Synology DS1525+ NAS Released (in the East)

The Synology DS1525+ NAS is Confirmed and Just Overshadowed the DS925+

The Synology DS1525+ NAS represents a significant evolution in the brand’s 5-bay desktop series, bringing forward a more scalable, performance-focused solution aimed at both advanced home users and professional environments. Positioned as a more powerful and versatile alternative to the recently launched DS925+, the DS1525+ is clearly engineered with broader deployment scenarios in mind—from creative professionals handling high-volume media workflows to small businesses seeking reliable virtualization, backup, and collaboration tools. It boasts a modernized hardware foundation, including a Ryzen quad-core processor, 8GB of ECC memory (upgradeable to 32GB), dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots, and native support for 2.5GbE networking—features that now align with the increasing demands for multi-user, high-throughput environments.

Yet the DS1525+ isn’t just about faster networking or raw internal horsepower—it also brings back long-requested upgrade options like 10GbE scalability via a PCIe slot and dual DX525 expansion support for up to 15 drives total. This places the DS1525+ in a much more flexible tier compared to previous 5-bay Synology NAS systems and even challenges some of the lower-end rackmount models in terms of features and performance. With the continuing integration of Synology’s DSM 7.2 platform and a shift in how the brand is enforcing drive compatibility policies in the 2025 generation, the DS1525+ also enters the market during a controversial transition period for the company—something that may significantly influence buying decisions. Whether you’re upgrading from an older DS920+/DS1520+ or looking to deploy a scalable data solution for your home or office, the DS1525+ arrives at a pivotal moment for Synology.

Synology DS1525+ NAS – Hardware Specifications

The Synology DS1525+ brings a refined balance of processing power, memory, connectivity, and scalability that reflects its positioning in the upper end of Synology’s Plus Series. At its core is the AMD Ryzen V1500B processor, a 64-bit quad-core chip running at 2.2GHz with support for hardware encryption and virtualization. While this processor first debuted in Synology’s higher-end SMB models in 2020, its migration to the 5-bay desktop tier represents a welcome boost in capability for power users. It offers significantly more multitasking headroom compared to the dual-core Ryzen R1600 seen in the DS923+, and its support for native virtualization, container workloads, and file services under sustained loads makes it a particularly strong choice for office deployments and edge data processing.

The DS1525+ also introduces versatile storage configuration options. It supports five 3.5″/2.5″ SATA HDDs or SSDs, with the option to add two DX525 expansion units for a maximum of 15 bays total—translating to 300TB of raw capacity with 20TB drives. Additionally, the system includes two M.2 NVMe slots, allowing users to add SSD cache acceleration or create separate storage pools without sacrificing any of the main drive bays. As with other 2025-generation Synology models, the M.2 slots currently only support Synology’s own SNV-series drives for both caching and pool creation, further tying storage choices to the Synology ecosystem.

Network and expansion features on the DS1525+ are another standout area. The NAS includes two native 2.5GbE LAN ports that support Link Aggregation, failover, and SMB multichannel. This addresses a long-standing complaint of previous generations, which were limited to 1GbE by default. Better still, the DS1525+ includes a PCIe Gen3 x2 slot for installing Synology’s E10G22-T1-Mini 10GbE network card—something that was removed from the DS925+ entirely. This combination of faster default networking and optional 10GbE makes the DS1525+ suitable for demanding data workflows, such as multi-camera surveillance, real-time 4K media editing, and large-volume backup tasks.

Synology DS1525+ NAS vs the DS925+ (2025) or DS1522+ (2022)

The release of the Synology DS1525+ will naturally invite comparisons with two other key models in Synology’s portfolio: the recently launched DS925+ and the 2022-era DS1522+. On paper, the DS1525+ shares a large portion of its DNA with both of these models — borrowing the same AMD Ryzen V1500B processor from the DS925+, and directly succeeding the DS1522+ as Synology’s latest 5-bay NAS in the Plus series. But while these three models target similar audiences — advanced home users, creative professionals, and small businesses — there are clear differences in hardware, scalability, network architecture, and long-term usability that separate them meaningfully. The DS1525+ builds directly on the foundation laid by the DS925+, which itself introduced a wave of hardware upgrades to the Synology Plus series in early 2025. Both devices feature the same AMD Ryzen V1500B 4-core, 8-thread processor and support ECC memory up to 32GB. However, where the DS925+ stops at 4 bays with no support for expansion units, the DS1525+ supports up to 15 total bays with the inclusion of two DX525 expansion chassis — a major difference for users planning long-term storage growth. The DS1525+ also doubles the memory out of the box (8GB vs 4GB in the DS925+), includes the same 2x 2.5GbE ports for faster-than-gigabit networking, and features dual M.2 NVMe slots for cache or storage pools. In essence, the DS1525+ is the more scalable, robust choice — particularly if you foresee needing significantly more storage or concurrent users down the line.

