× NETGEAR will be terminating ReadyCLOUD service by July 1st, 2023. For more details click here.
Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
Reply

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

JBDragon1
Virtuoso

How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Well I have done it.  It seems to be working great.  I've ran a few basic tests and you really don't get a idea of the differance without accessing it.  you can notice the speed Improvment.  Accessing files is much snappyer.   The main reason for the Upgrade is more Transcoding capabilities at once uisng PLEX which is installed on it.     The Upgrade went easyier then I thought it would.   I have lots of pictures to help people out that also want to try this.   My RN51500 ReadyNAS I actually got about 6 months ago USED for about half the price of a new one.  I got it from a 3rd party seller on Amazon.  They did screw up at first and sent me a ReadyData 516. That was worthless to me as it wouldn't allow me to use my HDD's I already had.  You can only use one's you get from Netgear with a ReadyData!!!  They look the same, they are NOT the same!!!  This full upgrade cost me around $300 to do, to bascially make is a ReadyNAS 716.   Other then the 10Gigbit port.  So onto the show.   This will be pretty LONG.  Before you start, make sure you BACKUP your NAS.  You do have a real Backup right?

 

Old CPU to New CPU

 

The Orignal CPU is a i3-3220.  The NEW CPU is a E3-1265 V2.  This is the exact CPU used in the ReadyNAS 716.  So for PLEX transcoding, Very roughly speaking, for a single full-transcode of a video, the following PassMark scores are a good guideline for a requirement: 1080p/10Mbps: 2000 PassMark & 720p/4Mbps: 1500 PassMark.

 

The listing on Amazon for the RN51600 CPU is currantly WRONG.  It shows a i3-2120.  It's NOT!  Netgear lists the correct CPU and pulling my old one shows the correct one also.  

 


#00 NAS in Closet before Upgrade.JPG Here is my ReadyNAS 516 in my small closet that's about in the middle of my house where I keep my Network stuff.  There's also a duel fan setup above the door that's temp controlled.  It auto runs and stops as needed. The fans are quite and mounted to a wood type vent, which I painted to match the rest of the hall way with the vents going in a up direction.  Cool air gets sucked in from the bottom of the door where there's about a 1" gap, and gets blown out the top into the hallway.   

 

Currantly there's a APC UPS Pro 500, a Motorola Cable Modem, a Asus Wifi Router.  The FREE one form T-Mobile!!!  Under that is a ZyXEL GS1910-24 Managed 24-port Gigabit Switch.  Both 1 gigabit ports on the NAS as plugged in and Bonded.  That's the 2 yellow cables plugged in on the left side of the switch.  There's also a Tivo Stream Box there on the right of the switch for my Tivo Roamio OTA.  My house I wired up and have Multi-Keystones in al my rooms. I'm using Cat-6 cables from Monoprice.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Parts Needed CPU & Ram.JPG

 

Here is the main things you need.  The CPU, which is a E3-1265L V2.  This is the same one used in the 716.  I got this one from ebay with a buy now price of $275. I made a offer for $200 and he countered with $225.  So that is what I paid for the CPU.  Pay attention to what you are bidding on!!!  There's E3-1265L that you can buy for under $200, but it's not a V2 or a chip that was sold in the marketplace.  They are engineering samples whch are not suppose to be sold.  You see they're all coming from China!  You are talking your chances.   The Memory I got from Amazon for $84.99.  It's Crucial 16GM Kit.  This is Unbuffered ECC UDIMM Server Memory.  It's 1.3 Volts. DDR3 at 1600 MHz.

 

 

 

 

 

Ram Closeup

 

This is a closeup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPU Closeup E3-1265L V2

 

Here is a closeup of my new/used CPU I got on ebay for $225.

Inten XEON E3-1265L V2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

 

You also need some Thermal Compound Paste for between the CPU and the Cooler.  This is Arctic Silver 5 that I got from Amazon.  There's enough here to do a whole lot of CPU's!!!  It's made of 99.9% pure silver and is not electrically conductive.  But this or anyting else can cause issues if you use to much as gets all over everything.  This was $7.39 at Amazon.

