Synology DS925+ Review: The Default Four-Bay, With a Caveat

Updated 2026-08-21 Researched, not tested in person Vendor neutral

Quick answer

Four bays, dual 2.5GbE for speed and redundancy, up to 522 and 565 MB/s sequential, and DSM, which is still the software everyone else is measured against. Buy it if you want a NAS that works out of the box and stays maintained. Read Synology's compatibility list for this model before you buy drives, because Synology states it supports drives on that list and it can change what your total build costs.

Dual 2.5GbE, DSM and four bays, and a compatibility list you must read before buying drives.

Best Four-Bay Software

Synology 4-Bay DiskStation DS925+ (Diskless)

~$754

A four-bay DiskStation with dual 2.5GbE, built-in file and photo management, data protection, virtualisation and surveillance, and a three-year warranty.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Bays	4, supplied diskless
Drive support	Synology states support for drives on the model's official compatibility list
Throughput	Up to 522 MB/s sequential read and 565 MB/s sequential write
Network	Dual 2.5GbE, for speed and redundancy
Software	Built-in file and photo management, data protection, virtualisation and surveillance
Warranty	3 year limited hardware warranty

Specifications above come from Synology's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

DSM is why this exists. Snapshots, Hyper Backup, Synology Photos, Drive, Docker and Surveillance Station are integrated and maintained, and none of them need assembling.
Dual 2.5GbE is the right networking for a four-bay array. Two and a half gigabit is more than four spinning drives sustain, and the second port gives you failover or aggregation.
Four bays is the size most homes should buy, and this is the model most of those homes end up with for good reasons.
Synology's update record is the longest in the category, and security fixes arrive for older models for years.
The community is enormous, so almost every problem you can create has an existing answer.

Where it falls short

Drive compatibility is the thing to check first. Synology's own listing states support for drives on the model's official compatibility list, and that list is narrower on current Plus-series units than buyers coming from older models expect. Verify your intended drives against the list for this exact model before ordering either.
The hardware specification is modest for the price. Competitors offer more CPU, more memory and faster networking for the same money, and you are paying for the software.
There is no 10GbE on this model, so if your network is faster than 2.5GbE the ceiling is here.
Four bays means a rebuild consumes a meaningful fraction of your redundancy, so drive choice and RAID level matter more than in a wide array.
Diskless means the price on the box is the start. Four NAS drives will cost more than the enclosure did.

What owners report

The DS925+ and its predecessors are the most commonly recommended four-bay NAS in the category, and owner reports are correspondingly positive about the software and unexcited about the hardware. That has been the Synology trade for a decade and buyers generally know what they are choosing.

The live issue is drives. Synology's compatibility list governs which drives are supported for full functionality on current Plus models, and it is a real cost consideration rather than a formality. Read our drive selection guide alongside the list for your model, and pay attention to CMR against SMR while you are there.

On the platform question, our Synology versus QNAP comparison is the direct head to head, and our SHR versus RAID 5 comparison covers the storage layout choice that is unique to Synology and is usually the right default for a home four-bay.

Who it suits

Anyone who wants the NAS to be an appliance rather than a project.
Households wanting photo management, backup and file sharing without assembling them.
Buyers who value a long security update record.

Who should skip it

Buyers optimising hardware per dollar.
Anyone with drives already bought that are not on the model's compatibility list.
Networks running faster than 2.5GbE, where this is the bottleneck.

Alternatives worth considering

10GbE for Less

UGREEN DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS

~$620

A 10GbE port and 10Gbps USB for less money, with UGREEN stating compatibility with Western Digital, Seagate and Toshiba drives. Younger software with a smaller community, in exchange for a better specification and fewer drive constraints.

Check price on Amazon

Far More Hardware

TerraMaster F4-424 Pro NAS 4-Bay, Core i3-N305 8-Core, 32GB DDR5

~$688

Eight cores, 32GB of DDR5 and dual 2.5GbE for less. TerraMaster's software is capable rather than polished, which is the trade you are making against DSM.

Check price on Amazon

ECC Four-Bay

Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen3 AS6804T, 4 Bay NAS, Ryzen Quad-Core, 16GB ECC DDR5

~$1,520

Twice the price for a Ryzen quad-core and ECC memory in four bays. Worth it if ECC is a requirement for your data; unnecessary for a media library.

Check price on Amazon

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use any hard drives in the DS925+?

Synology states the model supports drives on its official compatibility list. Check that list for this exact model before buying drives, because current Plus-series units are more specific about supported drives than older DiskStations were, and it changes the total cost of the build meaningfully.

Is a four-bay NAS enough for a home?

For almost everyone, yes. Four bays with modern drive capacities holds far more than most households generate, while keeping power draw and noise reasonable. Use the RAID capacity calculator to see how much usable space you get after redundancy, because the answer surprises people.

What is SHR and should I use it?

Synology Hybrid RAID, a layout that lets you mix drive sizes and use more of the capacity than standard RAID would. For a home four-bay it is usually the right default, particularly if you expect to add or upgrade drives over time. Our SHR versus RAID 5 comparison covers when standard RAID is preferable.

Do I need 10GbE?

Only if your storage can feed it and your network supports it end to end. Four spinning drives will not sustain 10 gigabit, and this model's dual 2.5GbE is more than they can saturate. If you are building an SSD array or moving very large files daily, look at a model with 10GbE.

Is RAID a backup?

No. RAID keeps the array available when a drive fails. It does not protect against accidental deletion, ransomware, theft, fire or a failure that takes the whole unit. Three copies, two media types, one off-site, and test that the backup restores.

How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, drive datasheets, published reliability statistics and verified owner reviews. We do not test hardware in person, and we are not tied to any NAS vendor. Capacity and power figures here are researched guidance, not a warranty. RAID protects against drive failure, not against deletion, ransomware, fire or theft, so keep verified backups regardless of what any calculator tells you.

Working out your own cost per usable terabyte? The Home Server Build Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.