Hardware Specifications

CPU
Model	DS1522+	DS1525+	DS925+
CPU Model	AMD Ryzen R1600	AMD Ryzen V1500B	AMD Ryzen V1500B
CPU Quantity	1	1	1
CPU Core	2	4	4
CPU Architecture	64-bit	64-bit	64-bit
CPU Frequency	2.6 (base) / 3.1 (turbo) GHz	2.2 GHz	2.2 GHz
Hardware Encryption Engine	/	/	/
Memory
System Memory	8 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM	8 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM	4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM
Memory Module Pre-installed	8 GB (8 GB x 1)	8 GB (8 GB x 1)	4 GB (4 GB x 1)
Total Memory Slots	2	2	2
Maximum Memory Capacity	32 GB (16 GB x 2)	32 GB (16 GB x 2)	32 GB (16 GB x 2)
Storage
Drive Bays	5	5	4
Maximum Drive Bays with Expansion Unit	15 (DX517 x 2)	15 (DX525 x 2)	9 (DX525 x 1)
M.2 Drive Slots	2 (NVMe)	2 (NVMe)	2 (NVMe)
Drive Type (See all supported drives)	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
Hot Swappable Drive*
Notes	The hot swappable drive feature is not supported by M.2 SSD slots.	The hot swappable drive feature is not supported by M.2 SSD slots. Compatible drives are mandatory. Please consult our compatibility list before purchasing hard drives. For more details, please refer to this article.	The hot swappable drive feature is not supported by M.2 SSD slots. Compatible drives are mandatory. Please consult our compatibility list before purchasing hard drives. For more details, please refer to this article.
External Ports
RJ-45 1GbE LAN Port	4	X	X
RJ-45 2.5GbE LAN Port	X	2	2
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port	2	2	2
Expansion Port	2	2	1
Expansion Port Type	eSATA	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Notes	MTU value of 1GbE LAN port has a limit of 1500.
PCIe
PCIe Expansion	1 x Gen3 x2 network upgrade slot	1 x Gen3 x2 network upgrade slot
Appearance
Size (Height x Width x Depth)	166 mm x 230 mm x 223 mm	166 mm x 230 mm x 223 mm	166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm
Weight	2.7 kg	2.67 kg	2.26 kg
Others
System Fan	92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs	92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs	92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
Fan Speed Mode	Full-Speed Mode Cool Mode Quiet Mode	Full-Speed Mode Cool Mode Quiet Mode	Full-Speed Mode Cool Mode Quiet Mode
Brightness Adjustable Front LED Indicators	/	/	/
Power Recovery	/	/	/
Noise Level*	22.90 dB(A)	22.60 dB(A)	20.5 dB(A)
Scheduled Power On / Off	/	/	/
Wake on LAN / WAN	/	/	/
Power Supply Unit / Adapter	120 watts	120 watts	100 watts
AC Input Power Voltage	100V to 240V AC	100V to 240V AC	100V to 240V AC
Power Frequency	50/60 Hz, Single Phase	50/60 Hz, Single Phase	50/60 Hz, Single Phase
Power Consumption*	52.06 watts (Access) 16.71 watts (HDD Hibernation)	44.56 watts (Access) 13.63 watts (HDD Hibernation)	37.91 watts (Access) 12.33 watts (HDD Hibernation)
British Thermal Unit	177.64 BTU/hr (Access) 57.02 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)	151.95 BTU/hr (Access) 46.48 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)	129.27 BTU/hr (Access) 42.05 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)

The DS1522+, launched in mid-2022, was one of Synology’s most widely praised 5-bay NAS systems, with an excellent price-to-performance ratio. It featured the AMD Ryzen R1600 processor (dual-core, 4-thread) and came with 8GB of ECC memory, a PCIe Gen 3 slot for 10GbE upgrades, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports for flexible network configurations. The DS1525+ modernizes and refines that package. While it drops the PCIe slot, it replaces it with native 2.5GbE networking — removing the need for upgrades just to get faster-than-Gigabit speeds. It also improves processor efficiency with the more capable V1500B CPU (same as in the enterprise-grade DS1823xs+) and retains support for up to 32GB of ECC RAM. Additionally, the M.2 NVMe slots in the DS1525+ support both caching and storage pools — unlike earlier models where storage pool creation was either unsupported or limited to Synology-only drives.

