The best solid-state drive (SSD) for home NAS lets you store and access data five times faster than a mechanical hard drive. If you use a lot of I/O-intensive workloads, you can also slot in an NVMe SSD inside the NAS for caching. The obvious choice is the Seagate IronWolf 110 NAS SSD as it’s designed for NAS enclosures, has an unmatched endurance rating, and decades-long reliability.
Unmatched reliability
Seagate IronWolf 110 NAS SSD
Staff Pick
The IronWolf 110 is a new class of SSD that’s designed for NAS enclosures. It’s costlier than most 2.5-inch SSDs, but that’s because of the reliability on offer. With an endurance rating of 435TBW (terabytes written) for the 240GB version, you can write 100GB of data daily to the NAS and it won’t wear out for 12.5 years or more. With data transfers of up to 560MB/s and optimized for 24/7 use, the IronWolf 110 is the best SSD for your home NAS.
$90 at Amazon
Also great
WD Red SA500
Like the IronWolf 110, the Red SA500 is an SSD designed for use in a NAS enclosure. It’s built for 24/7 use, features 3D NAND tech, is more affordable than Seagate’s option, has data transfers of up to 560MB/s, and comes with an endurance rating of 350TBW (terabytes written) for the 500GB version.
$72 at Amazon
Best value
Crucial BX500 (1TB)
Crucial is Micron’s own brand, and it has been a stalwart in this segment for several years. The BX500 delivers reliable transfers of up to 540MB/s, and with an endurance rating of 360TBW (terabytes written), it will last over a decade with ease even with heavy load. The best part about the BX500 is the value, making it an enticing option in this category.
$90 at Amazon $90 at Newegg $90 at B&H Photo
Built to last
Samsung 870 QVO (1TB)
The 870 QVO uses Samsung’s QLC NAND to deliver better value and the same level of reliability as traditional SSDs. You get data transfers that go up to 560MB/s, an endurance rating of 360TBW (terabytes written), and storage that goes up to 8TB. I use several 870 QVO drives and highly recommend them.
$110 at Amazon $110 at Best Buy $110 at Newegg
Truly outstanding
Crucial MX500 (1TB)
The Crucial MX500 has been a bestseller for nearly a decade now, and that’s because of its performance and reliability. The drive offers 3D NAND, transfers of up to 560MB/s, and an endurance rating of 360TBW (terabytes written). This is a solid option if you’re looking to add an SSD to your NAS.
$105 at Amazon $105 at Best Buy $105 at Newegg
The gold standard
SK Hynix Gold S31 (1TB)
SK Hynix was a behind-the-scenes player, producing storage solutions for mass-market vendors like Samsung. But with the Gold S31, it’s selling directly to consumers. The SSD features SK Hynix’s class-leading 3D NAND storage, transfers of up to 560MB/s, and an endurance rating of 600TBW (terabytes written).
$105 at Amazon
Cache away
Seagate IronWolf 510 M.2 NAS SSD (240GB)
The IronWolf 510 isn’t a 2.5-inch storage SSD. Instead, it’s an NVMe M.2 drive that you can slot into your NAS for caching. With sequential writes of up to 600MB/s and reads that go up to an incredible 3,000MB/s, the IronWolf 510 is the ideal drive for caching. With an endurance rating of 435TBW (terabytes written) for the 240GB version, the drive will last over a decade with ease.
$100 at B&H Photo
Ultimate pick
Samsung 970 Evo Plus (1TB)
Samsung’s 970 Evo Plus is also an NVMe SSD, and as such, it can be used for caching within your NAS. The SSD features Samsung’s innovative V-NAND tech, has sequential reads that go up to 3,500MB/s and writes of up to 3,200MB/s, and an endurance rating of 600TBW (terabytes written) for the 1TB version.
$165 at Amazon $165 at Best Buy $165 at Newegg
It’s easy to find the best SSD for your home NAS
There are lots of great choices if you’re looking for a NAS enclosure, and the best part is that most of its enclosures can slot in an SSD directly. You don’t need an SSD for storage if all you’re doing is streaming media, but if you don’t want to rely on mechanical drives and want to switch, SSDs are affordable enough that they’re an easy recommendation.
The best option is obviously the IronWolf 110 NAS SSD for the reliability on offer. With a 435TBW (terabytes written) rating for the 240TB and 875TBW for the 960GB option, this SSD will work without any issues for more than a decade. If you’re considering the DiskStation DS220+ or DS420+ as your next NAS, the IronWolf 110 SSD is the ideal drive for either enclosure.
Of course, if you’re looking for more value, the 1TB SK Hynix Gold S31 would be my recommendation. SK Hynix recently started selling directly to consumers, but the brand is at the forefront of innovation in this segment, and its tech powers most SSDs on this list. The fact that you can buy an SSD directly from SK Hynix is a bonus, and you get decades-long reliability and data transfers that will test the limits of your home network.
