated away from tape to Active Protect in 2025, citing reduced costs and improved resilience.

The presentation framed the wider context as one where 70% of organisations have experienced data loss or attacks and 88% of those were unable to recover. The strategy was outlined as layered: employee education, least-privilege delegated administration, and backup as the final line of defence. Technical implementation details highlighted cloning instead of full copying, policy-driven immutability, VM-based verification, and software-controlled air-gap mechanisms as ways to achieve isolation and restore confidence. Visibility was addressed through centralized portals, cluster management, and protection plan broadcasting across sites, while auditability was achieved through extensive telemetry, monitoring, and immutable log storage. The brand also noted that it is working to further improve connectivity between Active Protect appliances and Active Backup for Business-equipped devices, aiming to strengthen multi-site operations and incremental migration paths. Deployment was described as end-to-end through Synology appliances, with hot spares and replacement hardware options to maintain recovery point objectives. The solution was positioned as an integrated alternative to mixed third-party systems, with the trade-off being a reliance on Synology’s single-vendor model for both hardware and software.

New / in-progress / future items mentioned:

• Active Protect appliance family: integrated hardware-plus-software backup solution with isolation, visibility, and auditability features.

• Protection plans and clustering: centralized policies for managing thousands of endpoints and enabling cross-site disaster recovery.

• Software-based air-gap replication: offline replication without tape media, controlled through software and network port management.

• VM-based backup verification and sandboxing: integrated hypervisor for validating and testing backups.

• Planned improvements to connectivity between Active Protect and Active Backup devices to strengthen multi-site operations and integration.

Robust, Scalable and Fast Storage Now and the Future

This session focused on Synology’s enterprise storage portfolio and its positioning across security, efficiency, scalability, and performance requirements. The company reported that it currently manages around 350 exabytes across roughly 260,000 businesses and highlighted product families for flash, hybrid, and high-capacity storage. Security was presented as a three-stage process (protect, detect, recover), incorporating measures such as multi-factor sign-in, encryption, immutable snapshots, Active Insight monitoring, and replication. This was also where we saw a reference (2nd time this year) to the multi-site storage tiering service ‘Synology Tiering’ – catchy name, right? Sadly, this does not appear to be a deployment model that can be done inside a single system (ala QNAP QTier).

Efficiency claims included up to 5:1 data reduction, thin provisioning, automated tiering, and hybrid cloud integration with C2 and Hybrid Share. Hybrid Share adoption was noted at over 1,400 enterprises and 3,500 sites, with features such as edge caching and global file locking to support multi-site collaboration. The GS series (notably GS3400) was introduced as a scale-out solution for unstructured data, supporting up to 48 nodes, 11.5 PB per cluster, SMB and S3 protocols, and managed centrally with the GridStation Manager software and its dedicated Cluster Manager GUI.

At the performance end, Synology presented the PAS series, including the PAS 7700 all-NVMe U.3 rackmount system and a 12-bay SATA SSD version. PAS systems run on new Parallel Active Manager software and feature active-active dual controllers, RAID TP (triple parity), rate bitmap rebuilds, and cache protection. Demonstrations covered VDI boot storms, large-scale SQL databases, and EDA simulations, with claims of sub-millisecond latency and throughput in the tens of gigabytes per second. Security measures include network isolation, VLANs, and self-encrypting drives. The GS and PAS series were described as extending Synology’s ecosystem from large-scale archival storage to ultra-low-latency mission-critical workloads, all linked through C2 cloud services, Active Insight monitoring, and policy-driven automation. The company also indicated that further improvements are underway to enhance connectivity between Active Protect appliances and Active Backup devices, enabling more integrated multi-site operations.

The demonstrations of the PAS 7700 system were used to illustrate performance under realistic enterprise workloads. In one scenario, a virtual desktop infrastructure with 1,000 desktops was booted simultaneously to highlight predictable behavior during “boot storm” events. A second demonstration focused on SQL database operations, where over 1,000 concurrent users generated mixed read/write activity, reportedly sustaining more than one million IOPS at approximately one millisecond latency. The third example involved an electronic design automation (EDA) simulation handling around 1,300 jobsets, used to demonstrate the system’s ability to maintain consistent throughput and ultra-low latency under computationally intensive conditions. These scenarios were intended to show how the all-NVMe architecture and active-active controller design could deliver stable, high-performance output across diverse mission-critical environments.

New / in-progress / future items mentioned:

• GS series (GridStation): scale-out storage, GS3400 unit, up to 48-node clusters and 11.5 PB per cluster, managed by GridStation Manager with Cluster Manager GUI.

• PAS series: new enterprise rackmount systems, including the PAS 7700 all-NVMe U.3 48-bay system and a 12-bay SATA SSD version, with active-active controllers.

• Parallel Active Manager software: new management layer for PAS systems.

• Planned improvements to connectivity between Active Protect and Active Backup devices for enhanced multi-site integration.

Synology Surveillance Station, New DVA3000, DVA7400, Synology SD Card, Switches and More

This section outlined Synology’s surveillance strategy, built on two platforms: the on-premises Surveillance Station VMS and the new cloud-based Synology C2 Cloud VSaaS. Both are designed to scale across large environments, with CMS central management tested at around 3,000 hosts and 30,000 cameras, and real-world deployments exceeding these figures. Features include open APIs for third-party integration, drag-and-drop monitoring, E-maps, and bulk provisioning tools for rapid deployment.

AI capabilities are available on-camera and on-appliance, with functions such as people/vehicle detection, face recognition, license plate recognition, dynamic mosaic (privacy blurring), and smoke detection. An upcoming semantic video search will enable natural-language style queries across historical footage, and is cited as one reason for higher-capacity DVA models.

New hardware introduced includes the DVA3000 (4-bay, 40 cameras, 6 AI tasks) and the DVA7400 (12-bay rackmount, up to 100 cameras, 40 AI tasks, with a GPU included), both expected in early 2026. Additional components include three PoE switches and an industrial-grade microSD card designed for continuous edge recording and health monitoring, though final specifications such as SD card class remain unconfirmed.

C2 Cloud was described as a cloud-managed surveillance option requiring no local NAS or NVR, with built-in AI analytics, centralized access via browser or mobile, and failover to local peer-to-peer streaming when internet is down. The on-premises and cloud platforms are intended to remain separate at launch, though hybrid interoperability is planned in later updates to unify workflows. Security is built into both models, including encryption, MFA, granular access roles, privacy controls, and a product security incident response team supported by a bug bounty program.

Customer examples ranged from schools and stadiums to large government deployments, highlighting scalability, API-based third-party integration, and operational improvements such as automated crowd counting and smoke detection. Licensing continues to follow Synology’s low-overhead approach for on-prem setups, with cloud plans bundling AI features directly. The roadmap places new cameras in Q4 2025 and the DVA models in early 2026, with hybrid operation features to follow.

When asked directly about the status of hard drive compatibility in the new surveillance systems, including whether support would be limited to Synology-branded HDDs or extend to commonly used models such as WD Purple and Seagate SkyHawk, Synology was unable to provide a clear confirmation. The company indicated that final details on drive verification and supported models for these upcoming surveillance platforms remain under review.

New / in-progress / future items mentioned:

• DVA3000: 4-bay surveillance appliance, 40 camera feeds, 6 AI operations, expected early 2026.

• DVA7400: 12-bay rackmount model with GPU, up to 100 cameras and 40 AI tasks, expected early 2026.

• Upcoming semantic video search: natural-language video query functionality.

• Three new PoE switches for simplified deployment and management.

• Industrial microSD card with edge recording and health reporting (specifications still unconfirmed).

• Synology C2 Cloud(cloud VSaaS): cloud-managed surveillance platform, launching with AI features included.

• Planned hybrid interoperability between Surveillance Station (on-prem) and C2 Cloud (cloud) in future updates.

Synology and AI – New GPU-Equipped Local AI NAS in Development and More Optional AI Integration in Synology NAS

This session focused on Synology’s Office Suite, which is positioned as a private-cloud productivity and communication platform designed to offer enterprises 100% data ownership, on-premises deployment, and long-term cost control. Core services include Drive and Office for file storage and real-time collaboration, Mail Plus for enterprise email, and the upcoming Chat & Meet for messaging and video conferencing. A new AI Console was also introduced, intended to manage and audit AI usage within the suite. The platform targets organizations concerned about rising cloud subscription costs—especially with Microsoft’s announced October 2025 price increases—data sovereignty, and security risks introduced by unsanctioned use of generative AI. Adoption figures cited include over 600,000 businesses and 80 million users.

Synology Drive and Office were presented as tools for structured file management and collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Features include file requests, configurable link sharing, audit logs, watermarking, and remote wiping. A case study from Yonsei University Medical Center highlighted the replacement of a Windows-based file system with Synology Drive, enabling centralized permission management, endpoint oversight, and synchronization across 15,000 employee devices. Mail Plus adds enterprise-grade email features, such as domain sharing for multi-site deployments, active-active clustering for high availability, delegated role management, auditing, and moderation workflows. Together, these services are designed to offer core collaboration and communication functions while preserving organizational control of data and infrastructure.

The roadmap extends the suite with Chat & Meet, an on-premises platform for real-time messaging and video conferencing. It is designed to support over 10,000 simultaneous chat users and 7,000 video participants, integrating channels, group messaging, and video sessions into a single interface. Administrative tools include permission management and migration utilities to ease transitions from existing platforms. Parallel to this, Synology is introducing the AI Console, which addresses risks such as content injection, jailbreaks, and data leakage by providing de-identification, provider management, permission settings, and auditing. The console will also support on-prem GPU-backed AI models for tasks such as semantic search, OCR, and speech-to-text, and is planned to integrate with OpenAI-compatible and self-hosted LLMs via MSCP.

The overarching message is that Synology is extending its productivity ecosystem to address enterprise concerns about cost, security, and compliance while enabling new collaboration and AI capabilities. The suite’s design emphasizes continuity through high-availability clustering, role-based administration, and unified consoles for policy enforcement and auditing. With the AI Console, Synology seeks to embed governance into AI usage, allowing enterprises to adopt advanced tools without exposing sensitive data to uncontrolled environments. Looking forward, further integration of GPU-enabled AI features and the addition of Chat & Meet mark key developments in Synology’s private-cloud strategy, aimed at providing alternatives to mainstream SaaS ecosystems while maintaining operational control.

New / in-progress / future items mentioned:

• Chat & Meet: on-premises messaging and video conferencing platform, supporting large-scale deployments.

• AI Console: centralized AI governance with de-identification, provider management, permissions, and auditing.

• Planned GPU-backed AI models: semantic search, OCR, image recognition, and speech-to-text.

• Integration with third-party and on-prem AI servers: OpenAI-compatible and self-hosted models via MSCP.

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Plusieurs d’entre vous nous ont récemment alerté au sujet d’un commentaire publié sous une vidéo YouTube. Celui-ci, signé par Synology Europe (en réalité plutôt Synology Allemagne), a suscité beaucoup de réactions puisqu’il évoque l’avenir de la compatibilité des disques durs tiers avec les NAS de la marque. Cependant, certains ont cru (à tort) que Synology faisait machine arrière. Ce n’est pas le cas…

Changement de politique initié par Synology

Comme nous l’avions déjà expliqué, Synology a inversé sa logique de compatibilité. Désormais, ce n’est plus uniquement l’entreprise qui teste et valide les disques (HDD et SSD) pour ses NAS. En effet, cela représente un énorme travail, aussi bien en temps qu’en coûts financiers. D’autant plus que les fabricants de disques modifient régulièrement leurs firmwares, ou changent certains composants matériels, sans toujours communiquer sur les impacts potentiels pour les NAS.

Pour réduire cette charge, le constructeur taïwanais a mis en place un cahier des charges très strict à destination des fabricants de disques. Ces derniers doivent désormais certifier eux-mêmes leurs produits afin de garantir leur compatibilité avec les nouveaux modèles, comme la gamme DSx25+. On peut raisonnablement supposer que d’autres engagements sont exigés et que Synology procèdera ensuite à certains contrôles complémentaires. Depuis le début, Synology nous a toujours affirmé être en discussion avec plusieurs fabricants, mais sans donner plus de détails.

Le commentaire de Synology

Sous la vidéo YouTube en question, on peut lire ce commentaire (en allemand) :

« Wir wissen, dass sich viele User mehr Flexibilität bei den HDDs wünschen. Derzeit führen wir Gespräche mit Herstellern, damit in Zukunft auch wieder Drittanbieter-Festplatten offiziell unterstützt werden. Das ist aber ein Prozess, der nicht von heute auf morgen abgeschlossen ist. »

Et voici une traduction faite avec DeepL :

« Nous savons que de nombreux utilisateurs souhaitent davantage de flexibilité en matière de disques durs. Nous sommes actuellement en pourparlers avec les fabricants afin que les disques durs tiers soient à nouveau officiellement pris en charge à l’avenir. Mais il s’agit d’un processus qui ne se fera pas du jour au lendemain. »

Ce commentaire confirme donc que Synology est bien toujours en discussion avec les constructeurs de disques pour rouvrir la compatibilité. Toutefois, rien n’indique un quelconque rétropédalage de la part Synology comme nous avons pu le lire…

La réponse de Synology France

Afin d’éviter toute interprétation hasardeuse, nous avons contacté directement Synology France. Ivan Lebowski (Sales Team Leader) nous a confirmé :

« La situation n’a pas vraiment changé. Nous sommes en discussion avec les fabricants de disques afin qu’ils puissent certifier leurs disques sur nos NAS. »

En clair, Synology confirme les discussions, mais ne s’avance pas davantage. Pas de calendrier, pas d’annonce officielle, seulement une confirmation que le processus est en cours.

Selon les dernières données de TrendForce, le marché des SSD d’entreprise a connu une forte croissance au deuxième trimestre 2025.

Cet article SSD d’entreprise : Samsung domine, SK Group explose, Kioxia surprend a été publié en premier par GinjFo.

Bon alors là, rebondissement de fou dans l’affaire des SSD qui disparaissaient sous Windows 11 ! Vous vous souvenez de cette histoire où Microsoft et Phison juraient leurs grands dieux qu’il n’y avait aucun problème après 4500 heures de tests ? Eh bien figurez-vous qu’un groupe de geeks chinois vient de découvrir le pot aux roses.

Le groupe PCDIY! sur Facebook a mis en effet le doigt sur ce qui semble être le vrai coupable, et ce n’est ni Windows ni les contrôleurs Phison en eux-mêmes. C’est bien plus vicieux que ça puisque des firmwares de développement pré-release se sont retrouvés sur des SSD vendus dans le commerce. En gros, ce sont des versions beta de firmware qu’on utilise normalement uniquement en labo pour les tests.

Rose Lee, l’admin du groupe PCDIY! , explique que ces firmwares de dev n’ont jamais été prévus pour la production. Normalement, tous les fabricants de SSD qui utilisent des contrôleurs Phison reçoivent leurs produits avec le firmware officiel, testé et validé mais visiblement, quelques unités avec du firmware de pré-production se sont glissées dans la nature.

Les ingénieurs de Phison ont donc réussi à reproduire le problème dans leurs labos une fois qu’ils ont su quoi chercher. Ça explique pourquoi leurs 4500 heures de tests initiaux n’avaient rien donné… ils testaient avec des produits retail normaux, pas avec ces firmwares de développement qui n’auraient jamais dû sortir des usines.

Ce qui se passe concrètement, c’est que la mise à jour Windows 11 KB5063878 déclenche quelque chose dans ces firmwares beta qui fait planter le SSD. Et comme les firmwares officiels n’ont pas ce problème, c’était impossible de reproduire le bug avec des disques achetés normalement en magasin.

Donc si vous avez acheté votre SSD dans un circuit de distribution classique, vous n’êtes normalement pas concerné puisque les firmwares officiels ont été “thoroughly tested and verified” comme dit l’article, et ne présentent pas ces anomalies qu’on trouve dans ces versions de test réservées aux ingénieurs.

Par contre, si vous faites partie des malchanceux qui ont eu des problèmes, la solution est simple : mettez à jour le firmware de votre SSD. Mais attention, faites une sauvegarde complète avant, car on ne sait jamais

Phison en a profité pour clarifier un autre point concernant le ralentissement des disques que certains ont observé. D’après eux, ça n’a rien à voir avec ce bug, mais c’est juste le cache SLC qui sature quand on fait de gros transferts de données. Dans ce cas, un Secure Erase résout normalement le problème (un simple formatage Windows ne suffit pas).

Des firmwares de test qui se retrouvent dans la nature, une mise à jour Windows qui les fait bugger, des semaines d’enquête pour rien parce qu’on cherchait au mauvais endroit… Cette histoire est complètement dingue quand on y pense.

Bref, je pense qu’on peut dire merci au groupe PCDIY! pour avoir résolu ce mystère qui rendait tout le monde fou !

Source

Is there a good reason for Synology to change the support of “Unverified Drives” in DSM?

Synology has long been regarded as one of the most user-friendly and reliable NAS brands in the market, balancing intuitive software with a wide hardware range that appeals to both home and business users. However, in recent years the company has taken an increasingly controversial path by enforcing strict compatibility requirements for hard drives and SSDs. Beginning with DSM 7 and escalating into the 2025 generation of devices, Synology now only certifies and supports its own branded storage media, effectively locking out many widely used alternatives from Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba. While Synology positions this move as a way to ensure system stability and consistency, the decision has sparked significant backlash among users who feel restricted in their options and burdened by higher costs. As competitors expand their ecosystems with more openness and flexibility, this proprietary approach risks damaging Synology’s reputation, raising questions about whether the company has prioritized profit margins over user choice.

What is the MAIN PROBLEM(s) with this decision by Synology?

The most immediate problem with Synology’s hard drive policy is the loss of flexibility that once made their systems so appealing. For years, customers could select from a wide range of industry-standard drives from Seagate, Western Digital, or Toshiba, tailoring storage to their budget, performance requirements, or regional availability. This freedom not only allowed users to balance cost and capacity, but also gave small businesses and home enthusiasts the ability to reuse existing drives, upgrade incrementally, or take advantage of promotions from different vendors. By restricting DSM compatibility to Synology-labelled drives, that flexibility is gone. For many users outside major markets, Synology’s drives are harder to source, priced higher than the competition, or limited in available capacities. What once felt like an open platform now increasingly resembles a closed ecosystem, where users must accept the vendor’s terms even if it means compromising on affordability or performance.

Another dimension of the problem lies in how Synology has communicated these changes, which many see as evasive or disingenuous. Officially, the company justifies the restriction as a move toward greater reliability and predictable system performance. The argument is that by narrowing the range of drives tested and supported, Synology can optimize DSM to work seamlessly with drives that have firmware tailored for its environment. In practice, though, the same underlying hardware often originates from Seagate or Toshiba, with only minor firmware adjustments and new branding. This creates a perception that Synology is overstating the technical benefits while quietly using the policy to secure higher margins. For long-time users, the contrast is stark: older models happily ran third-party drives with few issues, which makes the sudden insistence on “certification” seem less like an engineering requirement and more like a business maneuver. The result has been a significant erosion of trust between the company and its community.

The wider impact of this strategy has also been felt across the storage industry. Resellers have reported declining sales of Synology’s Plus series devices as customers explore alternatives such as QNAP, TrueNAS, or newer entrants like UGREEN and UniFi. For Synology, this shift is particularly damaging because its reputation has historically rested on attracting less technical buyers who value simplicity and reliability over DIY solutions. Now, even these entry-level and mid-range users are questioning whether they should commit to an ecosystem that limits their choice of drives and increases their costs. At the same time, hard drive manufacturers like Seagate and Western Digital are also affected, as Synology’s decision reduces the number of channels through which their products reach end customers. The ripple effect is therefore twofold: Synology risks alienating its base of loyal customers, while storage vendors lose a once-reliable partner, creating tension that could ultimately push more buyers toward competing NAS brands.

How Can Synology Solve This (if they want to)?

One path forward for Synology would be to adopt a hybrid compatibility model, where its own branded drives remain the recommended or default choice but third-party alternatives are still officially supported. This compromise has been proven by other vendors such as UniFi and QNAP, who sell their own labelled drives while maintaining compatibility lists for major manufacturers like Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba. By following this model, Synology could continue promoting the reliability benefits of its branded hardware without alienating customers who prefer flexibility. In practice, this would preserve a sense of choice for users while ensuring Synology can still highlight its “optimized” solutions as the safer, supported route.

Finally, Synology could address the availability and pricing concerns around its own branded drives. In many regions, these drives are either difficult to source or significantly more expensive than equivalent Seagate or Western Digital models. Improving distribution channels, ensuring consistent stock, and narrowing the price gap would make the transition more palatable to users who are willing to adopt Synology’s ecosystem but feel penalized by limited access. By focusing on accessibility and fairness rather than exclusivity, Synology could rebuild goodwill while still driving revenue from its hardware strategy. Taken together, these steps would not fully reverse the controversy but would demonstrate responsiveness and provide a clearer path to balancing stability, customer choice, and profitability.

Is there a way to FORCE a Synology NAS to accept unverified Hard Drives and SSDs in DSM?

For users unwilling to accept Synology’s restrictive stance on storage media, the community has developed reliable workarounds that re-enable full functionality for third-party hard drives and SSDs. The most widely adopted method involves injecting a script into the NAS system that bypasses DSM’s compatibility database, allowing otherwise unsupported drives to be used for installation, storage pools, caching, and expansion. Synology’s 2025 Plus-series models, such as the DS925+, block DSM installation if only unverified drives are present and issue constant warnings in Storage Manager. To overcome this, users first employ a Telnet-based flag during initial setup that tricks DSM into accepting the installation, followed by a more permanent fix applied through SSH. At the heart of this solution is Dave Russell’s (007revad) GitHub project Synology_HDD_db, which modifies DSM’s internal drive compatibility files. Once downloaded and executed via SSH, the script detects the NAS model, DSM version, and connected drives, then patches the system to treat them as officially supported.

The process is reversible, non-destructive, and works across multiple DSM versions, including DSM 7.2 and later. Additional features allow removal of persistent warning banners, full use of NVMe drives as storage volumes, and optional disabling of intrusive monitoring services like WDDA. To ensure ongoing stability, users can also configure a scheduled task in DSM’s Task Scheduler that re-applies the script at every boot, guaranteeing compatibility survives updates, reboots, or new drive insertions. While the script is robust and actively maintained, there are clear disclaimers: using it involves modifying system files, may void official Synology support, and should only be attempted by users confident with SSH and terminal commands who have reliable data backups. Nonetheless, for advanced users, system integrators, and enthusiasts, this community-driven solution has become the de facto method of restoring the freedom to use affordable and widely available third-party drives in modern Synology NAS systems.

