What can the DS1525+ run?
By Devin Chua · Data checked by Owen Nakamura · Updated The DS1525+ runs Plex and Jellyfin for direct-play (software transcode only), full Docker via DSM and real virtual machines. On its AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) with 8 GB (to 32 GB), the sweet spot is Immich, Home Assistant, Nextcloud, Pi-hole / AdGuard Home.
Five bays is the interesting number: only from five drives does SHR-2 with double fault tolerance become economical without giving up more than a third of the capacity. Unlike the DS925+, the DS1525+ takes a 10-gigabit card.
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Everything the DS1525+ can run, at a glance
Rated from this model’s real AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) and its 8 GB–32 GB of RAM. “Limited” and “No” are honest — an ARM box does not virtualize, and no hardware transcode is no hardware transcode.
| App | Runs? | Performance | What it needs on this model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plex | Yes | fair | Direct-play; software transcode only |
| Jellyfin | Yes | fair | Direct-play; software transcode |
| Immich | Yes | good | 8 GB+ handles ML search |
| Home Assistant | Yes | good | Container or full HA OS in a VM |
| Nextcloud | Yes | good | Runs well in Docker |
| Frigate | Yes | fair | Add a Coral TPU (USB) for detection |
| Pi-hole / AdGuard Home | Yes | good | Lightweight container |
| Paperless-ngx | Yes | good | Runs well in Docker |
| Vaultwarden | Yes | good | Lightweight container |
| Minecraft server | Yes | good | Enough RAM for a world |
| Docker (general) | Yes | good | Full container platform (DSM) |
| Virtual machines | Yes | fair | Add RAM (16 GB+) for a useful VM · add RAM › |
| Surveillance recording | Yes | good | Scales to many cameras; surveillance drives |
| Time Machine / backup target | Yes | good | Any model |
Buy the DS1525+ on Amazon.ca — CA$1,651
App by app on the DS1525+
Plex
The DS1525+ runs Plex natively, but the AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) has no integrated GPU: it direct-plays cleanly and its 4-core chip handles the library, yet 4K transcoding falls back to slow software. Over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini that is rarely the bottleneck — the transcode is.
Jellyfin
Jellyfin runs in a container on the DS1525+, but with no Intel iGPU on the AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) it transcodes in software only. Lean on direct-play over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini and it stays smooth.
Immich
Immich is a strong fit for the DS1525+: DSM's Docker hosts the stack and, with 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB, you can feed its ML search the 8 GB+ it wants. The stock RAM already clears the bar.
Home Assistant
The DS1525+ is a comfortable Home Assistant host: run the light HA Container in DSM's Docker, or — because this 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) virtualizes — the full Home Assistant OS with add-ons in a VM, with 32 GB of RAM to spare it.
Nextcloud
Nextcloud runs in DSM's Docker on the DS1525+; with 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB and the 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) it is responsive for a household over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini. It is heavier than a plain file share, so give the container room.
Frigate
Frigate will run on the DS1525+, but the AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) has no Intel iGPU, so it decodes on the CPU — keep the camera count modest and add a USB Coral TPU for the detection. The ECC RAM is a nice touch for a 24/7 recorder.
Pi-hole / AdGuard Home
Pi-hole (or AdGuard Home) is trivial for the DS1525+ — a few hundred megabytes in DSM's Docker, sitting on your 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini as the network's DNS server 24/7. An always-on 5-bay NAS is an ideal host.
Paperless-ngx
Paperless-ngx runs in DSM's Docker on the DS1525+; the 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) handles a household's OCR in bursts, with 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB to keep indexing quick.
Vaultwarden
Vaultwarden is one of the easiest wins on the DS1525+: a Bitwarden-compatible password server in a sub-gigabyte container under DSM, always available on your own 5-bay box rather than someone else's cloud.
Minecraft server
The DS1525+ can host a Minecraft world in DSM's Docker: a world wants ~4 GB, and this model offers 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB. The AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) and that RAM keep a small server smooth.
Docker (general)
Docker is the DS1525+'s superpower: DSM's container platform runs the whole self-hosted world, and with 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB you decide how many services to stack on the 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads). This is what turns it from 5-bay storage into a home server.
Virtual machines
The DS1525+ is a real VM host: the 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) virtualizes and 8 GB out of the box and room for 32 GB lets you hand a guest a proper slice while the NAS keeps serving over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini. Fill it toward 32 GB if VMs are the point.
Surveillance recording
The DS1525+ runs Synology's native NVR app, and the 4-core AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) scales to a real camera count over 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini. Size the 5 bays by cameras × retention, and use surveillance-tuned drives (WD Purple, SkyHawk) for the continuous writes.
Time Machine / backup target
Like every NAS, the DS1525+ is an excellent Time Machine and backup target over SMB — set a per-user quota so backups do not fill its 5 bays. With 2 × 2.5GbE, expandable to 10GbE with the E10G22-T1-Mini it soaks up a household's Macs and PCs effortlessly.
The DS1525+ at a glance
| CPU | AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) |
|---|---|
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 ECC SO-DIMM (2 slots), up to 32 GB (ECC) |
| Bays | 5 |
| Container platform | Yes — DSM |
| Virtual machines | Yes |
| Plex/Jellyfin transcode | No iGPU — software only, not for 4K |
| OS | DSM 7.3 or newer |
Read more
- What can I run? — the full matrix
- Best drives for the DS1525+
- RAM for the DS1525+
- DS1525+ capacity calculator
Frequently asked questions
Can the DS1525+ run Plex with 4K transcoding?
Not well. The AMD Ryzen V1500B (4 cores, 8 threads) has no integrated GPU, so the DS1525+ direct-plays 4K fine but can only transcode in slow software. For 4K transcoding, choose an Intel Quick Sync model instead.
Can the DS1525+ run Docker?
Yes — DSM includes a full container platform, so the DS1525+ runs the whole self-hosted world (Pi-hole, Vaultwarden, Nextcloud and more), limited only by its 8–32 GB of RAM.
Can the DS1525+ run virtual machines?
Yes. The DS1525+ supports hardware virtualization, and with up to 32 GB of RAM it can give a Windows or Linux guest a useful slice while still serving files.
Can the DS1525+ run Immich?
Yes. With its 8 GB+ of RAM, the DS1525+ runs Immich's machine-learning photo search comfortably in Docker — a strong self-hosted Google Photos replacement.
Can the DS1525+ run Home Assistant?
Yes. Home Assistant Container runs in Docker on the DS1525+ and barely touches the CPU, and you can run the full Home Assistant OS in a VM if you prefer add-ons.
Is the DS1525+ a good home server, or just storage?
It is a genuine home server: full Docker (and VMs) turn it into a platform for Plex, photos, automation and more — not just a file box. RAM is the main lever on how much you stack.
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)