Best SSD for the QNAP TS-464
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The 4 bays of the QNAP TS-464 take 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as well as hard drives, but over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 5GbE or 10GbE via the PCIe slot it rarely pays: even 10-gigabit is fed by a four-drive array, and per TB an SSD costs several times more. An all-SSD TS-464 makes sense for silence in a living space, or for the many small parallel reads of virtual-machine storage — not for a file-and-backup NAS.
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SATA SSDs for the TS-464, live from Amazon.ca
What sets the TS-464 apart
The most interesting QNAP for self-deciders: the PCIe slot makes 10GbE an upgrade, and with QuTS hero the same box runs ZFS instead of ext4. If you choose QuTS hero, the RAID-Z calculator applies, not the RAID calculator. QNAP has no SHR equivalent: mixed drive sizes waste real capacity here.
When SSDs make sense in the TS-464
A SATA SSD reads about 550 MB/s, a good NAS drive 200 to 280 — but the TS-464's 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 5GbE or 10GbE via the PCIe slot only carries part of that anyway, and per terabyte the SSD costs several times more. For file storage, backups and media on the TS-464, hard drives are the sensible choice by every measure.
Two cases flip it. Silence: if the TS-464 lives in a living room or bedroom, an all-SSD build is the only thing that truly quiets it. And many small parallel reads — virtual- machine storage, a busy photo database — where the SSD's access times, not its data rate, are what you are buying. On a lighter box like the TS-464, that second case is rarer than it sounds.
The QNAP drive policy on the TS-464
unrestrictedOpen. QNAP locks no drives; the compatibility list is guidance. QNAP only warns that unlisted drives may affect stability.
The TS-464 at a glance
| Bays | 4 × 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Celeron N5095 (4 cores) |
| Memory | 8 GB, DDR4 SO-DIMM, no ECC (2 slots) 16 GB official. 32 GB runs per forum reports but is not endorsed by QNAP. |
| M.2 NVMe | 2 slots 2 × M.2 2280 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x1), freely populated |
| Network | 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 5GbE or 10GbE via the PCIe slot |
| Operating system | QTS 5.2 or QuTS hero (ZFS) |
| RAID types | Single, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the TS-464 capacity calculator is preset to its 4 bays and RAID types. For the TS-464, 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 TS-464?
Yes. QNAP locks no drive brand on the TS-464 — its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate — so any CMR NAS drive works.
Which drives fit the TS-464?
The TS-464 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 to 5GbE or 10GbE via the PCIe slot, a 7200 rpm Pro drive is worth the premium in the TS-464.
How much capacity is usable in the TS-464?
In the TS-464, 4 × 8 TB in RAID 5 gives about 21.83 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the TS-464 run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Yes. The TS-464'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-464?
Yes. The TS-464's 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 5GbE or 10GbE via the PCIe slot can carry the extra throughput of a 7200 rpm Pro drive, and in a 4-bay array that speed is real, not theoretical.
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)