In a development that should come as no surprise, Synology’s self-branded SSDs for its newest NAS systems have arrived, and they are expensive.
Tom’s Hardware reports that Synology is asking a premium price for its newest self-branded SSDs, including a whopping $535 for a 1.6TB NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 internal SSD. As Tom’s Hardware notes, similar competing SSDs can be found for “around $100,” a fraction of the $535 price on Synology’s SSD.
Now, this would not be a problem if not for the fact that Synology announced a few months ago that its new NAS devices would require Synology-branded drives for complete functionality, starting with the latest 25 Plus series products.
When the news broke in April, Synology told PetaPixel that the move was to ensure improved reliability and data security.
“With the launch of the new Synology 25 Plus series product lineup, Synology is introducing a streamlined compatibility policy designed to enhance reliability and improve user experience. Synology-branded drives will be needed for use in the newly announced Plus series, with plans to update the Product Compatibility List as additional drives can be thoroughly vetted in Synology systems,” the company said.
“This decision reflects Synology’s ongoing commitment to deliver the highest levels of system stability and performance. Extensive internal testing has shown that drives that follow a rigorous validation process when paired with Synology systems are at less risk of drive failure and ongoing compatibility issues.”
The company added that it could “comprehensively” test third-party drives for potential validation, which would enable them to work the same as Synology’s self-branded drives, including access to the full suite of features on new Synology NAS systems.
Synology notes that its prior products will continue to support third-party drives, as will the latest J and Value Series models. However, it’s easy to understand why some users might worry about those series changing in the future as well.
It is of little surprise that Synology’s new limitations have resulted in increased SSD costs for customers. However, what is perhaps more surprising is that the apparent flagship SSD in Synology’s lineup utilizes PCIe 3.0 technology, rather than the more common PCIe 4.0 or the new PCIe 5.0 standard. It’s also not an especially large drive, with a capacity of only 1,600 GB.
Users who require way more capacity can instead opt for Synology-branded 3.5″ SATA HDD modules, which range from 2 to 16TB and are, at least relative to the NVMe SSD options, competitively priced. The 16TB HDD is $300, which is quite typical.
Synology claims that its move to limit drive compatibility ensures better security for users and that the approved drives are extensively tested. This proposed peace of mind comes at a hefty cost, though, at least for Synology SSDs.
Image credits: Synology
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