NAS DrivesUpdated
Updated

Best SSDs for the Synology DS1525+ (2026 Guide)

2.5 inch SATA SSDs for the DS1525+, ranked by value on Amazon.co.uk

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Quick answer

For the DS1525+, fit CMR NAS drives on the main SATA bays and reserve SATA SSDs like the KingSpec 1TB, around £99.99 at last check, purely for M.2 duty consideration or a small SSD-only pool if you have spare 2.5-inch bays free. This is a five-bay unit with 8GB ECC RAM and two M.2 NVMe slots for cache, so bulk storage should stay on hard drives while SATA SSDs suit a dedicated fast volume for active projects, VMs, or Docker containers. Third-party drives are restricted to Synology's validated list, so check compatibility before buying. Do not expect Plex hardware transcoding here regardless of drive choice.

As of 8 September 2026
Best £/TB at last check
£52.79
Products tracked
124
Prices last checked
8 September 2026

Best SATA SSDs for a DS1525+ SSD storage pool

If you're building an all-flash bay or two on the DS1525+ rather than using the NVMe slots, these are sensible picks by budget.

Value
KingSpec 1TB SATA SSD
1TB, up to 550MB/s, straightforward entry point for a small flash pool
£99.99 · £99.99/TB
at last check (8 September 2026)
Buy on Amazon
Balanced
Ediloca ES580E 2TB SATA SSD
2TB, up to 500MB/s, 3D NAND, good capacity-to-cost for active data
£164.99 · £82.50/TB
at last check (8 September 2026)
Buy on Amazon
Premium
Ediloca ES580E 4TB SATA SSD
4TB, up to 450MB/s, 3D NAND, largest single-drive flash capacity here
£267.99 · £67.00/TB
at last check (8 September 2026)
Buy on Amazon

Which should you pick

Choose SATA SSDs for a bay if

  • You want a small, low-noise flash volume for active projects or Docker without touching your main HDD pool
  • You've already used both M.2 slots for cache and still want more flash capacity
  • You're happy losing a 2.5-inch bay from your five to flash rather than spinning storage

Choose the M.2 NVMe slots instead if

  • You want read/write cache for an HDD pool without sacrificing a main bay
  • You need the fastest possible scratch space for Synology apps, since the two M.2 slots outperform SATA
  • You'd rather keep all five bays for CMR hard drives and maximise the 120TB raw ceiling

Why SATA SSDs are a secondary consideration on this NAS

The DS1525+ is built around five 2.5/3.5-inch bays for bulk storage, up to 24TB per bay, and two dedicated M.2 NVMe slots for cache or a separate small storage pool. That layout means SATA SSDs aren't the natural first choice here the way they would be on a diskless bay-only NAS with no M.2. If you want flash speed for Synology apps, containers, or a fast working volume, the NVMe slots will generally serve you better and don't cost you a main bay.

Where SATA SSDs earn their place is when you've maxed out the NVMe slots for cache and still want more flash capacity, or you'd rather run an SSD-only pool in RAID1 or SHR across two of your five bays for consistent low latency without NVMe's added cost. The AMD Ryzen V1500B and 8GB ECC RAM (expandable to 32GB) handle this comfortably for typical home and small office workloads, file serving, backups, and light virtualisation.

Whichever SSDs you use, check Synology's validated drive list first. Third-party SATA SSDs on the DS1525+ are restricted, and running unlisted drives can mean losing some DSM features or seeing compatibility warnings, even if the drive works mechanically.

A plain word on Plex and transcoding

The DS1525+ has no dedicated hardware transcoding engine, and its Ryzen V1500B CPU is not built for on-the-fly video transcoding at any real reliability. Faster storage, including SATA SSDs or NVMe cache, will not fix this. If you run Plex or Jellyfin here, stick to direct play with compatible clients, or matched codecs, rather than expecting smooth transcoded streams. If transcoding matters to you, you need a NAS with proper hardware transcode support, not just faster drives on this one.

