Best SSD for the Synology DiskStation DS224+
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The 2 bays of the Synology DiskStation DS224+ take 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as well as hard drives, but over 2 × 1GbE it rarely pays: the network caps throughput long before the drive does, and SSDs cost a multiple per TB. An all-SSD DS224+ 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 DS224+, live from Amazon.ca
What sets the DS224+ apart
The best-selling two-bay DiskStation and enough for most homes. With two bays, RAID effectively means RAID 1: you pay half the capacity for fault tolerance, and SHR changes nothing with two equal-size drives.
When SSDs make sense in the DS224+
A SATA SSD reads about 550 MB/s, a good NAS drive 200 to 280 — but the DS224+'s 2 × 1GbE only carries part of that anyway, and per terabyte the SSD costs several times more. For file storage, backups and media on the DS224+, hard drives are the sensible choice by every measure.
Two cases flip it. Silence: if the DS224+ 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 DS224+, that second case is rarer than it sounds.
The Synology drive policy on the DS224+
unrestrictedOpen. The 2025 restriction does not apply retroactively; every NAS drive works.
The DS224+ at a glance
| Bays | 2 × 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 48 TB 2 × 24 TB: the largest drive on Synology's list for this model. |
| Processor | Intel Celeron J4125 (4 cores) |
| Memory | 2 GB, DDR4 SO-DIMM, no ECC (2 GB soldered plus 1 slot) 6 GB official (2 GB fixed plus a 4 GB module). Larger modules run in practice but are not endorsed. |
| M.2 NVMe | none No M.2 slots |
| Network | 2 × 1GbE |
| Operating system | DSM 7.x |
| RAID types | SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 SHR also makes use of mixed drive sizes. |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DS224+ capacity calculator is preset to its 2 bays and RAID types. For the DS224+, 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 DS224+?
Yes, without restriction. The 2025 Synology drive lock covers only the 2025 models, so the DS224+ takes any NAS drive and has always done so.
Which drives fit the DS224+?
The DS224+ 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 × 1GbE, even a basic 5400 rpm drive saturates the DS224+'s link.
How much capacity is usable in the DS224+?
In the DS224+, 2 × 8 TB in SHR gives about 7.28 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the DS224+ run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Yes. The DS224+'s Intel Celeron J4125 (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 DS224+?
Not for speed. The DS224+'s 2 × 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)