More storage need for Synology Hybrid Raid 1: what size HDD?

nicolaidenmark · January 21, 2020

Hi Hall,

Synology DS918+ with 2 X 10 TB drives and setup with SHR 1.

I'm thinking of adding another drive. Obviously, the more space the better, Especially as I have DSLR RAWs and movie library with Plex.

Thing is: adding a 14 TB drive will only give me 10 TB worth of free space as SHR 1 always make the bigger drive the RAID one. Do I bite the bullet and get a 14 TB (effectively adding 9.1 TB of free space now and than smile that the NEXT time I add a 14 TB drive, 14 TB will be freed?

Or do I go for the cheaper 10 TB drive? Storage gets cheaper every day but if I run out of bays, buying the extension or a new, more powerful NAS will be even more expensive.

I'm currently sometimes experiencing lack of power for Plex transcodes.

Currently have about 3.x TB free out of 9.1 available. Thanks,

Windows7ge · January 21, 2020

If you really need that much storage to where an extra 4TB per disk is an important decision you should really have bought a unit with more bays to begin with or built your own server with more bays.

Going over the 8~10TB mark you start paying more per TB. The best bang for your buck deal are drives in the 8~10TB area.

If density is important you can opt for even denser disks but know you're paying for the density.