 

 

 

 

ArctiClean

 

 

 

This is used to clean the Heatsink and can also be used to clean the old CPU.  You don't want any of the old stuff left on.  This works great to clean the junk off.  There's also enough to do many CPU's and heatsinks.  This was $8.11 on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAS out of Closet, see How I have it labeled

 

Once you have the CPU, the RAM, The Thermal Compound and cleaner, we can start the Upgrade Process.  This is my NAS now pulled out of the closet and on the table.  You can see I like the label things.  My HDD each have a label on it, and because you can't just pull them to look, I also have a label on the side of the case.  What kind and size of HDD and when it was Installed. I didn't pop them all in at one.  I Installed a HDD as I needed them for less wear and tear.  Hopefully doing this I won't have a issue of 2 HD taking a dump at once.  The first 4 HDD are WD Red 3TB is size.  They were in my ReadyNas NV+ V2 before I got this NAS.  The first one installed was on Jan 17th 2013.  So it's coming up on almost 4 years now.

 

 

 

 

 

#1 HDD WD Red, First used in NV+ V2 in Jan 17th 2013

 

Here's a closeup of my first NAS HDD almost 4 years ago now.  I pulled all my HDD's.  You don't have to, but it makes the NAS much lighter to move around and take apart.  As they are all labeled, they all will easily go back in where then need to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back of NAS

 

Remove the 7 screws on the back of the NAS at the red circles.  I learned there was 1 broken off screw o the bottom right.  I didn't know that.  Not sure why that is?  Who wanted to take it a part for whatever reason.   Once the 7 screws are removed.  You want to slide the cover back about half a inch and then lift up.  There is a lip on the top front of the cover and lips on both bottom sides.  It's a little snug.  I used the flat edge of the screwdriver and sticking it inbetween the bottom bolt locations, carfully pried just a little be on both sides, then pulled back and up and off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side View with Outer Cover off!

 

This is a right side view of the NAS. You can see the Hard drive slots on the left and the motherboard there on the right/back in this picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Back of NAS to remove screws

 

 Now you have 2 screws to remove.  You see them here in the picture at the red circles.  Once Removed the back will pull off.  See next picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Removing back cover

 

 

 

 

You can go ahead and carfully pull off, top off and down carfully where you can reach in and unplug the power connection and the fan connection as shown in the red circles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A peek inside

 

Here is what it looks like once you remove the back of the case. You can see the HDD board and the motherboard is there on the right.  The red circles are the 2 connection points that link the 2 boards togeather.  You want to make sure they plug in togeather when you re-Install the motherboard, which does have alignment pins on the motherboard case cover to help you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motheroard side of NAS

 

This is the left side of the NAS.  The motherboard side.  Remove the 4 screws that are in the red circles.  Once done, you can carfully pull this out, starting with the top. There are wired connections on the bottom, watch out,  Tilt down from the top, swinging down most of the way where you can reach the wire plugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motherboard as it's coming out of case - 5 connections

 

 

 

 

Here I am swinging the motherboard down where I can then get access to the wired plugs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connections Closeup with 1 removed to see better

 

Here's a close up.  There are 5 different plug connections.  One I have removed already.  They all only go in one way, except the small 2 wire plug.  I just plugged it back in the same way it came out.  A couple are locked in and so you need to push t unlock and pull.  That's 2 of them, the one I already removed and that large one that has P1 on it.  The thers just pull off.  Be careful and kind of wiggle off.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAS with Motherboard Removed

 

Here is what the NAS looks like once the motherboard is removed.

 

 

 

 

 

Model: RN51600|ReadyNAS 516 6-Bay
Message 1 of 57
mdgm-ntgr
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Wow. Nice write-up!

 

We'll get the Amazon page fixed.

If you download the logs you can see e.g. in smart_history.log when disks were added and the slot they are in will show in disk_info.log, but nice to have it written down as well.

Message 2 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516 Part 2

This is Part 2 of of Upgrading your ReadyNAS 516.

 

NAS with Motherboard Removeed

 

This is what the NAS looks like once you have removed the Motherboard.  You can see the 2 HDD Board connection points in the red circles.  Make sure these plug back into the motherboard.  The motherboard cover does have alignment pins on it also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top down of Motherboard

 

This is a top down view of the motherboard.  You can see the large Heat sink on top of the CPU held in place by a screw on each side.  You can use a standard screwdriver to unscrew them.  It's pretty simple.  But hold in the middle and unscrew evenly.  Do the same to scew back on.  You can also remove the RAM also at this time.  Pull out the plastic tab on each end evenly and the ram will come right out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side view of motherboard

 

