The Synology DS216play Vs The Synology DS716+ – Which 4K NAS is right for you and your data?

Is 2016 the year Synology 4K NAS?

 Time for another Synology NAS face off and today we want to look at 2 of the latest Synology NAS releases, both with different markets in mind. Both the Synology DS216PLAY and the Synology DS716+ are part of there now fully established 2-Bay 2016 range. Along-side their brothers and sisters (the DS216se, the DS216, the DS216+ and the soon to be widely available DS216J) each unit makes it’s mark and is aimed at a different kind of NAS users. The Synology PLAY series was originally introduced for those whose NAS needs were heavily Media based with Transcoding being a chief function among it’s abilities. Likewise the Synology DS71x units were aimed at those looking to buy a powerful 2 Bay Synology NAS that was future proofed in a  number of ways – ranging from unparalleled RAM quantities, the option of an expansion available as and when you needed, a better CPU and finally an extra year of warranty cover. Of course features such as these arrive at a premium and more and more people are seeing these two 4K enabled NAS devices (both touting the ability to transcode on the fly) and asking if the massive price disparity is justified?

Think BIG, or small…

 Which brings us kicking and screaming into today’s comparison. We want to look at these devices, their specs, their abilities, their highs and their lows and figure out which one is right for you. It will come as no surprise that the more expensive DS716+ from Synology is the more powerful of the two – but do we have a case of David and Goliath? Or a tortoise and hare type situation? Below is our comparison video on the subject and if you want to have the answer in time it takes to finish a big sandwich, just scroll below and watch. If you would prefer the wordy version, then scroll a little further and you can see these two units and their vital statistics!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15CCmWrmghU

Thanks for watching!

How the combatants weigh up?

	The Synology DS216PLAY NAS for Budget Friendly Transcoding of 4K and HD Media	The Synology DS716+ for High Performance and Expandable NAS users
NAS Server Device	The Synology DS216play £174 without the VAT Buy from nascompares.com	The Synology DS716+ £297 without the VAT Buy from nascompares.com
CPU Model	STM STiH412 Monaco Ultra – ARM v7	Intel Celeron N3150 X86 Processor 64-Bit
CPU Frequency	Dual Core 1.5 GHz	Quad Core 1.6 burst to 2.08 GHz
Hardware Encryption Engine (AES-NI)		Yes
Floating Point	YES	YES
Hardware Transcoding Engine	H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-2, VC-1, Maximum resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160), Maximum FPS: 30	H.264 (AVC), MPEG-2 and VC-1; maximum resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160); maximum frame rate per second (FPS): 30
Memory
System Memory	1 GB DDR3	2 GB DDR3
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity	16 TB (8 TB HDD X 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)	16 TB (8 TB HDD X 2) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Hot Swappable Drive	NO	YES
Maximum Drive Bays with Expansion Unit	Cannot be Expanded	Maximum 7 Drives via the Synology DX513
External Ports
Rear	DS216PLAY Rear Ports	DS716+ Rear Ports
USB 2.0 Port	1	0
USB 3.0 Port	1	3
eSATA Port	NO	1
RJ-45 1GbE LAN Port	1	2 (with Link Aggregation / Failover support)
USBCopy	NO	YES
Noise Level*	18.5 dB(A)	19.8 dB(A)
Internal File System	EXT 4	Btrfs and EXT 4
Power Consumption*	15.08 W (Access) 6.83 W (HDD Hibernation)	18.96 W (Access) 8.84 W (HDD Hibernation)
Read and Write Speeds	Via a single LAN port 107 MB/sec read 91 MB/sec write	Via Link Aggregation 23.47 MB/s Read 137.19 MB/s Write
Warranty	2 Years	3 Years

Need to know more about Synology at their newly implemented Btrfs NAS file System – why not check out our post to find out more.

You decide

So, what do you think? Do you think the DS216PLAY is the Synology NAS for you media users or is the allure of 4K and lower power consumption only and you want to plan ahead with the expansion and future proofing available in the Synology DS716+ NAS? Is that significant price drop enough to win you over. Why not let me know below. Thank for reading.