What drives work in the Synology DS1525+?
The DS1525+ holds five 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives plus two M.2 NVMe slots. Use CMR NAS drives: WD Red Plus/Pro, IronWolf, Toshiba N300. As a 2025 DiskStation Plus model it first required Synology-listed drives, but DSM 7.3 restored unlisted HDDs and SATA SSDs for new pools; M.2 NVMe still needs a listed drive.
Last verified July 22, 2026 · 2 official sources checked Updated
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The Synology DS1525+ is a five-bay NAS. It takes five 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives and has two M.2 2280 NVMe slots, and it can expand further with Synology expansion units.
Drive-compatibility policy for this model
The DS1525+ is a 2025 DiskStation Plus model. It initially required Synology-listed drives for new storage pools, but DSM 7.3 (October 2025) restored unlisted hard drives and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs on these DiskStation Plus units. M.2 NVMe still requires a Synology-listed drive. (The stricter list-lock that remains is on RackStation Plus and enterprise-series models, not this DiskStation.) Check your exact drive on Synology's per-model compatibility list.
Recommended CMR picks
- General / home: WD Red Plus or IronWolf.
- Five-bay RAID 6 / SHR-2: WD Red Pro or IronWolf Pro; a five-drive array of large disks benefits from double parity and a higher workload rating.
- Bulk value: Seagate Exos or Toshiba N300.
What to avoid
- SMR drives: a five-bay array means longer rebuilds where SMR is most damaging.
- Desktop drives, not rated for continuous multi-bay operation.
With five bays and large drives, lean toward SHR-2 or RAID 6. The table lists in-stock CMR drives by price per terabyte.
Compatible drives for the DS1525+, by CA$/TB
Live Amazon.ca prices in CAD, ranked by price per terabyte. The Recording column is verified against manufacturer documentation. Prices checked
| Model | Capacity | Recording | Price | CA$/raw TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Seagate Exos X22 22TB SATA 6Gb/s 7200RPM 3.5" Enterprise Hard Drive - ST22000NM001ENewbest price per TB CMR recording, SATA enterprise drive Amazon.ca · sold by ServerPartDeals · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,108Buy on Amazon | 22 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,108 | CA$50.38/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate IronWolf Pro 32TB Enterprise NAS Internal HDD Hard Drive – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 512MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage, Rescue Services (ST32000NTZ00)New CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by THEKEYKEY · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,740Buy on Amazon | 32 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,740 | CA$54.37/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate Exos M 28TB Enterprise Internal Hard Drive HDD - 3.5in 6GB/s SATA 7200RPM 2.5M MTBF (ST28000NM003K)New CMR recording, SATA enterprise drive Amazon.ca · sold by Amazon.ca · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,543Buy on Amazon | 28 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,543 | CA$55.11/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate IronWolf 10TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage (ST10000VN0008) (ST10000VNZ008/N0008)New CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$579Buy on Amazon | 10 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$579 | CA$57.91/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate Exos X24 ST20000NM002H 20TBNew CMR recording, SATA enterprise drive Amazon.ca · sold by THEKEYKEY · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,165Buy on Amazon | 20 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,165 | CA$58.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital HUH721212ALE604 12TB Ultrastar DC HC520 SATA HDD - 7200 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256MB Cache, 3.5"New CMR recording, SATA enterprise drive Amazon.ca · sold by Seller_King · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$699Buy on Amazon | 12 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$699 | CA$58.25/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate Exos X24 24TB Enterprise Internal Hard Drive HDD - 6GB/s SATA 7200RPM 2.5M MTBF (ST24000NM002H)New CMR recording, SATA enterprise drive Amazon.ca · sold by THEKEYKEY · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,400Buy on Amazon | 24 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,400 | CA$58.33/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Toshiba N300 PRO 8TB Large-Sized Business NAS (up to 24 Bays) 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive - Up to 300 TB/Year Workload Rate CMR SATA 6 GB/s 7200 RPM 512 MB Cache - HDWG780XZSTBNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by HYPER MEGA Electronics · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$480Buy on Amazon | 8 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$480 | CA$60.00/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB Enterprise NAS Internal HDD Hard Drive – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200 RPM 256MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage, Rescue Services (ST20000NTZ01/ST20000NT001)New CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by THEKEYKEY · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,235Buy on Amazon | 20 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,235 | CA$61.75/TB | Buy on Amazon |
 Western Digital 22TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 512 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD221KFGXNew CMR recording, SATA NAS drive rated for 24/7 use Amazon.ca · sold by Deals2You · one bare internal drive; shipping and taxes not included · checked Oct 7, 2026CA$1,400Buy on Amazon | 22 TB | CMR ✓ | CA$1,400 | CA$63.64/TB | Buy on Amazon |
Related questions
Sources
Every technical claim on this page is checked against manufacturer and standards documentation. Dates are when each source was last reviewed.
- Synology: Products Compatibility List (per-model drive search) (checked 2026-07-22)
- Synology KB: Drive compatibility policies (page updated 2026-05-27) (checked 2026-07-22)