TerraMaster F4-425: compatible drives
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated For the TerraMaster F4-425 fit CMR NAS drives like WD Red Pro or Seagate IronWolf Pro across all 4 bays up to 120 TB raw. TerraMaster locks no drive brand on the F4-425; its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate. At 4 × 8 TB the F4-425 keeps 21.83 TiB usable in TRAID, about CA$2,288 in drives. Since its Intel N5095 (4 cores, 2.0 GHz) hardware-transcodes Plex through Intel Quick Sync and runs a stack of containers, with a light VM or two as the ceiling, an ordinary CMR drive already saturates the F4-425's link.
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Want to know whether the F4-425 fits your actual storage plan? Open the NAS Builder with this model weighted.
What fits the F4-425
| Drive type | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5-inch SATA hard drive (CMR) | Fits | TerraMaster publishes no per-drive size limit; its compatibility list shows tested sizes. |
| 2.5-inch SATA SSD | not stated by TerraMaster | TerraMaster does not say 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 there is no M.2 slot. |
| M.2 NVMe SSD | No slot | The F4-425 has no internal M.2 slot. |
How we decide what is compatible
A part reaches our shortlist for the F4-425 only when it meets TerraMaster’s published specifications for its form factor, interface, size and memory type, and, where TerraMaster 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 TerraMaster does not publish are labelled “fit not confirmed”. Anything that does not fit is left out. Our methodology explains each step.
Sources for the F4-425: www.terra-master.com (read 2026-09-29).
Current offers: the drives, memory and NVMe that pass these rules, with Amazon.ca prices, are on the best drives for the F4-425 page and its memory and NVMe pages.
The TerraMaster drive policy on the F4-425
unrestrictedOpen, and TerraMaster advertises it: “TerraMaster restricts neither drive brands nor third-party SSDs.” The compatibility list is purely advisory.
The F4-425 at a glance
| Bays | 4 × 3.5-inch SATA and 2.5-inch SATA SSD |
|---|---|
| Maximum raw capacity | 120 TB 4 × 30 TB, per the manufacturer |
| Processor | Intel N5095 (4 cores, 2.0 GHz) |
| Memory | 4 GB, DDR4 SO-DIMM, no ECC (1 slot) 16 GB official |
| M.2 NVMe | none No M.2 slots. Note: NVMe, DDR5 and 5GbE only come with the F4-425 Plus, not this model. |
| Network | 1 × 2.5GbE |
| Operating system | TOS 6 |
| RAID types | TRAID, TRAID+, Single, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 TRAID also makes use of mixed drive sizes. |
Keep calculating
To see how much capacity is left after parity, the F4-425 capacity calculator is preset to its 4 bays and RAID types. For the F4-425, 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 F4-425 can actually do: Plex, Immich, Docker, VMs? See what the F4-425 can run.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put third-party drives in the F4-425?
Yes. TerraMaster locks no drive brand on the F4-425; its compatibility list is guidance, not a gate.
Which drives fit the F4-425?
The F4-425 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 1 × 2.5GbE, a standard CMR drive is already fast enough for the F4-425.
How much capacity is usable in the F4-425?
In the F4-425, 4 × 8 TB in TRAID gives about 21.83 TiB usable and survives 1 drive failing; the balance is parity.
Can the F4-425 run Plex with hardware transcoding?
Yes. The F4-425's Intel N5095 (4 cores, 2.0 GHz) 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 F4-425?
Marginal. The F4-425's 1 × 2.5GbE sits right where a standard CMR drive already saturates the link, so a Pro drive mainly buys warranty, not speed.
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)