Example of a 30TB Seagate HDD visible and functioning inside a Synology DS925+

Note – You can follow my guide on how to use this script modification (as well as outlining the pros and cons) HERE on the blog, or watch the video below:

The Future of Synology in the eyes of new and old buyers?

Synology’s decision to enforce exclusive support for its own branded hard drives and SSDs marks one of the most controversial shifts in the company’s history, transforming how both long-time customers and potential buyers view the brand. For over a decade, Synology’s appeal rested on a combination of intuitive software, solid hardware, and flexibility in allowing users to choose their own storage media from trusted vendors like Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital. By removing that choice in the 2025 generation, Synology has fundamentally altered the value proposition of its systems, making them appear less like open storage platforms and more like tightly controlled appliances. While the company justifies the policy by citing stability, predictability, and reduced support overhead, many users interpret it as a profit-driven attempt to push proprietary drives into the market, especially since these are often rebranded versions of third-party disks with modified firmware and higher price tags.

The backlash has been considerable, with resellers and community forums reporting falling interest in Synology’s Plus-series devices, particularly among home and small business users who previously embraced them for affordability and ease of expansion. Competing NAS providers such as QNAP, TrueNAS, UGREEN, and UniFi have been quick to capitalize on the discontent, positioning themselves as more open alternatives that maintain compatibility with industry-standard drives. At the same time, the growth of unofficial solutions like Dave Russell’s compatibility script demonstrates how determined users are to regain control over their hardware, even at the risk of voiding warranty or stepping outside official support. This dynamic reflects a widening gap between Synology’s official direction and the needs of its customer base, many of whom would prefer to accept a disclaimer about using unverified drives rather than being forced into a closed ecosystem.

Ultimately, Synology now stands at a crossroads that will define its reputation in the storage industry for years to come. If it continues to double down on a closed, proprietary model, the company may secure short-term revenue through drive sales but risks long-term damage to its image and market share. On the other hand, reintroducing a more flexible, transparent approach—such as allowing user consent for unsupported drives or improving global pricing and availability of its own disks—could restore trust and preserve its standing as the NAS brand of choice for both novices and professionals. The availability of community workarounds ensures that frustrated users are not entirely locked out of their systems, but the very existence of these tools highlights how far Synology has drifted from its once customer-first ethos. The next few years will be crucial, as the company either adjusts course and strikes a balance between profitability and user freedom, or risks ceding ground to rivals who are eager to embrace the openness Synology has chosen to leave behind.

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Bon, alors voilà. Il faut que je vous parle d’un truc un peu gênant. Vous vous souvenez de mon article bien trollesque sur Windows qui transformait vos SSD en gruyère de Schrödinger ? Bah il semblerait que j’aie un peu… comment dire… trollé trop fort sur ce coup-là.

Hé oui car Microsoft vient de sortir un démenti officiel dans lequel ils déclarent qu’après investigation, ils n’ont trouvé “aucune connexion entre la mise à jour de sécurité Windows d’août 2025 et les types de pannes de disques durs rapportés sur les réseaux sociaux.”

Oups.

Donc voilà ce qui s’est passé… des utilisateurs, principalement japonais, avaient signalé que leurs SSD disparaissaient mystérieusement après avoir installé la mise à jour KB5063878. Sur le papier, ça semblait crédible puisqu’il y avait des témoignages précis, des modèles de SSD identifiés (Western Digital SA510, Corsair Force MP600), des contrôleurs spécifiques mentionnés (Phison, Maxio). Même Phison avait réagi en reconnaissant des “effets à l’échelle industrielle”.

Mais Microsoft, de son côté, a fait ses propres tests avec ses partenaires fabricants de stockage et résultat, leur télémétrie interne n’a montré aucune augmentation des pannes de disque. Et leurs tests en labo n’ont rien révélé non plus de probant.

L’histoire avait commencé avec un utilisateur Twitter @Necoru_cat qui avait signalé le problème, repris ensuite par les médias japonais puis internationaux. Toutefois, malgré le communiqué de Microsoft, Phison continue de dire qu’ils “travaillent avec Microsoft pour résoudre le problème”. Donc soit ils sont très diplomatiques, soit il y a encore des zones grises… mais bon, face au démenti catégorique de Microsoft avec tests à l’appui, je dois reconnaître que mon article bien trolling était basé sur des informations incomplètes au moment où je l’ai rédigé.

Bref, tout ça pour vous dire que je fais mon mea culpa. J’ai relayé pour l’amour du lol, une info qui semblait solide mais qui finalement s’est révélée inexacte. Ça arrive, même aux meilleurs (dont je fais sans aucun doute partie ^^). Notez que Microsoft a demandé aux utilisateurs qui pensent avoir été affectés de leur faire des retours pour creuser davantage, mais leur position officielle reste claire : Il n’y a pas de lien établi entre KB5063878 et les pannes SSD.

Source

Terramaster D4 SSD USB4 Enclosure Review

The Terramaster D4 SSD is a four-bay all-flash storage enclosure designed for high-speed external data handling over USB4 connectivity, offering bandwidth of up to 40Gbps. It accommodates four PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs, allowing a maximum raw capacity of 32TB when fitted with 8TB drives, with larger capacities possible pending future verification. Aimed at professional workflows such as media creation, high-resolution video production, and post-production editing, it is also marketed for gaming environments where low-latency loading and direct game installation are desired. The enclosure does not feature built-in RAID capabilities, instead operating in single-drive mode and relying on the host computer or third-party software for RAID management when required. Measuring 138 x 60 x 140 mm and weighing 392grams, it offers a compact footprint suitable for desktop or mobile editing setups. With active cooling via dual smart fans, wide voltage power input for flexible deployment, and compatibility across USB4, Thunderbolt 3/4/5, and USB 3.x interfaces, the D4 SSD is designed to integrate seamlessly with both Mac and Windows systems, including use as a Mac OS boot drive or as direct expansion for NAS devices with supported ports.

Terramaster D4 SSD Review – Quick Conclusion

The Terramaster D4 SSD is a compact four-bay USB4 NVMe enclosure that delivers high transfer speeds through dedicated PCIe Gen4 x1 lane allocation per drive, managed by the ASMedia ASM2464PDX controller for consistent scaling across single or multiple SSD configurations. While it lacks built-in hardware RAID, this simplifies design, reduces power draw, and allows users to manage RAID through their host system or software tools, offering flexibility for performance or redundancy needs. In testing, it sustained multi-gigabyte throughput under prolonged load without thermal throttling, aided by its dual smart-fan cooling system and low-noise operation, making it suitable for studios and mobile production environments. Its wide voltage input range supports power from standard laptop and mini-PC adapters, and cross-platform compatibility extends to Thunderbolt 3/4/5 and USB 3.x systems, with support for multiple file systems across macOS, Windows, and Linux. Best suited for professionals in media production, post-processing, and high-resolution video editing, the D4 SSD offers a strong balance of speed, efficiency, and portability, though buyers should account for the cost of high-capacity NVMe drives and may wish to add heatsinks for heavy workloads.

BUILD - 10/10

HARDWARE - 7/10

PERFORMANCE - 8/10

PRICE - 9/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.4

PROS

High-speed USB4 interface with up to 40Gbps bandwidth, delivering strong multi-bay NVMe performance.
Dedicated PCIe Gen4 x1 lane allocation per slot ensures predictable scaling without lane-sharing bottlenecks.
Compact and lightweight chassis with active cooling and low noise output, suitable for quiet work environments.
Cross-platform compatibility with Thunderbolt 3/4/5 and USB 3.x, supporting multiple file systems for macOS, Windows, and Linux use.
Low power consumption, even under full load, making it efficient for continuous operation.

CONS

No built-in hardware RAID functionality, requiring RAID to be managed by the host system or third-party software.
No included NVMe heatsinks, which may be needed for sustained heavy workloads.
Performance dependent on host system capabilities and RAID configuration, limiting maximum speeds in some setups.

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Terramaster D4 SSD Review -Design and Storage

The Terramaster D4 SSD adopts a compact and minimalist design that prioritises space efficiency while accommodating high-performance M.2 NVMe storage. The chassis is constructed with a combination of metal and reinforced plastic to balance durability with weight reduction, making it practical for desktop setups or mobile editing stations. Measuring 138mm in height, 60mm in width, and 140mm in depth, it has a footprint smaller than many portable RAID enclosures yet houses four internal M.2 2280 slots. Ventilation is a key part of the design, with perforations along the chassis and an internal airflow path from the bottom intake to the top exhaust. This airflow design is paired with a smart dual-fan system to keep temperatures stable under sustained workloads. The minimalist exterior is free of unnecessary styling, focusing instead on functionality and discrete operation in professional environments.

Internally, the storage layout is based entirely on NVMe architecture, with each of the four bays supporting PCIe Gen4 x1 bandwidth allocation. This ensures each SSD has dedicated lane access to maintain predictable throughput, rather than sharing limited controller bandwidth as seen in some lower-cost enclosures. The D4 SSD supports up to 8TB per drive, giving a maximum raw capacity of 32TB, though higher capacities may be supported as larger consumer and enterprise NVMe drives are verified. This design choice prioritises performance consistency and reduces the risk of bottlenecks, particularly when drives are accessed simultaneously for large file transfers or multi-stream media editing.

The enclosure is not equipped with a hardware RAID controller, meaning all drives operate in independent single-disk mode by default. Users wishing to configure RAID 0, 1, or other levels must do so using their operating system’s built-in storage management tools or third-party RAID software. This approach reduces internal complexity, lowers power draw, and avoids thermal buildup from additional processing hardware, but shifts configuration responsibility to the user. For some workflows, particularly those involving high-performance NVMe SSDs, host-managed RAID can still deliver substantial speed gains without affecting compatibility.

For cooling, the D4 SSD uses an active design with two 50mm temperature-controlled fans. These are managed by four onboard temperature sensors, adjusting fan speeds based on workload and heat generation. The airflow design is optimised to pass directly over the NVMe modules and the mainboard’s heat-generating components. While the unit does not include NVMe heatsinks by default, there is space to install aftermarket options if desired. Terramaster’s decision not to bundle heatsinks reflects a balance between cost and compatibility, as different SSDs have varying thermal needs, and some users may prefer specific heatsink designs.

From a noise and usability standpoint, the D4 SSD is intended to operate unobtrusively in environments such as home offices, studios, and editing suites. In standby mode with SSDs installed, the noise level is measured at 19dB(A), making it quieter than many desktop PCs and suitable for near-silent workspaces. Combined with its small physical footprint, this makes it a storage device that can be positioned close to the user without being a distraction, even under full load during extended transfers or media rendering sessions.

Terramaster D4 SSD Review – Internal Hardware

Inside the Terramaster D4 SSD, the hardware is built around a dedicated USB4 bridge controller, the ASMedia ASM2464PDX, which is designed to maintain high throughput across multiple NVMe drives without the lane bottleneck issues found in some lower-cost enclosures. Each M.2 slot is wired for PCIe Gen4 x1 bandwidth, providing up to 2,000MB/s potential per drive, which is then aggregated and managed through the USB4 interface.

This design ensures predictable scaling in both single-drive and multi-drive use, with performance closely tied to the host system’s RAID or file management configuration. The PCB is perforated in multiple areas to enhance passive airflow in conjunction with the active cooling fans, helping to maintain SSD performance during sustained workloads such as large file transfers or continuous video editing.

The storage slots themselves support PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs, making the D4 SSD compatible with a wide range of consumer and professional-grade drives. While the official capacity limit is listed as 8TB per drive, the enclosure is not restricted by proprietary firmware, allowing for potential support of larger modules as they become available. The absence of hardware RAID keeps internal processing simple, reducing latency and power draw, while allowing the enclosure to work equally well in macOS, Windows, and certain NAS expansion scenarios where the RAID logic is handled externally. Additionally, the enclosure supports multiple file systems including NTFS, APFS, exFAT, FAT32, and EXT4, depending on the host environment.

Power delivery to the enclosure is handled through a 24W external adapter, with a wide input voltage range of 12V to 20V for compatibility with common laptop and mini-PC power supplies. This not only makes it more versatile for travel or integration into mobile production setups but also reduces the need for proprietary adapters.

The included USB4 Type-C cable is 0.8m in length and rated for up to 80Gbps, significantly higher than the device’s 40Gbps requirement, ensuring minimal signal degradation over time. Thermal and power management are monitored by four internal sensors, which regulate the fan speeds to balance cooling and noise.

Terramaster D4 SSD Review – Connectivity

The Terramaster D4 SSD keeps its external connectivity simple, focusing on delivering the highest possible throughput over a single interface. The primary connection is a USB4 Type-C port located on the rear of the unit, providing up to 40Gbps of bandwidth when used with a compatible host device. This interface also ensures backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5, and USB 3.x standards, although maximum speeds will vary depending on the protocol supported by the connected system. This approach makes the D4 SSD suitable for a wide range of setups, from modern Mac computers and high-end Windows workstations to certain NAS devices that offer USB4 or Thunderbolt connectivity for expansion.

The unit does not draw power from the USB4 connection, which is essential given the requirements of running four NVMe drives under load. This separation ensures stable power delivery regardless of the workload, preventing thermal throttling or performance drops caused by insufficient bus power.

The only other physical interface elements are the cooling ventilation openings, the power button, and status indicators. The ventilation is positioned to support the enclosure’s top-to-bottom airflow, with exhaust positioned to avoid heat recirculation. The power button is recessed to prevent accidental shutdowns, and the indicator lights provide a quick visual status of drive activity. While the D4 SSD avoids additional ports such as USB hubs or SD card readers, this streamlined design prioritises stability and speed for storage operations, aligning with its role as a dedicated high-bandwidth storage enclosure rather than a multifunction docking station.

Terramaster D4 SSD Review – Performance and Tests

In practical testing, the Terramaster D4 SSD demonstrated performance levels consistent with the capabilities of its USB4 interface and internal PCIe lane allocation. When fitted with a single PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD and connected to a compatible Windows host system, sequential transfer rates reached around 1,480MB/s for reads and 1,140MB/s for writes in CrystalDiskMark, with mixed 70/30 read/write workloads averaging 1,286MB/s.

AJA System Test results with a repeated 1GB file showed roughly 1,400MB/s read and 1,300MB/s write, while ATTO Disk Benchmark recorded peaks of 1.57GB/s read and up to 1.5GB/s write.

These results represent roughly three-quarters of the theoretical maximum per-lane Gen4 x1 performance, with minor variations attributable to SSD model and host configuration.

With four SSDs installed and configured in RAID 0 via Windows Disk Management, throughput scaled significantly.

In AJA testing, read speeds reached 2,500MB/s and writes 2,300MB/s. CrystalDiskMark produced 2,047MB/s reads and 1,927MB/s writes in sequential tests, with mixed workloads at around 1,799MB/s.

ATTO testing peaked at approximately 2.93GB/s read and 2.66GB/s write. These figures are below the absolute maximum possible for USB4 but remain strong for a host-managed RAID array without dedicated hardware acceleration.

The results indicate that with a more capable RAID implementation, sustained speeds above 3GB/s would be achievable, making the D4 SSD suitable for high-bandwidth applications such as multi-stream 4K or 6K video editing. Thermal performance was another key testing area given the high-speed NVMe drives involved. Under sustained load with all four SSDs active, the enclosure’s dual-fan cooling system maintained stable operating temperatures without noticeable thermal throttling. Noise output, even at maximum fan speed, remained low enough for close-proximity use in an editing suite or home office. The absence of included NVMe heatsinks did not lead to significant overheating in tests, though installing aftermarket heatsinks could be beneficial for prolonged heavy workloads or in warmer environments.

Power consumption measurements showed efficient operation relative to its performance. With all drives in hibernation, draw was close to 1W; in standby, it was 3–4W; and at full load, the system used only 5–6W. This efficiency, combined with the wide voltage input support, makes the D4 SSD practical for mobile production setups and continuous desktop use without significant power overhead. Compatibility was confirmed across both macOS and Windows systems, with macOS tests achieving up to 3,257MB/s reads and 3,192MB/s writes using four Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs in RAID 0 on a Mac mini with an Apple M4 chip.

Terramaster D4 SSD Review – Verdict and Conclusion

The Terramaster D4 SSD positions itself as a compact, high-speed, and flexible all-flash enclosure for users who require consistent bandwidth and expandable capacity over USB4. Its PCIe Gen4 x1 lane allocation per drive, paired with the ASMedia ASM2464PDX controller, ensures that performance scales predictably from single-drive use to fully populated configurations without the bottlenecks common in lower-end enclosures that multiplex lanes. While the absence of built-in hardware RAID will be seen as a limitation for users wanting an all-in-one solution, the decision to leave RAID management to the host system helps keep the enclosure’s design simpler, power consumption lower, and thermal output under better control. This host-managed approach also allows greater flexibility in choosing software RAID solutions optimised for specific workflows, whether for performance (RAID 0), redundancy (RAID 1), or other advanced configurations. Combined with its small footprint, professional-grade cooling, and wide voltage input range, the D4 SSD fits naturally into both fixed and mobile setups where reliable sustained throughput is essential.

From a value and application standpoint, the D4 SSD’s test results put it among the faster multi-bay USB4 NVMe enclosures currently available, especially given its ability to sustain multi-gigabyte transfers under prolonged load without thermal throttling. It is particularly well-suited to professionals in media production, post-processing, and high-resolution video editing who need large, portable, and quiet storage capable of handling multiple uncompressed video streams in real time. The unit’s quiet operation, even when all drives are active, makes it practical for use in audio-sensitive environments, and its compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, 4, and 5 as well as USB 3.x protocols expands its usability across a wide variety of systems. Potential buyers should, however, factor in the additional cost of populating all four slots with high-capacity NVMe SSDs and consider adding aftermarket heatsinks for continuous heavy workloads, as none are included. For those who already operate in environments where RAID is managed externally or within the operating system, the D4 SSD represents a balanced combination of speed, efficiency, and build quality that should appeal to both Windows and macOS professionals seeking long-term, high-performance storage expansion.

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Want to follow specific category? Also Read...Week 34 Tech Roundup – UnraiWeek 33 Tech Roundup – TerraTerramaster D1 SSD ReviewTerramaster D4 SSD ReviewTerramaster D1 SSD ReviewTerramaster F4 SSD NAS ReviewTerramaster F4 SSD NAS ReviewTerramaster Prime Day 2025 - ATerramaster Prime Day 2025 - ASynology vs Terramaster NAS - Subscribe You can also follow specific search terms:

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If you like this service, please consider supporting us. We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service check HEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check Fiver Have you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here  

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Suite aux inquiétudes suscitées par les mises à jour Windows 11 KB5063878 et KB5062660, Phison rassure ses utilisateurs.

Cet article Windows 11 et KB5063878 : Phison confirme l’absence de bug avec ses SSD a été publié en premier par GinjFo.

Félicitations ! Si vous avez installé la mise à jour KB5063878 de Windows 11, vous venez de débloquer la fonctionnalité cachée “Roulette Russe du stockage”. Et oui, Microsoft et Phison innovent ensemble en transformant votre précieux SSD en disque de Schrödinger, sur lequel vos données existent et n’existent pas en même temps… Enfin, jusqu’à ce que vous tentiez de les copier.

Allez, je vous spoile, en vrai, elles n’existent déjà plus.

Votre navigateur ne supporte pas la lecture de vidéos HTML5. Voici un
<a href="/windows-transforme-votre-ssd-gruyere-microsoft/windows-transforme-votre-ssd-gruyere-microsoft-1.mp4">lien vers la vidéo</a>.

En effet, la mise à jour d’août 2025 censée, je cite, “corriger les problèmes de performance des jeux” ET des failles de sécurité (oui, Microsoft essayait vraiment de bien faire pour une fois), a décidé que la meilleure façon d’améliorer les perfs était de supprimer complètement votre disque. C’est du génie car plus de SSD, ça veut dire plus de problèmes de performance ! Ni de sécurité d’ailleurs !

Le bug est magnifique puisque dès que vous copiez 50 GB de données, hop, votre SSD disparaît comme David Copperfield en aurait rêvé. Sur 21 disques testés, 12 sont devenus invisibles selon les tests réalisés par la communauté. Un Western Digital SA510 de 2TB, a carrément décidé de prendre sa retraite anticipée. Même après un redémarrage, il refuse de revenir. C’est beau ! Les Japonais sont particulièrement chanceux sur ce coup-là, ils remportent le jackpot avec le plus grand nombre de plaintes recensées.

Phison, le fabricant de contrôleurs touché, a publié un communiqué digne d’un sketch des Monty Python : “Nous sommes conscients des effets à l’échelle de l’industrie”. Traduction : “Oups, nos contrôleurs PS5012-E12 avaient déjà des problèmes de stabilité qu’on savait pas trop comment gérer, et Microsoft vient de révéler le pot aux roses”. Bref, ils “travaillent avec leurs partenaires” et mènent un “audit interne”, probablement en train de chercher qui va payer la facture entre eux et Microsoft. Bonus : ils ne prendront pas en charge directement les utilisateurs. Sympa !

Les SSD DRAM-less avec contrôleur Phison sont donc les plus vulnérables, mais surprise, les contrôleurs Maxio se joignent aussi à la fête ! On a le Corsair Force MP600, le SanDisk Extreme Pro et d’autres dans le club des disparus. WindowsForum confirme que le problème se déclenche quand l’utilisation du contrôleur dépasse 60%. Autrement dit, c’est un parfait combo Microsoft-Phison : Windows pousse le contrôleur dans ses retranchements pour la sécurité, et le contrôleur répond “404 SSD not found”.