SATA SSDs for the DS1525+, by price per TB

Price per
Prices last checked 8 September 2026124 products
ProductCapacityPrice£ / TBTypePrime
Integral V Series V2 Plus 512GB 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Hard Drive (SSD), Read 550MB/s, Write 520MB/s, SATA Interface 6Gb/s | BlackUsed512 GB£27.03£52.79SATA SSD · SATAPrime
KingSpec 4TB SATA SSD 3D NAND Flash, 2.5 Inch SATA 3 Internal Solid State Drive up to 560MB/s, Compatible with Desktop/Laptop / PS4Used4 TB£258.29£64.57SATA SSD · SATA-
Ediloca 4TB SSD Internal Solid State Drive, 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 450MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Shock Drop-Proof for PC/Laptop/Desktop/NAS, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux (ES580E)4 TB£267.99£67.00SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang 4TB 2.5" SATA III SSD, Up to 550MB/s, SATA 6Gb/s4 TB£279.99£70.00SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 4TB SATA SSD 3D NAND Flash, 2.5 Inch SATA 3 Internal Solid State Drive up to 560MB/s, Compatible with Desktop/Laptop / PS44 TB£286.99£71.75SATA SSD · SATA-
Fikwot FX815 4TB SSD, 2.5" SATA SSD, Internal Solid State Drive, Up to 560MB/s, 3D NAND SLC Cashe, Compatible with Laptop & PC Desktop4 TB£289.99£72.50SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk 1TB SSD Ultra 3D 2.5" SATA SSD, Internal SSD, Read speeds up to 560 MB/s, 3D NAND Technology, SATA III 6GB/s, nCache Technology, accelerate pc performanceUsed1 TB£79.38£79.38SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 1TB 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read Speed up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & LaptopUsed1 TB£79.99£79.99SATA SSD · SATA-
Ediloca 2TB SSD Internal Solid State Drive, 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 500MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Shock Drop-Proof for PC/Laptop/Desktop/NAS, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux (ES580E)2 TB£164.99£82.50SATA SSD · SATA-
Seagate FireCuda 500 GB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD – 2.5 Inch SATA 6 Gb/s Flash Accelerated 8 GB Cache for Gaming PC Laptop (ST500LX025)500 GB£44.55£89.10SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 2TB 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read Speed up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & Laptop2 TB£178.99£89.50SATA SSD · SATA-
Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 1TB, 2.5", Up to 540MB/s, Laptop and Desktop (PC) Compatible, 3D NAND, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Internal Solid State Drive - CT1000BX500SSD101Used1 TB£90.09£90.09SATA SSD · SATAPrime
KingSpec 1TB SATA SSD 3D NAND Flash, 2.5 Inch SATA 3 Internal Solid State Drive up to 560MB/s, Compatible with Desktop/Laptop / PS4Used1 TB£92.14£92.14SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Synology Beedrive 2TB Personal Backup SSD ExternalUsed2 TB£184.99£92.50SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Blue SA510 SSD, 4TB 2.5" SATA SSD, Read speeds up to 560 MB/s, Includes Acronis True Image for WD, Disk & Cloning Migration, Backup & Recovery, Ransomware Protection Upgrade for PC/LaptopUsed4 TB£374.99£93.75SATA SSD · SATA-
KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G2 Portable SSD – 1TB External Drive, USB 3.2 Gen 2, up to 1050MB/s Read & 1000MB/s Write – Compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, PS5, Xbox Series X/SUsed1 TB£93.99£93.99SATA SSD · SATA-
Ediloca 1TB SSD Internal Solid State Drive, 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 450MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Shock Drop-Proof for PC/Laptop/Desktop/NAS, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux (ES580E)1 TB£95.49£95.49SATA SSD · SATA-
Fikwot FX815 1TB SSD, 2.5" SATA SSD, Internal Solid State Drive, Up to 560MB/s, 3D NAND SLC Cashe, Compatible with Laptop & PC Desktop1 TB£96.99£96.99SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang 1TB SSD SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5″,Up to 560MB/s, SATA SSD 1TB,Internal Solid State Drives for Laptop,PC Desktops-S101Q1 TB£97.49£97.49SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang SATA SSD 1TB Internal Solid State Drives 2.5 Inches, up to 550MB/s, SATA III Internal SSD 6Gb/s, 3D NAND TLC Storage Drive for Laptop PC Desktop (Black)1 TB£97.98£97.98SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD - Up to 2000MB/s Read Speeds - Black4 TB£398.01£99.50SATA SSD · SATAPrime
