How to upgrade RAM on Synology NAS

Random-access memory (RAM for short) is used by a NAS to store data for quicker access. Hard drives (and yes, even SSDs) are slower than what RAM offers and as such the more you have the better overall system performance you’ll be able to enjoy. Luckily, on NAS that has upgradeable RAM, the process of doing so is straightforward.

How to upgrade RAM on Synology NAS

You won’t even need any tools to upgrade the RAM on the best Synology NAS. I’ve written some guides on upgrading RAM on specific Synology models, which are worth following if you have one at hand:

For everyone else, follow these steps to upgrade the RAM on your Synology NAS:

Power down the Synology DiskStation NAS.
Take out the four hard drive bays.
The RAM slot is usually located on the side where the power button is. If there’s only one RAM slot and it’s populated already, remove the existing module.
Take out the newly purchased RAM from its packaging.
Carefully insert the module into the slot, matching the notch to that on the module.
Re-insert the hard drive bays.

I’d recommend running through the following steps after installing a module:

Open up Synology Assistant.
Click the cog icon in the top-right.
Enable “Memory test”.
Right-click the Synology DiskStation NAS on the list to start the memory test.

Once the test is complete without errors, you’ll be good to go. It is possible to go above and beyond the maximum RAM stated by Synology, but this is not recommended by myself unless you’re comfortable running the risk of damaging the NAS or needing to return the RAM module.

Synology DDR4 D4NESO-2666-4G

This 4GB RAM module runs at 2666MT/s and is ideal for giving a Synology NAS a considerable bump in performance. Just ignore the relatively high price tag.

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