Et la cerise sur le gâteau c’est quand Microsoft Support indique que l’update peut aussi se gaufrer avec une jolie erreur 0x80240069 sur WSUS. Bref, même quand elle n’arrive pas à s’installer, elle trouve un moyen de casser les pieds. Maintenant, pour les “chanceux” (non) qui ont déjà installé cette bombe à retardement co-développée, les recommandations officielles sont à se pisser dessus de rire puisqu’ils conseillent d’éviter les transferts de plus de 50 GB ou de faire des sauvegardes régulières sur un disque non affecté. Bon, déjà faire des sauvegardes, ça peut fonctionner uniquement si elles font moins de 50 GB… Et s’il y a toujours un SSD vivant pour faire le backup…

Le plus fun dans tout ça, c’est que cette mise à jour a été classée sécurité critique. “Critique”, tu m’étonnes… Entre Microsoft qui sécurise tellement bien qu’on ne peut plus accéder à nos fichiers, et Phison dont les contrôleurs avaient déjà des soucis de stabilité cachés sous le tapis, c’est le mariage parfait de l’incompétence. En attendant un correctif (prévu pour 2026 si Microsoft et Phison arrivent à se mettre d’accord sur qui est responsable ^^), votre meilleure option est de revenir à Windows 10. Ou mieux, Linux avec des SSD qui n’utilisent pas de contrôleurs Phison.

Au moins, quand quelque chose plante, vous saurez exactement qui blâmer : vous-même !

Source

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Performance Made Sustainable?

The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus is a compact, single-bay M.2 NVMe enclosure designed to deliver high-speed direct-attached storage over USB4, with a focus on professional workloads that demand both speed and stability. Aimed at users working with large, high-resolution files such as 4K and higher video editing projects, RAW photo archives, and heavy multimedia workflows, it supports transfer rates of up to 3,853MB/s read and 3,707MB/s write when paired with a compatible PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD. This performance level allows a 3GB file to transfer in around one second under optimal conditions, significantly reducing waiting times in post-production processes. The enclosure is compatible with a broad range of connection standards, including Thunderbolt 5/4/3 and USB4/3.2/3.1/3.0, making it adaptable to both modern and legacy system configurations. Measuring 112.5 × 60 × 33 mm and weighing 246g, it features a fully enclosed aluminium alloy body with passive cooling, designed to keep temperatures stable during sustained workloads without introducing fan noise. Additional onboard safeguards provide short-circuit, voltage surge, and electrostatic discharge protection, while its unibody construction aims to withstand continuous use in demanding environments. With no pre-installed SSD, the D1 SSD Plus supports M.2 2280 NVMe drives up to 8TB, giving users the flexibility to choose their own storage based on performance or capacity priorities.

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Quick Conclusion

The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus is a compact, bus-powered USB4 enclosure built for sustained high-speed storage with a focus on stability, thermal efficiency, and cross-platform compatibility. Using the ASMedia ASM2464PDX controller with a PCIe Gen 4×4 lane configuration, it can fully exploit 40Gbps bandwidth when paired with a suitable SSD, maintaining 3,000MB/s+ read and 2,500MB/s+ write speeds without throttling during prolonged workloads. Its fully aluminium passive cooling design keeps drive temperatures around 44–45°C under heavy use while remaining completely silent, making it suitable for both desktop and field use. Supporting capacities up to 8TB, multiple file systems, and connection standards including Thunderbolt 5/4/3 and USB 3.x, it integrates easily into macOS and Windows workflows. However, the short 0.3m USB4 cable can limit positioning flexibility, and performance is heavily dependent on choosing a PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD, with no official compatibility list provided. Overall, it offers strong build quality, sustained performance, and portability, making it a capable option for professionals and power users seeking reliable high-speed external NVMe storage.

BUILD - 10/10

HARDWARE - 9/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.6

PROS

High Sustained Performance – Maintains 3,000MB/s+ read speeds and 2,500MB/s+ write speeds under extended workloads without thermal throttling.
Transparent Technical Specs – Clearly states controller model, lane allocation, and maximum tested speeds, aiding informed SSD selection.
Robust Passive Cooling – Fully aluminium chassis with integrated heatsink keeps SSD temperatures around 44–45°C under load.
Broad Compatibility – Works with USB4, Thunderbolt 5/4/3, and USB 3.x systems across macOS and Windows.
Portable and Silent – Compact (112.5 × 60 × 33 mm), fanless design makes it easy to carry and noise-free during operation.
Flexible SSD Choice – Supports PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 drives up to 8TB with multiple file system formats (NTFS, exFAT, APFS, EXT4).

CONS

Short Supplied Cable – 0.3m USB4 cable may be impractical for certain desktop or fixed workstation setups.
Performance Depends on SSD Selection – Using Gen 3 or slower-lane SSDs can reduce speeds by up to half.
No Drive Compatibility List – Lacks detailed recommended SSD model chart to guide optimal performance choices.

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Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Design and Storage

The D1 SSD Plus adopts a minimalist, industrial-style design built entirely from aluminium alloy, providing both structural durability and efficient passive heat dissipation. Its solid unibody construction not only makes the device more resistant to daily wear but also allows for a larger heat-spreading surface compared to typical plastic or hybrid enclosures. Measuring just over 11 cm in length, it remains small enough for mobile use while retaining the thermal mass needed to handle sustained high-speed transfers without performance throttling. The matte finish helps reduce the appearance of fingerprints and scratches, making it better suited to frequent handling in professional environments.

Internally, the unit supports a single M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSD, accommodating capacities of up to 8TB in a single slot. The choice to limit support to NVMe, rather than SATA-based M.2 drives, ensures the interface is not a bottleneck to the USB4 connection. The enclosure uses a PCIe Gen 4×4 lane allocation, meaning that while it can achieve impressive transfer speeds, installing a Gen 3 drive will limit throughput to roughly half the rated maximum. This makes SSD selection critical for users seeking top performance, especially in workflows involving large sequential file transfers or high-speed scratch disk usage.

The passive cooling system is one of the more notable aspects of the D1 SSD Plus’s design. Instead of an active fan, the aluminium chassis itself acts as a heatsink, with thermal pads positioned to draw heat away from the SSD and controller. During testing with repeated large file transfers, drive temperatures peaked at around 44–45°C, and the enclosure exterior measured approximately 41–42°C, remaining well below thermal throttling thresholds. This approach eliminates moving parts, improving reliability and making the device completely silent, a benefit for audio-sensitive production environments.

From a portability perspective, the D1 SSD Plus is supplied with a compact 0.3m USB4 Type-C cable and a soft carry bag for transport. The short cable supports 40Gbps data rates and up to 240W power delivery, though its length may be restrictive for certain setups, such as when connecting to desktop systems positioned under a desk. Weighing just 246grams without a drive, it is light enough to be carried daily yet solid enough to feel substantial in use.

In terms of safety and operational protection, TerraMaster has included components to guard against short circuits, power surges, and electrostatic discharge. These measures, combined with the robust chassis, aim to keep the enclosure operational even in less controlled environments such as on-location shoots or travel-based editing sessions. For storage expansion scenarios, it can act as either a primary drive for active projects or a fast external repository for completed work, depending on the installed SSD’s performance and endurance characteristics.

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Internal Design

Inside the D1 SSD Plus, the primary component enabling its performance is the ASMedia ASM2464PDX controller. This USB4-to-PCIe bridge is widely used in high-speed external enclosures, offering stable throughput and supporting PCIe Gen 4×4 lane allocation to the installed SSD. TerraMaster is unusually transparent in publicly listing the controller model and lane configuration, information that many manufacturers omit. This clarity helps users understand the real-world performance limits and the importance of pairing the enclosure with a compatible SSD to reach the quoted speeds.

The M.2 slot supports the 2280 form factor exclusively and is physically keyed for NVMe drives, preventing the installation of incompatible SATA models. Internally, thermal pads are pre-positioned to ensure consistent contact between the SSD and the aluminium housing, which doubles as a heatsink. This direct contact method maximises heat transfer efficiency, enabling the enclosure to sustain high-speed operation without thermal throttling. The lack of an active fan reduces power draw and potential mechanical failure points, aligning the product with professional needs for quiet and reliable operation.

The enclosure draws power entirely from its USB4 connection, operating at 5V and consuming up to 7.5W during active read/write workloads. In idle or hibernation mode, this drops to around 5.5W. The absence of a dedicated power supply simplifies setup and enhances portability, though it also means that connection stability is dependent on the host device’s USB port quality and adherence to USB4 or Thunderbolt specifications. This bus-powered approach makes the D1 SSD Plus practical for mobile workstations, ultrabooks, and modern desktops without spare power connections.

Component / Feature	Detail
Controller	ASMedia ASM2464PDX (USB4 to PCIe Gen 4×4 bridge)
Supported SSD Types	PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 only
Maximum Supported Capacity	8TB (single drive)
Lane Allocation	PCIe Gen 4×4
Cooling System	Passive aluminium heatsink with thermal pad contact
Power Source	Bus-powered via USB4 (5V)
Power Consumption	7.5W active, 5.5W hibernation
Thermal Management	Peak SSD temp ~45°C, enclosure ~42°C under sustained load

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Connection and Bandwidth

The D1 SSD Plus features a single USB Type-C port located at the rear of the enclosure, serving as its sole data and power interface. This port supports USB4 at 40Gbps, ensuring maximum compatibility with modern high-speed standards while maintaining backward support for Thunderbolt 5/4/3 and USB 3.x generations. This allows the enclosure to integrate into a range of environments, from the latest Apple Silicon systems to older Windows workstations. However, TerraMaster notes that certain Thunderbolt 3-equipped Windows PCs may lack complete USB4 protocol support, which can prevent the device from being recognised unless connected to a different port.

The included 0.3m USB4 cable is rated for the full 40Gbps bandwidth and supports up to 240W of power delivery, even though the enclosure itself draws only a fraction of that power. Its short length makes it well-suited for portable laptop-based workflows but less ideal for desktop systems that require longer reach. Users seeking more flexibility may need to source a third-party cable with equivalent specifications to maintain the enclosure’s full performance potential.

Given the high-speed nature of USB4, signal integrity is critical. The D1 SSD Plus uses a reinforced internal connector to reduce wear and maintain a stable connection over repeated cable insertions. Combined with the aluminium body’s shielding properties, this helps minimise data errors and interference, which is particularly relevant when transferring large multimedia files or working directly from the drive in editing software.

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Tests

In synthetic benchmarks, the D1 SSD Plus achieved results close to its advertised maximums when paired with a high-quality PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD. Using an AJA 1GB test file loop, sustained read speeds were observed between 3,000 and 3,100MB/s, with writes maintaining 2,550 to 2,600MB/s.

Peak measurements during testing reached 3.55GB/s for reads and 2.8GB/s for writes, confirming that the enclosure can deliver high throughput consistently without early throttling. Mixed workload tests, such as a 70/30 read/write access pattern, still sustained around 2,500MB/s, indicating balanced performance even under varied data operations.

CrystalDiskMark results mirrored the AJA findings, with sequential read speeds consistently exceeding 3,000MB/s and writes holding near 2,600MB/s in repeated trials. These figures place the D1 SSD Plus among the faster single-bay USB4 enclosures currently available, particularly in its ability to sustain speeds over prolonged activity. The stability here is largely attributed to the passive aluminium cooling, which prevented temperature-induced drops in transfer rates that are common in less thermally capable designs.

Real-world file transfers also reflected strong performance. A 100GB mixed-content dataset consisting of video clips, high-resolution images, PDFs, and documents transferred in 63 seconds, averaging 1.58GB/s over the duration. While this figure is lower than synthetic benchmark peaks, it remains well above the speeds of typical USB 3.2 enclosures, providing tangible time savings for users moving large batches of files. The ability to maintain high sustained write speeds is particularly beneficial for workflows such as direct-to-disk recording or continuous large dataset backups.

Temperature monitoring during performance testing showed the installed SSD peaking at 44–45°C after over five minutes of sustained large file writes, with the enclosure’s exterior registering around 41–42°C. These results suggest that the cooling system is sufficient to handle extended workloads without user intervention, making the D1 SSD Plus a viable option for scenarios where the drive may be used heavily for prolonged periods, such as editing directly from the external storage.

Terramaster D1 SSD Review – Verdict and Conclusion

The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus positions itself as a high-speed, bus-powered USB4 enclosure that places equal emphasis on sustained performance, heat management, and compatibility across multiple connection standards. Its integration of the ASMedia ASM2464PDX controller with a PCIe Gen 4×4 lane configuration ensures that it can fully utilise the available 40Gbps bandwidth when paired with a suitable SSD, avoiding the thermal throttling that can undermine performance in less capable enclosures. TerraMaster’s decision to openly publish controller details, lane allocation, and maximum tested speeds gives technically minded buyers more confidence in what the enclosure can achieve, and helps explain why it maintained stability during repeated multi-gigabyte transfer tests in your review. The combination of a compact footprint, aluminium passive cooling, and complete silence during operation makes it suitable not only for static desktop setups but also for field work, where portability and reliability matter. With support for capacities up to 8TB and a choice of file systems including NTFS, exFAT, APFS, and EXT4, it can be easily integrated into both macOS and Windows workflows without major reconfiguration.

There are, however, practical considerations for prospective buyers. The included 0.3m USB4 cable, while capable of full 40Gbps data rates and 240W power delivery, is short enough to be inconvenient for tower PC users or multi-device workstations, and replacing it with a certified high-speed cable may be necessary in such environments. Furthermore, although the enclosure can accept any PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 SSD, achieving top-tier performance depends on selecting a PCIe Gen 4×4 drive, as using Gen 3 or slower-lane SSDs can halve the potential throughput. Your review also highlighted that while TerraMaster frequently notes the importance of Gen 4 drives, they do not provide detailed compatibility charts or recommend specific models, which could help less experienced buyers avoid suboptimal results. In practice, the D1 SSD Plus delivers a combination of sustained speed, thermal efficiency, and solid build quality that positions it as a strong choice for video editors, media professionals, and advanced home users who require portable storage without sacrificing reliability or performance.

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La mise à jour KB5063878 de Windows 11 provoque des pannes de SSD lors d’écritures massives de données sur certains modèles de supports de stockage.

L’article La dernière mise à jour de Windows 11 peut tuer votre SSD est apparu en premier sur Tom’s Hardware.

Should You Buy the Terramaster F4 SSD NAS?

The TerraMaster F4 SSD is a 4-bay all-flash NAS aimed at home and prosumer users who want compact, quiet, and high-speed network storage based on SSD technology. Priced at $399, it represents the third entry in TerraMaster’s SSD-focused lineup, positioned below the larger 8-bay F8 SSD and the i5-powered F8 SSD Plus. This model is designed to deliver a balance between affordability and performance, featuring the Intel N95 quad-core processor, 8GB of DDR5 memory (upgradeable to 32GB), and four M.2 NVMe SSD slots across mixed-speed PCIe lanes. While its architecture targets lower power consumption and silent operation (rated at 19 dB in standby), it also integrates a 5GbE network port, USB 3.2 connectivity, and a toolless design to ease deployment. Designed for both turnkey usage with TerraMaster’s TOS 6 OS or as a flexible bare-metal option for TrueNAS or UnRAID, the F4 SSD sits at a crossroads between convenience and configurability—providing users with both preconfigured software and open-ended potential for third-party operating systems.

Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

The TerraMaster F4 SSD delivers a compelling package for users seeking an affordable, compact, and all-flash NAS solution with a strong blend of performance and usability. Its toolless, space-saving design makes installation easy, while the inclusion of four M.2 NVMe slots—two at PCIe 3.0 x2 and two at x1—offers fast storage potential, albeit with some asymmetry that could affect RAID performance in certain configurations. Powered by the efficient Intel N95 CPU and 8GB of DDR5 memory, the system supports multimedia streaming, Docker containers, virtual machines, and AI-powered photo indexing, all handled by the continually improving TOS 6 operating system. Key strengths include the 5GbE networking for faster data access, support for mixed-capacity SSDs via TRAID, and very low noise and power consumption, making it ideal for home environments. However, limitations such as the single network port with no redundancy, lack of ECC memory support, and the presence of mixed-speed NVMe slots may be off-putting to power users or small businesses seeking higher resilience and uniform throughput. Still, at $399, the F4 SSD offers a well-rounded balance of speed, features, and ease of use for home users, prosumers, and content creators who want SSD-level performance without the complexity or cost of higher-end systems.

SOFTWARE - 7/10

HARDWARE - 8/10

PERFORMANCE - 7/10

PRICE - 9/10

VALUE - 9/10

8.0

PROS

Compact, toolless chassis with easy-access thumb screw and SSD installation
All-flash NVMe architecture with support for four M.2 2280 SSDs
5GbE network port enables high-speed local and remote transfers
TRAID and TRAID+ allow mixed-capacity SSDs and seamless storage expansion
TOS 6 OS includes Plex, Jellyfin, Docker, VM support, and AI photo indexing
Quiet operation (19 dB) and low power usage (32W under load)
Priced competitively at $399 for a turnkey SSD NAS

CONS

Single 5GbE port with no failover or link aggregation
Two of the four SSD slots are limited to PCIe Gen3 x1, creating potential RAID bottlenecks
Non-ECC DDR5 memory may not meet strict data integrity requirements

Where to Buy a Product
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Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – Design and Storage

The TerraMaster F4 SSD adopts a compact, minimalist design that is clearly optimized for silent, flash-only operation. Measuring just 138mm x 60mm x 140mm and weighing 0.6 kg, it is one of the smallest 4-bay NAS chassis on the market, aided by its exclusive use of M.2 NVMe SSDs instead of traditional 3.5-inch hard drives. This all-flash design allows the chassis to maintain a reduced footprint while still offering significant internal capacity—up to 32TB using four 8TB drives. The unit features a clean, industrial aesthetic with smooth surfaces and subtle branding, aligning with TerraMaster’s recent design choices in their SSD NAS series. Importantly, the internal layout supports top-to-bottom convection airflow, with side ventilation and smart fan controls designed to balance cooling and acoustics.

Installation is clearly a design priority here. The F4 SSD uses a toolless construction held together by a single thumbscrew, allowing the user to remove the outer casing in seconds. Internally, SSDs are inserted via a pull-out drawer mechanism with dedicated mounting trays, and there’s ample clearance around each M.2 slot for installing large passive heatsinks.

Notably, the SSD slots are laid out in such a way that their orientation lines up directly with the two 50mm rear fans. These fans are positioned to channel airflow across both the SSDs and the large passive heatsink mounted over the Intel N95 CPU, ensuring that even under sustained workloads the thermals remain controlled without relying on noisy active cooling systems.

The internal storage configuration is somewhat mixed in terms of interface speed. Of the four M.2 slots, two operate over PCIe 3.0 x2 lanes, and two are limited to PCIe 3.0 x1. This introduces a disparity in potential transfer speeds—approximately 1.6GB/s per drive for the faster pair, and around 700-900MB/s for the slower ones.

While this approach is a practical trade-off due to CPU lane limitations, it may pose bottlenecks in RAID scenarios where all four drives are used in a single pool. However, for users willing to configure their SSDs into two independent volumes, or who rely on TerraMaster’s TRAID system with mixed-capacity drives, the system can still make efficient use of available bandwidth.

The F4 SSD supports a range of RAID configurations including TRAID, TRAID+, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10, as well as JBOD and single-drive modes. TRAID, TerraMaster’s hybrid RAID system, is especially notable here as it supports storage expansion using drives of different sizes—an advantage for users who plan to incrementally upgrade their SSDs over time. This flexibility is rare in entry-level NAS units, and helps avoid the traditional pitfalls of having to replace all drives at once in standard RAID arrays. The software layer automatically calculates parity and adjusts volume size without requiring complete data migration or reconfiguration.

From a practical perspective, the move to SSD-only architecture enables faster access times, reduced power usage, and significantly lower noise. TerraMaster reports a typical power draw of just 32W under full load with four SSDs, around 11-13W with all 4 SSD in a ‘read state’ with the CPU at sub 5%, and only 8W in complete hibernation. The fan noise sits below 19dB during idle operation, placing it among the quietest NAS units available. For environments such as living rooms or bedrooms where noise sensitivity is key, this silent thermal design makes the F4 SSD particularly well-suited for home multimedia centers and always-on photo backup servers.

Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – Internal Hardware

At the heart of the TerraMaster F4 SSD is the Intel N95 processor, a quad-core, four-thread CPU based on the Alder Lake-N architecture. Clocked at a base frequency of 1.7GHz with a boost up to 3.4GHz, it offers efficient processing power with a low 15W TDP, which contributes to the unit’s low thermal output and power consumption. While not designed for heavy computational workloads, the N95 supports Intel Quick Sync for hardware-accelerated video transcoding and includes integrated UHD graphics capable of handling 4K@60Hz decoding.

This makes the F4 SSD suitable for multimedia servers like Plex or Jellyfin, which are supported out of the box by TerraMaster’s TOS operating system. The CPU also provides nine PCIe Gen3 lanes for connecting NVMe drives, network interfaces, and USB ports—something that TerraMaster appears to have carefully balanced across components.

The system is equipped with 8GB of DDR5 memory pre-installed in a single SODIMM slot, with support for up to 32GB. The memory is non-ECC, which is expected for this price bracket and CPU class, though some users may view this as a drawback in data-critical environments. DDR5 support is a notable inclusion, offering higher bandwidth and lower power consumption than DDR4.

Because there is only a single memory slot, upgrades require replacing the pre-installed module entirely, but access is straightforward thanks to the removable chassis design. Combined with the N95 CPU and SSD storage, the memory allows for lightweight virtualization, Docker container deployment, and simultaneous access by multiple users—within the limitations of the CPU’s architecture.

Internally, the F4 SSD supports four M.2 2280 NVMe drives: two connected via PCIe 3.0 x2, and two via PCIe 3.0 x1. This setup is a direct consequence of the limited PCIe lane count on the N95 CPU, and reflects a compromise between cost and performance. While this layout means that users may encounter performance bottlenecks if building a single RAID array across all four slots, TerraMaster’s OS allows for flexible configuration, including the creation of separate volumes. The system also includes a substantial heatsink on the CPU and aligns airflow directly over both the CPU and storage bays. Together, these components form a power-efficient, quiet, and competent NAS platform optimized for SSD workloads.

Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – Ports and Connections

The TerraMaster F4 SSD is equipped with a practical selection of ports that reflect its mid-tier positioning. The standout feature is a single RJ-45 5GbE Ethernet port, offering five times the bandwidth of standard Gigabit connections and double that of 2.5GbE. This enables significantly faster file transfers when paired with compatible switches or direct-to-PC connections, making it a viable solution for photo and video editing over the network. However, the inclusion of only one network port—without redundancy or support for link aggregation—limits failover options and prevents more advanced networking setups, a drawback that may be felt in business or multi-user deployments. Users seeking dual LAN ports for redundancy or trunking will need to resort to USB-to-Ethernet adapters, which are supported via the system’s high-speed USB 3.2 ports.