KingSpec 1TB 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read Speed up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & Laptop1 TB£99.99£99.99SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 1TB SATA SSD 3D NAND Flash, 2.5 Inch SATA 3 Internal Solid State Drive up to 560MB/s, Compatible with Desktop/Laptop / PS41 TB£99.99£99.99SATA SSD · SATA-
Patriot P220 SATA 3 2TB Internal Solid State Drive 2.5” - P220S2TB252 TB£199.99£100.00SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red 4 TB NAS SSD 2.5 Inch SATAUsed4 TB£399.99£100.00NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Seagate 3.84 TB Nytro 1351 Enterprise SATA SSDUsed3.84 TB£399.95£104.15SATA SSD · SATA-
Axiom 3.84TB Enterprise EV200 2.5-inch Bare SATA SSDUsed3.84 TB£399.95£104.15SATA SSD · SATA-
Aruba a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company HPE 3.84TB SATA MU SFF SC MV SSDUsed3.84 TB£399.99£104.16SATA SSD · SATA-
Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 2TB, 2.5", Up to 540MB/s, Laptop and Desktop (PC) Compatible, 3D NAND, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Internal Solid State Drive - CT2000BX500SSD1012 TB£209.99£105.00SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Fikwot FX815 512GB SSD, 2.5" SATA III SSD, Internal Solid State Drive, Up to 560MB/s, 3D NAND SLC Cashe, Compatible with Laptop & PC Desktop512 GB£53.99£105.45SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang 512GB 2.5" SATA III SSD, Up to 550MB/s, SATA 6Gb/s512 GB£54.39£106.23SATA SSD · SATA-
BIWIN M100 SATA SSD 512GB, 2.5" Internal SSD, Up to 560MB/s, Internal Solid State Drives 2.5 Inches SSDs SATA III 6Gb/s, Laptop and PC Compatible, Office Work School512 GB£54.39£106.23SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 512GB 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read Speed up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & LaptopUsed512 GB£54.89£107.21SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red SA500 2TB NAS SATA SSD 2.5 InchUsed2 TB£218.33£109.17NAS SSD · SATANASPrime
PNY CS900 1TB Internal SSD SATA III 2.5"1 TB£109.98£109.98SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Crucial X9 2TB Portable External SSD - Up to 1050MB/s, External Solid State Drive, Works with PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Mac, USB-C 3.2 - CT2000X9SSD9022 TB£219.99£110.00SATA SSD · SATAPrime
fanxiang SATA SSD 512GB Internal Solid State Drives 2.5 Inches, up to 540MB/s, SATA III Internal SSD 6Gb/s, 3D NAND TLC Storage Drive for Laptop PC Desktop (Black)512 GB£56.42£110.20SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 4TB - Up to 1050MB/s Read Speeds (Older Model)4 TB£449.99£112.50SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Fikwot FS810 SATA SSD 512GB - 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND TLC Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & Laptop512 GB£59.99£117.17SATA SSD · SATA-
KingSpec 512GB 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read Speed up to 550MB/s, 3D NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop & Laptop512 GB£60.99£119.12SATA SSD · SATA-
ORICO 1TB SATA SSD 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive, Read Speed up to 500MB/s, SATA III 6Gbps for Desktop Laptop NAS DIY External Drive - Y201 TB£119.99£119.99SATA SSD · SATA-
KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G2 Portable SSD – 1TB External Drive, USB 3.2 Gen 2, up to 1050MB/s Read & 1000MB/s Write – Compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, PS5, Xbox Series X/S1 TB£120.89£120.89SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Blue SA510 SSD, 2TB 2.5" SATA SSD, Read speeds up to 560 MB/s, Includes Acronis True Image for WD, Disk & Cloning Migration, Backup & Recovery, Ransomware Protection Upgrade for PC/Laptop2 TB£241.99£121.00SATA SSD · SATAPrime
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2TB, Up to 1050MB/s read speeds, MontereyUsed2 TB£243.06£121.53SATA SSD · SATAPrime
