Today, Synology announced the availability of its second NAS server for 2025, the DiskStation DS425+ for the US market. It’s a four-bay server, similar to the DS925+ that was released earlier this month, but with lower hardware specifications and capabilities.
Synology DS425+: A straightforward 4-bay NAS server
The first thing to keep in mind is that the new server, like all Plus servers released in 2025 and later, is designed to comply with Synology’s new storage requirements. Specifically, it only works with Synology-branded drives, at least for the time being, when set up as a new server. You can, however, migrate current drives from an existing server to it during an upgrade.
Other than that, the DS425+ is straightforward. It features four front-facing drive bays to accommodate SATA drives and two M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs with up to 80TB of raw storage per Synology.
Unlike the DS925+, the DS425+ doesn’t have an expansion slot to host an expansion unit, meaning its native drive bays and M.2 slots are the only storage options available. Additionally, the new server comes with a single 2.5Gbps port and one 1Gbps port (instead of two 2.5Gbps ports). As a result, there is no chance of achieving a 5Gbps connection via Link Aggregation.
The table below compares the specifications of the DS425+ to those of the DS925+.
Synoloyg DS425+ vs. DS925+: Hardware specifications
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Synology DS425+ | Synology DS925+ | |
| CPU | Intel Celeron J4125 2.0 (base) / 2.7 (turbo) G Hz |
AMD Ryzen V1500B Quad-core 2.2 GHz, 4 Cores / 8 Threads |
| System Memory | 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC (onboard) |
1x 4 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM (installed in one of the two memory slots) |
| Max Memory | 6 GB (2 GB + 4 GB via slot) | 32GB (16GB x 2) |
| Dimensions | 6.53 x 7.83 x 8.78 in (166 x 199 x 223 mm) |
|
| Weight | 4.8 lbs (2.18 kg) |
4.98 lbs (2.26 kg) |
| Drive Bays | 4 | |
| Expansion Support | No | Yes (1x USB-C-based DX525) |
| Drive Interface |
SATA 6Gbps/3Gbps (hot-swappable) |
|
| Built-in M.2 Slots (NVMe) |
Two | |
| Drive Support | 3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD/HDD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (cache & storage) |
|
| RAID Types | Hybrid RAID (SHR), Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 |
|
| Max Volume Size | 108TB | 200TB (with 32GB of RAM), 108TB |
| Max Internal Volume Number | 32 | |
| Max SMB Connections | 10 | 40 |
| Max Shared Folder Sync Tasks | 4 | 8 |
| Max Synology Chat Users | 100 | 150 |
| Max Synology Drive / Office Users | 20 | 80 |
| VPN Server – Max Connections | 4 | 8 |
| Max IP Cameras Support (two licenses included for non-Synology cameras) |
20 | 40 |
| Ports | 1x RJ-45 2.5GbE LAN, 1x RJ-45 1GbE LAN, 2x USB Gen 1 ports |
2x RJ-45 2.5GbE LAN, 2x USB Gen 1 ports, 1x USB-C port (for expansion) |
| Expansion Slot | None | |
| Add-on Card (not included) |
None | |
| DiskStation Manager (operating system) |
DSM 7 | |
| File System | Internal: Btrfs, EXT4 External: Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+, exFAT |
|
| Supported Drives | 3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD/HDD M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (cache & storage) |
|
| US Launch Price (Compare street prices!) |
TBD | $700 |
| Warranty | 3 years | |
Likely a familiar Synology experience
Besides the hardware specifications above and the new drive requirements, the new DS425+ will offer a familiar NAS experience to existing servers, thanks to its use of the same DSM7 operating system.
You can expect advanced features and functionalities via different software packages or apps. However, compared to the DS925+, the new server is likely to be slightly slower and will not be able to run as many applications simultaneously due to its limited processing power.
Availability and pricing
Synology announces that the DiskStation DS425+ is now available for purchase. Its current street price is $520 (diskless). Check in a while back to see how its real-world performance pans out.