In addition to its network interface, the F4 SSD features three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports rated at 10Gbps each—two Type-A and one Type-C. These ports support a variety of functions, including attaching external storage for backups, connecting USB-based 2.5GbE/5GbE adapters, or even interfacing with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). This level of connectivity is somewhat uncommon in compact SSD NAS systems and adds useful flexibility, particularly for users operating the unit as a personal cloud or remote access point. Notably absent, however, are legacy USB 2.0 ports or additional network expansion slots (such as PCIe or SFP+), which would have extended the F4 SSD’s upgradeability for more advanced users.

On the display side, the NAS includes a single HDMI 2.0b port, allowing for direct output of its graphical interface or multimedia playback, though this feature is seldom used in headless NAS operation. Still, its presence supports limited desktop use cases or direct-attached displays for VM consoles and Docker GUIs. Internally, the Intel N95 CPU provides up to three display outputs, but only one is exposed in this system. The absence of a VGA port, PCIe expansion slots, or front-facing ports keeps the design clean but does reduce options for advanced customization. Ultimately, the F4 SSD provides just enough I/O for mainstream home or small office use, while intentionally leaving out more enterprise-grade connectivity.

Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – TOS Software and Services

The TerraMaster F4 SSD ships with TOS 6, the company’s latest revision of its NAS operating system. TOS 6 has matured significantly compared to earlier versions, now offering a more stable and responsive interface with support for modern NAS functionality. The OS features a multi-window desktop-like environment accessible via browser, along with mobile and desktop clients for streamlined access.

The interface, though less polished than Synology’s DSM, has seen improvements in usability, with clearer organization of applications, settings, and user tools. Key system features include centralized backup, file indexing, user/group controls, and integrated snapshot functionality for shared folders and iSCSI volumes. For home users and prosumers, these updates represent a notable step forward, especially when paired with the low latency benefits of SSD storage.

Among TOS 6’s more prominent features is TRAID (TerraMaster RAID), a hybrid RAID system designed to offer flexible storage expansion and mixed-capacity drive support. Similar in principle to Synology’s SHR, TRAID allows users to start with a small number of SSDs and expand later with larger ones without reconfiguring the entire array.

This flexibility is especially useful in all-flash systems where high-capacity SSDs can be cost-prohibitive to install all at once. In addition to TRAID and TRAID+, the system also supports traditional RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10), JBOD, and single-drive configurations. Volume expansion, RAID migration, SSD TRIM, and S.M.A.R.T. monitoring are supported natively, along with scheduled snapshots and USB-based backups.

TOS 6 includes a growing suite of first- and third-party applications that address multimedia, surveillance, and cloud connectivity. The F4 SSD supports Plex Media Server, Jellyfin, Emby, and TerraMaster’s own Multimedia Server for DLNA/UPnP streaming. Users can also deploy Docker containers, virtual machines, and network services such as iSCSI, FTP, WebDAV, and VPN servers.

Multimedia support is further bolstered by hardware-accelerated 4K video decoding via the Intel UHD iGPU, making the NAS suitable as a home media hub. AI photo indexing is also integrated into Terra Photos, allowing automated categorization of people, pets, and scenes. For mobile users, the TNAS app offers automatic photo/video uploads and remote file access, enhancing backup automation and content management.

Enterprise and security features are present but modest. TOS 6 includes AES-encrypted folders, SSL certificate import, two-factor authentication, and alerting via email or desktop notifications. Integration with AD domains and LDAP clients is supported, but ECC memory is not, reflecting the system’s home and small-office focus. Additional cloud integration is provided via CloudSync, which supports Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, Dropbox, Baidu, and Alibaba Cloud.

For users requiring simple hybrid-cloud backups or syncing across multiple platforms, this unified interface is functional and sufficient. While TOS lacks the enterprise depth of some competing NAS platforms, its overall range of applications and services is now competitive for most home or light professional needs.

Terramaster F4 SSD NAS Review – Verdict and Conclusion

The TerraMaster F4 SSD presents itself as a well-considered entry into the compact, all-flash NAS segment, balancing low noise, energy efficiency, and competitive performance at a sub-$400 price point. With its fanless NVMe-based design, Intel N95 quad-core processor, and DDR5 memory, it meets the essential needs of home and small office users looking for a reliable and responsive storage solution. The inclusion of TerraMaster’s increasingly capable TOS 6 operating system, featuring AI-driven photo management, centralized backup, and Docker/VM support, makes it more than just a network storage device—it becomes a lightweight but versatile data center for the home. Its TRAID support allows for mixed SSD deployments with easy expansion, which is particularly attractive to users upgrading gradually or working within budget constraints. The thoughtful internal layout and cooling also ensure performance remains consistent even under sustained load, without sacrificing the near-silent operation.

However, the F4 SSD is not without caveats. The use of a single 5GbE port, without redundancy or aggregation, may deter users requiring network failover or higher throughput for simultaneous operations. Additionally, although the PCIe lane allocation strategy maximizes the N95’s limited bandwidth, the asymmetry between Gen3 x2 and x1 slots could bottleneck RAID performance depending on how volumes are configured. When compared to the larger F8 SSD or DIY options with dual 10GbE or ECC support, the F4 SSD may feel limiting to power users or business environments with stricter reliability requirements. That said, for the vast majority of home users, content creators, and prosumers looking for an all-in-one, high-speed NAS that blends well into living spaces, the F4 SSD delivers a solid and accessible solution. Its price-to-performance ratio, combined with the simplicity of deployment and maturing software ecosystem, makes it a compelling option in the growing market of SSD NAS devices.

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Want to follow specific category? Also Read...Week 33 Tech Roundup – TerraTerramaster D1 SSD ReviewTerramaster D4 SSD USB4 Box ReTerramaster D4 SSD ReviewTerramaster D1 SSD ReviewTerramaster F4 SSD NAS ReviewTerramaster Prime Day 2025 - ATerramaster Prime Day 2025 - ASynology vs Terramaster NAS - Synology vs Terramaster in 202 Subscribe You can also follow specific search terms:

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

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If you like this service, please consider supporting us. We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service check HEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check Fiver Have you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here  

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Use Whatever Hard Drives or SSDs on Your Synology NAS (2025 Guide)

Note – there is a YouTube tutorial version of this guide HERE on the NASCompares YouTube Channel

Synology’s 2025 generation of NAS systems, such as the DS925+ and other Plus series models, introduced a more restrictive approach to drive compatibility. Unlike previous generations, these devices enforce a compatibility check that blocks or limits functionality when non-Synology hard drives or SSDs are used. As a result, users are unable to install DSM, create storage pools, or configure caching volumes using unverified drives. Even drives that work in earlier Synology models are now flagged as unsupported, resulting in persistent alerts or outright refusal to function. This guide provides a complete walkthrough for users who want to bypass those restrictions and enable full usage of third-party SATA and NVMe drives, including for pools, volumes, hot spares, and cache. It includes step-by-step instructions on how to install DSM with only unverified drives, how to remove system warnings, and how to automate the process for future updates or drive additions. The solutions here rely on trusted scripts developed by the Synology community and require minimal system modification, allowing users to regain control over their own hardware.

Special Thanks to Dave Russell

The ability to bypass Synology’s restrictive drive compatibility checks would not be possible without the extensive work of Dave Russell, widely known in the Synology community as 007revad. His GitHub project, Synology_HDD_db, is the basis for all the procedures outlined in this guide. The script he developed modifies DSM’s internal compatibility database, enabling full functionality for otherwise unsupported HDDs, SSDs, and NVMe drives. Dave has not only written and maintained this complex script, but also ensured that it works across different NAS models and DSM versions, including DSM 7.2 and newer. He continues to improve the tool in response to Synology firmware changes, regularly providing updates and extended options such as M.2 volume support and WDDA disablement. Users are strongly encouraged to consult the official GitHub repository, follow the provided documentation, and, where possible, support his ongoing work HERE, which remains freely available to the broader NAS community.

MASSIVE Disclaimer

Modifying your Synology NAS to allow the use of unverified drives is not officially supported by Synology. By applying the changes described in this guide, you will be altering system files and bypassing built-in compatibility checks within DSM. While these changes are reversible and have been widely tested, doing so may void your Synology warranty or affect your ability to receive technical support from the manufacturer, even in cases unrelated to storage. Additionally, although the script-based method described here is non-destructive and has proven safe for many users, there is always a minimal risk of issues following DSM updates or hardware changes. You should not proceed unless you have full backups of your data and are comfortable with SSH and terminal operations. This guide is intended for advanced users, system integrators, or home NAS enthusiasts who understand the risks and accept responsibility for operating outside of official Synology support channels.

How to Set Up a Synology NAS with No Drives Installed to Allow DSM Installation

Synology’s 2025 and later Plus-series NAS systems will not allow DSM installation if only unverified drives are present. However, it is possible to bypass this limitation and install DSM without using any Synology-branded or officially supported drives. The method involves enabling Telnet access and overriding the drive compatibility check during the DSM installation process.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Physically set up your NAS

  • Connect the NAS to your local network using Ethernet.

  • Ensure the device is powered on, even if no drives are installed or only unverified drives are present.

• Attempt initial DSM setup

  • Use Synology Assistant or go to http://find.synology.com to locate your NAS.

  • Proceed through the DSM installation wizard. You will likely encounter an error indicating that the inserted drive(s) are unsupported.

• Enable Telnet access

  • In a browser, navigate to:
    http://<NAS-IP>:5000/webman/start_telnet.cgi
    Replace <NAS-IP> with the actual IP address of your NAS.

• Connect via Telnet

  • Open a Telnet client like PuTTY.

  • Enter your NAS IP address and connect via Telnet.

  • When prompted, use:

    • Username: root

    • Password: 101-0101 (default for this Telnet interface)

• Bypass installation check

  • Enter the following command into the Telnet window:

    while true; do touch /tmp/installable_check_pass; sleep 1; done


  • This creates a temporary flag that bypasses the system’s compatibility verification loop.

• Return to the DSM install page

  • Refresh the browser window where you began the DSM setup.

  • DSM will now allow installation to proceed, even on unverified drives.

• Finish DSM setup

  • Complete the DSM installation.

  • Create your admin user account when prompted.

  • You can now access the full DSM interface.

Once DSM is installed, you can proceed to apply the permanent drive compatibility fixes, create storage pools, and remove warning banners—all covered in the next section.

How to Allow Unverified HDDs or SSDs to Be Used for Storage Pools, Volumes, and Caching (and Remove Warnings)

Once DSM is installed, unverified drives will still be blocked from creating storage pools, volumes, or caches. Even if the system boots, Storage Manager will display warnings or greyed-out options. To unlock full functionality, you must apply a community-developed script that updates DSM’s internal drive compatibility database. This section outlines how to download, apply, and validate that change.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Enable SSH on your NAS
  • In DSM, go to Control Panel > Terminal & SNMP > Terminal.
  • Enable SSH service and click Apply.

• Prepare SSH access
  • Use PuTTY (or your preferred SSH client) to connect to your NAS.
  • Log in using your DSM administrator username and password (not root at this stage).
• Create working directory
  • Once connected, elevate to root:

    sudo -i
    

  • Create the required folder:

    mkdir -m775 /opt
    cd /opt
    

• Download the required scripts
  • Run the following commands to download the latest versions directly from Dave Russell’s GitHub:

    curl -O "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/007revad/Synology_HDD_db/refs/heads/main/syno_hdd_db.sh"
    curl -O "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/007revad/Synology_HDD_db/refs/heads/main/syno_hdd_vendor_ids.txt"
    chmod 750 /opt/syno_hdd_db.sh
    

• Run the script
  • Execute the script to patch the drive database:

    /opt/syno_hdd_db.sh
    

  • The script will detect your NAS model, DSM version, and connected drives. It will then add those drives to the compatibility database and back up the original files.

• Check Storage Manager
  • Return to DSM’s Storage Manager.
  • If changes are not immediately visible, reboot your NAS.
  • You should now be able to create storage pools, volumes, and SSD caches with unverified drives, without warning messages.
• Optional: Disable compatibility warnings completely
  • To stop future drive alerts from DSM, you may also want to run:

    /usr/syno/bin/synosetkeyvalue /etc.defaults/synoinfo.conf support_disk_compatibility no
    

At this point, all third-party drives currently installed in the system will be fully usable and recognized as supported. The next section explains how to add additional unverified drives later and have them automatically accepted.

What to Do When Adding New HDDs or SSDs Later for Expansion, Replacement, or Hot Spares

After your initial setup and database modification, any newly added unverified drives will still appear as unsupported in DSM until they are explicitly added to the modified compatibility database. This section outlines how to safely introduce new drives for RAID expansion, hot spare assignment, or disk replacement without encountering blockages or warning messages.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Physically install the new drive(s)
  • Power down your NAS if required (for systems that don’t support hot-swapping).
  • Insert the new unverified HDDs or SSDs into available bays.
  • Power the NAS back on and log in to DSM.
• Check Storage Manager
  • Go to Storage Manager > HDD/SSD.
  • Newly added drives will appear but will be marked as “Not supported” or “Unverified.”
  • They will not be usable for volume expansion or as hot spares until added to the compatibility list.
• Reconnect via SSH
  • Use PuTTY or your SSH client to log into DSM with your admin credentials.
  • Elevate to root access:

    sudo -i
    

• Navigate to the working directory
  • Assuming you previously created /opt and stored the script there:

    cd /opt
    

• Run the update script again
  • This re-applies the database patch and includes newly inserted drives:

    ./syno_hdd_db.sh

1. Verify drive status
   • Go back to Storage Manager.
   • Refresh the page or reboot the NAS if needed.
   • The newly added drives should now appear as compatible and can be used for expansion, drive replacement, or assigned as hot spares.

This process can be repeated anytime new unverified drives are introduced. However, to avoid having to manually re-run the script every time, the next section covers how to set up a scheduled task that automates this during every system boot.

How to Set Up a Scheduled Task to Re-Apply the Fix on Every Reboot

Synology DSM updates or certain system operations can overwrite or reset the internal compatibility database, especially after version upgrades or service restarts. To ensure that unverified drives remain recognized and fully functional even after a reboot, you can configure a scheduled task that automatically re-applies the compatibility script at every startup.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Log in to DSM and open Task Scheduler
  • Go to Control Panel > Task Scheduler.
  • Click Create > Triggered Task > User-defined script.
• Configure the general settings
  • Task Name: Name it something descriptive like Drive Compatibility Patch.
  • User: Select root from the dropdown (this is essential for full system access).
  • Event: Select Boot-up so the script runs every time the NAS starts.
  • Leave Enabled checked.

• Set the script action
  • Click on the Task Settings tab.
  • In the User-defined script box, enter the following command:

    mkdir -m775 /opt
    cd /opt || (echo "Failed to CD to /opt"; exit 1)
    curl -O "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/007revad/Synology_HDD_db/refs/heads/main/syno_hdd_db.sh"
    curl -O "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/007revad/Synology_HDD_db/refs/heads/main/syno_hdd_vendor_ids.txt"
    chmod 750 /opt/syno_hdd_db.sh
    /opt/syno_hdd_db.sh -e
    

  • This ensures the script is always downloaded fresh and applied with the -e flag for compatibility with scheduled tasks and email output (if enabled).
• Optional email notifications
  • Still under Task Settings, you can enable email alerts to be notified if the script fails or terminates abnormally.
• Save and test
  • Click OK to save the task.
  • You can manually run the task to confirm it executes correctly.
  • Reboot the NAS to ensure the script is applied at boot and unverified drives remain fully usable.

This scheduled task ensures long-term reliability and reduces the need for manual intervention whenever DSM is restarted, updated, or new drives are introduced.

Synology’s decision to restrict drive compatibility in its 2025 and later NAS models has complicated matters for users who prefer flexibility in their storage choices. However, through a combination of Telnet access, SSH scripting, and community-built tools like Dave Russell’s syno_hdd_db.sh, it is entirely possible to restore full drive functionality—even when using completely unverified SATA or NVMe devices. By following the steps outlined in this guide, users can install DSM on unverified drives, create storage pools, use SSDs for caching, and expand or modify their RAID configurations without limitations. Setting up an automated scheduled task further ensures these capabilities persist through reboots and DSM updates. While Synology may eventually broaden official support, this method provides a reliable and reversible way to maintain full control over your hardware today.

Should You Buy the Synology DS925+ NAS?

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
Check Amazon in Your Region for the Synology DS925+ NAS	Check B&H for the Synology DS925+ NAS	Check Amazon in Your Region for the Synology DS923+ NAS	Check B&H for the Synology DS923+ NAS

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Synology Hard Drives and SSD Comparison with Seagate/WD/Toshiba and More – Deal Breaker?

In recent years, Synology has steadily moved toward a more vertically integrated hardware ecosystem, and the arrival of the 2025 generation of NAS systems marks a significant escalation in that approach. With a much stricter verification process for compatible storage media—covering both hard drives and SSDs—Synology now appears to heavily prioritize its own branded storage. This shift has sparked widespread debate across the NAS community, particularly as many long-time users of Seagate IronWolf, WD Red, and Toshiba NAS drives find themselves increasingly locked out of certain key features like RAID expansion, hot spare assignment, and recovery operations unless using “verified” drives. What’s more, while some of Synology’s media are rebranded and firmware-modified versions of familiar drives from Seagate and Toshiba, the pricing and compatibility limitations often leave users puzzled—and frustrated.

In response to growing user concern, we conducted a comparison of Synology’s drive lineup against the current offerings from Seagate, WD, and Kingston—analyzing each in terms of price per terabyte, real-world performance, durability specifications, and availability. Drawing from direct benchmarking, manufacturer datasheets, and controlled NAS testing environments, this article aims to answer a key question: is Synology’s branded media actually worth the premium? While some users may welcome the simplicity of a one-brand ecosystem, others are understandably wary of higher costs, limited SKU availability, and the potential long-term implications of vendor lock-in. Let’s break down what Synology drives really offer—and where they fall short—compared to the tried and tested alternatives on the market.

Synology Hard Drives and SSDs – What Drives Are There to Buy?

Synology’s storage media catalog is divided across value, prosumer, enterprise SATA, and SAS hard drives, alongside both SATA and NVMe SSDs. While these drives carry the Synology name and firmware, they are not designed or manufactured in-house. Instead, Synology rebrands OEM hardware from established vendors: Toshiba for the enterprise SATA and SAS drives, Seagate for the value-tier NAS HDDs, and Phison-based platforms for SSDs. The internal firmware is customized by Synology to integrate tightly with DSM, and in some cases, to restrict compatibility to only their branded drives within the latest 2025 NAS systems.

The naming scheme makes it easier to distinguish between drive classes:

• HAT for SATA NAS hard drives

• HAS for SAS enterprise drives

• SAT for SATA SSDs

• SNV for NVMe SSDs

This segmentation aims to help users align their hardware with expected durability (e.g. workload in TB/year), power loss protection, and RAID integration. However, it’s worth noting that several of these drives are virtually identical to third-party counterparts—particularly in the HAT3300 and HAT3310 lines, which closely mirror Seagate IronWolf models down to mechanical structure and spec. Despite this, third-party versions of those drives remain incompatible with key RAID features on the latest Synology systems unless they are officially “verified.”

Synology NAS HDDs – HAT Series (SATA)

Model	Capacity	Price (USD)	$/TB
HAT3300	2TB	$84.99	$42.50
	4TB	$99.99	$25.00
	6TB	$149.99	$25.00
HAT3310	8TB	$199.99	$25.00
	12TB	$269.99	$22.50
	12TB (2-Pack)	$539.98	$22.50
	16TB	$299.99	$18.75
HAT5300 (Enterprise, Toshiba)	12TB	$449.99	$37.50
	16TB	$579.99	$36.25
HAT5310	8TB	$299.99	$37.50
	20TB	$719.99	$36.00

Synology SAS HDDs – HAS Series

Model	Capacity	Price (USD)	$/TB
HAS5300	8TB	$299.99	$37.50
	12TB	$459.99	$38.33
	16TB	$699.99	$43.75
HAS5310	20TB	$829.99	$41.50

Synology SATA SSDs – SAT Series

Model	Capacity	Price (USD)	$/TB
SAT5210	7TB	$1,859.99	$265.71
SAT5221	480GB	$169.99	$354.15
	960GB	$299.99	$312.49
	1.92TB	$529.99	$276.04
	3.84TB	$979.99	$255.20

Synology NVMe SSDs – SNV Series

Model	Capacity	Price (USD)	$/TB
SNV3410	400GB	$139.99	$349.98
	800GB	$269.99	$337.49
SNV3510	400GB	$174.99	$437.48
	800GB	$299.99	$374.99

While Synology’s branding suggests ecosystem cohesion, it’s essential to recognize that their drive firmware is not engineered for general-purpose systems. These drives are optimized—and in some cases restricted—for Synology NAS environments. However, performance benchmarks show that Synology drives often perform equivalently or slightly below their third-party counterparts in synthetic and real-world tests. Moreover, price comparisons reveal a 5–15% markup on average in the value tier, and significantly higher deltas—often exceeding 30–40%—in the enterprise-class and SSD segments. Combined with regional supply inconsistencies and limited SKU availability, the value proposition of Synology-branded drives remains hotly debated, especially when identical hardware from Seagate or Toshiba can be purchased for less—if only the 2025 NAS series would support them natively.

Synology Hard Drives and SSDs vs Seagate, WD, etc – Price per TB and Value

When it comes to entry-level NAS hard drives, the price differences between Synology’s HAT3300 and HAT3310 series and their third-party equivalents—such as Seagate IronWolf and WD Red Plus—are generally modest. In most cases, the cost per terabyte (TB) stays within a 0% to 15% margin, with Synology’s versions sitting slightly higher. For casual or home users who just want a drive that “just works” out of the box and benefits from firmware-level integration with DSM, that small premium might feel justifiable.

But the story changes dramatically as we move into prosumer and enterprise territory. Drives like the Synology HAT5300 and HAS5300 series can cost 40%–50% more than Seagate IronWolf Pro, WD Red Pro, or Seagate Exos alternatives—despite sharing the same mechanical internals in many cases. These aren’t just marginal differences; when you’re building a multi-drive RAID array with 12TB or 16TB drives, that pricing gap quickly snowballs into hundreds or even thousands of dollars extra. And this is particularly frustrating when, for example, Synology’s 12TB HAT5300 (built on Toshiba hardware) costs nearly double what a comparable IronWolf Pro sells for, despite similar endurance ratings and warranty terms.

