Best drives for the QNAP TS-264 in Canada
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated · Prices checked For the QNAP TS-264 fit CMR NAS drives like WD Red Pro or Seagate IronWolf Pro across all 2 bays. QNAP locks no drive brand on the TS-264; its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate. At 2 × 8 TB the TS-264 keeps 7.28 TiB usable in RAID 1, about CA$1,144 in drives. Since its Intel Celeron N5095 (4 cores) hardware-transcodes Plex through Intel Quick Sync and runs a stack of containers, with a light VM or two as the ceiling, an ordinary CMR drive already saturates the TS-264's link.
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Want to know whether the TS-264 fits your actual storage plan? Open the NAS Builder with this model weighted.
CMR NAS drives for the TS-264
Only new SATA drives from families with confirmed CMR recording and a 24/7 rating, in stock on Amazon.ca and within the TS-264’s published limits. SMR drives are kept out. CA$/usable TB assumes all 2 bays filled with equal drives in RAID 1.
| Model | Capacity | Recording | Price | CA$/raw TB | CA$/usable TB (2 drives, RAID 1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Western Digital 20TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD202KFGXNewbest price per TB CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$1,201Buy on Amazon | 20 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,201 | CA$60.03/TB | CA$120.06/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 22TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD221KFGXNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$1,452Buy on Amazon | 22 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,452 | CA$66.00/TB | CA$132.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 16TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD161KFGXNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$1,060Buy on Amazon | 16 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,060 | CA$66.25/TB | CA$132.50/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB Enterprise NAS Internal HDD Hard Drive – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage, Rescue Services - FFP (ST14000NTZ01)New CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$930Buy on Amazon | 14 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$930 | CA$66.43/TB | CA$132.86/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 12TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD122KFBXNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$815Buy on Amazon | 12 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$815 | CA$67.94/TB | CA$135.88/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 128 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EFZZNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$275Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$275 | CA$68.75/TB | CA$137.50/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 HD 18TB N300 PRO NAS 3.5 in 7200RPM SATA III TOSHIBA HDWG81JXZSTBNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Canada Direct - Often Ships Same Day! · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$1,253Buy on Amazon | 18 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,253 | CA$69.61/TB | CA$139.22/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 3TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD30EFPXNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Generic Computer · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$210Buy on Amazon | 3 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$210 | CA$70.00/TB | CA$140.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate IRONWOLF 6TB NAS 3.5IN 6GB/S SATA 256MBNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Compute4Less Corp · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$423Buy on Amazon | 6 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$423 | CA$70.50/TB | CA$141.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 24TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD241KFGXNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon US · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026 · ships from the US through Amazon.caCA$1,697Buy on Amazon | 24 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,697 | CA$70.71/TB | CA$141.42/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 HD 14TB N300 PRO NAS 3.5 in 7200RPM SATA III TOSHIBA HDWG81EXZSTBNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by Canada Direct - Often Ships Same Day! · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$992Buy on Amazon | 14 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$992 | CA$70.87/TB | CA$141.74/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Toshiba N300 PRO 8TB Large-Sized Business NAS (up to 24 Bays) 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive - Up to 300 TB/Year Workload Rate CMR SATA 6 GB/s 7200 RPM 512 MB Cache - HDWG780XZSTBNew CMR, SATA 3.5-inch drive for the TS-264's bays Amazon.ca · sold by OneDealOutlet Canada · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$572Buy on Amazon | 8 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$572 | CA$71.51/TB | CA$143.02/TB | Buy on Amazon |
What sets the TS-264 apart
Two bays, but the kit of a bigger machine: two NVMe slots, two 2.5-gigabit ports and a PCIe slot. With only two drives, RAID 1 is the one sensible choice, which halves the capacity no matter how large the drives are.
Who the TS-264 is for
The TS-264's Intel Celeron N5095 (4 cores) is the home-NAS sweet spot. Its integrated graphics hardware-transcode Plex (4K HEVC included, through Intel Quick Sync) and it runs a stack of Docker containers without complaint; heavy virtualization is the one thing it leaves to bigger machines. With 8 GB stock and up to 16 GB, the TS-264 suits a household that wants its media server and its drives in one quiet box.
How the TS-264's network shapes the drive choice
The TS-264 runs 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable via the PCIe slot. Two-and-a-half gigabit is about 280 MB/s (almost exactly what a modern high-capacity NAS drive reads off its outer tracks) so the TS-264 sits in the sweet spot where an ordinary CMR drive saturates the link and a Pro model buys nothing on speed. Drives under about 8 TB fall short here for lack of areal density; from 8 TB up, a standard IronWolf or WD Red Plus is the right call on the TS-264.
Drive policy: QNAP locks no drive brand on the TS-264; its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate. The TS-264’s full compatibility rules.
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the TS-264 capacity calculator is preset to its 2 bays and RAID types. For the TS-264, the wider basics of choosing a drive are in the buying guides, and CMR versus SMR explains why SMR drives do not belong in a RAID array. Wondering what the TS-264 can actually do: Plex, Immich, Docker, VMs? See what the TS-264 can run.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the TS-264?
Yes. QNAP locks no drive brand on the TS-264; its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate.
Which drives fit the TS-264?
The TS-264 takes any 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD drive; use a CMR NAS family rated for 24/7 duty such as IronWolf, WD Red Plus or Toshiba N300. On its 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable via the PCIe slot, a standard CMR drive is already fast enough for the TS-264.
How much capacity is usable in the TS-264?
In the TS-264, 2 × 8 TB in RAID 1 gives about 7.28 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the TS-264 run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Yes. The TS-264's Intel Celeron N5095 (4 cores) includes Intel Quick Sync, which hardware-transcodes Plex including 4K HEVC, so it handles several streams at once without loading the CPU.
Is a Pro drive worth it in the TS-264?
Marginal. The TS-264's 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable via the PCIe slot sits right where a standard CMR drive already saturates the link, so a Pro drive mainly buys warranty, not speed.
Devin Chua works out which drives, RAM and NVMe cache fit which NAS model at nasdrives.ca, and what the RAID choice means for usable capacity, checked against what is in stock on Amazon.ca.
Data checked by Owen Nakamura, Technical editor (data checking)