DS923+ 8GB (non-official) RAM recommendation
Hi everyone,
So, I have a DS923+ with 4GB of RAM and while it is running fine most of the time with my Docker containers, I guess everything could be more fluid (e.g. scrolling on Jellyfin while it is loading info / images).
Since the Linux OS uses free RAM as cache, I was looking to buy an extra stick of RAM. I was thinking of buying a 8GB of RAM which in total my system would then have 12 GB. Not sure if overkill, but still, I run a few containers.
I’ve actually searched on the Synology subreddit, but everyone is basically buying 16GB of RAM or maxing out the GB allowed for the RAM on the DS923+. So, that is the reason why I’m asking here.
I know that Kingston has some 8GB RAM sticks which should work with DS923+ but it seems they are blacklisted by Synology, so it seems you will always have a warning on the notification list which I wanted to avoid. :/ But on that list (see here: Ram list), it seems the 8GB RAM that Synology uses is sourced from Innodisk or Adata, so you shouldn’t get any warning there. Sadly, I can’t find them anywhere for sale. Even when I contacted the companies directly.
In conclusion, has anyone bought a 8GB ECC RAM for the DS923+ which doesn’t give a DSM warning?
Thanks everyone in advance!
Cheers!
It seems Synology has become stricter on ram compatibility, or I’ve just been unlucky. I have never had your version though.
On older models I never had any problem buying any ram of the same spec, I never checked compatibility lists. On newer models I had lots of issues with reboots and warnings, and ended up just buying official ram from Synology. It’s insanely expensive though. I like to think I was just unlucky.
That it is true. I guess you need to match the specs (timings, Mhz, ECC or not, etc) correctly so that it works. But even if it works, they go to the effort of making warnings which says it is not compatible or whatever. I'm starting to think in buying a blacklisted RAM and living with the warning.
I've got a 918+ and it works just with random 8GB Kingston RAM along with the original 4GB one.
Dunno if the later models have some specific hardware changes for checking "official" RAM, but at least the DSM software doesn't do it.
I guess with the new DSM 7.X they nag you about incompatible RAM. And with my NAS it really needs to be an ECC RAM.
But, how is your experience about upgrading the total system's RAM to 12 GB? Did you see any improvements whatsoever? Thx!
I run a bunch of containers, so it was kinda essential to have the extra memory - at the moment just the Docker containers are using 4GB of memory =)
Otherwise it went pretty much without a hitch. I do have a vague recollection that I might've swapped the sticks so that the newer one is where the old one is and vice-versa.
I did get a pretty bad scare when my 918+ got the blinking blue light of death and wouldn't start (turned out it was a bad PSU, a new one from Amazon fixed it), but I'm in the process of moving my containers to an Lenovo M700 mini running Unraid just in case.
While I don't have a DS923+ (though it's one I'm considering), I don't believe ECC is a hard requirement in this particular model. ECC is nice to have, but not really necessary unless this device is meant for a corporate production environment where you really want to cover all your bases. But if that's the case, you should be able to spring for Synology-branded RAM and call it a day.
That being said, check out eBay. People pull and sell Synology RAM all the time. I think you're looking for a DDR4 SODIMM for your unit, and here's one on auction at eBay currently at $30. Here's one ending in under an hour at $90 (make an offer!). Good luck!
You touched an interesting topic.
I agree with you, ECC is not necessary for my consumer use. But, my 4G RAM currently in the slot is ECC. Couldn't I get any system / stability problems having one ECC RAM and one non-ECC RAM running together?
At least, I was looking to buy ECC RAM because I read somewhere that if you buy a 3rd party RAM, you must match all (or most) specs of the original RAM. Be it, timings, Mhz, rank, chip brand (this is a bit harder), etc. So, I thought ECC should also be one of the specs I should try to match.
Looking forward for any clarification since I'm not sure :)
You are correct. If you plan to match the SODIMM currently installed in your device, then you will need ECC. Matching sticks is important to mitigate errors and the device might not even boot if the sticks don’t match. However, you could just pull that stick and install non-ECC RAM in both slots. That’s what most people do who replace RAM in their Synos, which is far cheaper than using ECC RAM. You could get 32GB (x2 16GB) for less than $70 right now. You’d have to cross references with the RAM Google Sheet linked by another user, but I generally always just go with Crucial (like these sticks). But if you can’t spend that or don’t want that much RAM, you could get 16GB (x2 8GB) even cheaper.
Thanks a lot for the confirmation! I'll have to compare prices then.
Just one last question. For the ECC RAM, Kingston has two different versions of the same RAM. It seems the difference is simply the chip's brand: one is Micron and another is SK Hynix. I know that Micron is usually considered "better" (even you said you always use Crucial) but, does it really matter for the NAS?
I simply ask because where I live, the SK Hynix version is around 20 € and the Micron version is around 50 €, so basically double the price. Not sure if I get anything by going with the more expensive RAM just because it's a Micron chip.
Both Micron and SK Hynix are RAM chip makers and both are quality. Crucial is actually Micron’s consumer line. You can’t go wrong with either in your NAS.
Thanks for all the help!
You have probably already seen this, but just in case you haven't, I used this Google sheet from this Reddit thread when I purchased 2x16GB for my DS923+ and ended up with sticks that work perfectly without any complaints from the system.
Thanks a lot, that excel list is new for me. I have seen an older one before. But still, it has the same "problem" everyone is upgrading to 16GB or 32GB and in this GB "range" you can find compatible RAMs for sale and that don't give any warnings.
For 8GB however, I can only find a Kingston for consumer sale and this one gives a warning. Maybe I'll go this route and then apply this script to remove the warning completely or maybe I need to jump to 16GB if the price is similar. But don't know, feels like a waste, 16GB is a lot and even if the price is just a bit higher, is still more money I need to invest.