Here is a side view of the board.  You can see how the Heat Sink is designed.  Air blows threw the slots.  You can also see the extra Memory slot in the middle of the CPU and RAM that isn't currantly used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orignal 4 Gig Memory pulled

 

Here is what the Orignal 4 Gig Memory Stick looks like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motherboard with Heatsink Removed

 

Here is the motherboard once the Heat Sink and Memory are removed.  The CPU is held in place by a cage.  Push down a bit on the lever and swing out from under the hook and then up and over out of the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CPU Holder lifted

 

Here it is once you unlatch and swing up and over.  See how the CPU lays nice and flat.  You can also see a small arrow on the corner of the CPU where the red circle is at.  This is how the CPU alligns in the socket.  You want to put the new CPU in exacly the same way.  Arrow in the same spot and laying nice and flat in that socket.  If its not laying nice and flat when you go to put that CPU holding backet back into place you'll damage the CPU or the socket or both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New CPU put into Place

 

Here is the new E3-1265L V2 in place.  As you see the Arrow is in the same spot and it's laying down nice and flat all the way around the CPU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now locked back down

 

 

 

 

Here we are with the new CPU installed and the CPU holder back into place once again.  There's nothing to unscrew, all you use is that latch there on the bottom of the picture.    It really is pretty simple.  You can see a little tab on the top and bottom where it touches the CPU to hold it in place with just enough force.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaner to be used on CPU cooler

 

Here is a picture of the bottom of the CPU Cooler.  You can see the old Thermal Compound right in the middle which is where the CPU would be.  That needs to be cleanned off.  So you use bottle #1 and put some drips all over it and let it sit for a minute.  Then you can use a Paper Towel and carfully wipe it all away.  I did it a second time, to get what tiny amount was left.  Once done, use a few drops of bottle #2 to do a final cleaning.  There is enough here to do many CPU and heat sink cleanings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End results of cooler once cleaned

 

Here it is once done.  Looks like new again.  That's what you want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side view of cooler

 

Here;s a side close up view of the Heat Sink!  You can see how the air goes through it to cool.  You can't fit anything larger on the CPU as there's just no room.  You shouldn't need to either.  The CPU should run a little cooler.  If you didn't notice at the start, that the Max TDP (Thermal Design Power) of the CPU's, the Old one was rated at 55W while the new one is 45W.  Which means the new one is not only cooler running, but uses less power.  Then we're adding more ram which will use a bit more power.  This new one is 10W cooler.  So this Cooler is just fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thermal Compound on CPU

 

This is the Arctic Silver 5 installed on the CPU.  This is how they tell you to install it.  You don't want to much where it's squarting out all over as it will cause issues.  Once the Heat Sink is installed evenly, it will spread out into a large oval and in time cover the whole top of the CPU.  Accoridng to the instructions online, Arctic Silver 5: Break-in period: 200 hours (Break-in period will occur during normal use.) Temps will drop several degrees over the break-in period measured with a thermal diode in the hottest part of the CPU core. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulled back off to show you

 

Just to show you, I pulled it off again after bolting on the heatsink.  There should be no need for you to pull it off like I did to take this picture.  You can see how it spreed out on both sides and after getting hot while running will cover the whole CPU.  You need Thermal Compound to get proper heat transfer to the cooler.  It makes a big differance!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New 16 Gig's of RAM

 

Here's a close up of the 2 new Memory Sticks to go in.  Each one is double the Ram of the one I pulled.  Going from 4 Gig's to 16 Gig's,  I don't think it'll be a huge different in speed. Other then more CACHE space or if you run a VT-x (Virtual Box)  The 716 supports this.  The 516 can support this if you have a new enough BIOS.  I didn't.  I got support here to update my BIOS, which I did, but had to then give them access to my NAS so that can fix a few quarks that happen when you update the bias.  Once they loged into my NAS and fixed it, it looked normal again but now I can do VT-x if/when I want to.   You really need RAM when doing that. 4 gig will work, 16 gig's is much better.  If your not doing VT-x, it's not going to be a big speed improvment.  Thre CPU upgrade is is much bigger speed improvment.  While it's apart for a CPU, throwing in some RAM, why not.  It's cheap enough.

 

 

Motherboard back onto NAS and HDD board

 

Here is the motherboard back into place.  You did plug the 5 plugs back into the board right?  You can see the HDD board is also plugged into the Motherboard.  Just go in reverse to put everything back togeather again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the Original CPU after being cleaned!

