Best Synology DS419slim Compatible Hard Drives Windows Central 2019

The DS419slim from Synology only supports 2.5-inch drives, which rules out the 3-inch NAS hard drives you'd usually purchase. Laptop drives are an option, but they're slow and aren't designed to run 24/7. Seagate and Western Digital do have NAS solid-state drives (SSD) available, but you can expect to pay a fair amount compared to mechanical counterparts.

Speedy Storage: Seagate IronWolf NAS SSD

Editor's pick

Seagate's IronWolf NAS SSD is what you'd expect from flash storage in a server environment. You've got 560MB/s data rates, enhanced firmware for continuous operation, DuraWrite tech for better reliability and performance, as well as a five-year limited warranty.

From $80 at Amazon

More Affordable: Western Digital Red

Mechanical drives aren't quite as fast as SATA SSDs and 2.5-inch mechanical drives are even slower with a motor that spins at 5400 RPM, like this Western Digital Red NAS drive. The plus side is it'll fit inside the DS419slim, comes with a five-year warranty, and can handle a workload of 180TB per year.

$69 at Amazon (1TB)

Choosing the best 2.5-inch storage drive

There's no best solution when it comes to 2.5-inch drives for your NAS. This all depends on your available budget since SSDs can get really expensive for higher capacity options. If you have the funds available and want something that'll perform better than a 2.5-inch mechanical drive, the Seagate IronWolf NAS SSD is a fantastic drive for the Synology DS419slim.

If you can't quite afford an SSD, you'll need to pick up a 2.5-inch mechanical drive, which comes with a slower 5400RPM motor than what's found inside larger 3-inch drives. Still, they'll perform well enough for most scenarios and come with advanced features and tech that consumer drives don't sport in case of power loss, etc.

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