DS1823xs+ which 20TB drives actually work well?

[vetmode]

I have a trusty and well functioning DS1517+ that has been running since seemingly forever and has a mix of 3x 10TB WD RED and 2x 15TB Toshiba. Never any issues.

Now I have two things to take care of:

1. I never took backups seriously.
2. I am beginning to run out of storage.

My idea was to get a new DS1823xs+ and fill it with 20TB drives and keep my critical data on the old 5 bay as a backup. That was before I looked into which HDDs are actually supported and saw that not only my planned new 8 bay but also my old 5 bay were not supporting anything but Synology brand HDDs. I spent the next hour searching the web and later on this forum and read many horror stories about 20TB drives failing in droves with different Synology NAS, be it WD RED, Seagate, etc. I also couldn't find any place that actually has a list of "working" drives mapped to NAS models. Certainly Synology doesn't have it.

So is there any list of which drives actually work with this model? Or is there at least a "go to" brand of 20TB drives that seemingly work in most models? I have to say I'm quite devastated that Synology would screw over the enthusiast sector like this. I don't mind buying an expensive NAS but I do not want Enterprise HDDs nor do I want to be strongarmed into buying them. Is this the future of Synology? Is it back to building our own NAS from here on? Can Synology be trusted with anything from here on out? I'm at a loss whether to give up the brand completely with so much uncertainty.

 

[Rusty]

Welcome to the forum.

Or is there at least a "go to" brand of 20TB drives that seemingly work in most models?

Going away from the official compatibility list will get you trouble in case you need support. Ofc third-party drives will work, but Synology will not stand by those in terms of official support and assistance if something happens during or outside of warranty.

Is this the future of Synology?

They will continue down this path for sure, and while this particular model also supports non-ent drives (the HAT3310 line, but only up to 16TB atm), most XS+ models will be locked into the Synology ENT segment.

Perhaps, if you can wait, it would be an option to wait for the new x25 8bay "+" model (so not XS+) as that one will a) support also Syno drive not force ENT ones as well), and b) will probably support some 3rd party models as well. Still, this will be an XS+ vs + model, so have a look at the current comparison and see is this Xs+ lineup is essential for your needs.

Is it back to building our own NAS from here on?

That is also an option for sure.

Can Synology be trusted with anything from here on out?

Not sure how this has any relevance, but Synology is on a path to provide a full appliance experience. This will include drives and a shorter compatibility list.

I'm at a loss whether to give up the brand completely with so much uncertainty.

Also, one way to go for sure. If you want more freedom, moving away from an appliance-like device will be the way to go, and ofc it will be cheaper. How the overall experience will be on a different platform is an entirely new discussion (looking into both HW and SW), but, Synology's path is clear, and they will not back down from it for sure.

 

[Coop777]

Can't underscore the need to have an external backup...