All models › LearnNAS drive guides Short, opinionated answers to the questions people actually ask before buying drives for a Synology — written from the same official compatibility data this site is built on.
CMR vs SMR Drives for NAS: Why It Matters More Than Brand SMR drives can cripple a Synology NAS during RAID rebuilds. How to tell CMR from SMR, whic… Can You Use SSDs in a Synology NAS? (And When It's Worth It) Yes — but the role matters. SSDs as primary storage vs read-write cache vs scratch volume … Synology SHR Explained: Mixing Drive Sizes Without Wasting Space SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID) lets you mix drive capacities intelligently. How it works, when… Mixing Drive Sizes in a Synology NAS: What Works and What's a Bad Idea Yes, you can mix capacities and even brands in Synology NAS — SHR handles it. The rules, t… WD Red vs Red Plus vs Red Pro: Which One for Your Synology? Western Digital's three NAS lines explained: SMR traps in plain Red, CMR in Red Plus, 7200… Seagate IronWolf vs IronWolf Pro: Same Name, Different Animals IronWolf is CMR NAS storage for home; IronWolf Pro adds 7200rpm, 550TB/yr workload and 5-y… Do You Need Synology-Certified Drives? The 2025+ Policy, Plainly Synology's drive policy is tightening on newer models. What's actually required, what chan… How to Check If a Drive Works With Your Synology (60-Second Method) The exact workflow: find your model, search the part number, verify capacity — plus the tw… NAS Drives vs Desktop Drives: What You Actually Pay Extra For Desktop drives are cheaper per TB — until vibration and 24/7 duty bite. Vibration sensors,… 2-Bay vs 4-Bay Synology: Drive Strategy Before You Buy the NAS The NAS you buy decides the drives you can use. Bay-count trade-offs, SHR strategies per c…