Today, we're going to upgrade the QNAP TS-451 NAS device to 16 GB of memory.
Officially, QNAP supports a maximum of 8 gigs, but if you do some research on the
internet, you'll find out that the TS-451 does indeed accept up to 16 GB.
However, because QNAP doesn't have that official support, you should keep in mind
that you're at risk of things not working if QNAP ever decides to enforce
that memory requirement. We'll be using the crucial 16 GB DDR3L SO-DIMM
kit of two sticks of 8 GB each. The only tool we'll need is a Phillips
head screwdriver. Before we start this project, I'll log into the QTS operating
system and verify how much memory I currently have. Open up the Control Panel
and go to General Settings,
and navigate to System Status.
The TS-451 comes with 1 GB of memory out-of-the-box. Tabbing to Hardware
Information, you'll see that there are two memory slots, but only one is
populated with a 1 GB stick. If you go to Resource Monitor, you can find
out in the System Resource section just how much of the 1 GB is being
used, and how much memory has to be swapped out to disk.
Finally, you can pop open the dashboard to check the amount of memory used. So, to
prepare for surgery on the hardware, I'll go ahead and shut down the system,
confirm, and then we'll start the disassembly. After you power down,
the first step is to take out the hard drives if you have them in your unit. To
remove a drive, just lift the latch and pull it out. Now I have all four slots
filled with hard drives, but even if you have less than four, you'll want to
remove the plastic caddies anyways. You'll see the chassis is empty, and you
can see the faint trace of a motherboard as you peer down the hole. Flip the case around.
These are the four screws that you'll need to remove.
As I'm taking out the screws, you'll notice I'm wearing an anti-static wrist strap, which I highly
recommend when opening up any type of computer, so that you're grounded before
touching any electronics. The case itself is made of two plastic pieces. There's a
seam on the right side that marks the place where the two pieces come together.
From the viewpoint of the rear (as we see here), you'll want to push in the right
side - or pull out the left side, as the case may be, and the two pieces slide
along a groove. After you place the case on its side, the left piece pops right
off. At this point, there are six smaller screws that we'll need to remove.
Let's start with the two screws on this side. These screws secure the hard drive cage
onto the chassis. On the other side, we'll do the same thing, and remove the
two screws there. And finally, let's remove the two screws on the top. Keep in
mind that the case itself is on its side, so when I say "top,"' I mean it from the
viewpoint that I'm showing here. The cage is now ready to be separated. Pull up on
the cage - notice that it was held in place not only by the screws, but by a
small connector to the motherboard. I'll need to grab the new Crucial memory
sticks. To remove the old one, use your thumbs to push outward on the two silver
clips, as you see here. The memory stick will pop up, allowing you to hold it
between your fingers and pull it out. We'll set that aside into the packaging
of the Crucial memory, and then we'll install the new memory. There's a small
notch on the memory stick which we'll want to line up with a notch on the motherboard.
Gently push the memory into the slot, and then press down so that the
clips engage the stick. The second memory slot is a bit harder to get to, so
I'm going to rotate the case to access it.
The installation is a little tricky - there's not a lot of space to maneuver.
This time, the label is facing away from you.
Grip the memory stick from its sides, and finesse it into place.
Push on the memory through this hole in the metal piece to secure it into the slot,
and then press on it to engage the clips,
just like you did with the first stick. As far as the memory goes, that's it. What
you want to do is reverse the steps to put all the parts back together again.
Let's place the cage back onto the motherboard, making sure the connector
aligns with the slot on the motherboard.
Then, as I rotate the case around again, I'll secure the two screws on the side
of the cage to the chassis.
Then I'll flip it around
and take care of the two screws on this side of the cage.
Finally, on the top, we'll finish it off with the remaining two screws.
From this view, where we're looking at the bottom of the case,
all you have to do is place the plastic shell onto the bottom piece, but
as you do so, make sure that the small triangles on each piece line up. Then you
just slide the two parts together until you hear a click.
After you insert your hard drive caddies into place, let's start up the server, and go back into the
QTS operating system, and confirm that our memory upgrade took.
Let's start the Control Panel again. We'll go to General
Settings, and then System Status, and you can see that we now have 16 GB of
memory in our unit. Under Hardware Information, it reports that the two
memory slots are filled with the Crucial Technology brand memory, with 8 GB
each. The Resource Monitor shows the correct amount of memory,
as does the Dashboard. I hope you enjoyed - Thanks for watching!