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NAS Compares Synology NAS Memory Upgrade Guide – 2020 Edition

Everything you need to know about Upgrading Synology NAS Memory

Generally speaking, Synology NAS has a long-standing reputation for being underpowered when compared to brands like QNAP and Asustor, at least out of the box, choosing to focus on their award-winning DSM software. This is changing a bit in 2019/2020 with the newer Synology drives featuring improved hardware choices, but still, for many, it seems a little underwhelming. One potential benefit that’s highlighted to improve performance considerably multiple users is to upgrade the RAM (Random Access Memory) in the Synology NAS drive. Today’s post will cover my thoughts on the usefulness of upgrading the factory-installed RAM, how to determine if a RAM upgrade is needed at all and exactly how to do this. Let’s start with the latter, do you need to upgrade RAM?

Continue reading...
- - -

Check out FREE NAS advice section on nascompares.com
 
Nice summary w/links to compatible memory.
 
Last edited:
I'm trying to work out if that bit on Swap total/used is a useful guide or not.

My DS218+ with 6GB RAM said it had 5.4GB total swap and 2.9GB used. The physical RAM usage hovers 45-46% and peaks for a short time to 60-68% once a day, which coincides with when I run a HB task to Syno C2.

I never really experience any slowness, especially not vs the DS215j where is was on life's slow lane.

Wouldn't advise doing the next bit...

It's possible to switch off Swap thereby moving it back to RAM, but only do this if there is enough RAM spare to do this. So willing to throw my NAS uptime stat to the side and risking a reboot back to 0 days I did it. I also then switched it back on ... or at least ran the command as there's little evidence that it's back on otherwise.

Now the Swap is zero/zero and physical usage up to 76%. There's not much I seem to try that gets the swap space to be used.

After a bit of googling I decided to manually redo the swap but, while that said it had worked, there was still no evidence of much happening.

In the end I did a reboot and it has returned to normal and swap space is now 5.4GB/277MB.

The commands... (don't bother doing this at all)

Find out what the current swap is:
Bash:
$ sudo swapon --show
Password:
NAME       TYPE      SIZE USED PRIO
/dev/md1   partition   2G   206MB   -1
/dev/zram0 partition 1.7G 1.4G    1
/dev/zram1 partition 1.7G 1.5G    1

Turn off swap and move it to RAM
Bash:
$ sudo swapoff --all
Monitor the progress in Resource Monitor and/or using sudo swapon --show from another SSH session. It can take ages so next sudo will need your password again.

Turn swap back on
Bash:
$ sudo swapon --all
Password:
$ sudo swapon --show
Nothing doing!

Panic and try making the swap as before (using the devices you noted down ... you did?)
Bash:
$ sudo mkswap /dev/md1
mkswap: /dev/md1: warning: wiping old swap signature.
Setting up swapspace version 1, size = 2 GiB (2147414016 bytes)
no label, UUID=blah-blah-blah-blah-blah

$ sudo mkswap /dev/zram0
mkswap: /dev/zram0: warning: wiping old swap signature.
Setting up swapspace version 1, size = 1.7 GiB (1820323840 bytes)
no label, UUID=blah-blah-blah-blah-blah

$ sudo mkswap /dev/zram1
mkswap: /dev/zram1: warning: wiping old swap signature.
Setting up swapspace version 1, size = 1.7 GiB (1820323840 bytes)
no label, UUID=blah-blah-blah-blah-blah

$ sudo swapon --all
$ sudo swapon --show
Do the mkswap 'wiping old swap signature' messages mean it was ok without doing them or not? Anyway still no evidence of swap.

REBOOT

It's back, and so is the swap, phew!

Bash:
$ sudo swapon --show
Password:
NAME       TYPE      SIZE USED PRIO
/dev/md1   partition   2G   206MB   -1
/dev/zram0 partition 1.7G 1.4G    1
/dev/zram1 partition 1.7G 1.5G    1

CONCLUSIONS

DO NOT DO THIS AS THERE IS NO POINT.

If your NAS can take more RAM then consider adding some otherwise, if you're hitting the limits, get a NAS that can take more RAM than your current one. Swap is there to accommodate more running processes than the hardware would otherwise support. I'd let it do its thing and not mess with it.

Cup of tea an a plain biscuit? I think I will.
 
interestingly, the kit that this articule recommends for the DS1019+ is CT2K4G3S186DJM (Crucial CT2K4G3S186DJM 8 GB Kit (4 GBx2) (DDR3/DDR3L, 1866 MT/s, PC3-14900, SODIMM, 204-Pin) Memory for Mac)

but that doesn't seem to exist on the crucial website.
 
So what's the consensus among the NAS professionals on this forum about the merits of a NON-Synology RAM upgrade? Is there any benefit other than cost savings (not that cost isn't important)?

- OK for Mission Critical Enterprise or Small Business Use?
- OK for Casual Home or Hobby Use?
- OK to Exceed Maximum RAM per Synology's Specification?
- NOT OK, Etc...

As a fairly knowledgable hobby user, my only attempt at using a "recommended" Crucial RAM on Synology NAS years ago resulted in the NAS not booting up. I don't recall the details; but I haven't considered a non-Synology RAM upgrade since. Should I be more open minded? Ron
 
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RAM module choice is sometimes similar to rock/paper/scissors game.
No doubt, RAM is critical component in every single computer technology.
There are lot of variables that must "fit" for reliable cooperation with specific memory controller.
E.g. Operation voltage for the RAM modules - you can't setup this value manually. Or CAS latency incompatibility.

Btw: Rob again provided more space for "buy here", than for useful information. Nothing more from last year article with same title.
 
Is there any benefit other than cost savings (not that cost isn't important)?
Personally I don't think there is. I have tested a number of none official ram and the only one that didn't work for me (partly it did) was HyperX modules. They work in a combination with the official one but not stand alone. Also on the other hand, Crucial moduls worked like a charm every time.
 
which crucial modules though?
as i said, the ones linked to in the article for the DS1019+ don't seem to exist on the crucial website.
 
that page suggests CT2K102464BF186D, but when searching for that part number on crucial website it says it didn't match any current crucial part numbers
 
i appreciate that amazon have them, but it's a little concerning that both the NAScompares site and your site mention products that crucial no longer list as being valid part numbers?
 
i appreciate that amazon have them, but it's a little concerning that both the NAScompares site and your site mention products that crucial no longer list as being valid part numbers?
Not sure what to tell you. They work and those were the ones that I managed to get.
 
when i buy crucial memory i tend to buy direct from them (and not from amazon etc - you never know quite what you are going to get), and as they are not listed there i can't order.

i guess if i know what speed, DDR type etc it needs to be then i can narrow down the options on their website.

i assume it must be DDR3 and PC3-14900?
 
it would appear the 2x8GB kit is now CT2K8G3S186DM
and it would appear that is the only DDR3L-1866 the website now lists
 
well no, surely you need to match what the NAS is designed to use.
ofc but what I said before was referring to your question. But I guess you meant was what specs does the ram need regarding the NAS you are putting it in. Ofc, in that case you need to match it for sure.

Reason why I posted the link to the article just so that people who are looking to upgrade x18+ models can use that ram without any problem.
 
therefore, in this instance, i assume it must be DDR3 and PC3-14900?
is that the same for the 19+ models as well?
 

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