Which of these NAS systems is right for you comes down to a blend of performance needs, scalability goals, and budget. The DS1525+ offers a more future-proof solution with high raw performance, 5-bay storage out of the box, superior expansion support (up to 15 drives), and a modern networking stack with 2.5GbE ports included as standard. It’s ideal for content creators with large media libraries, teams running shared services or VMs, or businesses needing long-term flexibility. The DS925+, on the other hand, is the budget-conscious user’s pick — priced lower and providing nearly identical internal hardware, but in a more compact 4-bay enclosure with no option to scale beyond that. If you’re confident you won’t need more than 4 drives and don’t require 10GbE or PCIe expansion, the DS925+ still provides DSM 7.2 and Synology’s excellent software ecosystem without compromise. Finally, for users still holding onto the DS1522+ or considering it due to its often discounted price post-DS1525+ launch, it’s worth weighing the trade-offs. While the DS1522+ provides a PCIe slot for 10GbE expansion, it lags behind in CPU power, lacks 2.5GbE out of the box, and doesn’t support NVMe storage pools. The DS1525+ is clearly the better long-term investment — if the price difference fits your budget. For users looking for the right balance of power, performance, and scalability — without needing to jump to the pricier XS series — it may well be the best 5-bay Synology NAS to date.

Synology DS1525+ NAS – HDD and SSD Compatibility

One of the biggest points of contention with the new Synology DS1525+ — following the controversy sparked by the DS925+ — is Synology’s stricter enforcement of drive compatibility. Historically, Synology supported a broad range of third-party hard drives and SSDs, merely issuing warning messages when unsupported drives were used. That changed with the DS925+, and the DS1525+ appears to double down on this new policy. At launch, the DS1525+ only lists Synology-branded HDDs and SSDs — such as the HAT3300, HAT5300, SAT5200, and SNV3400 — as officially compatible. If users attempt to initialize DSM using a drive not listed, the system will block installation entirely. This is a significant departure from earlier models like the DS1522+ or DS920+, which allowed DSM installation with third-party drives, even if accompanied by warning banners.

This tighter control extends to both SATA HDDs and M.2 NVMe SSDs. In the DS1525+, users can no longer use third-party NVMe SSDs for even basic caching — a feature previously accessible with non-Synology drives. Storage pools and caching are now restricted to Synology’s own SNV-series drives. This limitation can be a deal-breaker for users with existing SSDs or those seeking more affordable alternatives.

Drive migration from older NAS systems still works, with volumes booting as expected — but warning messages about unverified drives will be persistent. Moreover, trying to expand existing storage pools with unlisted drives will now fail outright, blocking the option in Storage Manager unless using Synology-verified models. While Synology cites system reliability and long-term support as reasons for these restrictions, the user base has expressed growing frustration. This new approach marks a clear shift toward a walled ecosystem, and while it may enhance stability, it reduces flexibility — especially for enthusiasts and IT professionals used to Synology’s former openness.

Synology DS1522+ NAS Release Date and Price?

The Synology DS1525+ NAS is expected to see a staggered global release, continuing the rollout pattern observed with the DS925+ and other 2025 series models. Initial availability is anticipated in Synology’s eastern markets — including Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand — with Western availability (North America, UK, and Europe) likely landing in late May or early June 2025. This regional launch strategy has become common for Synology, allowing them to manage early feedback and firmware polishing before global distribution.

As for pricing, early indicators suggest that the DS1525+ will launch between $699 and $799 USD, depending on local taxes and bundled accessories (such as pre-installed memory or included drives). This places it squarely between the DS925+ ($599–$649) and the older DS1522+, which has often dipped below $550 in recent sales due to its older hardware and limited upgradability. Despite being the most expensive of the trio, the DS1525+ justifies its price tag with enhanced default memory, greater expansion potential, and retained PCIe support for optional 10GbE — features notably absent on the DS925+.

While Synology has yet to officially confirm regional pricing or exact release dates, retail listings and early distribution documents hint that pre-orders and launch events may begin rolling out in key Asian markets before the end of May. As always, early adopters should watch Synology’s official channels and trusted retailers for updates, especially considering recent trends toward drive bundling and tighter ecosystem control. For those who waited for a more robust refresh of the DS1522+, the DS1525+ is shaping up to be the spiritual and practical successor many had hoped for.

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