For RAID array, you should get a hard drive (not SSD) if other drives in the array are not SSDs. The RAID configuration may decide, is it two drives? Four?

What value the SSD might add for speed is cancelled by the slowest disk read/write. Otherwise, would probably work just fine. On very active and intense use data sets SSD does have write/rewrite limitations compared to spinning rust, but is STILL a very large number of read/write/rewrite operations possible. Mixing drive sizes is okay for the most part, but creates limitations for some applications.

(Note: Have not tried using 1 SSD in a "x" HDD array so take the above with a grain of salt!)

Me? Large capacity HDD (storage) means more than SSD speed. HHD still has great value in that regard, and the cost benefits can't be denied. In use over a 1 gb network even a 5400 rpm HHD can easily saturate that connection just fine; SSD, meanwhile, is choked to fit the bandwidth.

It really depends on your needs, though one thing to consider is that SSD rarely gives warnings when the drive is failing. It just quits working without a peep in advance.

> is it two drives?
This NAS is two drives. Probably mixing is not good, but I was thinking of using the good drive as a spare in another NAS.
The cost is prohibitive.

>SSD might add for speed is cancelled by the slowest disk read/write.
Actually, the NAS determines the speed, so there's no speed advantage I'm looking for. If anyone is looking for speed on a network the NAS is not necessarily the answer.
In any case, the slowest drive is plenty fast enough.

I've got 3 synology nas's here (2012 (12 bay), 2016 (4bay), 2018) (4bay). They are drive abusive. The one from 2012, I've replaced 10 out of 12. The other two are barely used but replaced 2 drives of those as well. Always get the Red/NAS level drives (found that out the hard way). I've also learned, that unless you are actively running a server - turn the things off when not in use. I started shutting mine down nightly and even during the day during the pandemic. Since then I've not lost a drive. (Synology just sets there and churns on the drive doing data scrubbing or updating apps. Last Synology I will ever own.)

Some Nas's are not dual compatible between hard drives and ssd's. On the synologys they are all ssd's or all spinners for that data block. You can have a ssd for a cache drive with spinners, but that is a stand alone thing. So I can't even replace my spinners unless I replace all of them in that nas.

Ahhh, yes, I shut mine down late night and restart them in the morning on an automatic schedule, both because I rarely need the data after midnight.
I use Red NAS drives, and, as it happens, they are Synology NAS.

>Last Synology I will ever own.
Not sure what i'd get if it wasn't Synology.

Anhow, i'm going to try a Seagate NAS HD, instead of a WD, and we'll see how that works out, when it eventually arrives.

Onsite secure, convenient, backups, and media server is the key to this requirement.

Oh, now it seems the Synology NAS is failing.

If you've had experience of NAS. any suggestions on suitable replacements to Synology?