Best M.2 NVMe for the Synology DiskStation DS923+
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The Synology DiskStation DS923+ has 2 M.2 slots. The catch most guides miss: for NVMe, Synology still requires a drive from its own list (SNV3400 or SNV5400), and the DSM 7.3 relaxation did not change that — it covered hard drives and SATA SSDs only. So on the DS923+, a Samsung 990 will not do. Whether a cache pays off depends on the 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card link and on whether you re-read the same data — for a media library streamed once, it does not.
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M.2 NVMe for the DS923+, live from Amazon.ca
What sets the DS923+ apart
The predecessor many bought for the drive policy, and still the only four-bay DiskStation with a genuine 10-gigabit upgrade slot. The Ryzen R1600 has only two cores: strong as a file store with ECC RAM, weak for many containers.
Cache or a fast pool on the DS923+?
The DS923+'s 2 M.2 slots (2 × m.2 nvme. nvme cache is unrestricted; an nvme storage pool requires a synology-approved drive (that has always been the case here).) can serve as a read cache or, depending on the OS, as their own fast storage pool. A cache only speeds up data you read more than once: on the DS923+, a media library streamed through once gains nothing, while repeated project files, photo libraries or container images show the difference immediately. Weigh that against its 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card link, which is often the real limit.
On the DS923+ an NVMe storage pool is possible, but only with Synology's own SNV3400 or SNV5400 — the DSM 7.3 relaxation did not reach M.2, so this is the one place the DS923+ still enforces a drive list. Budget for that when you plan a cache.
The Synology drive policy on the DS923+
unrestrictedOpen. The 2025 drive restriction explicitly does not apply retroactively: Synology confirms it applies “only to new models from 2025.” In the DS923+ every NAS drive runs without restriction.
The DS923+ at a glance
| Bays | 4 × 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 96 TB 4 × 24 TB: the largest drive on Synology's compatibility list for this model. With a DX517 expansion the figure rises accordingly. |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen R1600 (2 cores, 4 threads) |
| Memory | 4 GB, DDR4 ECC SO-DIMM (2 slots) 32 GB official (2 × 16 GB ECC). In practice 64 GB (2 × 32 GB ECC SO-DIMM) also runs; Synology does not endorse it. |
| M.2 NVMe | 2 slots 2 × M.2 NVMe. NVMe cache is unrestricted; an NVMe storage pool requires a Synology-approved drive (that has always been the case here). |
| Network | 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card |
| Operating system | DSM 7.x |
| RAID types | SHR, SHR-2, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 SHR also makes use of mixed drive sizes. |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DS923+ capacity calculator is preset to its 4 bays and RAID types. For the DS923+, 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
How many M.2 slots does the DS923+ have?
2. 2 × M.2 NVMe. NVMe cache is unrestricted; an NVMe storage pool requires a Synology-approved drive (that has always been the case here).
Is an NVMe cache worth it in the DS923+?
Only if you re-read the same data on the DS923+: project files, photos, container images. A media library streamed once gains nothing, and with 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card the link is often the limit before the drive is.
Can I put any NVMe in the DS923+?
No. On the DS923+, Synology still requires an SNV3400 or SNV5400 for both cache and an NVMe pool — the DSM 7.3 drive-policy relaxation of 8 October 2025 covered hard drives and SATA SSDs, not M.2.
Can I put third-party drives in the DS923+?
Yes, without restriction. The 2025 Synology drive lock covers only the 2025 models, so the DS923+ takes any NAS drive and has always done so.
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)