Products at a Glance
How we picked
For this guide, we have looked at several SSDs from different brands and then shortlisted the ones we thought were the best. The drives have been selected based on specs like speed, storage capacity, and other factors. Plus, we are always updating our guides with new products – so check back here for more updates.
Product Reviews
- Optimized for NAS
- 3D NAND
- Up to 560 MB/s speeds
- Expensive
If you are looking for the best SSD overall for your NAS, then you should check out the Western Digital Red SA500 drive.
To start with, this SSD storage has been optimized for caching in NAS systems, which means that it should integrate easily into your NAS setup and boost its performance. The drive is tailored for NAS and features 3D NAND, which should deliver better endurance, shorter data paths, and overall faster performance.
The SATA SSD offers up to 560 MB/s speeds, which should be sufficient for fast data transfers. With speeds like this, you should experience reduced latency, better responsiveness, and overall better performance.
For this guide, we have selected the 1TB variant, which we think should be sufficient for most users. However, you can check out the 500GB, 2TB, and 4TB models if they suit your needs better.
- 3500MB/s sequential read speed
- 650K/700K IOPS
- Budget-friendly
- Not PCIe Gen4
If you are looking for a budget SSD for your NAS workload, then you should consider getting the Crucial P3 Gen3 SSD. Much like some of the best budget SSDs, this one offers clean performance without any bells and whistles.
The SSD offers up to 3500MB/s sequential read speed and random read/write speed of up to 650K/700K IOPS, which should be suitable for your NAS setup if your workload is not too much.
As far as endurance is concerned, this SSD has a slightly lower rating than the other drives on the list. However, considering that this is a budget option, we can cut it some slack here. Plus, if your NAS workload is low to medium, then this drive will be sufficient.
For this guide, we have selected the 1TB variant, which we think strikes a good balance between price and storage capacity. In addition to this, there are 500GB, 2TB, and 4TB variants available.
- PCIe Gen 4 interface
- 5000MB/s read speed
- 3-year Rescue Data Recovery Services
- Slightly expensive
If you want the best SSD for caching in your NAS system, then you should check out the Seagate IronWolf 525 SSD.
The SATA M.2 drive comes with a PCIe Gen 4 interface, which should translate into high speeds for you. To be specific, you get speeds of up to 5000MB/s, which should keep up with demanding NAS setups.
Further, this drive is made specifically for NAS – so it comes with a bunch of useful features. For instance, you get SSD cache tiering, which should make multi-user loading easier. Plus, you get an endurance of 0.7 DWPD, which should align with NAS requirements.
Much like other Seagate SSDs, this one also comes with 3-year Rescue Data Recovery Services, which should help you recover data in case of a disaster.
- 3,400 MB/s speed
- Heatsink
- 5,100 TBW endurance
- High power consumption
If you want the best M2 NVMe SSD for your NAS setup, then you should check out the Western Digital 2TB WD Red SN700 drive.
To start with, the Western Digital Red SN700 drive is made for NAS workloads, so you can expect it to deal with demanding processes. The SATA drive offers speeds of up to 3,400 MB/s, which should speed up your file transfers, backups, and streaming.
Further, as the SSD is designed to handle heavy workloads, the drive has a high endurance with a 5,100 TBW rating, which should ensure reliable performance. Plus, it also comes with a heatsink that promises to keep the drive cool and maintain optimal performance.
For this guide, we have selected the 2TB variant, which we think should deliver sufficient storage for most people who have an ever-increasing pile of data. However, there are other options available – 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 4TB.
How to pick the best SSD for NAS
Before you browse options, here are a few things to consider –
Compatibility
Now, not all SSDs for NAS are the same, and that’s why you need to consider a few things. If you want your NAS workload handled, check for these features –
Power-Loss Protection (PLP) to prevent data corruption
Write-cache to maximize data integrity
Vibration tolerance for longetivity
Storage capacity
Now, the “right” storage capacity depends on your needs and budget. However, to give you an idea, you will find options from 250GB to 4TB and more.
Speed
To get optimized performance, you need an SSD to deliver decent speeds. And for NAS, you need to look at random IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second), as NAS heavily relies on random IOPS for file indexing, small file access, and multi-user operations. A good range for the same would be 50,000-100,000.
Additional features
In addition to the above specs, you can look for other features that align with your NAS system requirements. For example, you can look for cache tiering, high endurance, and other features that add to your convenience.
Our Verdict
If you want to get the best SSD for NAS, then we think that the Western Digital Red SA500 drive is a good choice. The SSD is optimized for caching, so you should experience seamless integration. Plus, you get 3D NAND tech for boosted endurance, speed, and shorter data paths. Its 560 MB/s speeds slash latency and enhance responsiveness, delivering a noticeably smoother NAS experience. While we recommend the 1TB option, but larger capacities (500GB, 2TB, 4TB) are available.