Best SSD for the UGREEN NASync DH2300
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The 2 bays of the UGREEN NASync DH2300 take 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as well as hard drives, but over 1 × 1GbE it rarely pays: the network caps throughput long before the drive does, and SSDs cost a multiple per TB. An all-SSD DH2300 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 DH2300, live from Amazon.ca
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.
When SSDs make sense in the DH2300
A SATA SSD reads about 550 MB/s, a good NAS drive 200 to 280 — but the DH2300's 1 × 1GbE only carries part of that anyway, and per terabyte the SSD costs several times more. For file storage, backups and media on the DH2300, hard drives are the sensible choice by every measure.
Two cases flip it. Silence: if the DH2300 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 DH2300, that second case is rarer than it sounds.
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)