200GB Enterprise Class SSD - 2.5" SATA - MACH16 MLC By STEC - 2.5 INCH LAPTOP SIZE SOLID STATE HARD DISK DRIVE200 GB£24.99£124.95SATA SSD · SATA-
Acer SA100 2.5 Inch SATA III SSD 960GB, Up to 560 MB/s, Internal Solid State Drive for Laptop and Desktop PC Upgrade - BL.9BWWA.104960 GB£119.99£124.99SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Blue SA510 SSD, 4TB 2.5" SATA SSD, Read speeds up to 560 MB/s, Includes Acronis True Image for WD, Disk & Cloning Migration, Backup & Recovery, Ransomware Protection Upgrade for PC/Laptop4 TB£499.99£125.00SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang 240GB 2.5" SATA III SSD, Up to 500MB/s, SATA 6Gb/s240 GB£30.17£125.71SATA SSD · SATA-
Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 480GB, 2.5", Up to 540MB/s, Laptop and Desktop (PC) Compatible, 3D NAND, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Internal Solid State Drive - CT480BX500SSD1Used480 GB£60.89£126.85SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Lexar ES3 External SSD 1TB, USB3.2 Gen2 Portable SSD, PSSD up to 1050MB/s Read, 1,000MB/s Write, External Solid State Drive Compatible with iPhone15 Series/Mac/PS5/XBOX/Laptop/PC (Blue)1 TB£127.49£127.49SATA SSD · SATA-
Integral V Series 4 Pack 500GB SATA III 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, up to 520MB/s Read, 470MB/s Write, Solid State Drive2 TB£262.95£131.48SATA SSD · SATAPrime
SanDisk SSD Plus 1 TB, 2.5" SATA Internal SSD, Read speeds up to 545 MB/s, Write Speeds 515 MB/s, SATA III 6 GB/s1 TB£131.99£131.99SATA SSD · SATAPrime
SanDisk Creator PRO Portable SSD 4TB, Up to 2000MB/s Read Speeds4 TB£529.58£132.40SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2TB, Up to 1050MB/s read speeds, Monterey2 TB£269.99£135.00SATA SSD · SATAPrime
fanxiang 256GB 2.5" SATA III SSD, Up to 530MB/s, SATA 6Gb/s256 GB£34.95£136.52SATA SSD · SATA-
Integral V Series V2 Plus 512GB 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Hard Drive (SSD), Read 550MB/s, Write 520MB/s, SATA Interface 6Gb/s | Black512 GB£69.95£136.62SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red SA500 2TB NAS SATA SSD 2.5 Inch2 TB£283.98£141.99NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Ediloca 240GB SSD Internal Solid State Drive, 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 400MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Shock Drop-Proof for PC/Laptop/Desktop/NAS, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux (ES580E)240 GB£34.49£143.71SATA SSD · SATA-
fanxiang SATA SSD 256GB Internal Solid State Drives 2.5 Inches, up to 520MB/s, SATA III Internal SSD 6Gb/s, 3D NAND TLC Storage Drive for Laptop PC Desktop (Black)256 GB£36.98£144.45SATA SSD · SATA-
ORICO 256GB SATA SSD 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive, Read Speed up to 500MB/s, SATA III 6Gbps for Desktop Laptop NAS DIY External Drive - Y20256 GB£36.99£144.49SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk 1TB SSD Ultra 3D 2.5" SATA SSD, Internal SSD, Read speeds up to 560 MB/s, 3D NAND Technology, SATA III 6GB/s, nCache Technology, accelerate pc performance1 TB£147.99£147.99SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Gigastone 1TB NAS SSD Drive (2-Pack) 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives2 TB£298.90£149.45NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Gigastone 4TB NAS SSD Drive 24/7 Durable High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives4 TB£598.99£149.75NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 1TB, 2.5", Up to 540MB/s, Laptop and Desktop (PC) Compatible, 3D NAND, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Internal Solid State Drive - CT1000BX500SSD1011 TB£149.99£149.99SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Synology Beedrive 2TB Personal Backup SSD External2 TB£312.54£156.27SATA SSD · SATA-
Synology Beedrive 1TB Personal Backup SSD External1 TB£159.32£159.32SATA SSD · SATAPrime
SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD, Up to 3,800MB/s Read Speeds, USB42 TB£321.93£160.97SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Lexar NS100 2.5” SATA III 6Gb/s Internal 512GB SSD, Solid State Drive, Up To 550MB/s Read, for Laptop, Desktop Computer/PC (LNS100-512AMZN)512 GB£82.99£162.09SATA SSD · SATA-
