Best Seagate Pro drives to buy for Ds1522+

[Enquiries]

Love the NAS advice videos - really great!


I would really appreciate advice on best size drives to buy from NAS forum.

I am thinking of buying Synology ds1522+ NAS.

Currently have ds 223+ with 2 2 TB drives nearly full in raid 1. Old but works well.


My Aim is get new set up that's is not too noisy as in home office and scalable - at least raid 1 and preferably raid 5 or even 6.

To Use Synology Office, Plex & other apps plus data backups.

Are 10 or 16TB sata drives much noisier than 8TB's ( x 2 drives in a nas)?

To start me off with a new NAS 1522+, I was wondering about either 2 x 8 TB Seagate wolf Pro drives or possibly 2 x 10 or even 2 x 16 TB drives

(Minimum I would need would be 2 x 4TB).

Or 3 x 4 or 8 or 10 TB sata drives if better for raid 5.

Would be really grateful for advice as pretty new to NAS and latest options.

Excuse giving lots of options. Hope you can help.

Thanks, Paul

[ed]

Thank you for your kind words! It’s great to hear you’ve been enjoying the NAS advice videos. I’d be happy to guide you through the best options for your new Synology DS1522+ setup.

Drive Size and Noise Considerations
Noise Levels:

Generally, larger capacity drives (10TB, 16TB) may produce slightly more noise compared to 8TB models due to higher platter counts and spindle speeds. However, modern drives like Seagate IronWolf Pro are well-designed to minimize noise.
If noise is a concern, consider installing the NAS in a location with some distance from your primary workspace or invest in sound-dampening measures.
Performance vs. Capacity:

For RAID setups (like RAID 5 or 6), a higher capacity drive like 10TB or 16TB offers better scalability.
If your immediate needs are moderate (6–8TB usable storage), starting with 8TB drives is a great balance of cost, performance, and noise.
Recommended Configurations
Option 1: RAID 1 for Simplicity
2 x 8TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives (16TB raw, 8TB usable in RAID 1).
Pros: Excellent performance, low noise, and sufficient for your 6TB+ requirement.
Upgrade Path: Add more drives later and convert to RAID 5/6 without losing data (Synology Hybrid RAID).
Option 2: RAID 5 for Better Scalability
3 x 4TB or 3 x 8TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives (12TB or 24TB raw, 8TB or 16TB usable in RAID 5).
Pros: More efficient use of storage with redundancy.
Recommendation: Go with 8TB drives for a better long-term balance of cost and capacity.
Option 3: RAID 6 for Maximum Redundancy
4 x 8TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives (32TB raw, 16TB usable in RAID 6).
Pros: Tolerates failure of up to two drives; ideal for critical data storage.
Cons: Higher upfront cost but great for peace of mind.
Seagate IronWolf Pro Recommendations
Seagate IronWolf Pro 8TB: A sweet spot for capacity, performance, and noise.
Seagate IronWolf Pro 10TB or 16TB: If you want future-proofing with fewer drives.
Budget Considerations
Drives: 2 x 8TB IronWolf Pro (£520) or 3 x 8TB (£780).
NAS: DS1522+ (~£660).
Combined total fits your £800 max drive budget if starting with 2 x 8TB drives.
Final Recommendation
Start with 2 x 8TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives in RAID 1. This gives you enough capacity, is quieter than larger drives, and fits well in your budget. You can expand to RAID 5 or 6 later by adding drives as your needs grow.