Entry-Level NAS HDDs – Synology vs Seagate & WD

Synology Model	Capacity	Synology Price	Synology $/TB	3rd Party Equivalent	3rd Party Price	$/TB	% Difference
HAT3300	2TB	$84.99	$42.50	WD Red Plus 2TB	$79.99	$40.00	-5.9%
HAT3300	4TB	$99.99	$25.00	Seagate IronWolf 4TB	$84.99	$21.25	-15.0%
HAT3300	4TB	$99.99	$25.00	WD Red Plus 4TB	$99.99	$25.00	0.0%
HAT3300	6TB	$149.99	$25.00	Seagate IronWolf 6TB	$139.99	$23.33	-6.7%
HAT3310	8TB	$199.99	$25.00	WD Red Plus 8TB	$179.99	$22.50	-10.0%
HAT3310	12TB	$269.99	$22.50	Seagate IronWolf 12TB	$239.99	$20.00	-11.1%

Prosumer NAS HDDs – Synology vs Seagate & WD

Synology Model	Capacity	Synology Price	Synology $/TB	3rd Party Equivalent	3rd Party Price	$/TB	% Difference
HAT5300	12TB	$449.99	$37.50	IronWolf Pro 12TB	$249.99	$20.83	-44.4%
HAT5300	16TB	$579.99	$36.25	WD Red Pro 16TB	$349.99	$21.87	-39.7%
HAT5310	20TB	$719.99	$36.00	Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB	$399.99	$20.00	-44.4%

Enterprise SAS HDDs – Synology vs Seagate Exos

Synology Model	Capacity	Synology Price	Synology $/TB	3rd Party Equivalent	3rd Party Price	$/TB	% Difference
HAS5300	8TB	$299.99	$37.50	Seagate Exos 7E10	$259.99	$32.50	-13.3%
HAS5300	16TB	$699.99	$43.75	Seagate Exos X18	$369.99	$23.12	-47.1%
HAS5310	20TB	$829.99	$41.50	Exos X20	$499.99	$25.00	-39.8%

Enterprise SATA SSDs – Synology vs Kingston

Synology Model	Capacity	Synology Price	Synology $/TB	3rd Party Equivalent	3rd Party Price	$/TB	% Difference
SAT5221	480GB	$169.99	$354.15	Kingston DC600M	$102.99	$214.56	-39.4%
SAT5221	3.84TB	$979.99	$255.21	Kingston DC600M	$522.99	$136.20	-46.6%
SAT5210	7TB	$1859.99	$265.71	Kingston DC600M (7.68TB)	$955.99	$124.48	-48.6%

NVMe SSDs – Synology vs WD Red SN700

Synology Model	Capacity	Synology Price	Synology $/TB	3rd Party Equivalent	3rd Party Price	$/TB	% Difference
SNV3410	800GB	$269.99	$337.49	WD Red SN700 1TB	$139.99	$139.99	-48.1%
SNV3510	800GB	$299.99	$374.99	WD Red SN700 1TB	$139.99	$139.99	-53.3%

In short, while Synology’s drives are built on reputable platforms and do offer advantages like verified DSM integration and predictable firmware behavior, the value proposition becomes questionable—especially in higher capacities and enterprise deployments. For many users, especially SMBs and home power users deploying multi-drive setups, that extra 40–50% markup can be hard to justify. When the mechanical hardware is near-identical and the only major differentiator is firmware control, it’s no wonder many are pushing back against this pricing structure.)

SYNOLOGY DSM Storage Manager Benchmarks (1st and 3rd Party Drive Media)

Zoom in to see the results. IMPORTANT that you keep in mind that these SSDs and HDDs are different capacities and therefore direct comparison and correlation between their performance is not fair – I include these because I think it is important to compare the general gist of using Synology HDD media in a system and then alternatives, but measured with Synology’s in-system tools. Larger capacities mostly tend to yeald better results in any brand of drive (not a ‘do-or-die’ rule, but generally true).

SYNOLOGY HAT3300 HDD	Seagate Ironwolf HDD
SYNOLOGY HAT5300 HDD	Seagate EXOS HDD
SYNOLOGY SAT5200 SSD	Kingston DC600 SATA SSD
SYNOLOGY M.2 NVMe SSD	TeamGroup T-Create Gen3 M.2 SSD

Synology Hard Drives and SSDs vs Seagate, WD, etc – Performance

IMPORTANT – In the process of upscaling the test result images (as there is a lot crammed in, so I have included the slightly blurred ones here) but I and will replace these with upscaled versions as soon as possible.

When it comes to performance, Synology’s hard drives and SSDs generally stay within expected ranges for their class—but with some caveats. Most of their HDDs mirror the performance of the OEM drives they’re based on, particularly in the HAT3300 and HAT3310 lines, which perform nearly identically to WD Red Plus and Seagate IronWolf models. You’re looking at familiar specs here: 5400–7200 RPM spin speeds, ~200–280MB/s sequential transfer rates, and ~180TB/yr workload ratings. That’s no surprise, considering these are essentially Seagate or Toshiba drives with Synology firmware and branding. Where things start to scale up, like in the HAT5300 and HAS5300 series, the specs remain on par with their higher-end third-party equivalents. These drives offer 550TB/year workloads, 7200 RPM motors, and MTBF figures around 2.5 million hours—just like IronWolf Pro, WD Red Pro, or Seagate Exos. But Synology currently tops out at 20TB in both SATA and SAS drives, while the competition is already pushing 22TB, 24TB, and even 26TB models. So, if you’re planning a high-capacity build, Synology might already be limiting your options on sheer scale alone.

NAS HDDs – Capacity, Performance, Endurance & Class Comparison

Model	Capacity Range	Max Transfer Rate	Spindle Speed	Workload	MTBF	Class
Synology HAT3300	2–6TB	202 MB/s	5400/7200 RPM	180 TB/yr	1M hrs	Entry NAS
WD Red Plus	2–14TB	260 MB/s	5400/7200 RPM	180 TB/yr	1M hrs	Entry NAS
Seagate IronWolf	2–12TB	210 MB/s	5400/7200 RPM	180 TB/yr	1M hrs	Entry NAS
Synology HAT3310	8–16TB	281 MB/s	7200 RPM	180 TB/yr	1M hrs	Entry NAS
Synology HAT5300	4–20TB	281 MB/s	7200 RPM	550 TB/yr	2.5M hrs	Prosumer
IronWolf Pro	2–24TB	285 MB/s	7200 RPM	550 TB/yr	2.5M hrs	Prosumer
WD Red Pro	2–26TB	287 MB/s	7200 RPM	550 TB/yr	2.5M hrs	Prosumer
Synology HAS5300	8–20TB	281 MB/s	7200 RPM	550 TB/yr	2.5M hrs	Enterprise SAS
Seagate Exos	12–24TB	285 MB/s	7200 RPM	550 TB/yr	2.5M hrs	Enterprise SAS

Performance parity continues with Synology’s SATA SSDs. The SAT5221 and SAT5210 series are very close in spec to Kingston’s DC600M drives, offering similar read/write speeds, IOPS performance, and endurance levels. The SAT5210 even pushes into ultra-DWPD territory, boasting up to 10,000 TBW and higher daily write thresholds, which is competitive in the enterprise space. If you need high write endurance and steady power loss protection, these drives tick the right boxes.

The gap, however, opens up in the NVMe tier. Synology’s SNV3400 and SNV3500 drives fall short compared to third-party NVMe SSDs like the WD Red SN700. While Synology focuses on endurance, PLP (power loss protection), and integration with DSM caching features, the performance ceiling on these drives is noticeably lower—both in terms of sequential throughput and IOPS. Capacities also top out at 800GB, while others offer 1TB and beyond with faster read/write performance. So if you’re after speed or larger NVMe caching pools, Synology’s current options may feel behind the curve.

SATA & NVMe SSDs – Synology vs Kingston

In short, Synology’s drives generally deliver solid, reliable performance that matches their third-party foundations—but the benefits of full DSM compatibility come with a trade-off. While the SATA range holds its ground, the NVMe lineup is due for an update if Synology wants to stay competitive against higher-capacity, higher-speed SSDs now widely available elsewhere. If performance is your main concern, particularly for NVMe caching or flash-heavy tasks, third-party options may be a better fit unless full integration is a must-have.

Synology Hard Drives and SSDs Guide – The Good and the Bad

In reviewing Synology’s lineup of hard drives and SSDs, it’s clear that the hardware itself is solid—built on trusted OEM foundations and tuned to work seamlessly within DSM environments. From a compatibility and reliability standpoint, these drives do offer advantages, particularly for users who want an integrated, no-hassle deployment. That said, these benefits come with notable trade-offs. In many cases, Synology’s drives are mechanically identical to models from Seagate, Toshiba, or Phison, yet priced significantly higher—especially in the enterprise and NVMe tiers. While some of that premium may be justified by firmware-level integration, PLP, or simplified support paths, the cost disparity is hard to ignore for experienced users already comfortable with third-party hardware.

Ultimately, the decision to adopt Synology-branded drives will depend on your priorities. If you’re building a system where out-of-the-box compatibility, long-term support, and unified ecosystem control are paramount, Synology’s media may be a safe bet—albeit at a higher packaged price. But if your focus is on maximizing performance per dollar, scaling capacity, or customizing your setup beyond Synology’s verified list, third-party alternatives remain the more flexible and cost-effective choice. Until Synology expands their verified media list and adjusts regional pricing or availability, many users will continue to see these drives not as a value-add, but as an imposed requirement.

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The Synology DS925+ versus QNAP TS-464 – Buy NEW or Buy QNAP?

Every so often in the NAS market, a new model arrives that challenges not just its predecessors but also its closest competitors. With the 2025 release of the Synology DS925+, buyers now face an interesting dilemma: go with Synology’s latest compact powerhouse, or choose QNAP’s TS-464—a device that has already proven itself since its release in 2022/2023 and offers a wide array of features at a competitive price. The DS925+ brings notable upgrades to CPU architecture, system memory scalability, and integration within Synology’s tightly controlled ecosystem. Meanwhile, the TS-464 has spent years benefiting from firmware maturity, PCIe expandability, and a more open hardware approach that appeals to power users and tinkerers alike. But which device is ultimately the better buy in 2025? Should you embrace Synology’s ecosystem with its newer, high-performance release, or does QNAP’s more versatile and budget-friendly offering still hold strong in the face of newer competition? Let’s dive into the details to help you decide which NAS deserves your next investment.

Synology DS925+ vs QNAP TS-464 – Hardware Specifications

When placing the 2025 Synology DS925+ alongside the 2022/2023 QNAP TS-464, one might expect the newer model to clearly dominate in every area. But hardware comparisons in the NAS market are rarely so simple. While both units are aimed at tech-savvy home users and small businesses looking for reliable, always-on storage solutions, their approaches to hardware—and the user needs they prioritize—are noticeably different. The DS925+ emphasizes streamlined performance, reduced noise, and integration within Synology’s tightly managed ecosystem. The QNAP TS-464, meanwhile, leans into raw hardware flexibility, DIY expandability, and a more open feature set for power users. Below is a detailed hardware breakdown of both NAS devices, showing where each shines and where compromises were made.

The DS925+ delivers a refined hardware experience out of the box, with its newer AMD Embedded Ryzen V1500B 4 Core/ 8 thread processor, dual 2.5GbE ports for faster LAN connectivity, and modern I/O including USB-C. It features two M.2 NVMe slots (for cache only, unless you use the Synology SNV3400 drives from Synology), dual memory slots supporting up to 32GB of ECC DDR4 RAM, and a compact metal chassis designed for quiet, efficient operation. It also runs cooler and quieter than many of its rivals, making it an ideal fit for environments where noise levels matter—such as living rooms, home studios, or small offices. This makes the DS925+ a “plug-and-play” NAS with premium internal components and minimal need for user intervention.

By contrast, the QNAP TS-464 takes a more modular, expandable approach. Powered by the Intel Celeron N5105/N5095 CPU (a quad-core processor with integrated graphics, but only 4 threads), it offers HDMI 2.0 output, two M.2 PCIe Gen3 x1 slots (which can be used for either caching or storage pools), and a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot for optional 10GbE or more M.2s, USB expansion, or even GPU cards. QNAP also includes dual 2.5GbE ports, putting it on par with the DS925+ in terms of network speed, but it edges ahead in overall hardware adaptability. Want multimedia output via HDMI? QNAP has it. Want to add NVMe storage pools or real-time transcoding? QNAP supports that too. That said, the TS-464 is based on a slightly older CPU architecture, lacks ECC memory support, and typically generates more fan noise under load. Additionally, its OS and ecosystem are broader in scope but often require more manual setup. Ultimately, the DS925+ is purpose-built for those who prioritize a quiet, polished, and simplified experience with modern performance. The TS-464, on the other hand, remains an excellent choice for users who prefer control, multimedia support, and greater hardware flexibility. Choosing between them largely depends on whether you value Synology’s stability and turnkey design, or QNAP’s freedom and potential.

AMD V1500B vs Intel N5105 – CPU Specifications (Synology DS925+ vs QNAP TS-464)

In any NAS system, the processor plays a pivotal role in determining the scope of functionality—whether it’s managing multiple concurrent users, running virtual machines, powering AI-driven applications, or simply handling encrypted transfers and background tasks efficiently. The Synology DS925+ and the QNAP TS-464 take noticeably different approaches in this regard. The DS925+ features the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1500B, a server-grade SoC designed for sustained multi-threaded workloads. The TS-464, on the other hand, runs on the Intel Celeron N5105, a more consumer-oriented chip that prioritizes integrated multimedia support and power efficiency. While both CPUs are quad-core, their architecture, instruction set, and target use cases diverge sharply—affecting not only raw processing, but also the capabilities unlocked within DSM and QTS/QuTS, respectively.

In terms of raw specs, the V1500B offers 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 2.2GHz and support for ECC memory—a key advantage for mission-critical environments. This CPU is built for multitasking and thrives in scenarios involving virtual machines, container services, and intensive file indexing or backup operations. As a result, the DS925+ supports up to 8 concurrent virtual machines, 8 virtual DSM instances, and higher thresholds for connected users across Synology apps. It is better suited to offices or power users who rely on services like Synology Office, Drive, or Surveillance Station running in tandem. The system handles up to 150 Synology Chat users, 80 Office users, and 80 Drive users, offering excellent multitasking performance with low overhead.

The QNAP TS-464’s Intel N5105 is a 10nm Jasper Lake processor, also quad-core but without hyper-threading and with a slightly lower base clock (2.0GHz). However, it includes integrated Intel UHD Graphics, giving it one key advantage the DS925+ lacks: hardware-accelerated video transcoding via QNAP’s own QuMagie, Video Station, and especially Plex Media Server with support for on-the-fly 1080p and 4K decoding when paired with proper client-side licensing. This makes the TS-464 ideal for multimedia-heavy environments. Beyond media, the N5105 powers QTS and QuTS hero with access to QNAP’s broader and often more modular ecosystem. This includes Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS 3) for unified backup and disaster recovery, QuDedup for deduplicated snapshot replication, QVR Elite and QVR Pro for professional-grade surveillance (supporting multiple IP camera licenses natively), and AI Core features like face recognition and event detection when paired with the QuMagie or QVR Human apps. The TS-464 also supports Virtualization Station, enabling users to run lightweight Linux or Windows VMs with direct passthrough access to USB or PCIe devices, and Container Station, which offers both Docker and LXC container compatibility with GPU passthrough for NPU-based AI inference workloads. Thanks to the included PCIe Gen 3 x2 slot, the system supports optional upgrades like 10GbE NICs, QM2 expansion cards (for M.2 SSD or additional 2.5GbE/10GbE ports), or even Wi-Fi 6 cards, something entirely absent in the DS925+. Additionally, QNAP allows direct output to an external display via HDMI 2.0, enabling standalone use of HD Station apps like Chrome, LibreOffice, Kodi, and even Linux desktop environments — a feature highly prized in HTPC and security NVR deployments. Users can leverage Linux Station to run full Ubuntu VMs locally, or install Ubuntu Core through the App Center for custom development or edge AI inference scenarios.

Taken together, the TS-464 may not support the same high virtual machine/user count as the DS925+, but it compensates with a broader set of integrated appliances catering to power users, home labs, edge AI, and media-heavy deployments. It’s a more “tinker-friendly” platform, favoring flexibility and breadth over centralized system control and vertical integration. If you need an appliance that works across entertainment, security, and hybrid cloud workflows, with room for add-on functionality via hardware or apps, the TS-464 is hard to beat for the price. That said, the Synology DS925+ ultimately offers greater headroom for enterprise workflows, heavier VM usage, and large-scale hybrid deployments. It sacrifices media transcoding and graphical acceleration, but gains a server-class CPU that ensures consistent performance under heavier load conditions. Meanwhile, the TS-464 excels in edge-case versatility, offering more multimedia flexibility and richer expansion potential via PCIe. If your priorities lie in business-class performance, ECC memory support, and robust multi-user capacity, the DS925+ is the clear winner. But for media streaming, home lab tinkering, and a wider hardware feature set, the TS-464 remains a very compelling alternative.

Synology DS925+ vs QNAP TS-464 – Software Specifications

When it comes to NAS platforms, hardware is only half the story—what truly determines a system’s long-term value is the strength, maturity, and flexibility of its software. Synology’s DSM (DiskStation Manager) and QNAP’s QTS/QuTS Hero are two of the most advanced NAS operating systems available today, offering extensive suites of services for backup, virtualization, hybrid cloud, media streaming, and AI-assisted surveillance. But while both OS platforms cover similar ground, their design philosophies, application depth, and supported workloads differ substantially. The Synology DS925+ and QNAP TS-464, though comparable in price and both aimed at prosumers and SMBs, unlock very different software experiences depending on the deployment goals—be it centralized IT infrastructure, media-rich home labs, or container-based edge computing.

With the DS925+, Synology leans into its strength in unified management and vertical integration. DSM 7.2 is optimized for reliability, simplicity, and scalability within Synology’s ecosystem. The DS925+ supports up to 8 virtual machines and 8 Virtual DSM instances through Virtual Machine Manager, offers extensive group and user quotas, and enables full integration with Synology’s cloud services (such as Synology C2 Backup, C2 Identity, and Hybrid Share). Its higher hardware ceiling allows for more active users: 150 on Synology Chat, 80 on Synology Drive and Office, and up to 8 simultaneous VPN connections. Backup capabilities are similarly robust, with a higher threshold of shared folder sync tasks and superior support for incremental snapshot replication. Surveillance Station on the DS925+ supports up to 40 IP cameras and benefits from reduced CPU overhead during continuous recording, even while handling concurrent backup or media indexing operations. DSM’s elegant UI, consistent updates, and tightly integrated packages make it ideal for organizations that value centralized IT administration and long-term platform stability.

On the other hand, the QNAP TS-464 running QTS 5 or QuTS Hero offers a more open and modular software ecosystem. While the Intel N5105 CPU imposes lower multitasking ceilings than the V1500B, QNAP compensates with a broader set of feature-specific applications and customization paths. The TS-464 supports virtualization through Virtualization Station (for VMs) and Container Station (for Docker + LXC), and unlike the DS925+, can output video directly via HDMI 2.0—allowing the NAS to act as a standalone Linux desktop, NVR, or HTPC via HybridDesk Station. QNAP also differentiates itself with Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS3), which enables multi-destination sync, deduplicated backup via QuDedup, and real-time disaster recovery tools not found in DSM. QVR Pro and QVR Elite offer an expansive surveillance suite with optional AI-powered analytics (e.g., face recognition, people counting) when paired with compatible QNAP AI apps. The inclusion of ZFS with QuTS Hero (an optional OS for the TS-464) enables inline compression, self-healing file systems, and block-level snapshots, which can be critical for data integrity in business scenarios.

QNAP also encourages expansion through its App Center, which includes over 150+ native and third-party apps, from Node.js and GitLab to Home Assistant, Ubuntu Station, and even Mattermost for self-hosted chat. While the system supports fewer concurrent users and VMs than the DS925+, its strength lies in feature breadth and system-level flexibility. Add-ons like 10GbE NICs, QM2 SSD accelerators, or Wi-Fi 6 cards via PCIe further extend its versatility, especially for hybrid edge workloads or multi-role deployments that evolve over time. In short, the Synology DS925+ is designed for administrative simplicity and long-term scaling, excelling in consistent performance across multi-user deployments with deep DSM integration. The QNAP TS-464, meanwhile, is a powerful sandbox for customization, offering greater freedom, multimedia functionality, and third-party integration—at the cost of some operational polish and software limits. Choosing between them depends on whether your priorities lie in predictable enterprise-grade execution or a more adaptable, feature-dense platform.

Synology DS925+ vs QNAP TS-464 – Hard Drive and SSD Compatibility

In 2025, Synology has taken its most aggressive step yet toward locking down hardware compatibility, and nowhere is this more evident than in the DS925+. Following years of gradual restrictions—starting with warnings for unverified drives and progressing to default white-listing only Synology-branded media—the DS925+ now represents a firm line in the sand. At the time of writing, this system will not allow DSM initialization if it detects hard drives or SSDs that are not officially listed on Synology’s compatibility list. This list includes exclusively Synology HAT5300/HAT3310 HDDs and SAT5200 SSDs, with no third-party Seagate, WD, Toshiba, Samsung, or Kingston media currently supported. Regardless of drive quality or performance, unsupported models will be outright blocked during system setup. While Synology claims this guarantees optimal reliability and performance within DSM 7.2, the move drastically reduces flexibility for users and integrators alike.

In stark contrast, the QNAP TS-464 embraces an open compatibility philosophy. It supports virtually all major consumer and enterprise drives—from Seagate IronWolf and Exos, to WD Red, Red Plus, and Ultrastar, as well as Toshiba N300/X300 and Samsung/Kingston SSDs—up to 24TB per drive (or higher as of late 2025). QNAP also maintains a regularly updated compatibility list, but crucially, this list is advisory rather than mandatory. Users can install any 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA HDD/SSD, and as long as it meets the physical and electrical standards, the TS-464 will initialize without issue. This means integrators, home users, or small businesses can reuse existing drives or select from the most cost-effective options in their region—something that’s increasingly difficult to do on newer Synology units. Moreover, QNAP allows mixing and matching of drive brands and capacities within the same storage pool (especially under QuTS hero’s ZFS environment), giving users granular control over redundancy, performance tuning, and cache layering with non-proprietary M.2 NVMe SSDs. This openness also applies to QNAP expansion units, many of which continue to work even with completely mixed-brand storage configurations—something Synology’s newer expansion policies have started to restrict.