Gigastone 4TB NAS SSD Drive (2-Pack) 24/7 Durable High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives8 TB£1,296.90£162.11NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Samsung MZ7LM3T8HCJM-00003 - 3.84TB 2.5in SATA PM863 Enterprise SSDUsed3.84 TB£634.99£165.36SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red SA500 4TB NAS SATA SSD 2.5 Inch4 TB£699.00£174.75NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Crucial BX500 SATA SSD 480GB, 2.5", Up to 540MB/s, Laptop and Desktop (PC) Compatible, 3D NAND, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Internal Solid State Drive - CT480BX500SSD1480 GB£85.40£177.92SATA SSD · SATAPrime
WD Blue SA510 500GB 2.5" SATA SSD with up to 560MB/s read speed500 GB£89.99£179.98SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Gigastone 2TB NAS SSD Drive (4-Pack) 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives8 TB£1,469.80£183.73NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Gigastone Home Server SSD 2TB NAS SSD Drive Cache (2-Pack) 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance Personal Cloud Data Sync Network Attached Storage RAID 3D NAND 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives4 TB£770.90£192.73NAS SSD · SATANAS-
ORICO 128GB SATA SSD 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive, Read Speed up to 500MB/s, SATA III 6Gbps for Desktop Laptop NAS DIY External Drive - Y20128 GB£25.99£203.05SATA SSD · SATA-
Gigastone 512GB NAS SSD Drive (2-Pack) 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives1.02 TB£208.90£204.00NAS SSD · SATANAS-
WD Blue SA510 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD with up to 560MB/s read speed1 TB£205.00£205.00SATA SSD · SATA-
Ediloca 120GB SSD Internal Solid State Drive, 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, Up to 400MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Shock Drop-Proof for PC/Laptop/Desktop/NAS, Compatible with Windows/Mac/Linux (ES580E)120 GB£24.99£208.25SATA SSD · SATA-
Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 2 TB, Form Factor 2.5 Inch, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, BlackUsed2 TB£432.99£216.50SATA SSD · SATA-
Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 2 TB, Form Factor 2.5 Inch, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, Black2 TB£448.00£224.00SATA SSD · SATA-
Gigastone 512GB NAS SSD Drive 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives512 GB£115.99£226.54NAS SSD · SATANAS-
WD Blue SA510 2.5”/7mm SATA SSD 500GB (Up to 560MB/s sequential read speed, 3D NAND, Acronis True Image, SANDISK Dashboard)500 GB£115.99£231.98SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Gigastone 1TB NAS SSD Drive 24/7 Durable TLC High Endurance RAID Data Storage Network Attached Storage 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Hard Drives1 TB£239.99£239.99NAS SSD · SATANAS-
WD Red SA500 NAS SATA SSD WDS400T1R0A - Solid state drive - 4 TB - internal - 2.5" - SATA 6Gb/s4 TB£969.00£242.25NAS SSD · SATANAS-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Aruba a company HPE 960GB SATA MU SFF BC MV SSD (Plain Boxed)960 GB£235.00£244.79SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red 4 TB NAS SSD 2.5 Inch SATA4 TB£999.00£249.75NAS SSD · SATANAS-
WD Red 1 TB NAS SSD 2.5 Inch SATA1 TB£250.99£250.99NAS SSD · SATANASPrime
Western Digital WD Green SATA 500GB, Up to 545MB/s, 2.5 Inch/7 mm, 3Y Warranty, Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (WDS500G5G0A-00CPT0)500 GB£137.95£275.90SATA SSD · SATA-
SanDisk SSD Plus 250GB, 2.5" SATA Internal SSD, Read speeds up to 545 MB/s, Write Speeds 505 MB/s, SATA III 6 GB/s250 GB£69.00£276.00SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Western Digital WDS500G2B0A WD Blue 3D NAND Internal SSD 2.5 Inch SATA, 500 GB, Solid State Hard Drive500 GB£138.95£277.90SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Transcend SSD230S 4TB SATA III 6Gb/s SSD, Read/Write up to 560/520 mb/s with DRAM Cache TS4TSSD230S4 TB£1,362.52£340.63SATA SSD · SATAPrime
Synology SAT5221 1920 GB 2.5" SATA SSDUsed1.92 TB£780.35£406.43SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red 500 GB NAS SSD 2.5 Inch SATA500 GB£211.41£422.82NAS SSD · SATANASPrime
