List of WD CMR and SMR hard drives (HDD) Find if your drive is SMR by HDD model number If you know an SMR type of drive, share it with others in a table below! PMR, also known as conventional magnetic recording (CMR), works by aligning the poles of the magnetic […]
Use Whatever Hard Drives or SSDs on Your Synology NAS (2025 Guide) Note – there is a YouTube tutorial version of this guide HERE on the NASCompares YouTube Channel Synology’s 2025 generation of NAS systems, such as the DS925+ and other Plus series models, introduced a more restrictive approach to drive compatibility. Unlike previous generations, […]
Use Whatever Hard Drives or SSDs on Your Synology NAS (2025 Guide) Note – there is a YouTube tutorial version of this guide HERE on the NASCompares YouTube Channel Synology’s 2025 generation of NAS systems, such as the DS925+ and other Plus series models, introduced a more restrictive approach to drive compatibility. Unlike previous generations, […]
Synology 2025 NAS Series 3rd Party Drive Compatibility Tests UPDATED 07-05-25 = Added Unverified HDD and SSD (Migrated) Storage Pool RAID Repair, RAID POOL Expansion and Hot Spare Tests. Right now, the following is what works and what does not (between pre-2025 Series and the 2025 Series that is releasing now): Feature / Function Pre-2025 […]
30TB Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDD Review Note – You can watch the the Seagate 30TB Ironwolf HDD YouTube ReviewHERE The arrival of 30TB capacity hard drives from Seagate — in the form of the IronWolf Pro ST30000NT011 and the Exos M ST30000NM004K — marks another incremental step in high-capacity storage for NAS and enterprise environments. […]
The Seagate Ironwolf Pro 24TB HDD Review UPDATE – Since this review, Seagate have now released their Ironwolf Pro 30TB HDD (and EXOS 30TB). Read the written review HERE , or watch the Seagate 30TB Ironwolf HDD YouTube Review HERE Seagate and their Ironwolf series of hard drives have fast become a mainstay of the NAS […]
30TB Seagate EXOS HDD Review The arrival of 30TB capacity hard drives from Seagate — in the form of the IronWolf Pro ST30000NT011 and the Exos M ST30000NM004K — marks another incremental step in high-capacity storage for NAS and enterprise environments. Both models utilize helium-sealed conventional magnetic recording (CMR) technology and pack ten platters at […]
30TB Seagate Ironwolf Pro and EXOS HDD Review – When is Enough, Enough? The arrival of 30TB capacity hard drives from Seagate — in the form of the IronWolf Pro ST30000NT011 and the Exos M ST30000NM004K — marks another incremental step in high-capacity storage for NAS and enterprise environments. Both models utilize helium-sealed conventional magnetic […]
Synology Hard Drives and SSD Comparison with Seagate/WD/Toshiba and More – Deal Breaker? In recent years, Synology has steadily moved toward a more vertically integrated hardware ecosystem, and the arrival of the 2025 generation of NAS systems marks a significant escalation in that approach. With a much stricter verification process for compatible storage media—covering both […]
Synology Explain WHY They Changed Drive Support and Verification in 2025 NAS During a recent visit to Taipei for Computex 2025, I took the opportunity to visit Synology’s headquarters and speak directly with company representatives about one of the most discussed and divisive topics in the NAS community today — the company’s increasingly strict stance […]
I went to Synology HQ and Asked About Hard Drives… During a recent visit to Taipei for Computex 2025, I took the opportunity to visit Synology’s headquarters and speak directly with company representatives about one of the most discussed and divisive topics in the NAS community today — the company’s increasingly strict stance on hard […]
Synology 2025 NAS Series 3rd Party Drive Compatibility Tests UPDATED 07-05-25 = Added Unverified HDD and SSD (Migrated) Storage Pool RAID Repair, RAID POOL Expansion and Hot Spare Tests. Right now, the following is what works and what does not (between pre-2025 Series and the 2025 Series that is releasing now): Feature / Function Pre-2025 […]
Synology is closing the gap on third-party hard drive support further in 2025 UPDATE 4 – The Synology DS925+ NAS is NOW LIVE, and that means that the extent to which you can use 3rd Party HDDs and SSDs on the 2025 series (at the time of writing) a now alot clearer. As it stands, […]
Synology is closing the gap on third-party hard drive support further in 2025 UPDATE 4 – The Synology DS925+ NAS is NOW LIVE, and that means that the extent to which you can use 3rd Party HDDs and SSDs on the 2025 series (at the time of writing) a now alot clearer. As it stands, […]
UniFi USB4/TB4 to 10GbE Adapter Review Given the preponderance of 10 Gb Ethernet solutions available in the UniFi portfolio, it’s actually kind of weird that the brand has waited until almost halfway through 2025 to launch a convenient USB to 10G NIC adapter. To put it into perspective, the first generation of Thunderbolt to 10 […]
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced regarding fraudulent sales of Seagate hard drives, where used enterprise-class HDDs were falsely marketed as new. Customers purchasing these drives, particularly from online retailers, have discovered signs of prior use, including high operating hours hidden within diagnostic metrics. This scandal has raised concerns over supply chain integrity, with many […]
Choosing the Best Hard Drives for your NAS Note – this is the 2024 update of the rolling ‘best HDD for your NAS’ article (Cheers Clayton!) When choosing a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the right hard drive is essential. Just like every tool in a toolbox has its role, NAS-specific drives […]
Choosing the Best Hard Drives for your NAS Note – this is the 2024 update of the rolling ‘best HDD for your NAS’ article (Cheers Clayton!) When choosing a NAS server for your home or business, selecting the right hard drive is essential. Just like every tool in a toolbox has its role, NAS-specific drives […]
List Of compatible NVME M.2 SSD for Synology NAS When choosing NVMe for caching you need to look at reliability ratings such as DWPD/MTBF. Here are a few on the list https://nascompares.com/answer/nvme-m-2-list-with-endurance-dwpd-mtbf/ Caching means a lot of read and write operations, unlike regular storage situation. You would need to look at models with 0.5DWPD and […]
Guide: Using the Wavlink USB-to-5GbE Adapter on a Synology NAS If you’re looking to upgrade your Synology NAS’s network speed without investing in expensive native solutions, you can connect a Wavlink USB-to-5GbE adapter. While this adapter isn’t officially supported by Synology, users have developed workarounds to make it function. This guide will walk you through […]