For users in regions where Synology-branded media is expensive, hard to find, or simply not justified for non-critical applications, this policy shift on the DS925+ can be a deal-breaker. It positions the system closer to an appliance model, where Synology controls not only the hardware and software, but the storage medium itself. While that vertical integration may improve long-term reliability for some enterprise users, it’s difficult to reconcile with the broader DIY NAS community that values choice and modularity. Ultimately, this creates a philosophical divide: QNAP remains open, modular, and adaptable, trusting users to make informed decisions about their storage media. Synology, in contrast, is consolidating control, with the DS925+ exemplifying a move toward a closed ecosystem—potentially alienating users who previously praised DSM for its balance of simplicity and flexibility. Prospective buyers need to weigh not just performance and features, but how tightly they want to be tied to a single vendor’s hardware roadmap.

Synology DS925+ vs QNAP TS-464 NAS – Which Should You Buy?

The Synology DS925+ is a 2025 refresh designed with clear intent: push performance, tighten control, and streamline the out-of-box experience. In contrast, the QNAP TS-464—released in late 2022—is a Swiss Army knife of NAS flexibility, packed with customization options, open compatibility, and enough horsepower to meet the needs of both power users and small business deployments. Choosing between them ultimately comes down to what kind of NAS experience you’re after: a controlled, polished, and tightly integrated environment, or an open, adaptable, and hardware-friendly platform. On raw performance, the DS925+ has the edge. Its quad-core, 8-thread AMD V1500B CPU delivers higher throughput for multitasking, virtual machines, and heavier concurrent services, and DSM’s user/service thresholds are notably higher as a result. Add in dual 2.5GbE ports by default, and it’s clearly a step ahead of the DS923+ predecessor 1GbE-only base configuration, and you are looking at a healthy upgrade in several ways in this refresh. However, QNAP claws back ground with its PCIe Gen3 x2 slot, allowing 10GbE upgrades, Wi-Fi cards, and even GPU acceleration in select use cases—something Synology removed entirely from the DS925+. In QNAP’s favor is also its support for real-time hardware transcoding, HDMI 2.0 video output, and direct-attached monitor access—making it a better fit for media-centric environments where local playback, Plex, or Kodi usage matters.

Synology DS925+ NAS		QNAP TS-464 NAS
Check Amazon in Your Region for the Synology DS925+ NAS	Check B&H for the Synology DS925+ NAS	Check Amazon in Your Region for the QNAP TS-464 NAS	Check B&H for the QNAP TS-464 NAS

But perhaps the most significant dividing line is drive compatibility. The DS925+ will only initialize DSM with Synology-validated drives—locking out nearly all third-party HDDs and SSDs unless explicitly approved. This hardline stance means limited flexibility for users wanting to build using existing drives or regional market alternatives. Meanwhile, the TS-464 supports virtually all consumer and enterprise drives, from Seagate to Toshiba to Kingston, giving users total control over their storage budget and deployment roadmap. This open-ecosystem approach extends to M.2 NVMe usage too, where QNAP allows storage pool creation, caching, and tiering with off-the-shelf modules, while Synology restricts pool creation to only their branded NVMes. If you’re an IT administrator, content creator, or SMB looking for a polished, performance-forward NAS and you’re fully on board with Synology’s ecosystem—including its branded drives—then the DS925+ offers a streamlined, high-ceiling experience with excellent multitasking potential and cleaner UI/UX polish under DSM 7.2. But if you’re someone who values flexibility, upgrade paths, media support, or simply wants to control your storage choices without vendor lock-in, the QNAP TS-464 is an incredibly compelling alternative—offering strong performance for its price, an open architecture, and a deeper toolbox under QTS/QuTS Hero.

NAS Solutions	NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!) + Much Better Global Support Presence + More business desirable + Larger Range of solutions – Compatibility restrictions on HDD and Upgrades More and more – Underwhelming hardware (comparatively)	+ Better Hardware for Price + Wider Variety of Solutions and Hardware Profiles + Supports ZFS and/or EXT4 (with ZFS platform now available on latest Intel Celeron Systems) + Wide accessory range and compatibility – Software can often feel inconsistent – Hit by Security Issues if the past
Check Amazon By Clicking Below:	Check Amazon By Clicking Below:

The Synology DS925+ is the better plug-and-play NAS for prosumers and SMBs who want a high-performance, low-maintenance experience—provided they’re comfortable buying into Synology’s tightly controlled ecosystem of software and storage hardware. On the other hand, the QNAP TS-464 remains the better choice for users who value flexibility, hardware freedom, and scalability—especially if media features, drive compatibility, or future upgrades are part of the plan. Ultimately, the DS925+ is the sharper tool, but the TS-464 is the more versatile one.

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Aoostar WTR Max NAS vs Minisforum N5 Pro NAS Comparison

The demand for high-performance, multi-functional NAS systems has never been higher, as users increasingly expect far more than basic file storage from their hardware. Today’s workloads often include virtualization, AI-assisted operations, multi-tiered storage strategies, and high-speed, low-latency networking—demands that blur the line between a traditional NAS and a fully-fledged home server. In response to these needs, two closely matched contenders have emerged in the prosumer and power-user space: the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series, which consists of both the more affordable standard N5 and the higher-spec N5 Pro. These devices, released in mid-2025, share some common DNA—both are bare-metal NAS platforms that let you install your own operating system and tailor your setup to your specific use case—but they diverge significantly in how they balance compute power, storage density, connectivity options, noise and power efficiency, and overall value.

Check Amazon for the WTR Pro MAX	Check AliExpress for the WTR Pro MAX	Check Amazon for the Minisforum N5	Check AliExpress for the Minisforum N5

In this article we provide a detailed, category-by-category comparison of these systems based on hands-on testing and real-world workloads. Key factors like physical design, internal architecture, storage configuration, CPU and memory performance, external connectivity, and power and noise profiles are all assessed in depth. We also consider important use case distinctions, such as suitability for 24/7 enterprise-grade uptime, AI model hosting, or quiet home use. Whether you’re looking to build a dense storage appliance, a virtualized host for multiple VMs, a locally deployed AI engine, or simply a robust and scalable home NAS, this analysis aims to clarify which of these two (or three, when factoring in the standard N5) offers the best fit. As the boundaries between NAS and full server hardware continue to blur, understanding these subtle trade-offs will help you make a more informed investment for your own specific workload and budget.

Written Review of the Minisforum N5 Pro NAS – HERE

YouTube Review of the Minisforum N5 Pro NAS – HERE

Written Review of the Aoostar WTR Max NAS – HERE

YouTube Review of the Aoostar WTR Max NAS – HERE

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Price and Value

When examining the price points of the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series, it becomes clear that each brand has intentionally targeted slightly different segments of the advanced NAS and home-server market. The Aoostar WTR Max launches at $699 in a barebone configuration, which includes the chassis, preinstalled AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS CPU, external PSU, dual 10GbE SFP+ networking, and a front LCD panel. Like its competitor, it does not include RAM or additional storage at this price.

By comparison, the Minisforum N5 standard model enters at a lower price point of $583 in a similarly barebone configuration—also lacking RAM and user storage—but it does not include ECC memory support or a PRO-class CPU, which are key differences. The premium-tier Minisforum N5 Pro sits at a much higher entry price of $1,039, still barebone but featuring a far more capable Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 CPU and ECC support. Users who prefer to have memory preinstalled can opt for a top-tier N5 Pro bundle, which includes 96GB ECC RAM and raises the total cost to $1,583.

Aspect	Aoostar WTR Max	Minisforum N5 (Standard)	Minisforum N5 Pro	Best & Why/Note
Base Price (barebone)	$699	$583	$1039	Aoostar WTR Max — cheapest base option
Optional ECC RAM	✓ (supports ECC)	✗	✓	N5 Pro — ECC support only on Pro and Aoostar

Relative to its competitors, the Aoostar WTR Max occupies a deliberate middle ground—costing more than the standard N5 but significantly less than the N5 Pro. This makes it a particularly appealing option for users who want enterprise-relevant features like ECC memory support and a balanced CPU without committing to the premium pricing of the Pro. The standard N5 clearly appeals to budget-conscious buyers who are willing to forgo ECC support and settle for a mid-tier CPU to save over $100 compared to the Aoostar.

Conversely, the N5 Pro is positioned for buyers who prioritize maximum multi-core performance, AI acceleration, and ECC memory—even if that means paying nearly 50% more than the Aoostar. For users who value the best balance of price and advanced functionality—including high storage density, good networking capabilities, and ECC support—the Aoostar WTR Max arguably delivers the most well-rounded value proposition among the three systems, particularly for general-purpose NAS or mixed-use home lab scenarios.

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Design

Both the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series feature compact, all-metal chassis designs that prioritize serviceability, efficient internal space utilization, and professional-grade durability. The Aoostar WTR Max adopts a slightly larger rectangular footprint, accommodating six SATA bays, a dedicated seventh tray slot for up to four M.2 NVMe SSDs, and an integrated LCD display on the front panel for customizable real-time monitoring of system metrics such as temperature and network activity.

Ventilation on the Aoostar is extensive, with intake vents at the bottom, perforated panels on both sides, and dual rear-mounted exhaust fans drawing heat from the drive bays and CPU area. A vapor chamber heat spreader and a dedicated bottom-mounted cooling fan help distribute and evacuate thermal load evenly across internal components. The Minisforum N5 and N5 Pro, meanwhile, share a more compact and minimalist chassis with a slightly smaller footprint and a slide-out drive cage mechanism, making internal access and servicing more straightforward. Both Minisforum models include five SATA bays, a versatile three-slot M.2/U.2 arrangement, and a clean brushed-metal exterior that avoids visual distractions by omitting a front-facing display.

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Storage

Storage capabilities represent one of the most significant differences between the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series, reflecting divergent priorities in how each system balances density and simplicity. The Aoostar WTR Max delivers a standout total of eleven drive slots, composed of six 3.5”/2.5” SATA bays, a dedicated seventh tray supporting up to four M.2 NVMe SSDs. This architecture provides users with the ability to create sophisticated storage topologies, combining high-capacity mechanical drives for bulk cold storage and multiple high-speed NVMe SSDs for tiered caching, scratch disks, or performance-optimized pools.

The additional M.2 tray, which is unique to the Aoostar design, simplifies the installation of multiple NVMe drives without occupying space within the motherboard area, while still offering full Gen 4 speeds on select slots. In contrast, the Minisforum N5 and N5 Pro are more restrained, offering five SATA bays and three NVMe/U.2 slots, which can be configured either as three M.2 drives or as one M.2 with two U.2 drives using the supplied adapter card. The Minisforum setup also includes a dedicated M.2 slot for its 64GB OS SSD, but sadly, this slot consumes one of the three available NVMe positions. Both Minisforum models support hot-swapping on the SATA bays and flexible RAID modes, but the higher bay count and more independent storage interfaces of the Aoostar clearly cater to users with larger or more diverse storage needs.

Storage capabilities represent one of the most significant differences between the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series, reflecting divergent priorities in how each system balances density and simplicity. The Aoostar WTR Max delivers a standout total of eleven drive slots, composed of six 3.5”/2.5” SATA bays, a dedicated seventh tray supporting up to four M.2 NVMe SSDs. This architecture provides users with the ability to create sophisticated storage topologies, combining high-capacity mechanical drives for bulk cold storage and multiple high-speed NVMe SSDs for tiered caching, scratch disks, or performance-optimized pools.

The additional M.2 tray, which is unique to the Aoostar design, simplifies the installation of multiple NVMe drives without occupying space within the motherboard area, while still offering full Gen 4 speeds on select slots. In contrast, the Minisforum N5 and N5 Pro are more restrained, offering five SATA bays and three NVMe/U.2 slots, which can be configured either as three M.2 drives or as one M.2 with two U.2 drives using the supplied adapter card. The Minisforum setup also includes a dedicated M.2 slot for its 64GB OS SSD, this slot consumes one of the three available NVMe positions. Both Minisforum models support hot-swapping on the SATA bays and flexible RAID modes, but the higher bay count and more independent storage interfaces of the Aoostar clearly cater to users with larger or more diverse storage needs.

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Ports and Connectivity

Both the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series deliver a wide array of external ports and connectivity options, though their designs reflect different priorities and deployment philosophies. The Aoostar WTR Max is clearly oriented toward high-density, network-heavy environments, offering two 10GbE SFP+ fiber ports alongside two additional 2.5GbE RJ45 copper ports. This configuration enables up to four simultaneous physical network connections, making it well-suited to scenarios that demand redundant paths, segmented VLANs, or hybrid fiber-copper topologies.

In addition, the Aoostar includes a front-mounted USB-C port, an SD card slot for quick local transfers, a rear USB4 port, an HDMI output for direct monitoring or console access, and an OCuLink port for external PCIe-based expansions. The SD card slot is an unusual but useful addition for media workflows, though the absence of any PCIe slot in the WTR Max’s internal layout limits upgrade options to what can be connected externally through OCuLink or USB4.

Connection Type	Aoostar WTR Max	Minisforum N5 (Standard)	Minisforum N5 Pro	Best & Why/Note
10GbE RJ45	✗	✓	✓	N5/N5 Pro — standard copper 10GbE
10GbE SFP+	✓×2	✗	✗	Aoostar WTR Max — SFP+ for fiber
5GbE RJ45	✗	✓	✓	N5/N5 Pro — additional RJ45 flexibility
2.5GbE RJ45	✓×2	✗	✗	Aoostar WTR Max — more mid-tier ports
USB4	✓	✓×2	✓×2	N5/N5 Pro — more USB4 ports
HDMI	✓	✓	✓	Tie — all include HDMI 2.1
PCIe Gen4 Slot	✗	✓	✓	N5/N5 Pro — PCIe x16 expansion
OCuLink	✓	✓	✓	Tie — all include OCuLink

The Minisforum N5 and N5 Pro, by contrast, prioritize versatility and broader compatibility with typical IT infrastructure. Both models feature a 10GbE RJ45 copper port and a secondary 5GbE RJ45 port, allowing direct connection to high-speed copper backbones or standard multi-Gig switches without requiring transceivers. They also include two USB4 ports (one front, one rear), an HDMI 2.1 output, an OCuLink port for external PCIe-based devices, and crucially, a PCIe Gen4 x16 (x4 electrical) slot.

This PCIe slot unlocks possibilities for internal upgrades such as GPUs, additional NICs, AI accelerator cards, or other PCIe devices—a flexibility that the Aoostar lacks. This makes the Minisforum a more future-proof choice in environments where needs may change or grow, and where access to off-the-shelf PCIe hardware is desirable. Together with its more copper-friendly network ports and two USB4 connections, the Minisforum family aligns well with home labs, creative workstations, and hybrid environments that benefit from adaptable, modular expansion options.

On balance, the Minisforum N5 series edges ahead in overall versatility and general-purpose applicability. While the Aoostar WTR Max offers a greater total number of network interfaces and superior fiber capabilities out of the box, those features come with trade-offs, including reliance on SFP+ transceivers, higher fiber infrastructure costs, and reduced flexibility for other kinds of expansion. For users specifically targeting a fiber-based or multi-path network deployment, the Aoostar remains highly appealing. However, for broader scenarios that favor compatibility with standard copper networks, more USB4 bandwidth, and internal PCIe upgrade capabilities, the Minisforum N5 and N5 Pro offer a more balanced and adaptable external connectivity package – but just less ACTUAL external bandwidth for networking!

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – CPU and Memory

The Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series diverge substantially in processing power and memory capabilities, with the N5 Pro clearly at the high-performance end of the spectrum. The Aoostar WTR Max is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS, an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on AMD’s efficient Zen 4 architecture, and supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory with ECC. This makes the WTR Max a strong contender for users who need solid multi-threaded throughput, data integrity via ECC, and headroom for running many virtual machines or containerized workloads.

It is especially attractive in enterprise-like environments where reliability and memory capacity are priorities. The Minisforum N5 standard, by contrast, uses the older Ryzen 7 255, also with 8 cores and 16 threads, but based on the earlier Zen 3+ architecture, with a cap of 96 GB DDR5 and no ECC support. It remains competent for general NAS duties, file serving, light VM usage, and moderate multimedia tasks. Stepping up to the N5 Pro, however, brings a dramatic increase in compute and AI capabilities: its Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 processor offers 12 cores, 24 threads, ECC support, and a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) delivering up to 50 TOPS for AI inferencing, while maintaining the same 96 GB DDR5 limit. This makes the N5 Pro ideal for highly concurrent workloads, virtualized environments, AI model hosting, and scenarios where raw CPU power and error resilience are critical.

(The CPU in the Minisforum N5 Pro is also featured on the X1 Pro from Minsforum, so below you can see the GFX benchmarks of this processor vs the same CPU + an MGA1 External Oculink eGPU)

Looking deeper at the individual CPUs, their architectures reflect different generational and market goals. The Ryzen 7 255 in the Minisforum N5 is a Zen 3+ part built on a 6 nm process, with a base clock of 3.3 GHz and turbo up to 4.9 GHz. It provides 16 MB of L3 cache and includes integrated Radeon 780M graphics with 12 RDNA 3 compute units. At ~45 W TDP, it is a capable midrange processor for general NAS use but lacks advanced enterprise features like ECC and AI. The Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS in the WTR Max upgrades to Zen 4 at 4 nm, bumps the base clock to 3.8 GHz while maintaining the same 5.1 GHz boost, and delivers better power efficiency.

It retains the Radeon 780M GPU but with improved clocks and adds ECC memory support plus 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes for broader connectivity options. At the top sits the Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 in the N5 Pro, which leverages AMD’s Zen 5/5c hybrid architecture. Despite a lower base clock of 2.0 GHz (favoring efficiency) with the same 5.1 GHz turbo, it increases core count to 12 and thread count to 24, doubles L3 cache to 24 MB, and upgrades the GPU to Radeon 890M with 16 RDNA 3 compute units clocked up to 2.9 GHz. The Pro has a higher rated integrated NPU, capable of 50 TOPS, positioning it as an ideal candidate for on-premises AI inferencing and acceleration workloads, several times higher than the potential 16 TOPS rating on the CPUs of the N5 Standard and WTR ,Max. Its TDP range of 28–54 W also reflects its hybrid design’s balance of power and efficiency, although it offers slightly fewer PCIe lanes (16) than the WTR Max’s 20.

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Power Consumption and Noise

Both the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series aim to strike a balance between capable performance, manageable power consumption, and acceptable noise levels, though they adopt distinct philosophies around power delivery and cooling. Both the Minisforum N5 and the Aoostar WTR Max feature external power supply unit (PSUs), of a pretty hefty 280W – these will almost certainly not be for everyone, but do allow for both systems to maintain a decent small-scale (however, be aware that they DO get warm)!

In terms of measured power consumption, the WTR Max idles at approximately 32–34 W even when fully populated with drives, and it ramps up to around 73–89 W under heavy load, such as during multi-VM and high-throughput testing.

The chassis design favors airflow with strategically placed ventilation on the sides, rear, and bottom, a pair of large rear exhaust fans, and a dedicated internal fan that focuses specifically on the hard drive bays. This combination keeps temperatures steady under pressure, and even during sustained activity, noise output remains modest — around 35 dBA at idle and typically peaking near 44 dBA when heavily loaded, which is relatively quiet given its drive density and active cooling.

Minisforum N5 Pro vs Aoostar WTR Max NAS – Verdict and Conclusion

In reviewing the Aoostar WTR Max and the Minisforum N5 series—including both the standard and Pro models—it becomes clear that each system was designed with a distinct user profile and set of priorities in mind, making direct comparisons nuanced rather than absolute. The Aoostar WTR Max distinguishes itself with a compelling balance of high storage density, strong CPU performance featuring ECC memory support, excellent chassis ventilation and a competitive mid-range price point.

Its combination of six SATA bays, five M.2 slots, quiet operation under sustained loads, and a tidy all-in-one form factor appeals to users who value storage flexibility, operational efficiency, and simplicity in deployment. The Minisforum N5 standard model carves out its niche as an affordable entry point for those with lighter needs—delivering solid, modern NAS performance in a compact chassis at the lowest price of the three. At the other end of the spectrum, the Minisforum N5 Pro targets advanced power users, offering the AI‑accelerated Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 processor, ECC memory capability, and unmatched multi-threaded and inference performance, all of which position it squarely in the high-end category for workloads like intensive virtualization, heavy concurrent tasks, and AI-assisted applications. For those specific use cases, the N5 Pro’s premium price is justified by its unmatched compute capabilities and feature set.

Ultimately, choosing between these systems requires a careful assessment of workload demands, expansion expectations, and budget constraints. The Aoostar WTR Max delivers a well-rounded combination of storage capacity, compute power, noise and thermal efficiency, and ease of deployment at a price that is reasonable for most advanced home and small business NAS environments. Its blend of practical features and robust hardware makes it especially attractive for users who prioritize storage-heavy applications and quieter, more efficient operation. The Minisforum N5 standard model is best suited for users with modest requirements and tight budgets, offering a clean, capable NAS platform for general use without the advanced features or costs associated with its Pro sibling. The N5 Pro, however, remains the clear choice for users who need the highest possible performance, AI‑specific capabilities, and maximum concurrency—provided they are willing to pay a premium for these cutting-edge benefits. In short, while all three systems deliver strong value in their respective niches, the Aoostar WTR Max arguably offers the most versatile and cost-effective package for typical NAS workloads, striking a smart balance between affordability, capacity, and performance.