 

 

 

 

Here is the Orignal CPU after I cleaned it with ArctiClean.  You can clearly see it's a Intel Core i3-3220. 3.30GHZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is there any Results I can show you.  Well I was going to try NASPT from Intel, but it has some issues.  It's OLD.    If you run it on someting with more then 2 Gig's of RAM the tests results are wacky I guess?!?!  It also sounded like it would wipe the HDD to run it.  I didn't want it to do that.   

 

So I ran NAS Proformance Test 1.7 and CrystalDiscMark both before and after.  They really don't tell you the end results. How much can PLEX transcode at once now to before.  To me that is what matters most.   How fast is PLEX now running on my NAS and transcoding then before.  These tests don't show any of that.  As I just did this upgrade today,  I havn't have time to really see the end results.  I know file directorys are loading up much faster.  Other then that I don't know right now.  I know before I tried playing a 4K video on Plex which would transcode it down to 1080P to play on my HDTV and it choked on that with lots of buffering pauses.  So I'm going to try that once again and see what happens shorlty.    But here are these tests for whatever they are worth.  These are running on my Windows 10 PC. 

 

NAS Proformance Test 1.7 Before Update.JPG

 

This is before the upgrade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAS Proformance Test 1.7 After Update.JPG

 

This is after the Update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CrystalDiscMark Before Update.JPG

 

This is before update!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CrystalDiscMark After Update.JPG

 

This is after the update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it!  How to upgrade your ReadyNAS 516.  Only do this if you have no warranty.  I went with a USED NAS and so there was no warranty to worry about.  Also don't forget to backup.  A NAS is not your Backup device.  Not if you don't have that Data at least someplace else.  Any number of things could happen to that NAS and cause you to lose all your Data.   Addind a new CPU and RAM went faster and easier then I thought it would.  It took far longer to take pictures and 20 times longer to write this up.  On a scale of 1 to 10, one being EASY and 10 really, really HARD, I give this a 4.   If you're completly clueless, maybe a 6.

 

 

 

 

Message 3 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

I wish I could edit my spelling errors.  I was able to fix some in Part 2.  Having real pictures of someone doing a CPU or RAM or both upgrade I havn't seen anywhere. I've done alot of Googling on this, but info is limited.   I was able to find out ram to use and CPU to use, but past that, not a whole lot.  Having built this high end Windows 10 PC I'm currantly using, working on the NAS was pretty easy.  It was easy enough for me to figure out on my own and on the first try.  No extra screws undone.  It really looks well made and thought out.  I've seen things done poorly that really don't work well in the real world when real people have to work on it.  It's a well built NAS.  

 

 

Message 4 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

So far the speed boost is nice.  I tried playing the 4K video file I had that was buffering over and over again.  It was unwatchable.  Now it plays perfect transcoding from 4K to 1080P.  Plex is loading up Image art faster and videos are starting a little quicker.  It looks like a worthwild upgrade.  A good way to to get more life from your NAS.

 

Message 5 of 57
ifixidevices
Luminary

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Very nice write up. I did this with my RN516 a while ago. Definitely a big improvement and it's way cheaper than buying a RN716.

 

I got the 516 for $300 because it has a small dent in the casing and the processor for around $140 and memory was about $80. Everything sourced from eBay.

 

 

Message 6 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

I got my ReadyNAS 516 on Amazon by a 3rd party seller, used for $500.  The Ram frm Amazon, and the CPU from ebay.   It's the CPU you want to watch out for on ebay.  Watch out for the  engineering samples whch are not suppose to be sold!!!  You kind find them all over ebay from China for a cheaper price.  I wasn't going to risk it.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering_sample

 

You really got a great deal overal.  I was looking all over and couldn''t find anyone that said they actually DID it and showed how they did it.  It was hints here and there trying to piece it togeather enough to go ahead and try it myself.  In the end it was pretty simple for me.  I built my high end Windows PC I'm on now, so it's nothing new to me.  

 

But I wanted to make it simpler for others to see how I went about it.  What parts you need to do it.  You need to know the correct CPU and RAM and what is required to swap the CPU.  You can't just pull it, throw in another and that's it.   It's the little things that make the difference.  It's still running great for me.  It's noticably faster!!!  It was worth it.

 

Find a great deal on a ReadyNAS 516, here's a way to get more power out of it.  Have one already and want more power, here you go!  It works!!! 

