Synology DS1618+ vs DS918+ NAS Comparison

Rob Andrews

6 years ago

Contents hide

1 DS1618+ vs DS918+ NAS – Which Synology Should you buy?

2 DS1618+ vs DS918+ NAS – What can both Synology NAS do?

3 Synology DS918+ 4-Bay NAS Advantages and Disadvantages

4 Synology DS1618+ NAS Advantages and Disadvantages

5 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

DS1618+ vs DS918+ NAS – Which Synology Should you buy?

If you are thinking about buying a Synology NAS in 2018 and want to leverage your available storage against a robust RAID solution, then chances are you have heard about the Synology DS918+ 4-Bay NAS and the DS1618+ 6-Bay NAS. Arriving with impressive internal and external hardware, as well as excellent applications (1st and 3rd party) with the DSM software on-board, it is hard to work out the REAL difference between these NAS servers. These two NAS have featured on NASCompares previously but never compared – till now. So let us compare the DS1618+ 6-Bay and DS918+ 4-Bay to work out which is the best NAS for you and your data.

DS1618+ vs DS918+ NAS – What can both Synology NAS do?

Both the Synology DS918+ and DS1618+ NAS are part of the flagship plus series and unsurprising heavily support alot of the key features that they have become famous for:

Synology DSM 6.1 and DSM 6.2 included featuring regular updates
BTRFS and EXT 4 as the system file system (your choice)
Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, RAID 50, RAID 60 and the always popular and SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID)
Using Synology Virtual Machine Manager, host a Virtualisation Platform – setup and run multiple VMs, supporting multiple Operating systems and enhanced by the Docker app, Container apps
Personal and business software applications included free like Synology Office (docs, spreadsheets, pdfs, etc), Synology LiveChat, Synology Mail, Photo Station, Video Station, Music Station, Download Station and more
Intuitive and User-friendly apps like Synology Drive for one-point access to ALL file types and Synology Moments for AI supported photo tagging, landscape recognition and improved photo cataloguing

Plex Synology NAS Guide 2018

Both units can be used as a fantastic Plex Media Server supporting transcoding upto 1080P (but with 4K support natively)
Serve as a cross-platform service – bridging connections and transfers of files between Mac and Windows systems over the network
Heavily support backups, archiving, remote replication and comprehensive snapshot technology meaning you will have an equal amount of backup options whichever you go for
Migration, connection and interaction with existing cloud services like dropbox, Google Drive, ElephantDrive and Synology C2
Create a comprehensive Surveillance solution, supporting multiple IP cameras and even arriving with some licences included
Unique Server, Office 365 ad microsoft active server management via a single application

Synology DS918+ 4-Bay NAS Advantages and Disadvantages

Released back in September 2017, the Synology DS918+ still continues to be one of the most popular NAS devices for home and small business. Here are the highlights of our review:

DESIGN	With a newly created chassis released with improved ventilation, but still managing to keep compact (even introducing new hardware inside) this is by FAR the best Synology design yet. A welcome improvement to the old DS916+ chassis.
FEATURES	The Synology DS918+ NAS will do it all. If you need a NAS to watch and transcode 4K, Run several VMs, Apple time machine backups, host a plex media server, run an itunes server, run a business from, run surveillance cameras over the network, provide a CRM and CMS system, as well as host several websites – The DS918+ is the NAS server for you
PERFORMANCE	Easily one of the best performing Synology NAS devices available for home and small business users. Also if the default hardware isn’t enough, this is the easiest to upgrade, featuring RAM upgrades and NVMe slots
VALUE	This could possibly be the best NAS of the year. We still have a couple of months before we can truly decide, but for this price and the HUGE amount of software and hardware option in the price, threshold make it irresistible.

DESIGN	The two rear fans, though fully controllable, cannot be completely switched off and this may annoy some people. However any noise they make on their lowest setting is still lower than the HDD you have installed.
FEATURES	Although it can do many of these tasks at once, if you need to do ALL of them at once, you will need a solid Intel Xeon at the least.
PERFORMANCE	Only fault I can find is that there is no 8GB Default version available to buy, as you found with the DS918+ (8GB).
VALUE	It is a shame that there is no 8-Bay option with this hardware – as the DS1817+ is rather disappointing by Comparison

Synology DS1618+ NAS Advantages and Disadvantages

Released in May 2018, this new 6-Bay NAS follows in the foot steps of the DS1517+ and DS1817+. However, it arrives with an improved CPU, DDR4 Memory and at a price point that is far more accessible. Here were our thoughts on this newer synology NAS:

DESIGN	This is the 2nd ever 6-Bay NAS from the guys at Synology. After the Success of the DS3018xs Pentium based NAS for bigger business, this 6-Bay is designed with Home and SMB in mind. The chassis uses the familiar diskstation casing and click-n-lock trays. The design has always been popular with Mac users and it is pretty sensible that they would stick with this form. It is very compact, metal in construction and all trays can be locked as needed. There is excellent cooling on the rear, ventilation in the Synology logo on the sides and the rear panels and its ports are very discreet.
FEATURES	In terms of physical features, the Synology DS1618+ NAS has a lot in common with the DS1817+ and DS1517+. The unit arrives with 4 LAN ports (so link aggregation is supported where needed to effectively quadruple your upload and download speeds to your device), multiple USB for external storage and two expansion ports to add two DX517 NAS expansion devices when needed. Next to these, there is a PCIe slot for adding 10Gbe connectivity, M.2 SSD cache with the m.2 M2D17 and NVMe based M2D18 card and more. At this price point of around £650+, it is a solid hardware purchase.
PERFORMANCE	Arriving with the excellent DSM software from Synology, the sheer number of applications available is incredible. Synology has their own Office application, Google Drive-like one stop app to open EVERYTHING in ‘Drive’, Synology moments and it’s artificial intelligence means you have both facial and landscape recognition available. This is bolstered with a solid 1080p plex media server support, virtual machine management and a whole bunch of collaboration applications in Synology Chat, Synology Calendar, Synology photo and video station support. They are incredibly versatile and the entire user interface is genuinely impressive. Finally, there is the Synology Surveillance application that can support 40 cameras with relative ease.
VALUE	For £650+ without VAT, this device is easily one of the best value 6 Bay NAS you can buy. Lower in price and comparable to the QNAP 6 Bay TVS-673e, TS-653A or TS-653B. You are getting very sophisticated software options and modern robust hardware.

DESIGN	There are several little design features that are missing from other NAS brands like QNAP (HDMI, Audio in/out, quick access and more). This is to be expected, but it is still a bit of a shame to not see a USB Copy Button or LCD for those that want more direct access.
FEATURES	The only real faults are more about the Synology NAS range as a whole than any individual unit. Synology has always wanted to keep the focus on network interactions only where possible and therefore connections that involve attaching smart peripherals or those that involve data being exchanged off-network, are largely absent. Additionally, use of an intel Atom-based CPU will no doubt cool a few users off.
PERFORMANCE	The Atom-based CPU is a little underwhelming when compared with the Celeron J3455 and Pentium seen in other units and this means, though it can support ALL the synology apps, it supports them to a slightly lesser extent than NAS like the DS918+ and DS916+ NAS.
VALUE	Some user still has slight reservations with Intel Atom chips as they are a slightly older version of chip. It is still a fantastic CPU, but as it is not as new as the Celeron chips in the DS918+ and DS718+, and considered a little less efficient.


	Synology DS1618+ NAS £650+ ex.VAT	Synology DS918+ NAS £430+ ex.VAT

Hardware
processor
Processor model	Intel Atom C3538	Intel Celeron J3455
Processor architecture	64-bit	64-bit
Processor clock	Quad Core 2.1 GHz	Quad Core 1.5 burst up to 2.3 GHz
Hardware Encryption Engine (AES-NI)	Yes	Yes
Hardware conversion engine	NO	H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-2 and VC-1; Highest Resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160); Maximum Picture Update Rate (FPS): 30
Memory
System memory	4 GB DDR4	4 GB DDR3L
Pre-installed memory modules	4GB (1 x 4GB)	4GB (1 x 4GB)
Total number of memory slots	2	2
Memory can be expanded to	32 GB (16 GB x 2)	8 GB (4 GB x 2)
Storage device
Disk slot number	6	4
Maximum number of slots for installing expansion devices	16	9
M.2 NVMe Disk Slot		2
Compatible Disk Types	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD	3.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA HDD 2.5″ SATA SSD M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD
Maximum internal net total storage capacity	72 TB (12 TB drive x 6) (capacity varies with RAID type)	48 TB (12 TB drive x 4) (capacity varies with RAID type)
Maximum net total storage capacity with expansion devices	192 TB (12 TB drive x 16) (capacity varies by RAID type)	108 TB (48 TB + 12 TB drive x 5) (capacity varies with RAID type)
Maximum single storage capacity	108 TB	108 TB
Disk Hot Swap Support
External connection port
RJ-45 1GbE Network Port	4 (Support Link Aggregation / Failover)	2 (Support for Link Aggregation / Failover)
USB 3.0 port	3	2
eSATA port	2	1
PCIe
PCIe expansion	1 x Gen3 x8 slot (black, x4 link)	NO
Expansion card support	M2D17 – Dual M.2 SSD Riser Card for SSD Cache PCIe Network Interface Card	NO
Note	The DS1618+ with M2D17 can only support M.2 SATA SSDs. Does not support M.2 NVMe/AHCI PCIe SSD.
File system
Internal disk	Btrfs EXT4	Btrfs EXT4
External disk	Btrfs EXT4 EXT3 FAT NTFS HFS+ exFAT*	Btrfs EXT4 EXT3 FAT NTFS HFS+ exFAT*
Note	exFAT Access is purchased separately from the kit center.	exFAT Access is purchased separately from the kit center.
Exterior
Size (high X wide X deep)	166 mm x 282 mm x 243 mm	166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm
weight	5.05 kg	2.28 kg
other projects
System fan	92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs	92 mm x 92 mm x 2 pcs
Fan mode	Full speed mode Low temperature mode Silent mode	Full speed mode Low temperature mode Silent mode
Noise value*	23.7 dB(A)	19.8 dB(A)
Power Supplies / Transformers	250W	100W
AC input voltage	100V to 240V AC	100V to 240V AC
Current frequency	50/60 Hz, single frequency	50/60 Hz, single frequency
Power consumption*	56.86 W (Access) 25.76 W (System Sleep)	28.8 W (Access) 12.6 W (Hard Disk Sleep)
British thermal unit	194.01 BTU/hr (Access) 87.9 BTU/hr (System Sleep)	98.27 BTU/hr (access) 42.99 BTU/hr (hard disk sleep)
Ambient temperature
Operating temperature	0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)	5°C to 40°C (40°F to 104°F)
Storage temperature	-20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F)	-20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F)
Relative humidity	5% to 95% RH	5% to 95% RH
Certification body	FCC CE BSMI EAC VCCI CCC RCM	EAC VCCI CCC RCM KC FCC CE BSMI
Warranty	Hardware warranty for 3 years, extendable to 5 years coverage – EW201	3 years