Category	Best Choice	Reasoning
Price (Value for Money)	Minisforum N5 (Standard)	Lowest price while delivering competent NAS performance
Overall Storage Capacity	Aoostar WTR Max	More bays and better storage flexibility (11 drives total)
Ease of Maintenance & Design	Minisforum N5 / N5 Pro	Slide-out cage, cleaner internal layout, easier servicing
Connectivity Versatility	Minisforum N5 / N5 Pro	PCIe slot, USB4, OCuLink, balanced copper networking
SFP+ Fiber Networking	Aoostar WTR Max	Only system offering dual 10GbE SFP+ ports
Compute Power & AI	Minisforum N5 Pro	12 cores, 24 threads, 50 TOPS NPU, ECC support
Noise Under Heavy Load	Aoostar WTR Max	Better ventilation, lower load noise levels
Best All-Rounder	Aoostar WTR Max	Balanced price, storage, performance, and cooling
Power User / VM & AI Workloads	Minisforum N5 Pro	High concurrency, AI acceleration, virtualization

Check Amazon for the WTR Pro MAX	Check AliExpress for the WTR Pro MAX	Check Amazon for the Minisforum N5	Check AliExpress for the Minisforum N5

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Prime Day Bargains on Synology, QNAP, UGREEN, Terramaster, Seagate and More to Watch

That’s right, it’s that time once again—Amazon Prime Day 2025 has arrived. The biggest e-retail giant in the world is rolling out its annual mega sale, and for those of us with a Prime subscription quietly siphoning cash every month, now’s the time to get something back. Whether you’re a home user looking to back up your devices or a business admin in need of robust storage solutions, Prime Day has consistently proven to be a great opportunity to upgrade your setup without breaking the bank. Unlike Black Friday—which tends to sprawl out across weeks and multiple platforms—Prime Day is a more concentrated event. That means the window to make a decision is often brief, and the best deals can vanish in hours, sometimes even minutes. So if you’re eyeing that NAS you’ve been meaning to buy or hoping to expand your RAID array with some fresh HDDs or SSDs, now’s the time to act fast.

Today, we’re rounding up as many of the best Amazon Prime Day deals on NAS and storage tech as we can find. That includes offers on popular brands like Synology, QNAP, WD, Seagate, Terramaster, and others. Alongside the real-time deals that we (me and Eddie—yes, still working double shifts!) track throughout the event, we’ve also put together a list of recommended hardware to watch for. Many of these devices pop up on lightning deals with limited stock, so having a shortlist in mind can really help.

Important Note – Every year, we run these Prime Day and Black Friday deal pages the same way: by personally curating the offers we believe are genuinely worth it. If it’s not something we’d buy ourselves, we won’t include it. You can also contribute and share any bargains you come across using the community deal-sharing tool below. We do this for a couple of reasons. First, to help people make smarter decisions with their tech purchases. Second, because every time someone clicks a deal link and makes a purchase, we receive a small commission from Amazon—no extra cost to you. That affiliate income directly supports the site and allows us to keep producing NAS guides, reviews, and how-to content every single day.

So, whether you’re looking to finally set up your first Plex server, expand your surveillance system, or just secure a better backup routine—there’s a good chance something will be on offer during Prime Day 2025. And if you’re unsure what’s right for your setup, don’t forget you can always use our Free Advice service for tailored recommendations.

Let’s dive into the deals!

NOTE – Just Adding European Deals Right Now. The U.S Amazon Prime Day deals and offers are just appearing as we speak, so I will add them as they pop up and are worth going for !

GMKTec G9 Nucbox 4x NVMe NAS + 64GB eMMC -15% $169.99 – HERE

26TB WD Red Pro NAS Hard Drive, –15% $484.49 List Price: $569.99 – HERE

UGREEN DXP4800 PLUS NAS (US) -25% $519.99 (Regular price $699.99) – HERE

Terramaster F6-424 6-Bay NAS -20% £479.99 (Was: $599) – HERE

Asustor Flashstor 12 Pro FS6712X – 12Bay SSD 10GbE NAS, -15% $679.00 List Price: $799.00 – HERE

CWWK Mini PC N100 Firewall Hardware 2 x 10GbE SFP+, 2 x i226V 2.5GbE, –20% $179.20 HERE

QNAP TS-233-2G-US 2 Bay NAS, 20% $159.00 (List Price: $159.00) – HERE

QNAP TS-433-4G-US 4 Bay NAS, 18% $309.00 (List Price: $379.00) – HERE

Seagate IronWolf Pro 24TB NAS Hard Drive – Now $419 –  HERE

Seagate Expansion 28TB External Hard Drive, -13% $329.99 Now – HERE

CWWK X86-P6 N150 4X m.2 NAS – -15% €184.44 Was: €216.99 – HERE

GMKTec G9 Nucbox 4x NVMe NAS + 64GB eMMC – HERE

CyberPower CP1500PFCRM2U PFC Sinewave UPS, -25% $299.95 List Price: $399.95 – HERE

Terramaster F8 SSD NAS (8x M.2 SSD and 10GbE -25% OFF, Now £412.49 – HERE

Crucial P310 4TB SSD (CT4000P310SSD801), 7GB/s -21% OFF, Now £205.99 – HERE

Seagate 20TB Ironwolf Pro NAS HDD – 8% £372.99 (RRP: £405.55RRP) – HERE

Discounts on UGREEN NAS- 20% OFF 6th July – 10th July 2025 – HERE

LincStation N1 6 Bay SSD NAS Storage – -15% £271.15 (Was: £319.00) – HERE

Terramaster F6-424 6-Bay NAS -20% £439.99 (Was: £549.99) – HERE

SODOLA 5 Port 2.5Gb Network Switch + 1 x 10G SFP V- HERE

Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 4TB, -15% £185.99 (RRP: £219.99) – HERE

UGREEN DXP4800 PLUS NAS (UK) -20% £479.98 RRP (£599.99RRP) – HERE

TERRAMASTER F2-212 2Bay NAS – Quad Core CPU DDR4 RAM -25% £127.49 Was: £169.99Was: £169.99 – HERE

Seagate IronWolf 4TB, NAS Hard Drive -9% £85.99 (RRP: £94.91) – HERE

Discounts on UGREEN NAS- 20% OFF 6th July – 10th July 2025 – HERE

TERRAMASTER F4-424 Max NAS, WAS $899, NOW $674 –HERE

————–  Useful Links  —————

US Amazon – Amazon USA Prime Day Official Page – Amazon UK Prime Day Official Page

Amazon Warehouse (20% Off Everything on Prime Day)

USA – UK – Germany

Still unsure of what you need – use the Free Advice Section here on NASCompares.

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

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Best NAS You Can Buy Right Now (Mid-2025) for Under $499

As of mid-2025, the sub-$499 NAS market is more competitive than ever, with several brands offering systems that deliver strong hardware, dedicated operating systems, and multiple drive bays within a modest budget. For home users, prosumers, and small teams looking to centralize data, manage backups, or stream media locally, this price bracket now includes options that would have cost significantly more just a few years ago. From rackmount storage appliances to compact flash-based servers, there are now choices to suit a wide variety of workloads and network environments.

This article examines five out-of-the-box NAS systems that are currently available for $499 or less. While each system takes a slightly different approach—whether prioritizing raw bandwidth, containerization, virtualization support, or software simplicity—they all represent viable solutions for users seeking value without compromising core functionality.

Important Disclaimer and Notes Before You Buy

All of the NAS systems featured in this list are diskless, meaning they do not include storage media by default. Users will need to purchase compatible 3.5″ HDDs, 2.5″ SSDs, or M.2 NVMe drives separately depending on the system’s configuration. This significantly affects the total cost of ownership, particularly for all-flash systems where NVMe drives are required. Some devices also use onboard flash or eMMC storage to house the operating system, but this is not sufficient for general file storage. Buyers should also consider the cost of drives, RAID redundancy planning, and any accessories (e.g., cables or cooling enhancements) when budgeting for deployment.

Another consideration is the variation in NAS operating systems provided. While most models come with a vendor-specific OS—such as Synology DSM, TerraMaster TOS, UGOS, or Unraid—some platforms allow or even encourage the installation of third-party alternatives like TrueNAS or Unraid without voiding hardware warranties. However, in cases where the software stack is less mature or limited in features, users may need to invest more time configuring services such as Plex, Docker, or SMB sharing manually. As such, these systems are best suited to users who are comfortable managing basic network services or are willing to explore more advanced functionality over time.

UniFi UNAS Pro 7-Bay NAS

$499 – ARM Cortex-A57 – 8GB – 7x 3.5″ SATA – 1x 10GbE SFP+, 1x 1GbE – UniFi OS – BUY HERE

The UniFi UNAS Pro is a 2U rackmount NAS solution designed primarily for high-speed, large-scale data storage. It features seven hot-swappable 2.5″/3.5″ SATA drive bays and is built around a quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 processor running at 1.7GHz, paired with 8GB of onboard DDR4 memory. Unlike general-purpose NAS systems that include container support or multimedia features, this device is focused purely on network file storage. It offers robust network connectivity with both a 10GbE SFP+ port and a 1GbE RJ45 port, making it suitable for use cases where bandwidth is a priority—such as centralized backups, archival storage, or high-volume file transfers within a UniFi-managed network.

The system is managed via UniFi’s Drive app within the UniFi OS ecosystem, and supports standard RAID configurations including RAID 0, 1, 5, and 6. Power redundancy is provided via a dual-input system—an internal 200W AC/DC PSU and support for USP-RPS DC failover. There’s also a 1.3-inch front panel touchscreen for quick diagnostics and system status at the rack. While it lacks container support, virtualization, or media server capabilities, it integrates easily with other UniFi products or can operate as a standalone storage node in a mixed environment. For users who require reliable, scalable storage with 10GbE connectivity but can forego app extensibility, the UNAS Pro represents a straightforward, hardware-driven option in the sub-$500 space.

Component	Specification
CPU	Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A57 @ 1.7GHz
Memory	8GB DDR4
Drive Bays	7x 2.5″/3.5″ SATA HDD/SSD
Networking	1x 10GbE SFP+, 1x 1GbE
Power	200W internal PSU + USP-RPS redundancy
OS	UniFi OS / Drive App
Display	1.3″ touchscreen
Form Factor	2U Rackmount
Dimensions	442 x 325 x 87 mm
Weight	9.5 kg with brackets

---

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 NAS

$499 – Intel N100 – 8GB – 4x 3.5″ SATA + 2x M.2 NVMe – 2x 2.5GbE – UGOS Pro – BUY HERE

The UGREEN NASync DXP4800 is a desktop 4-bay NAS that combines hybrid storage architecture with modern I/O and a maturing proprietary OS. It is powered by an Intel N100 quad-core processor from Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake-N series, paired with 8GB of DDR5 memory and 32GB of onboard eMMC storage for the operating system. In addition to its four SATA bays, it includes two M.2 NVMe SSD slots, enabling users to build a fast caching tier or SSD-only volumes for improved application performance. Network connectivity includes dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, and the system supports link aggregation for higher throughput or failover scenarios.

On the software side, the unit runs UGOS Pro, UGREEN’s in-house NAS operating system. It includes support for RAID 0/1/5/6/10, Docker containers, Plex, remote access, and cloud sync tools. While UGOS is less mature than systems like DSM or TrueNAS, it has improved over successive updates and includes a clean web UI for file sharing, snapshots, and media streaming. Front and rear USB 3.2 ports (including USB-C) and an SD 3.0 card reader add to its usability for media professionals. For users who prefer a GUI-based setup with broad feature support and hybrid storage flexibility, the DXP4800 offers substantial value in the under-$500 bracket—especially when discounted.

Component	Specification
CPU	Intel N100 (4 cores, up to 3.4GHz)
Memory	8GB DDR5 (upgradable to 16GB)
Drive Bays	4x SATA (3.5″/2.5″) + 2x M.2 NVMe
Networking	2x 2.5GbE LAN
Ports	1x USB-C (10Gbps), 2x USB-A, SD Card Reader
Video Output	1x HDMI (4K)
OS	UGOS Pro
Power Consumption	35.18W (access), 15.43W (hibernation)
Dimensions	257 x 178 x 178 mm (approx.)

LincStation N2 NAS

$399 – Intel N100 – 16GB – 2x 2.5″ SATA + 4x M.2 NVMe – 1x 10GbE – Unraid OS – BUY HERE

The LincStation N2 is a compact, all-SSD NAS that delivers a high-performance spec sheet at a relatively low price. Powered by an Intel N100 processor and equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, it supports a mix of two 2.5″ SATA SSDs and four M.2 2280 NVMe drives. This six-bay design—entirely SSD-based—is geared toward users who require faster IOPS, quieter operation, and lower power draw than traditional hard drive-based systems. Network connectivity is handled by a single 10GbE RJ45 port, a rare inclusion in this price bracket and especially valuable for direct workstation or multi-client environments.

The device ships with an Unraid Starter license pre-installed, giving users access to advanced features like Docker container support, virtual machines, hardware passthrough, and flexible storage management. While Unraid requires some learning curve for new users, it offers a high degree of customization and adaptability compared with fixed software stacks. The system also includes HDMI output, USB-C, USB 3.2, and multiple USB 2.0 ports, making it suitable for use as a lightweight home server or media workstation. For users prioritizing SSD storage, 10GbE, and virtualization support, the LincStation N2 delivers a capable platform that’s uncommon at this price point.

TerraMaster F4 SSD NAS

$399 – Intel N95 – 8GB – 4x M.2 NVMe – 1x 5GbE – TOS (TerraMaster OS) – BUY HERE

The TerraMaster F4 SSD is a 4-bay, all-flash NAS designed for high-speed home storage, media streaming, and photo management. It is equipped with an Intel N95 processor, an entry-level quad-core CPU from Intel’s Alder Lake-N family, and 8GB of DDR5 memory via a single SODIMM module. Storage is handled via four M.2 NVMe slots: two operating at PCIe 3.0 x2 speeds and two at PCIe 3.0 x1. These are designed for SSDs only—no support for SATA drives is provided. On the network side, the unit includes a single 5GbE port, offering a higher single-link bandwidth than systems using dual 2.5GbE, and can be directly connected to 10GbE networks at reduced speeds.

The system runs TerraMaster’s TOS operating system, which supports multimedia applications like Plex and Emby, cloud sync, photo AI tagging, user account control, and flexible backup solutions. TOS includes support for Btrfs and TRAID (TerraMaster RAID), along with remote access features and mobile apps for file synchronization and photo uploads. With three high-speed USB ports (2x Type-A and 1x Type-C), HDMI output, and low-noise fan operation (~19 dB), the F4 SSD targets users looking for a quieter, flash-based NAS for home environments. It lacks 2.5″/3.5″ bay support but offers fast SSD performance in a small form factor with minimal configuration requirements.

Synology DiskStation DS425+ NAS

$499 – Intel Celeron J4125 – 2GB – 4x 3.5″ SATA + 2x M.2 NVMe – 1x 2.5GbE, 1x 1GbE – DSM 7.x – BUY HERE

The Synology DS425+ is a 4-bay NAS designed to serve as an entry point into Synology’s DSM ecosystem, offering a balance between hardware efficiency and access to a mature, enterprise-grade operating system. It runs on the Intel Celeron J4125 processor, a quad-core chip with a base frequency of 2.0GHz and a burst frequency of 2.7GHz. The system ships with 2GB of DDR4 non-ECC memory, expandable up to 6GB, and supports both 3.5″/2.5″ SATA drives and two M.2 NVMe SSDs for caching or storage volumes. For networking, it includes one 2.5GbE port and one standard 1GbE port, giving users some flexibility depending on their switching infrastructure.

DSM (DiskStation Manager) remains one of the most advanced NAS operating systems available, offering built-in apps for file management, media streaming, surveillance, and virtualization. Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is supported for flexible storage management, along with Btrfs file system benefits such as snapshots and data integrity checks. The DS425+ is part of Synology’s 2025 refresh lineup, which enforces stricter compatibility with Synology-branded drives. Users should confirm drive support in advance, particularly if planning to reuse existing disks. Despite these limitations, for users seeking reliability, security features, and long-term OS support, the DS425+ remains a strong choice at the $499 price point.

The NAS market under $499 in mid-2025 presents a broad spectrum of options tailored to different storage priorities and technical requirements. Whether you’re looking for high-capacity traditional RAID storage, SSD-focused performance, or a feature-rich operating system, there are viable choices within this price bracket. The UniFi UNAS Pro stands out as a pure storage appliance with 10GbE connectivity and seven bays, suited for high-throughput archival or backup scenarios. Meanwhile, the UGREEN DXP4800 and LincStation N2 offer hybrid and full-flash storage respectively, with both systems supporting modern features like Docker, virtualization, and optional third-party OS deployment. For those focused on user-friendly software ecosystems and long-term support, Synology’s DS425+ remains a leading contender, albeit with stricter drive compatibility requirements. On the other hand, the TerraMaster F4 SSD delivers compact all-SSD storage with high-speed 5GbE networking and a growing feature set in TOS, including AI photo management and multimedia tools. All five models require user-supplied storage media and, in some cases, benefit from user familiarity with setup or configuration processes. Ultimately, the best choice depends on how much weight you place on performance, expandability, software polish, and overall system control within this tightly priced segment.

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

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Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Reinventing NAS?

The Minisforum N5 Pro marks the company’s first deliberate step into the network-attached storage (NAS) segment, building upon its established experience in producing compact desktops, mini-PCs, and workstation-class hardware. First hinted at during industry discussions at IFA 2024 and formally revealed during CES 2025 in Nevada, the N5 Pro was later showcased in its near-final form at Computex 2025 in Taipei before entering production. Positioned as a high-performance NAS platform for advanced users, homelab enthusiasts, and small business operators, the N5 Pro aims to deliver server-class processing and expandability within a familiar, small-footprint chassis design. Alongside the N5 Pro, Minisforum released a standard N5 model at a lower price point, utilizing an 8-core processor without ECC memory support but retaining the same overall feature set and drive layout. Both systems ship with Minisforum’s proprietary MinisCloud OS pre-installed on a 64GB NVMe SSD, while remaining fully compatible with third-party NAS operating systems such as TrueNAS, Unraid, or Linux distributions. This review examines the N5 Pro model in detail, including its industrial design, internal hardware configuration, connectivity options, bundled software, real-world performance testing, and overall value proposition within the evolving NAS market.

The is now available to buy: Minisforum N5 Pro (Check Amazon) – HERE Minisforum N5 Pro (Check AliExpress) – HERE Shop for NAS Hard Drives on Amazon – HERE Shop for SSDs for your N5 Pro on Amazon – HERE IMPORTANT – Below are the links to the OFFICIAL Minisforum site to buy the N5 and N5 Pro. However, using these links does not support us (i.e we do not get an affiliate fee). We want you to buy this device from whichever retailer best suits your needs, but we hope you are able to support the work we do (such as this review and our YouTube channel) but using the links above for your storage media, or any other data storage/network solution purchase. Minisforum N5 on Official Site- HERE Minisforum N5 Pro on Official Site – HERE

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Quick Conclusion

The Minisforum N5 Pro is an impressive and highly versatile NAS platform that successfully combines the core strengths of a storage appliance with the capabilities of a compact, workstation-class server, making it suitable for demanding and varied use cases. Its defining features include a 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 CPU with 24 threads and onboard AI acceleration up to 50 TOPS, support for up to 96GB of ECC-capable DDR5 memory for data integrity, and a hybrid storage architecture offering up to 144TB total capacity through a mix of five SATA bays and three NVMe/U.2 slots. Additional highlights such as ZFS file system support with snapshots, inline compression, and self-healing, along with high-speed networking via dual 10GbE and 5GbE ports, and expansion through PCIe Gen 4 ×16 and OCuLink interfaces, position it well beyond the capabilities of typical consumer NAS systems. The compact, fully metal chassis is easy to service and efficiently cooled, enabling continuous operation even under sustained virtual machine, AI, or media workloads. At the same time, the bundled MinisCloud OS, while feature-rich with AI photo indexing, Docker support, and mobile integration, remains a work in progress, lacking some enterprise-grade polish, robust localization, and more advanced tools expected in mature NAS ecosystems. Minor drawbacks such as the external PSU, the thermally challenged pre-installed OS SSD, and the higher cost of the Pro variant relative to the standard N5 are important to weigh, particularly for users who may not fully utilize the Pro’s ECC and AI-specific advantages. For advanced users, homelab builders, and technical teams who require high compute density, flexible storage, and full control over their software stack, the N5 Pro delivers workstation-level performance and configurability in NAS form—offering one of the most forward-thinking and adaptable solutions available today in this segment.

BUILD QUALITY - 10/10

HARDWARE - 9/10

PERFORMANCE - 9/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 8/10

8.6

PROS

High-performance AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 CPU with 12 cores, 24 threads, and AI acceleration (50 TOPS NPU) is INCREDIBLE for a compact desktop purchase
Support for up to 96GB DDR5 memory with ECC, ensuring data integrity and stability in critical environments
ZFS-ready storage with numerous ZFS and TRADITIONAL RAID configurations, snapshots, and inline compression
Hybrid storage support: five 3.5\\\"/2.5\\\" SATA bays plus three NVMe/U.2 SSD slots, with up to 144TB total capacity
Versatile expansion options including PCIe Gen 4 ×16 slot (×4 electrical) and OCuLink port for GPUs or NVMe cages
Dual high-speed networking: 10GbE and 5GbE RJ45 ports with link aggregation support + (using the inclusive MinisCloud OS) the use of the USB4 ports for direct PC/Mac connection!
Fully metal, compact, and serviceable chassis with thoughtful cooling and accessible internal layout - makes maintenance, upgrades and troubleshooting a complete breeze!
Compatibility with third-party OSes (TrueNAS, Unraid, Linux) without voiding warranty, offering flexibility for advanced users

CONS

MinisCloud OS is functional but immature, with unfinished localisation and limited advanced enterprise features - lacks MFA, iSCSI, Security Scanner and More. Nails several key fundamentals, but still feels unfinished at this time.
Despite External PSU design (will already annoy some users), it generates a lot of additional heat and may not appeal to all users overall
Preinstalled 64GB OS SSD runs hot under sustained use and lacks dedicated cooling. Plus, losing one of the 3 m.2 slots to it will not please everyone (most brands manage to find a way to apply an eMMC into the board more directly, or use a USB bootloader option as a gateway for their OS
Premium $1000+ pricing may be hard to justify for users who don’t need ECC memory or AI capabilities compared to the standard N5 at $500+

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Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Design and Storage

The Minisforum N5 Pro continues the company’s emphasis on compact yet industrial-grade hardware, retaining a desktop-friendly footprint of 199 x 202 x 252 mm and weighing just under 5 kg. Its exterior is constructed from anodized aluminum alloy, which not only enhances durability but also serves as part of the system’s passive thermal management by dispersing residual heat through the shell.

The front panel is understated, housing clearly labeled LEDs for system status, network activity indicators for both network interfaces, and separate activity lights for each of the five SATA bays.

