Synology DS1621+ Which NVME SSD For Cache?

[Valo]

I've picked up a Synology DS1621+ for my new NAS on offer. I'm currently waiting to pickup some Seagate Exos drives on offer, hopefully around Easter time if I'm lucky.

I'm wanting to take advantage of the ability of the DS1621+ to have an SSD Cache. I'm just unsure what NVME SSD to use, does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[JohnStewart]

If it's only connected via a 1 gigabit network, then the maximum transfer rate is about 125 MB/s so there's probably little benefit in getting anything much better than basic NVME drives such as a WD Blue for about £53 each in a 500Gb size.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/wd-b...-solid-state-drive-wds500g3b0c-hd-588-wd.html

 

[dessimpson]

Depending on your use case. Cache may be a waste of time and money. I got the M2D18 dual SSD card and popped in a couple of SSD's. I disabled it a few months after installing it due to massive performance issues. Plex was horrific. Mine is mainly a just a Plex server though. Doesn't do much more other than surveillance station and a few apps.

 

[HACO]

I've picked up a Synology DS1621+ for my new NAS on offer. I'm currently waiting to pickup some Seagate Exos drives on offer, hopefully around Easter time if I'm lucky.

I'm wanting to take advantage of the ability of the DS1621+ to have an SSD Cache. I'm just unsure what NVME SSD to use, does anyone have any recommendations?

How much do you expect to write to the array per day? If it's little (<100GB per day), I'd say a PCIe 3 drive with a DRAM cache but with TLC (e.g. Samsung 970 Evo Plus, WD SN750), but if you plan to write significant amounts then you might need to get enterprise-grade SSDs.

 

[Valo]

If it's only connected via a 1 gigabit network, then the maximum transfer rate is about 125 MB/s so there's probably little benefit in getting anything much better than basic NVME drives such as a WD Blue for about £53 each in a 500Gb size.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/wd-b...-solid-state-drive-wds500g3b0c-hd-588-wd.html

Yeah, it'll be connected to my 1 gigabit switch.

Depending on your use case. Cache may be a waste of time and money. I got the M2D18 dual SSD card and popped in a couple of SSD's. I disabled it a few months after installing it due to massive performance issues. Plex was horrific. Mine is mainly a just a Plex server though. Doesn't do much more other than surveillance station and a few apps.

I'm considering Plex but it's mainly file storage.

How much do you expect to write to the array per day? If it's little (<100GB per day), I'd say a PCIe 3 drive with a DRAM cache but with TLC (e.g. Samsung 970 Evo Plus, WD SN750), but if you plan to write significant amounts then you might need to get enterprise-grade SSDs.

It'll be less than 100GB day I'll be writing to the array. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some offers on the 970 Evo Plus (That's what I was looking at before posting). What would be the best to use two smaller NVME drives or just purchase a larger single drive?

 

[HACO]

Yeah, it'll be connected to my 1 gigabit switch.



I'm considering Plex but it's mainly file storage.



It'll be less than 100GB day I'll be writing to the array. I'll keep my eyes peeled for some offers on the 970 Evo Plus (That's what I was looking at before posting). What would be the best to use two smaller NVME drives or just purchase a larger single drive?

If it's only file storage (assuming it's not IOPS sensitive), there's no need for a SSD cache at all. You'll see very little benefit from it. Adding more RAM would be a much better upgrade.

 

[Deleted member 76686]

You should also remember that officially Synology only support there own NVME drives on that model, I stuck with them on my 1821+.

 

[Armageus]

I've got a single 256Gb SN720 fitted to my DS1520+, it's achieving a 70% 1 month hit rate. It seemed to make a huge difference to cached metadata in Emby, which is the main use that my NAS gets (streaming of music and ripped DVD TV Series around the house).

It's also worth bearing in mind, that unless you have a UPS, it's probably a bad idea to run 2 NVMEs in Read/Write cache mode, as a power outage will likely cause problems.

 

[Valo]

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to try without an SSD Cache for now.

Finally managed to pickup some storage drives to actually build out my Synology.

 

[david25]

I've got a single 256Gb SN720 fitted to my DS1520+, it's achieving a 70% 1 month hit rate. It seemed to make a huge difference to cached metadata in Emby, which is the main use that my NAS gets (streaming of music and ripped DVD TV Series around the house).

It's also worth bearing in mind, that unless you have a UPS, it's probably a bad idea to run 2 NVMEs in Read/Write cache mode, as a power outage will likely cause problems.

Kingston have a NVME that has PLP

 

[Armageus]

Kingston have a NVME that has PLP

The DC1000B?

Yes it has Power loss protection, but costs almost twice the price of a normal 250GB SSD, has terrible write speed (290MB/s).

For the price of 2 of those, you could buy two normal SSDs without PLP, and buy a small UPS

Data Center DC1000B – M.2 (2280) NVMe Server Boot Drive (SSD) – 240GB and 480GB - Kingston Technology

The DC1000B is an M.2 (2280) NVMe Server Boot Drive (SSD), available in 240GB and 480GB capacities. It’s enhanced for boot workloads as well as caching and logging applications with power loss protection (PLP) and frees up drive bays for additional storage. Applications such as CDNs, edge...

www.kingston.com

 

[david25]

The DC1000B?

Yes it has Power loss protection, but costs almost twice the price of a normal 250GB SSD, has terrible write speed (290MB/s).

For the price of 2 of those, you could buy two normal SSDs without PLP, and buy a small UPS

Data Center DC1000B – M.2 (2280) NVMe Server Boot Drive (SSD) – 240GB and 480GB - Kingston Technology

The DC1000B is an M.2 (2280) NVMe Server Boot Drive (SSD), available in 240GB and 480GB capacities. It’s enhanced for boot workloads as well as caching and logging applications with power loss protection (PLP) and frees up drive bays for additional storage. Applications such as CDNs, edge...

www.kingston.com

I didnt say it was cheap the Micron also an even more expensive one!