How to Upgrade the RAM in your QNAP TS-x53D NAS to 16GB or 32GB
Back in early 2020 when the QNAP TS-x53D NAS was first announced, many users were surprised at the maximum memory limit that the manufacturers stated on the specifications. With the Intel J4000 series chip that QNAP TS-x53D NAS arrives with, it did seem odd that the maximum or 8GB of DDR4 2400 memory for this chip was listed firmly in the specification. On the face of it, 8GB seems like plenty. That will comfortably support the NAS tasks of a plex media server, all those productive first-party NAS applications and backups. However, as file sizes grow, as NAS surveillance gets popular, as virtual machine and container station applications grow in popularity, it will not be too long before you will see that memory use ALWAYS above 80% in the task manager. Sadly, we have asked the manufacturers and they continue to stand by the fact that you cannot exceed this limit, officially- understandable, as stability of your system is ESSENTIAL. However, I am pleased to tell you that I have been experimenting with several different sizes of RAM sticks and various brands, and am pleased to confirm that not only can you use non-official own-brand memory in the QNAP TS-x53D NAS (so that is the QNAP TS-253D, TS-453D and TS-653D), but also that you can install two 16GB sticks of DDR4 RAM (one per slot) meaning you can have a QNAP TS-x53D NAS with 32GB of Memory! Read below for my guide, it will detail how to install the RAM, how to check that it is installed correctly and how to test that it is working straight away.
Upgrading your QNAP TS-x53D NAS to 16/32GB of Memory – Pay Attention
Before we continue with the guide, it is worth highlighting that the QNAP TS-x53D NAS manufacturer strongly recommends that you do not exceed the stated memory limit on their specifications page. They also highlight that using non-official memory in your QNAP TS-x53D NAS may invalidate your warranty. We at NASCompares cannot be held accountable for how you use this guide. However below I will show you where to buy the individual memory and QNAP TS-x53D NAS NAS device you will need. Only attempt this upgrade if you are comfortable with the terms laid out above by the manufacturer. Alternatively, you can buy the QNAP TS-x53D NAS with 16GB or 32GB pre-installed from the NAS experts, ensuring your warranty is unchanged.16GB QNAP TS-x53D NAS Memory Upgrade – Step 1, Physical Installation
What you will need:
- A QNAP TS-x53D NAS –
 TS-253D |
 TS-453D |
 TS-653D |
- 2x Crucial 16GB (32GB Total) Memory Upgrade – Link below
VERY IMPORTANT – The Links used in the article below towards the correct unofficial memory are occasionally changed (beyond my control) as it will direct you to the site in your own region/country. MAKE SURE to check that the memory module (especially 16 and 32GB SODIMM modules) are DUAL RANK or ‘DR‘, as Synology NAS typically have trouble with SR/SINGLE RANK modules.
| NAS Model | Memory Type | Official Memory | Unofficial Memory | |
| DS920+ | DDR4-2666 non-ECC unbuffered SO-DIMM 260pin 1.2V | D4NESO-2666-4G
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Crucial 4GB – Buy Here
TimeTec 4GB – Buy Here Kingston 4GB- Buy Here Crucial 8GB – Buy Here TimeTec 8GB – Buy Here Kingston 8GB- Buy Here Crucial 16GB – Buy Here TimeTec 16GB – Buy Here Kingston 16GB- Buy Here Crucial 32GB* – Buy Here * = UNTESTED, TBC |
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| Crucial 8GB Single DDR4 2666 MT/S | Crucial 16GB Single DDR4 2666 MT/S |
- Small Phillips Head Screwdriver – (kinda optional but recommended for chassis
- (OPTIONAL) Antistatic gloves and Envelope – useful to eliminate static charges and also to store the removed older official memory sticks)
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First, we need to ensure the QNAP TS-x53D NAS is completely powered down/off and the mains power has been disconnected. It is recommended that you remove the Hard Drive or SSD that you have installed before accessing the RAM as it may block the slots. Additionally, you should remove the hard drive media as the unit will be moved around a lot during the memory installation and this could damage the drives. Be sure to keep a note of the drives that you remove and the order they were installed (HDD Bay 1, HDD Bay 2, etc) as installing the drives in the wrong slots could damage any existing RAID you have set up internally. Next, we need to access and remove the existing memory, as the new 16GB / 32GB of memory upgrade for our QNAP TS-x53D NAS will occupy both slots. Be sure you eject the official memory sticks using the clips either side of the slot, as well as only holding the memory sticks by the narrow side edges, never touching the chips or board of the money or NAS
Once you have removed them, they can either be stored away for a later project, installed in a compatible laptop or sold on eBay etc to make a little cash back! Once they are clear, install an 8GB or 16GB DDR4 Crucial Memory stick in each of the now available slots, making sure that you click them both in with the clips either side. Once down, replace the QNAP TS-x53D NAS chassis lid if you removed it for ease of access, as well as the hard drives. You have now concluded the physical installation of 16GB / 32GB of Crucial DDR4 memory in the QNAP TS-x53D NAS.
16GB / 32GB QNAP TS-x53D NAS Memory Upgrade – Step 2, Checking the 16GB Memory is Recognized
What you will need:
- The QNAP TS-x53D NAS NAS – Obviously
- DDR4 2400 or 2666mhz SODIMM (non ECC) Memory
- A web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc) on a Windows, Mac or Android Machine) accessing the QNAP TS-x53D NAS user-interface as you normally would.
Next you need to power up your QNAP TS-x53D NAS NAS and access it as you normally would. If you are buying this NAS first time and have yet to set it up, there are numerous first time set up guides and tips on the SPANTV YouTube channel here – that will get you from the hardware installation to set up the QNAP TS-x53D NAS NAS for use. Once the NAS user interface (UI) is ready to go, head over to the hardware specification page shown here:
As you can see from this CPU and Memory display, the QNAP TS-x53D NAS has recognized and made available the 16GB of crucial memory. It will be immediately available for use and you will see that the % amount of use of the RAM in the resource monitor will be much, much lower, as there is significantly more memory available for the system!
16GB QNAP TS-x53D NAS Memory Upgrade – Step 3, Checking the 16GB Memory is Working
There are several ways to check the memory is working on your QNAP TS-x53D NAS correctly. First, you can perform as many actions and processes as possible (scans, copy/pastes, thumbnail generation, transcode a 4K file, RAID changes, synchronisation, etc) at once to see how the task manager and resource monitor behaves in the QNAP TS-x53D NAS. It should spike each time and at a greater height as you do more and more and once it exceeds the memory you had previously installed, this is a good confirmation that the installation is working fine.
Alternatively, you can temporarily allocate chunks of memory and then that is a much more reliable test. Install the virtual machine application for the QNAP TS-x53D NAS (P.S. for Synology users it is the Virtual Machine Manager and for QNAP it is the Virtualisation station). Then you can create individual VMs (it is alot easier than it sounds and the QNAP TS-x53D NAS VM software is very user-friendly) then allocate 3-4GB of memory to each one. When you have created 3 or 4 individual virtual machine containers on the QNAP TS-x53D NAS software, then you can run them all at once and that will immediately use almost all the memory at once!
If there are any issues with the memory, it will show here almost immediately. If no problems, then you know the QNAP TS-x53D NAS 16GB or 32GB of DDR4 crucial memory installation as successful. You can then delete the VMs in the virtual machine software and then free up all that memory again.
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