A recessed power button with integrated LED, reset hole, and anti-theft lock slot round out the front-facing controls. The system’s modular internal structure divides the upper and lower sections cleanly, with the drive cage occupying the top tier and the motherboard and expansion slots housed below.

The slide-out tray design for the storage cage facilitates fast maintenance and upgrades, and access to all internal components requires minimal disassembly, aided by two easily removable rear screws and a fully detachable back panel. This thoughtful layout supports not only ease of serviceability but also helps maintain clean cable management for improved airflow.

The N5 Pro’s storage architecture is designed for maximum flexibility and density within its size constraints. The primary storage array comprises five individual 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA 3.0 bays arranged in a stacked configuration at the front of the chassis. Each bay supports drives of up to 22TB, allowing a maximum mechanical storage capacity of 110TB, which positions the N5 Pro among the most storage-dense NAS devices in its class.

Unlike some competing NAS designs that rely on port multiplexing, each SATA port on the N5 Pro is directly connected to the mainboard without oversubscription, ensuring consistent throughput per drive. Beyond the five SATA bays, the system includes three additional high-speed NVMe slots.

Two of these support either M.2 or U.2 SSDs up to 15TB each, while the remaining slot supports an M.2 SSD up to 4TB.

Minisforum includes an adapter to convert the two U.2-compatible slots to standard M.2 form factor if desired, which accommodates more commonly available SSDs without sacrificing future enterprise U.2 upgrade options.

In its default shipping configuration, the N5 Pro arrives with a 64GB M.2 2230 SSD preinstalled, preloaded with MinisCloud OS. This small OS drive occupies one M.2 slot and can be replaced with a larger, higher-performance SSD if needed.

The device supports a full suite of RAID levels, both through hardware and software configuration, thanks to its ZFS-based storage stack within MinisCloud OS. Users can configure the five SATA bays in RAID 0 for maximum throughput, RAID 1 or RAID 10 for redundancy, or RAIDZ1/RAID5 and RAIDZ2/RAID6 for more advanced parity protection.

The combination of ZFS and hardware flexibility allows mixed configurations, where NVMe SSDs can be dedicated to cache or high-performance “hot” data pools while SATA disks serve as mass storage. This arrangement supports scenarios like virtual machine hosting alongside archival media storage in a single chassis. Notably, ZFS features such as inline LZ4 compression and snapshot-based recovery are natively supported in MinisCloud OS, enabling efficient storage utilization and simplified recovery workflows.

During extended operation with fully populated SATA bays and NVMe slots, the drives maintained expected IOPS and sustained throughput without any noticeable drop in performance, a reflection of the system’s balanced backplane and effective drive isolation.

The 5 SATA Bay cage is connected to then main board with a 2GB/20Gb/s connection and is managed by the SATA sata JMicron Technology Corp. JMB58x

The physical implementation of drive installation is straightforward, with each SATA tray supporting toolless insertion and clearly numbered for easy identification. The trays are designed to accommodate both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives securely, while the NVMe and U.2 slots are easily accessible on the motherboard side of the chassis. Importantly, the U.2 support provides access to enterprise-class SSDs, which offer higher durability, better thermal tolerance, and larger capacities compared to consumer NVMe drives.

This feature caters to professional environments where storage write endurance is critical. The SATA backplane is integrated into the drive cage and connects cleanly to the motherboard with no loose cabling, simplifying airflow management and minimizing potential points of failure. Throughout the chassis, Minisforum has kept the cable routing tidy, with wiring harnesses anchored to prevent obstruction of airflow paths or contact with hot surfaces.

Cooling for the storage components is managed through a well-considered combination of passive and active elements. Front-side intake vents direct cool air across the SATA drives, while two dedicated rear-mounted exhaust fans draw heat away from the drive array and motherboard area.

The vented base panel assists with maintaining negative pressure and facilitating lateral airflow, preventing localized hot spots.

The NVMe and U.2 SSDs benefit from placement near the rear and bottom fans, maintaining acceptable temperatures under sustained workloads.

Interestingly, you can see the similarities in the design of the brand’s current smaller workstation systems, with their 2 fan (top and bottom) placement – they have just built on top of this by introducing the storage and it’s own dedicated cooling.

The 64GB OS SSD, however, does not feature a dedicated heatsink and was observed to operate at relatively high temperatures during stress testing—likely due to its compact 2230 form factor. Users opting to keep MinisCloud OS on this drive may consider upgrading to a larger, better-cooled SSD for improved thermal performance.

Despite its compact footprint, the system’s thermal behavior remained predictable during long periods of mixed I/O, demonstrating that Minisforum’s chassis and airflow design are effective at keeping the storage subsystem within operational limits.

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Internal Hardware

Internally, the Minisforum N5 Pro differentiates itself from its standard N5 counterpart primarily through its more powerful processor, memory capabilities, and additional AI acceleration hardware. At the heart of the system is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370, a Zen 5-based CPU offering 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock as low as 2.0 GHz for low-power states and a maximum boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz under peak loads.

The inclusion of ECC support in the Pro variant enables the use of error-correcting DDR5 memory modules—essential in mission-critical environments where data integrity is a priority. The non-Pro model, by contrast, is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 255, offering 8 cores and 16 threads, a slightly higher base clock at 3.3 GHz, but no support for ECC memory.

This choice in processors reflects different target audiences: the Pro version is designed for advanced workloads, AI model inference, and demanding multi-threaded tasks, whereas the standard N5 targets more conventional NAS and multimedia use cases. Both CPUs have a very similar integrated GPU architecture (only around 0.1Ghz of difference and similar engine design), however the non-PRO CPU R7 255 CPU actually has 20 PCIe Lanes, compared with the 16 Lanes of the HX370. Despite this, both the Pro and Non Pro have the exact same Ports, connections and lane speeds for the SSD bays and PCIe upgrade slot! So, unsure if these additional lanes are picking up slack somewhere I cannot see, or are insured (likely the former).

The Pro variant also integrates AMD’s Radeon 890M integrated graphics with 12 compute units based on the RDNA 3 architecture, supporting burst frequencies up to 2.9 GHz, which is advantageous for tasks requiring GPU-accelerated transcoding or light graphical workloads. This is a small step up from the Radeon 780M present in the standard N5, which tops out at 2.7 GHz and features fewer compute units. Notably, the N5 Pro includes a dedicated AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) rated up to 50 TOPS (trillions of operations per second), which is absent in the standard N5. This NPU is leveraged by MinisCloud OS for AI-based features such as photo recognition and intelligent indexing, and may also benefit advanced users deploying AI workloads in containerized environments or VMs – but REALISTICALLY the main draw for this CPU and in AI deployment would be true edge-AI and LOCALLY deploying an LLM/AI on the system effectively (ChatGPT, Deepseek, etc).  Together, these enhancements give the Pro configuration a performance and feature set closer to workstation-class hardware while maintaining NAS functionality.

Memory capacity and bandwidth are also noteworthy. Both variants of the N5 support up to 96GB of DDR5 memory across two SO-DIMM slots, operating at up to 5600 MT/s. In the Pro, ECC modules can be installed for error correction, while the standard model is limited to non-ECC DDR5. ECC memory is an important differentiator in enterprise and data-centric scenarios, preventing silent data corruption and improving long-term system stability.

The unit tested for this review was populated with 96GB of ECC DDR5, which performed consistently and without detectable error events during extended uptime tests. The system’s DDR5 architecture provides approximately 75% more bandwidth than equivalent DDR4 configurations, which is beneficial for high-concurrency operations, ZFS scrubbing, and virtual machine memory allocation. In effect, this memory flexibility makes the N5 Pro adaptable for both small office file sharing and more advanced computational tasks such as AI training or multi-VM deployments.

Minisforum’s choice to pair these components with a full range of storage and expansion interfaces ensures that none of the hardware is bottlenecked under realistic workloads. The PCIe Gen 4×16 slot and OCuLink port are physically accessible from within the chassis and are routed directly to CPU lanes, ensuring optimal throughput for expansion cards or external GPU enclosures.  Thermal management of the internal hardware is also carefully designed: copper heatpipes, a dedicated CPU fan on the base, rear exhaust fans, and airflow channels work in tandem to keep CPU, GPU, and memory temperatures in line, even under sustained heavy usage. In testing, the CPU maintained stable boost clocks without throttling, and the DIMM temperatures remained within specification. This level of hardware specification in a NAS-class device positions the N5 Pro well beyond the scope of typical consumer NAS appliances, edging into workstation territory while retaining the flexibility and storage capabilities of a dedicated file server.

Component	N5 Pro	N5 Standard
Processor	AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 (12C/24T, 2.0–5.1 GHz, Zen 5)	AMD Ryzen 7 255 (8C/16T, 3.3–4.9 GHz, Zen 5)
Integrated GPU	Radeon 890M (12CU, RDNA 3, up to 2.9 GHz)	Radeon 780M (RDNA 3, up to 2.7 GHz)
Neural Processing Unit	Up to 50 TOPS	Not available
Memory Support	DDR5 ECC or Non-ECC, up to 96GB, 5600 MT/s	DDR5 Non-ECC only, up to 96GB, 5600 MT/s
PCIe Slot	PCIe 4.0 ×16 (wired as ×4)	PCIe 4.0 ×16 (wired as ×4)
OCuLink Port	PCIe 4.0 ×4	PCIe 4.0 ×4
Cooling Features	Base CPU fan, copper pipes, rear dual fans	Base CPU fan, copper pipes, rear dual fans

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Ports and Connections

The Minisforum N5 Pro offers a broad set of connectivity options designed to cater to a variety of deployment scenarios, from conventional NAS file sharing to more specialized compute and expansion use cases. On the rear panel, the system includes two dedicated Ethernet ports: one 10GbE RJ45 port based on the AQC113 controller, and a secondary 5GbE RJ45 port driven by a Realtek RTL8126.

Both ports support auto-negotiation and full-duplex operation, with the 10GbE interface capable of saturating high-speed networks for demanding workloads like multi-user file access, virtual machine networking, or high-resolution media streaming. Testing confirmed the ports could operate independently or together under link aggregation protocols provided by the installed OS. NIC activity LEDs are also front-mounted, providing clear visual feedback on link state and throughput. This dual-port setup makes it feasible to separate public and private subnets or configure failover for improved reliability in critical environments.

Beyond networking, the N5 Pro provides extensive high-speed peripheral and display interfaces. Two USB4 ports (with Alternate Mode DisplayPort 2.0 support) are located on the rear panel, each capable of delivering up to 20 Gbps and supporting external storage enclosures or even GPU enclosures over Thunderbolt/USB4. A single HDMI 2.1 FRL output is present, supporting up to 8K@60Hz or 4K@144Hz resolution for administrators who wish to attach a local display directly to the NAS for maintenance, media playback, or monitoring.

Additional USB ports include two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports and a legacy USB 2.0 port for basic peripherals. The USB4 interfaces can also facilitate high-speed direct transfers to and from supported devices, though these capabilities are more fully realized under MinisCloud OS than third-party platforms. This is a big deal and allows for 2 more DIRECT 20Gb/s clients to connect to the system via the 2x USB4 ports, as well as the 5GbE and 10GbE connection!

Additionally, the USB4 Port, thanks to earlier testing of this setup on the Minisforum X1 AI Pro, allow for a USB4 SSD drive to comfortably deliver 3000/1500MB/s for backups as needed.

Together, these ports make the N5 Pro unusually versatile compared to typical NAS devices that tend to offer only basic USB and HDMI output.

For users who require expansion beyond the system’s standard storage and networking options, the inclusion of a full-length PCIe Gen 4 ×16 slot (electrically wired as ×4) and an OCuLink PCIe Gen 4 ×4 port provides meaningful flexibility. The PCIe slot is accessible from within the chassis and supports a variety of cards, including additional NICs, AI accelerators, or storage controllers, while the OCuLink port offers external PCIe expansion for GPU enclosures or dedicated NVMe drive cages. I was able to install a 2x 10GbE NIC card into the PCIe slot AND still use the Oculink port for the Minisforum MGA1 eGPU! Software and SDriver support will be important, but nonetheless, this is some fantastic expandability and flexibility!

During testing, the OCuLink interface successfully interfaced with an external GPU, and appeared in the OS for passthrough to VMs, confirming its utility in advanced configurations. Minisforum’s choice to include both conventional PCIe and OCuLink enables users to adapt the system to evolving needs, whether for rendering tasks, AI workloads, or extending storage beyond the internal bays. This combination of high-speed networking, display output, and expansion interfaces demonstrates the system’s hybrid role as both a NAS and a general-purpose compute platform.

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Software and Services

The Minisforum N5 Pro ships with a pre-installed operating system called MinisCloud OS, which runs from the included 64GB M.2 2230 SSD. Based on the FNOS platform, MinisCloud OS is a ZFS-enabled NAS operating system with a graphical web interface, mobile app support, and built-in services for media, backup, and collaboration. Users can choose to use MinisCloud OS out of the box or replace it entirely with third-party solutions such as TrueNAS, Unraid, or other Linux-based NAS distributions without voiding warranty coverage.

MinisCloud OS includes a desktop-accessible GUI, with menus covering storage management, RAID/ZFS pool creation, user and group permissions, Docker container deployment, and real-time monitoring. For users who prefer a turnkey NAS experience with minimal setup, MinisCloud OS provides a convenient starting point. However, it is worth noting that the OS is still maturing; some parts of the interface, particularly language localization and advanced feature polish, are clearly in active development.

At the core of MinisCloud OS is its ZFS-based storage engine, which enables advanced features such as snapshots, inline LZ4 compression, self-healing integrity checks, and instant rollback of data pools. The snapshot interface is intuitive and responsive, allowing users to schedule, lock, and restore snapshots at a per-pool level with minimal steps. Compression is enabled by default, improving storage efficiency, particularly for highly repetitive or archival datasets.

While ZFS support is a welcome inclusion, the implementation of some monitoring features—such as SSD temperature and SMART data for NVMe drives—remains inconsistent, as noted during testing. Despite these limitations, MinisCloud OS is capable of handling mixed drive types in flexible RAID configurations (RAID 0/1/5/6/10/RAIDZ), combining high-speed NVMe SSDs with large-capacity SATA drives for tiered storage strategies. The OS also supports secure access controls, allowing administrators to segment personal, shared, and public storage spaces.

Beyond storage, MinisCloud OS offers a suite of applications targeting home and small office users. Media services include a basic DLNA server, AI-driven photo library with face and object recognition, and a music streaming module. While the AI photo library benefits from the NPU in the N5 Pro, testing showed mixed accuracy in object recognition and indexing. Backup services include one-click PC/Mac backups, scheduled sync jobs, and encrypted sharing via link-based access.

Docker support is also integrated, enabling users to deploy isolated containers for third-party apps and services. While these features align the OS with other consumer NAS ecosystems, they do feel less polished than more mature platforms from competitors, and gaps such as lack of native iSCSI target creation or advanced security scanning were noticeable. MinisCloud OS seems best suited as a lightweight, user-friendly option for those who do not wish to invest time configuring a third-party OS but may not satisfy advanced enterprise users.

The inclusion of fully offline account creation and per-user container isolation demonstrates Minisforum’s efforts to balance privacy and flexibility. No cloud account is required to use the OS, and user isolation ensures that data in Docker containers remains segregated across different accounts. Public network traversal and encrypted external sharing are supported through the web portal, making it possible to access data from outside the local network securely.

Mobile apps for Android and iOS mirror the desktop web interface and allow remote access and basic administrative tasks. Nevertheless, limitations in feature depth and the still-developing language localization suggest that while MinisCloud OS is functional and a helpful starting point, serious users will want to transition to platforms like TrueNAS or Unraid to unlock the full potential of the hardware.

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Testing, Noise and Heat

In testing, the Minisforum N5 Pro demonstrated performance levels consistent with its workstation-class specifications, particularly in multi-threaded CPU tasks and mixed storage operations. Using TrueNAS and Unraid as alternative OS options during benchmarks, the system was able to sustain heavy virtual machine (VM) workloads without instability. The Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 CPU maintained its advertised boost clocks of up to 5.1 GHz during short burst operations, while sustaining a lower but stable frequency under extended full-load scenarios. The 12 cores and 24 threads allowed deployment of up to 12 Windows VMs and multiple Linux containers concurrently, each with dedicated vCPUs and memory. Even with the CPU loaded at approximately 50%, overall system responsiveness remained acceptable, thanks in part to the large 96GB DDR5 memory pool available in the tested configuration. ECC support ensured no uncorrected memory errors were recorded throughout a 7-day continuous stress test, affirming the platform’s suitability for 24/7 environments.

Storage performance also met expectations, though it varied depending on drive type and configuration. The five SATA bays, populated with Seagate IronWolf HDDs and SATA SSDs, delivered consistent throughput in RAID 5 and RAID 6 pools, with sequential read speeds averaging 900–1000 MB/s and writes around 800 MB/s under ZFS.

NVMe performance was significantly higher: the two Gen 4 ×1 M.2 slots achieved sustained reads of approximately 1.7 GB/s and writes of 1.6 GB/s, while the single Gen 4 ×2 M.2 slot reached peak reads of 3.3 GB/s and writes of 3.1 GB/s, approaching the theoretical limits of the interface.

Transfer speeds between SSDs in mixed-slot configurations were observed at 1.2–1.3 GB/s, indicating some internal contention or chipset limitation at the aggregate level.

The U.2 adapter included with the unit allowed testing of enterprise-class SSDs, which performed within expected parameters, though thermals for these drives require attention in prolonged heavy write scenarios.

Network performance aligned with the hardware’s 10GbE and 5GbE capabilities. The AQC113-based 10GbE NIC saturated its link easily during single and multi-stream transfers, maintaining over 900 MB/s sustained throughput in SMB and iSCSI workloads. The secondary 5GbE port also performed well, delivering consistent ~480 MB/s transfers in environments where full 10GbE infrastructure was unavailable. Link aggregation configurations were tested using LACP, though practical benefits were limited due to single-client testing constraints. USB4 and OCuLink connections were tested using external NVMe enclosures and a GPU eGPU box, both of which enumerated properly in the OS and achieved PCIe-level throughput. These features open possibilities for specialized use cases, such as GPU passthrough to VMs or offloading compute-intensive tasks to external accelerators.

Thermal and acoustic performance were also evaluated under a variety of workloads. At idle, the N5 Pro maintained a noise floor of approximately 32–34 dBA with fans set to automatic, rising to 48–51 dBA when forced to maximum. This places it within an acceptable range for small office or homelab deployments. CPU temperatures stayed within safe operating limits, averaging 40–42°C at idle and peaking at 78–80°C under full load during VM and Plex transcoding stress tests.

Drive temperatures were generally stable, although the pre-installed 64GB OS SSD exhibited higher than ideal temperatures, reaching 60°C under prolonged access. Power draw varied significantly with workload: idle power consumption was around 32–34W, increasing to roughly 80W under combined heavy CPU, storage, and 10GbE load. These results confirm that the system is both efficient at idle and capable of scaling up when fully utilized.

Minisforum N5 Pro Review – Conclusion & Verdict

The Minisforum N5 Pro firmly establishes itself as a hybrid solution that blurs the lines between a high-performance NAS appliance and a compact workstation-class server. It combines server-grade processing, memory integrity features, and robust storage options in a footprint comparable to many consumer NAS systems. Equipped with the 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 CPU, ECC-capable DDR5 memory support, an intelligent ZFS-ready storage architecture, and an unusually broad range of expansion options—including PCIe Gen 4 and OCuLink—the N5 Pro is clearly targeted at advanced users and small professional teams with more demanding and diversified workloads than those served by entry-level NAS units. In practical testing, the system proved capable of maintaining high multi-threaded performance during intensive virtualized environments, delivering consistent high-throughput over 10GbE networking, and retaining stable thermals even under extended peak activity. The compact, fully metal chassis design provides excellent serviceability and sufficient cooling despite the dense hardware configuration, while the support for both U.2 and M.2 enterprise-class SSDs further broadens its application to mixed storage, caching, and high-availability scenarios. However, while the bundled MinisCloud OS offers a wide feature set—including snapshots, AI-driven indexing, and containerization—it remains a relatively immature platform compared to industry standards like TrueNAS and Unraid. Users looking for long-term OS maturity and advanced ecosystem integration will likely opt to replace it with one of these more established alternatives, which is fully supported without affecting warranty coverage.

Potential buyers should consider carefully whether the specific advantages of the N5 Pro—namely, its additional CPU cores, ECC memory support, and AI-specific compute capabilities—justify its higher price over the standard N5 model, which offers identical storage and connectivity at a lower cost by using a more modest processor and omitting ECC. For workloads that include high-density virtualization, multi-user environments where data integrity is paramount, or AI-enhanced workflows such as photo indexing or local inference tasks, the Pro variant’s premium hardware is likely to pay dividends. On the other hand, for simpler NAS duties such as centralized backups, media streaming, and file sharing, the standard N5 offers nearly all of the same physical functionality for significantly less. It is also worth noting the few limitations that arose during testing: the external PSU design may not appeal to all users; the thermal behavior of the bundled 64GB OS SSD suggests it should be upgraded for sustained use; and the unfinished aspects of MinisCloud OS—particularly its localization, advanced monitoring, and some missing enterprise-grade protocols—leave room for refinement. None of these are deal-breaking, but they highlight that this system is best suited for technically confident users who plan to fully exploit its hardware capabilities. Taken together, the N5 Pro stands out as a capable and flexible NAS platform, offering a level of performance and configurability rarely seen at this scale. For those willing to invest the time to install and tune their preferred OS and storage strategy, it represents one of the more forward-thinking and technically ambitious NAS options currently available. For users seeking a fully polished, plug-and-play appliance experience, however, more mature offerings from Synology, QNAP, or Asustor may still be the better fit for their needs.

The is now available to buy: Minisforum N5 Pro (Check Amazon) – HERE Minisforum N5 Pro (Check AliExpress) – HERE Shop for NAS Hard Drives on Amazon – HERE Shop for SSDs for your N5 Pro on Amazon – HERE IMPORTANT – Below are the links to the OFFICIAL Minisforum site to buy the N5 and N5 Pro. However, using these links does not support us (i.e we do not get an affiliate fee). We want you to buy this device from whichever retailer best suits your needs, but we hope you are able to support the work we do (such as this review and our YouTube channel) but using the links above for your storage media, or any other data storage/network solution purchase. Minisforum N5 on Official Site- HERE Minisforum N5 Pro on Official Site – HERE

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