Synology starts selling overpriced 1.6 TB SSDs for $535 — self-branded, archaic PCIe 3.0 SSDs the only option to meet 'certified' criteria
PCIe 3.0 speeds in a PCIe 5.0 world for PCIe 27.0 prices

Synology has begun selling its newest SNV5400 enterprise NAS SSDs, and the asking prices for what you receive are nothing short of shocking. For a 1.6 TB NVMe SSD at PCIe Gen3 speeds, Synology is asking $535 on B&H Photo Video, while many competing devices retail for around $100. The new SNV5400 family, which also includes 400GB and 800GB models, is one of only a few Synology-branded SSD families compatible with certain Synology NAS models due to the company's new restrictive compatibility requirements.
Synology recently announced its plans to require the use of approved SSDs for certain NAS systems. To date, only Synology-branded SSDs have received the stamp of approval from the company. While previous SSD releases from Synology have remained marginally in line with market rates for SSDs, the SNV5400 family significantly exceeds the comparative pricing of the market.
Synology's newest drives, which were first seen online at a gobsmacking €620 from one Newegg shop, are priced comfortably above any other similar models in the industry. The flagship model, the 1.6 TB SNV5420, offers up to 3,000/1,000 MB/s of sequential read/write performance, in line with its PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. Synology also claims a tested endurance of up to 2900TB TBW, important to consider for its advertised NAS use case.
The unfortunate thing about the Synology SNV5400 family is that it feels like it arrived several years too late. PCIe 3.0 has largely been left behind, as most storage manufacturers are now transitioning to PCIe 5.0, leaving PCIe 4.0 also in the dust. What's more, the SNV5420's endurance is vastly outclassed by its competitors; Western Digital's WD Red SN700 SSD, another PCIe 3.0 NAS drive, advertises a TBW of 5100TB, nearly double what Synology offers.
The SNV5420 1.6 TB NVMe drive will launch for $534.99 from B&H Photo Video, with other sources selling the drive for more. Its little brother, the 400GB model, is available for $175, with the 800GB model selling for $285. While these may be pre-launch prices, they are still likely in line with the product's MSRP. Compare these prices with the longer-lasting WD Red SN700, which sells its 2TB model for $210, only $35 more than the 400GB from Synology.
Synology's website advertises that its newest drives are "purpose-built for Synology NAS," advertising a hefty R&D testing process and features like power loss protection. But even other enterprise M.2 drives (a less-common form factor for the true enterprise market) with PLP and other big-time features do not scratch the pricing of Synology's newest outing.
While some loopholes exist for using non-approved drives in newer Synology NAS units (like this one written in German), eventually Synology customers may be forced to pay the hefty Synology tax for their off-the-shelf NAS solutions. Perhaps independent testing reveals some fairy dust in the new units that deserves its hefty upcharge, but we haven't found any from Synology's own site just yet.
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Sunny Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Sunny has a handle on all the latest tech news.
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watzupken It’s the start of the downfall of a company when they impose artificial limitations amidst strong competition. I may be wrong, but the NAS market is very competitive with more Chinese companies joining the party. So even if they have better software, the cost of ownership will drive potential buyers away.Reply -
Pierce2623
While you’re right about finding decent value on secondhand enterprise drives, the reason this story is a story is because on Synology’s 2025 NAS line-up you only get full technical and warranty support if you run Synology’s BS super overpriced drives in it. The bad part is even if you’re running MUCH better drives than their BS self-branded junk, you basically have no warranty support and you can’t access some drive metrics that would normally be easily available because all modern drives have the necessary sensors etc but the Synology software only lets you see it for a “Synology” drive. Also just for the record, up until this point, all the “Synology” drives have been 100% pure rebadges with zero customization or proprietary Synology stuff done to the drives. They’re literally just bargain bin rebadges sold as “Synology” drives.Amdlova said:Toshiba enterprise 22110 nvme 1.92tb $78 on ebay
Only cons 7/8w idle :) -
Notton That is a bold choice by Synology when there are better and cheaper NAS's out there.Reply
Outside of the top two, Asustor, and Terramaster offer competitive NAS's,
but if you want extremely competitive... Beelink, and Aoostar. -
Ananimus RIP Synology. When this move started it remained to be seen just how much cost/benefit would be affected.Reply
I'm not sure how even a big business can justify that cost though, and they're far and away from any potential personal use. -
craigss I have a Synology unit and its ok but it has a lot of limitations as well as the stupid fact your hard drives cannot be read by anything other than a synology unit, this move for me spells the end of the line for synology purchases, nobody ever learns in the industry look at Sony and the stupid standards they imposed on memory cards and anyone remember the minidisc lol RIP Synology I thinkReply -
Balda666 RIP and goodbye, Synology, I was a big fan, not any more. The only thing you did right was your NAS OS, all the rest was gradually becoming an excersise in greed and stupidity. Why don't you just split your lineup into enterprise, where costs doesnt matter and enthusiasts, where they can choose which way to go. Obsolete hardware in newly presented models, just because it's good enough? Screw you, darlings. I wonder how long you'll ride the train of success of your OS.Reply -
nrdwka
Escpecially now, when there is hardware agnostic user-friendly os is developped on top and with green light from truenasBalda666 said:RIP and goodbye, Synology, I was a big fan, not any more. The only thing you did right was your NAS OS, all the rest was gradually becoming an excersise in greed and stupidity. Why don't you just split your lineup into enterprise, where costs doesnt matter and enthusiasts, where they can choose which way to go. Obsolete hardware in newly presented models, just because it's good enough? Screw you, darlings. I wonder how long you'll ride the train of success of your OS.