Message 7 of 57
funglenn
Luminary

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

is there a list of CPUs you can use? I relize that E3-1265 V2 is the one in the 716, but can i use others in the E3-12xx V2  line? i see the vary in price wildly and all seem to be better than the i3 in the 516.

 

thanks

Message 8 of 57
mdgm-ntgr
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

There is a limit on the TDP. If you get a CPU that gets too hot then it won't be able to be cooled properly.

Message 9 of 57
DigitalHoarder
Aspirant

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Would guide work for the RN 316? I've been looking at upgrading the CPU for my ReadyNAS if it's possible. 

Message 10 of 57
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

If someone else does this, can you get some info on the power supply while it's open?  Current ratings for each bus would be nice, if they are listed on it (and they usually are).  From what little I can see of it in these pictures, it looks like a standard Flex ATX supply.  But it could have different wiring, as did the one for the legacy 4-bay units.

 

Since this mod definately voids the warranty, it would be good to know if there is a potential power supply replacement out there.

Message 11 of 57
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516


@DigitalHoarder wrote:

Would guide work for the RN 316? I've been looking at upgrading the CPU for my ReadyNAS if it's possible. 


No, the 316 uses an Atom processor.  There are no Atom processors that use a socket, even if there were a more powerful replacement avaiable.

 

And before you ask, no, you can't unsolder it.  It's a ball grid array part and takes specialized equipment to work with.  Manufacturers consider the whole board to be expendable if the processor has a problem.

Message 12 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Ya, kind of to bad about the 316.    There are a number of things you could do to run the software you need on a fast enough processor and just use the NAS for all the Data storage.   For example a Mac Mini.  you could get a used one with a decent processor and power use a low.  They're also SMALL.  You can even remote access it from another computer.   

 

You can get a cheap MINI PC also.  Whatever way you go, there would be no need to upgrade the NAS.   PLEX and anything else can run on whatever setup you go with and all the Data can be on the 316 or any other lower end NAS.

 

Message 13 of 57
StephenB
Guru

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516


@JBDragon1 wrote:

There are a number of things you could do to run the software you need on a fast enough processor and just use the NAS for all the Data storage.  


That's the same approach most enterprises take - keeping application servers and storage separated.  It gives you the most flexibility, since you can upgrade either component easily as needed.  Plus a single NAS can support multiple application servers, and a single application server can use multiple NAS.  So it gives more options for expansion.

 

I've been moving towards that myself (the only application left on the NAS is CrashPlan).  It'd be great if there were a small form factor PC that supported 10 gbit (since my RN526x uses that), but I haven't found a good option there.

Message 14 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Ya, right now everything on my NAS is working out great.  But if I needing more Plex transcoding at once then I can currantly support,  I'd have to offload to some type of external PC support.  What that might me, not sure.  I wouldn't have a problem if I went with some linux setup, but it would need a powerful CPU being the most important, yet low power, especally when not being used.  Use the built in graphics or a cheapo graphics card, at last until it's setup and you can remote into it from your main computer.  I'd just build what I needed.  Something uisng a Mini ATA board and in your case accept a 10gbit card needed.  Then run Linux or FreeBSD.  No need for a resource hungry OS like Windows.   I'm not a expert, but that's why the Internet exists.  Find the parts I need and the OS that'll work with the software I want to run on it, but  base what I get on that, then use the Internet to help be do what I need to with Linux or FreeBSD.  

Message 15 of 57
mdgm-ntgr
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

We do have some new models with powerful CPUs such as the RN526X and RN626X and also the 8-bay RN528X and RN628X. We've even announced a new 4-bay RN524X.

Message 16 of 57
JBDragon1
Virtuoso

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

I really don't think the RN626x or RN628X is much faster then my upgraded 516, which is basically now a 716 other then the 10 Gigbit ports.  Though those new ones are nice, but you still have limitations on the number of transcodings that PLEX could do.  I don't see it much better then what I have now.  For my needs my modified 516 is more then enough.  If that wasn't the case, it's still a great NAS for storage, and using a external PC of some type with a lot more horsepower then most NAS units would ever have is a good solution.  It's not a all in one solution which is nice, but it does work when you really need a lot of CPU power for a lot of transcoding at once.   With PLEX you have not only have your family and them all streaming, but friends outside your local Network also streaming at the same time.  Which I do, but only 1 person currantly and she only on sometimes on weekends and limited to 3Mbps streaming, which is just fine.  My upload bandwidth is limited.  Then there's normally only 2 people at my house, so in general I may have a MAX of 3 trascoding jobs at once.  At 1080P my NAS can handle that.  It can also handle 1 4K transcoding down to 1080P at once.  If I needed the power to do say 6 transoding jobs, or maybe 2 4K transcoding jobs, then going with a cusom built PC with a nice powerful CPU to handle all that would be needed.  