WD Blue SA510 SATA SSD 500GB500 GB£211.50£423.00SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise 960GB SATA SSD 2.5-inch SFF Smart Carrier (SC), Mixed Use, P18434-B21, 813013, 824748 (Smart Carrier (SC), Mixed Use)960 GB£420.00£437.50SATA SSD · SATA-
WD Red SA500 NAS SATA SSD WDS500G1R0A - Solid state drive - 500 GB - internal - 2.5" - SATA 6Gb/s500 GB£246.49£492.98NAS SSD · SATANASPrime
Dell | 008R8 | SSDSC2BB480G6R | 480GB SATA III 6Gb/s MLC 2.5" | for Poweredge 2500 - R330 - R430 - R630 - R730 - R730XD - R830 - R430 - R630 | Enterprise Solid State Drive SSD (Certified Refurbished)Refurbished480 GB£275.00£572.92SATA SSD · SATA-
Aruba a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company HPE 3.84TB SATA MU SFF SC MV SSD3.84 TB£2,310.59£601.72SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise P40501-B21 2.5 Inch 7680GB SATA TLC Solid State Drive7.68 TB£4,867.55£633.80SATA SSD · SATA-
Origin Storage 7680GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 2.5in SATA Read Intensive7.68 TB£5,659.96£736.97SATA SSD · SATA-
Origin Storage 7680GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 2.5in SATA Mixed Work Load W/Ca7.68 TB£5,662.23£737.27SATA SSD · SATA-
Intel DC S3520 480GB 480GB - solid state drives (Silver, Serial ATA III, MLC, 256-bit AES, 0-70 °C, 2.5")480 GB£381.15£794.06SATA SSD · SATA-
Synology SAT5221 1920 GB 2.5" SATA SSD1.92 TB£1,593.40£829.90SATA SSD · SATA-
Intel Solid-State Drive D3-S4520 Series - Solid state drive - encrypted - 240 GB - internal - 2.5" - SATA 6Gb/s - 256-bit AES240 GB£200.00£833.33SATA SSD · SATA-
AIOPCWA Mini PC Alder Lake-N95 (up to 3.40GHz), 2× 2.5GbE i226-V LAN Mini Desktop Computer, HD+DP+Type-C, DDR5 32GB RAM 1TB SSD, Micro PC Box for Office Home Business NAS Firewall1 TB£911.23£911.23SATA SSD · SATA-
3840 GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 3.5-Inch SATA Read intensive3.84 TB£3,545.55£923.32SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE 1.92TB SATA MU SFF BC MV SSD1.92 TB£1,793.58£934.16SATA SSD · SATA-
HP Hewlett Packard Enterprise 960GB SATA MU SFF SC MV SSD960 GB£930.00£968.75SATA SSD · SATA-
AIOPCWA Mini PC Twin Lake N350 (up to 3.90GHz), 2× 2.5GbE i226-V LAN Mini Desktop Computer, HD+DP+Type-C, DDR5 32GB RAM 1TB SSD, Micro PC Box for Office Home Business NAS Firewall1 TB£969.42£969.42SATA SSD · SATA-
Intel SSD D3 S4620 SERIES 1.9TB 2.5IN SATA 6GB/S 3D4 TLC SINGLEPACK1.9 TB£2,005.86£1,055.72SATA SSD · SATA-
Origin Storage 3840 GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 2.5-Inch SATA Mixed Work Load3.84 TB£4,086.59£1,064.22SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise P40499-B21 2.5 Inch Solid State Drive 1920 GB SATA TLC1.92 TB£2,093.07£1,090.14SATA SSD · SATA-
Origin Storage 1920 GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 2.5-inch SATA Read Intensive DELL-1920EMLCRI-S151.92 TB£2,200.53£1,146.11SATA SSD · SATA-
AIOPCWA Mini PC Twin Lake N350 (up to 3.90GHz), 2× 2.5GbE i226-V LAN Mini Desktop Computer, HD+DP+Type-C, DDR5 16GB RAM 512GB SSD, Micro PC Box for Office Home Business NAS Firewall512 GB£588.36£1,149.14SATA SSD · SATA-
CISCO 120GB 2.5 inch Enterprise Value 6G SATA SSDUsed120 GB£150.99£1,258.25SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE 480GB SATA RI SFF BC MV SSD480 GB£632.45£1,317.60SATA SSD · SATA-
Seagate 1200.2 SSD ST800FM0173 800 GB Internal Solid State Drive800 GB£1,263.74£1,579.68SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise 877776-B21 SATA III Series 2.5 Inch 480 GB SSD Drives (480 GB, 2.5 Inch, 6 Gbps)480 GB£893.26£1,860.96SATA SSD · SATA-
Origin Storage 1920 GB Hot Plug Enterprise SSD 3.5-inch SATA Mixed Work Load DELL-1920EMLCMWL-S171.92 TB£3,726.38£1,940.82SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE 240GB SATA RI SFF BC MV SSD240 GB£481.03£2,004.29SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE 480GB SATA MU SFF BC MV SSD480 GB£1,081.01£2,252.10SATA SSD · SATA-
AIOPCWA Mini PC Twin Lake N350 (up to 3.90GHz), 2× 2.5GbE i226-V LAN Mini Desktop Computer, HD+DP+Type-C, DDR5 8GB RAM 128GB SSD, Micro PC Box for Office Home Business NAS Firewall128 GB£408.11£3,188.36SATA SSD · SATA-
Hewlett Packard Enterprise DRV SSD 480GB SFF SATA SC RI, P18422-B21, 813016, 829210480 GB£1,775.92£3,699.83SATA SSD · SATA-

