Synology DiskStation DS923+: compatible drives
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated For the Synology DiskStation DS923+ fit CMR NAS drives like WD Red Pro or Seagate IronWolf Pro across all 4 bays up to 96 TB raw. Synology's 2025 drive policy applies only to models launched from 2025, so the DS923+ takes third-party hard drives and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as it always has. At 4 × 8 TB the DS923+ keeps 21.83 TiB usable in SHR, about CA$2,288 in drives. Since its AMD Ryzen R1600 (2 cores, 4 threads) has no integrated GPU, so it cannot hardware-transcode video; it is built for Synology's apps, containers and a light VM or two, faster 7200 rpm drives genuinely earn their keep in the DS923+.
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Want to know whether the DS923+ fits your actual storage plan? Open the NAS Builder with this model weighted.
What fits the DS923+
| Drive type | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5-inch SATA hard drive (CMR) | Fits | Synology publishes no per-drive size limit; its compatibility list shows tested sizes. |
| 2.5-inch SATA SSD | Fits | The bays take 2.5-inch drives. |
| SAS drive | Does not fit | The bays are SATA; a SAS drive needs a SAS controller. |
| SMR hard drive | Avoid in RAID | Works alone, but can stall a rebuild for days. Check the model number against the maker's CMR/SMR list. |
| M.2 SATA SSD (for example WD Red SA500 …R0B) | Does not fit | Not a bay drive, and the M.2 slots take NVMe only. |
| M.2 NVMe SSD | Listed drives only | The DS923+'s 2 M.2 slots take 2280 NVMe drives, and Synology's compatibility list for it names only its own SNV3400, SNV3410 and SNV5420 drives, which Synology requires for both cache and storage pools. |
How we decide what is compatible
A part reaches our shortlist for the DS923+ only when it meets Synology’s published specifications for its form factor, interface, size and memory type, and, where Synology requires its own compatibility list (as Synology does for M.2 NVMe), when it is on that list. Parts that fit physically but are not on a required list are shown separately and labelled. Parts that depend on a detail Synology does not publish are labelled “fit not confirmed”. Anything that does not fit is left out. Our methodology explains each step.
Sources for the DS923+: global.synologydownload.com (read 2026-10-05); www.synology.com (read 2026-10-05); kb.synology.com (read 2026-10-05).
Current offers: the drives, memory and NVMe that pass these rules, with Amazon.ca prices, are on the best drives for the DS923+ page and its memory and NVMe pages.
The Synology drive policy on the DS923+
unrestrictedOpen. The 2025 drive restriction explicitly does not apply retroactively: Synology confirms it applies “only to new models from 2025.” In the DS923+ every NAS drive runs without restriction.
The DS923+ at a glance
| Bays | 4 × 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 96 TB 4 × 24 TB: the largest drive on Synology's compatibility list for this model. With a DX517 expansion the figure rises accordingly. |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen R1600 (2 cores, 4 threads) |
| Memory | 4 GB, DDR4 ECC SO-DIMM (2 slots) 32 GB official (2 × 16 GB ECC). In practice 64 GB (2 × 32 GB ECC SO-DIMM) also runs; Synology does not endorse it. |
| M.2 NVMe | 2 slots 2 × M.2 NVMe. NVMe cache is unrestricted; an NVMe storage pool requires a Synology-approved drive (that has always been the case here). |
| Network | 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card |
| Operating system | DSM 7.x |
| RAID types | SHR, SHR-2, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 SHR also makes use of mixed drive sizes. |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the DS923+ capacity calculator is preset to its 4 bays and RAID types. For the DS923+, 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 DS923+ can actually do: Plex, Immich, Docker, VMs? See what the DS923+ can run.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the DS923+?
Yes. Synology's 2025 drive policy applies only to models launched from 2025, so the DS923+ takes third-party hard drives and 2.5-inch SATA SSDs as it always has.
Which drives fit the DS923+?
The DS923+ 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, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card, a 7200 rpm Pro drive is worth the premium in the DS923+.
How much capacity is usable in the DS923+?
In the DS923+, 4 × 8 TB in SHR gives about 21.83 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the DS923+ run Plex with hardware transcoding?
No hardware transcode. The DS923+'s AMD Ryzen R1600 (2 cores, 4 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.
Is a Pro drive worth it in the DS923+?
Yes. The DS923+'s 2 × 1GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini add-in card 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)