 

I can build a nice little mini ATA PC of some type for the fraction of the cost of any of the NAS units you listed.  Really all I would need is a fast CPU, a little RAM, a small SSD drive and a free OS of my choice on a Mini ATA motherboard and some small type of case.  Running PLEX would be the only task it would need to do as everything else can still run on the NAS.  I get you're pushing Netgear NAS units.  I just don't see the hosepower there any more then th elower 516 and 716.  Still have CPU limitions on the number of transcodings possible at once.    Also for some, it may be smarter getting a lower end ReadyNAS save some of that money to put into a exteral PC to handle PLEX and some other app's and use the NAS to really only store all the Data.  That's basically what I did with my old ReadyNAS.  Buy using my power hungrey Windows PC that's overkill in the sense it has a couple HDD's and a couple SSD drives and a power hungrey video card and a nice i7 CPU.  It didn't make sense and tied up my PC.  But a small little MiniATA PC,  built in graphics, 1 SSD drive a little RAM, don't need huge amounts for PLEX.  Really it's all about the CPU and worse case for the number of transcode jobs at once you need.

 

If it's only 2-4 transcode jobs, and you want a all in one solution, then one of those great ReadyNAS units you listed would fit the bill.  In general, for home use, it really is a lot of money.  They are nice, and compact and setup in general isn't to hard.  It all depends on skill level.  I would also say, if you're going to buy a NAS, it should be at least a 4 bay.  A 2 bay is pretty silly.  a 4 bay is not going to be much more money and you can start with 2 drives and have room to expand, which in time you'll find will be needed.  Why outgrow you NAS to fast?   I'd love a RN628X right now.  I'd have them 8 bays full.  That's a nice, tall looking unit.  I just can't afford it any time soon.   10gigbit ethernet would be nice.  I'd have to crawl under my house and wire that up for my WindowsPC, oh it would be so fast!!!  Oh well,....

 

Message 17 of 57
pgjscottieuk
Guide

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Thank you for such a wonderful article i have a 516 its about 14 months old now but have been looking out far a 716 on Ebay having stumbled upon your excellent article with such fantastic illustration if i can get a secound hand 516 i will give it a go . I see youn mention avoiding China for CPU

i noticed a used one on Amazon.com $375. I will wait to get the Nas first upgrade it then transfer data from existing nas then sell on Ebay

Message 18 of 57

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Really nice post, congrats!

BUT the issue is that by doing so you void the warranty!

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS/Warranty-voided/m-p/1226081#U1226081

 

 

Message 19 of 57
StephenB
Guru

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516


@aalexandrebeta wrote:

Really nice post, congrats!

BUT the issue is that by doing so you void the warranty!

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS/Warranty-voided/m-p/1226081#U1226081

  


The original post said the RN516 was used, so it had no warranty anyway.

Message 20 of 57

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

But those things have 5 years waranty?

Message 21 of 57
StephenB
Guru

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516


@aalexandrebeta wrote:

But those things have 5 years waranty?


The manufacturer warranty is five years, but is not transferable.  So used ReadyNAS have no warranty.

Message 22 of 57

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

@StephenB  so purchasing used devices void the warranty.

Anyway that is not right. When you sell a car under waranty the car 's warranty is transfered too!

Message 23 of 57
StephenB
Guru

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516


@aalexandrebeta wrote:

@StephenB  so purchasing used devices void the warranty.

Anyway that is not right...


From a consumer point of view ,we all want transferrable warranties.

 

Since the warranty cost is built into the selling price, doing that would require some price increase.  I have no idea how much that increase would need to be.

Message 24 of 57

Re: How to Upgrade the CPU and RAM in a ReadyNAS 516

Just a very stupid question, what if my brother mother or father want to make me a gift for example a good RN526?

And purchase it for me?

Message 25 of 57
Top Contributors
Discussion stats
  • 56 replies
  • 21210 views
  • 25 kudos
  • 13 in conversation
Announcements