Prices are indicative — last checked 8 September 2026, from Amazon.co.uk. They are not live; check the current price on Amazon before buying. Best £/TB is the lowest at last check.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use SATA SSDs in the main bays of the DS1525+ instead of hard drives?

Yes, the five bays accept both 2.5-inch SSDs and 3.5-inch HDDs. Just be aware SATA SSD capacities from the validated list top out lower than the 24TB HDDs the bays support, so an all-SSD five-bay build costs considerably more per terabyte.

Should I use the M.2 slots or a SATA bay for cache?

The two M.2 NVMe slots are purpose-built for cache and won't cost you a main bay, so they're the better route for read/write cache. Reserve SATA SSD bays for a separate flash storage pool rather than cache duty.

Do third-party SATA SSDs work in the DS1525+?

They can work, but Synology restricts full compatibility and feature support to drives on its validated list for this model. Check the list before buying, since unlisted drives may trigger warnings or lose some DSM storage features.

Will a faster SSD improve Plex performance on the DS1525+?

No. This model has no hardware transcoding engine, so storage speed doesn't change transcoding capability. Faster SSDs help with file access and app responsiveness, but Plex transcoding will still rely on the CPU, which struggles here.

How many SSDs can I realistically fit for both bay storage and cache?

You have five 2.5/3.5-inch bays plus two independent M.2 NVMe slots. A common setup uses two M.2 drives for cache and keeps all five bays for HDDs, or you dedicate one or two bays to SATA SSDs for a fast pool and use the remaining bays for bulk storage.

Is RAID1 or SHR better for a small SATA SSD pool on this NAS?

For two SSDs, RAID1 and SHR behave almost identically, mirroring one drive to the other. SHR is more flexible if you plan to mix drive capacities later, while RAID1 is simpler if both SSDs are the same size, such as two 2TB units.

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