Best SSD for the Synology DiskStation DS1525+
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated · Prices checked The 5 bays of the Synology DiskStation DS1525+ take 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as well as hard drives. M.2 SATA SSDs are a different part and do not fit a drive bay. Over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini SSDs rarely pay: even 10-gigabit is fed by a four-drive array, and per TB an SSD costs several times more. An all-SSD DS1525+ 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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Want to know whether the DS1525+ fits your actual storage plan? Open the NAS Builder with this model weighted.
2.5-inch SATA SSDs for the DS1525+, from Amazon.ca
| Model | Capacity | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
 SAMSUNG 870 EVO SATA III SSD 1TB 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive, R/W up to 560/530 MB/s, MZ-77E1T0B/AMNew 2.5-inch SATA SSD for the DS1525+'s drive bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare SSD; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$445Buy on Amazon | 1 TB | CA$445 | Buy on Amazon |
 SAMSUNG 870 EVO SATA III SSD 2TB 2.5” Internal Solid State Drive, Upgrade PC or Laptop Memory and Storage for IT Pros, Creators,R/W Speed up to 560/530 MB/s, MZ-77E2T0B/AM [Canada Version]New 2.5-inch SATA SSD for the DS1525+'s drive bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare SSD; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$945Buy on Amazon | 2 TB | CA$945 | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 2TB WD Red SA500 NAS 3D NAND Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm, Up to 560 MB/s - WDS200T2R0ANew 2.5-inch SATA SSD for the DS1525+'s drive bays Amazon.ca · sold by NelsonLife · one bare SSD; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$1,046Buy on Amazon | 2 TB | CA$1,046 | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 4TB WD Red SA500 NAS 3D NAND Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm, Up to 560 MB/s - WDS400T2R0ANew 2.5-inch SATA SSD for the DS1525+'s drive bays Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare SSD; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 15, 2026CA$2,000Buy on Amazon | 4 TB | CA$2,000 | Buy on Amazon |
Left out as not fitting the DS1525+: 2 listings (M.2 SATA SSD, not a 2.5-inch drive).
When SSDs make sense in the DS1525+
A SATA SSD reads about 550 MB/s, a good NAS drive 200 to 280, but the DS1525+'s 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini only carries part of that anyway, and per terabyte the SSD costs several times more. For file storage, backups and media on the DS1525+, hard drives are the sensible choice by every measure.
Two cases flip it. Silence: if the DS1525+ 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 capable box like the DS1525+, that VM-storage case is a real one.
Drive policy: Since DSM 7.3 (8 October 2025) the DS1525+ accepts third-party hard drives and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs for new storage pools; only M.2 NVMe still has to come from Synology's list. The DS1525+’s full compatibility rules.
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DS1525+ capacity calculator is preset to its 5 bays and RAID types. For the DS1525+, 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 DS1525+ can actually do: Plex, Immich, Docker, VMs? See what the DS1525+ can run.
Frequently asked questions
Which SSDs fit the DS1525+'s drive bays?
2.5-inch SATA SSDs. M.2 SATA SSDs (WD Red SA500 part numbers ending in R0B, for example) are a different part and do not fit a drive bay, and the DS1525+'s M.2 slots take NVMe drives.
Can I put third-party drives in the DS1525+?
Yes. Since DSM 7.3 (8 October 2025) the DS1525+ accepts third-party hard drives and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs for new storage pools; only M.2 NVMe still has to come from Synology's list.
Can the DS1525+ run Plex with hardware transcoding?
No hardware transcode. The DS1525+'s AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) has no integrated GPU, so Plex must transcode in software: fine for direct play and one light stream, not for multiple 4K streams. For hardware transcoding at this level, an Intel-based NAS with Quick Sync is the better choice.
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)