Best drives for the UGREEN NASync DH2300 in Canada
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated For the UGREEN NASync DH2300 fit CMR NAS drives like Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus across all 2 bays up to 64 TB raw. UGREEN locks no drive brand on the DH2300: its list is advice, not a gate. At 2 × 8 TB the DH2300 keeps 7.28 TiB usable in RAID 1. Since its Rockchip RK3576, ARM 8-core (Cortex-A72 and A53) serves files and backups quietly but does not hardware-transcode Plex or run real virtual machines, buy the DH2300's drives on price and quietness, not speed.
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CMR NAS drives for the DH2300
Only families with confirmed CMR recording and a 24/7 rating, in stock on Amazon.ca and sized for the DH2300. SMR drives are deliberately kept out.
What sets the DH2300 apart
The cheapest NASync model and deliberately lean: 1-gigabit networking, 4 GB of soldered RAM, no Docker. Watch out for reviews that quote RK3588C, 8 GB and 2.5GbE: those are the DH4300 Plus specs, not the DH2300.
Who the DH2300 is for
The DH2300 is built on the Rockchip RK3576, ARM 8-core (Cortex-A72 and A53) — a file-server processor, not a workstation one. It serves files, backs up your other machines and runs a few lightweight apps, but it does not hardware-transcode Plex and it will not host real virtual machines. With 4 GB of soldered memory, what the DH2300 ships with is what it keeps. Buy it to store and protect data quietly and cheaply, and let CA$/TB and noise choose the drives, because the CPU never will.
How the DH2300's network shapes the drive choice
The DH2300 connects over 1 × 1GbE, and that ceiling decides everything below it. A gigabit link tops out near 110 MB/s, which even a single 5400 rpm NAS drive clears easily. So on the DH2300 a faster, pricier Pro drive returns no extra throughput at all: put an IronWolf or WD Red Plus in every bay and buy on CA$/TB, warranty and noise. The only reason to pay for a Pro drive on the DH2300 is its longer warranty, not speed.
A worked configuration for the DH2300
Seagate IronWolf Pro or WD Red Plus in every bay is the recommendation for the DH2300. At 2 × 8 TB in RAID 1, the DH2300 lands 7.28 TiB usable, gives up 8 TB to parity, and survives 1 drive failing. Step the same 2 bays of the DH2300 up to 16 TB drives and it holds roughly twice that, at the CA$/TB the live table above shows.
One rule holds on every NAS, the DH2300 included: use CMR drives, not SMR. SMR drives rewrite overlapping tracks and collapse during a RAID rebuild, dragging a repair from hours into days.
The UGREEN drive policy on the DH2300
unrestrictedOpen. UGREEN mandates no drive brand. The compatibility list is a recommendation, not a lock.
The DH2300 at a glance
| Bays | 2 × 3.5-inch SATA |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 64 TB 2 × 32 TB hard drives, per the manufacturer |
| Processor | Rockchip RK3576, ARM 8-core (Cortex-A72 and A53) |
| Memory | 4 GB, LPDDR4X, soldered Soldered, not upgradeable |
| M.2 NVMe | none No M.2 slots |
| Network | 1 × 1GbE |
| Operating system | UGOS Pro |
| RAID types | Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DH2300 capacity calculator is preset to its 2 bays and RAID types. For the DH2300, the wider basics of choosing a drive are in the buying guides, where we also explain why CMR rather than SMR is mandatory in any RAID array.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the DH2300?
Yes. UGREEN locks no drive brand on the DH2300 — its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate — so any CMR NAS drive works.
Which drives fit the DH2300?
The DH2300 takes any 3.5-inch SATA drive; use a CMR NAS family rated for 24/7 duty such as IronWolf, WD Red Plus or Toshiba N300. On its 1 × 1GbE, even a basic 5400 rpm drive saturates the DH2300's link.
How much capacity is usable in the DH2300?
In the DH2300, 2 × 8 TB in RAID 1 gives about 7.28 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the DH2300 run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Only in software. The DH2300's Rockchip RK3576, ARM 8-core (Cortex-A72 and A53) has no Quick Sync, so Plex transcodes on the CPU — enough for direct play, not for heavy 4K transcoding.
Is a Pro drive worth it in the DH2300?
Not for speed. The DH2300's 1 × 1GbE caps throughput near 110 MB/s, which the cheapest NAS drive already reaches, so a Pro drive only buys the longer warranty and higher workload rating.
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)