QNAP is a well-established brand in the network-attached storage (NAS) space. The company has a catalog of NAS models available, but it's easy to make an informed decision without messing up your NAS deployment. This guide will walk you through how to choose based on model numbers, and we'll even recommend a few to shortlist.
Breaking down the numbers
Like other NAS manufacturers, QNAP utilizes model numbers to differentiate its catalog. The company uses several prefixes with TS and TVS being the most common. The number immediately after the prefix denotes how many drive bays are present while the numbers and letters thereafter are specific for that NAS model.
Usually, it's the higher, the better. For instance, the TS-230 has two bays and is less capable than the TS-251+.
Comparing models
Here's a comparison table with a few of the latest models from QNAP.
| Category | TS-231K | TS-453D | TS-653D | TVS-882 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AnnapurnaLabs Alpine AL-214Quad-core 1.7GHz | Intel Celeron J4125Quad-core 2.0GHz | Intel Celeron J4125Quad-core 2.0GHz | Intel Core i3-7100Dual-core 3.9GHz |
| RAM | 1GB (1GB max) | 2GB (6GB max) | 8GB (8GB max) | 8GB (64GB max) |
| Drive bays | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Capacity | 32TB2 x 16TB | 64TB4 x 16TB | 76TB6 x 16TB | 128TB8 x 16TB |
| Transcoding | - | H.264 (AVC)H.265 (HEVC)MPEG-2VC-14K 30 FPS | H.264 (AVC)H.265 (HEVC)MPEG-2VC-14K 30 FPS | H.264 (AVC)H.265 (HEVC)MPEG-2VC-14K 30 FPS |
| Ports | 2x 1Gb LAN3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | 2x 2.5Gb LAN3x USB 2.02x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | 2x 2.5Gb LAN3x USB 2.02x USB 3.2 Gen 1 | 4x 1Gb LAN5x USB 3.2 Gen 13x HDMI |
| Warranty | Two years | Two years | Two years | Two years |
| Price | $229 | $631 | $773 | $1,895 |
The thing with QNAP NAS models is they're usually more pricey than other offerings, but you get far better-equipped servers. The more affordable range that includes the TS-231K is better suited for a small home with a few users. Then you have the TS-453D and TS-653D that can run Plex Media Server with Intel Celeron processors.
QNAP NAS like the TVS-882 is where things get real interesting (and expensive). With the baseline model housing a 7th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, it has ample performance to handle some 4K transcoding, and so much more. You can pay even more for Intel Core i5 and even an i7 with a further six bays.
The best way to buy a NAS is to decide on how many drive bays you require. Don't need to store too much? You could get away with just two bays. If you're planning to go all out with media and more, four or more bays may be a better suit.
QNAP's workhorse NAS
QNAP is well-established in the NAS market, and the TVS-882 is a prime example.
