Synology 2025 NAS Hard Drive and SSD Lock In Confirmed - Bye, Bye Seagate and WD https://nascompares.com/news/synolgoy-2025-nas-hard-drive-and-ssd-lock-in-confirmed-bye-bye-seagate-and-wd/
The Synology DS925+ NAS is now available in the East. More on this, early pricing, HDD compatibility and the hardware here - https://nascompares.com/2025/04/23/synology-ds925-nas-released-in-the-east/
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Synology Statement:
“Synology's storage systems have been transitioning to a more appliance-like business model. Starting with the 25-series, DSM will implement a new HDD compatibility policy in accordance with the published Product Compatibility List. Only listed HDDs are supported for new system installations. This policy is not retroactive and will not affect existing systems and new installations of already released models. Drive migrations from older systems are supported with certain limitations.
As of April 2025, the list will consist of Synology drives. Synology intends to constantly update the Product Compatibility List and will introduce a revamped 3rd-party drive validation program.”
Reason for the new Synology HCL Policy:
Each component in a Synology storage solution is carefully engineered and tested to maintain data security and reliability. Based on customer support statistics over the past few years, the use of validated drives results in nearly 40% fewer storage-related issues and faster issue diagnostics and resolution.
Each validated hard drive on the compatibility list undergoes over 7,000 hours of comprehensive compatibility testing across platforms to ensure operational reliability.
Technical support data shows that validated drives result in a 40% lower chance of encountering critical disk issues.
For models that have adopted the new hard drive compatibility policy, severe storage anomalies have decreased by up to 88% compared to previous models.
By adhering to the Product Compatibility List, we can significantly reduce the variances introduced by unannounced manufacturing changes, firmware modifications, and other variations that are difficult for end-users and Synology to identify, much less track. Over the past few years, Synology has steadily expanded its storage drive ecosystem, collaborating with manufacturing partners to ensure a stable and consistent lineup of drives with varying capacities and competitive price points. Synology intends to expand its offerings and is committed to maintaining long-term availability, which is not available with off-the-shelf options. We understand that this may be a significant change for some of our customers and are working on ways to ease the transition. Synology is already collaborating with our partners to develop a more seamless purchasing experience, while maintaining the initial sizing and post-install upgrade flexibility that DSM platforms are renowned for." - Senior Synology Representative on the record.
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Synology DS925+ NAS Leaked (AGAIN) Article - https://nascompares.com/2025/04/14/synology-ds925-nas-leaked-again/
iFun Article -
https://www.ifun.de/synology-neue-plus-modelle-schraenken-funktion-mit-drittanbieter-platten-ein-252855/
stadt-bremerhaven / Cachys Blog - https://stadt-bremerhaven.de/synology-neue-plus-modelle-nur-noch-mit-zertifizierten-festplatten-kompatibel/
Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Synology Locking Drives in 2025 NAS Series
00:30 - Affected Devices: DS925+, DS1525+ & Others
01:05 - Early Source Mentions: Cashy’s Blog & iPhone-Ticker
01:23 - Drive Restrictions: Beyond Just Warnings in DSM 7.x
01:52 - Why Trust These Reports? Background Rumors Confirmed
02:27 - Playing Devil’s Advocate: Why Would Synology Do This?
02:56 - Potential Benefits: Compatibility, Bundling, Optimization
03:47 - Tariff Considerations & Shipping Economics
04:19 - Why It’s Concerning for Users
04:52 - Limited Capacity Options in Synology Drive Range
05:20 - Availability & Price Concerns Around Synology Drives
05:48 - Compatibility Within Synology’s Own Range
06:20 - Changing Tone: Enterprise Drives Listed on Value Models
06:52 - Previously Praised Practice Now Reversed
07:22 - SSD Concerns: DS625 Slim & Overkill with Synology SSDs
07:58 - Performance Issues: Synology SSDs vs Third-Party Options
08:26 - Summary: Disappointment, Profit Motives, & Reduced Flexibility
09:09 - Final Thoughts: Synology Needs to Justify This Decision
09:44 - Outro: Personal Note & Comment Invite
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