DSM Product Specifications
Storage management
Maximum storage space	512	512
Maximum number of iSCSI Targets	32	32
Maximum number of iSCSI LUNs	256	256
Support RAID disk array type	Synology Hybrid RAID Basic JBOD RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 10	Synology Hybrid RAID Basic JBOD RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 10
RAID configuration migration	Basic to RAID 1 Basic to RAID 5 RAID 1 to RAID 5 RAID 5 to RAID 6	Basic to RAID 1 Basic to RAID 5 RAID 1 to RAID 5 RAID 5 to RAID 6
Can use larger hard disk to expand storage	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6
Add new hard drive expansion storage	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 5 RAID 6 JBOD	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 5 JBOD RAID 6 (with expansion device)
Global Hot Spare Support RAID Type	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 RAID 10	Synology Hybrid RAID RAID 1 RAID 5 RAID 6 (with expansion device) RAID 10 (with expansion device)
File sharing
The maximum number of local user accounts	2048	2048
Maximum number of local groups	256	256
Maximum number of shared folders	512	512
Maximum shared folder synchronization task	8	8
Maximum simultaneous CIFS/AFP/FTP connections	1,000	1,000
Log reception per second	800	800
Virtualization support
VMware vSphere 6 with VAAI	YES	YES
Windows Server 2012	YES	YES
Windows Server 2012 R2	YES	YES
Windows Server 2016	YES	YES
Citrix Ready	YES	YES
OpenStack	YES	YES

