Side-by-side specifications of the Synology DS116 and DS118, from official datasheets. Differences are highlighted.
| DS116 | DS118 | |
| CPU | Marvell ARMADA 385 88F6820 1.8GHz | Realtek RTD1296 |
| Cores / threads | 2c | 4-core |
| RAM (base) | 1GB DDR3 | 1 GB DDR4 |
| RAM (max) | 1GB | 1 GB |
| Drive bays | 1 | 1 |
| Expandable to | 0 | 0 |
| M.2 slots | 0 | 0 |
| Network | 1x 1GbE | 1x 1GbE |
| 10GbE | no | no |
| Max raw capacity | 8TB | 10TB |
| Hot-swap | unknown | no |
| Form factor | 1-bay desktop NAS | desktop |
| Released | 2016 | 2017 |
Choose the DS118 if you want the better box: it has a newer/faster ARM CPU and higher RAM ceiling than the DS116, so it’s the safer pick for general use. Both are single-bay units with no expansion, no 10GbE, and no M.2, so the real difference is performance and memory headroom rather than upgradeability.