Add-onSs and Apps
Antivirus by McAfee (Trial)	YES	YES
Central Management System	YES	YES
Chat	YES	YES
Maximum number of users	1500	1500
Note	The maximum number of simultaneous HTTP connections was adjusted to the maximum when testing Chat. When the maximum number of users is reached, the CPU and memory usage are both below 80%. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test.	The maximum number of simultaneous HTTP connections was adjusted to the maximum when testing Chat. When the maximum number of users is reached, the CPU and memory usage are both below 80%. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test.
Cloud Station Server
Maximum number of devices simultaneously connected	1,000	1,000
Maximum number of devices simultaneously connected (with extended memory)	2000	2000
Maximum sync file number (btrfs)	1,000,000 / single file response time 747 ms	1,000,000 / single file response time 744 ms
Maximum sync file number (ext4)	1,000,000 / single file response time 479 ms	1,000,000 / single file response time 630 ms
Note	The maximum number of devices simultaneously connected represents the number of devices that can maintain the connection at the same time. For more information on file processing capabilities, refer to File Handling Response Time. The file response time refers to the preparation time for adding a 10KByte file to a Synology NAS before other devices can start downloading the file from the NAS. No expansion memory was installed during the test. The above tests use a non-encrypted shared folder.	The maximum number of devices simultaneously connected represents the number of devices that can maintain the connection at the same time. For more information on file processing capabilities, refer to File Handling Response Time. The file response time refers to the preparation time for adding a 10KByte file to a Synology NAS before other devices can start downloading the file from the NAS. No expansion memory was installed during the test. The above tests use a non-encrypted shared folder.
Document Viewer	YES	YES
Download Station	YES	YES
Maximum number of download tasks	80	80
Drive
Maximum number of sync files	1,000,000 / single file response time 437 ms	500,000 / single file response time 362 ms
Maximum number of simultaneous desktop users at the same time	550	450
Note	The Btrfs file system was used for testing. The maximum number of simultaneous connections represents the number of connections that the system can maintain at the same time when the number of synchronization files reaches a maximum value. The file response time refers to the preparation time for adding a 10KByte file to a Synology NAS before other devices can start downloading the file from the NAS. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test. The above tests use a non-encrypted shared folder.	The Btrfs file system was used for testing. The maximum number of simultaneous connections represents the number of connections that the system can maintain at the same time when the number of synchronization files reaches a maximum value. The file response time refers to the preparation time for adding a 10KByte file to a Synology NAS before other devices can start downloading the file from the NAS. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test. The above tests use a non-encrypted shared folder.
Free email accounts	5 (If you want to have more e-mail accounts, you must purchase additional authorizations)	5 (If you want to have more e-mail accounts, you must purchase additional authorizations)
MailPlus client recommended number	Up to 100 (Btrfs) / 100 (EXT4)	Up to 90 (Btrfs) / 90 (ext4)
Maximum server performance	1,055,000 (Btrfs) / 1,171,000 (EXT4) emails per day, about 32 GB (Btrfs) / 36 GB (EXT4)	840,000 (Btrfs) / 1,014,000 (ext4) emails per day, about 25.6 GB (Btrfs) / 30.9 GB (ext4)
Media Server	YES	YES
DLNA Compliance	YES	YES
Moments	YES	YES
Face recognition	YES	YES
Thematic identification	YES	YES
Office	YES	YES
Maximum number of users	1800	1800
Note	The test opens multiple files and each file is edited by 30 users at the same time. When the maximum number of users is reached, the CPU and memory usage are both below 80%. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test. User-side performance may affect the maximum number of concurrently edited users. Client-side test computer specifications: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB memory	The test opens multiple files and each file is edited by 30 users at the same time. When the maximum number of users is reached, the CPU and memory usage are both below 80%. For the model of the expandable memory, the largest capacity memory has been installed during the test. User-side performance may affect the maximum number of concurrently edited users. Client-side test computer specifications: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB memory
Snapshot Replication
Maximum number of supported snapshots for a single shared folder	1024	1024
Snapshot version limit for all shared folders	65536	65536
Surveillance Station
Maximum camera support (Camera license required)	40 (including 2 free camera licenses) (View compatible webcam)	40 (including 2 free camera licenses) (View compatible webcam)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.264)*	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 960 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 520 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 320 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 240 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 840 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 550 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 300 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 180 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Frames per second (FPS) (H.265)*	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 1200 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 880 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 520 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 400 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)	1200 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 1200 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 900 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 550 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944) 300 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Frames Per Second (FPS) (MJPEG)*	560 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 270 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 190 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 110 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)	720 FPS @ 720p (1280×720) 500 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080) 330 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536) 200 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
Video Station
Video transcoding	Group 1 – Type 1 (see more)	4K Group 1 (see more)
Supports maximum number of transfer routes	One way, 30 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080), H.264 (AVC)/MPEG-4 Part 2 (XVID, DIVX5)/MPEG-2/VC-1	2 ways, 30 FPS @ 4K (4096 x 2160), H.264 (AVC)/H.265 (HEVC) or 2 way, 30 FPS @ 1080p (1920 x 1080), H.264 (AVC)/H.265 (HEVC)/MPEG-2/VC-1
Virtual Machine Manager
Maximum number of Virtual DSMs (purchase authorization)	4 (includes 1 set of free licenses) (see more)	4 (includes 1 set of free licenses) (see more)
VPN Server
Maximum number of connections	20	20

Environment and packaging
surroundings	RoHS compliant	RoHS compliant
Packaging contents	Host X 1 Kit X 1 Power line X 1 RJ-45 Web Route X 2 Quick Installation Guide X 1	Host X 1 Kit X 1 Transformer X 1 Power line X 1 RJ-45 Web Route X 2 Quick Installation Guide X 1
Optional accessories	Monitoring device authorization D4NS2133-4G RAMEC2133DDR4SO-16G DDR4 ECC SO-DIMM Expansion device: DX517 X 2 VS360HD VS960HD Synology Ethernet Card E10G15-F1 Synology Ethernet Card E10G17-F2 Synology M2D17 M.2 Dual Card	Monitoring device authorization D3NS1866L-4G DDR3 non-ECC SO-DIMMs Expansion device: DX517 X 1 VS360HD VS960HD
Note	Do not use non-ECC and ECC memory modules at the same time.

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