QNAP TS-470

[crmaris]

QNAP recently released their new TS-x70 line, and in this review, we are going to take a look at the TS-470, a 4-bay NAS suitable for SMB (Small and Medium-sized Business) environments. QNAP even claims this server to be capable of offering higher than 400 MB/s read and write speeds.

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[VulkanBros]

Fort that price you can get a WD MyCloud EX4 with dual eth and dual PSU AND 4 * 2 TB WD RED disks........

 

[crmaris]

if they decide to send it I would be really glad to compare it with QNAP's offering and see how it scores.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Seems a bit expensive. Doesn't appear to have true raid. So for $1000 I won't even consider it. Really the only selling point for me is the built in XBMC. Currently I have a ZBOX that runs XBMCBuntu and then a NAS that hosts the video files. Combining the two really is appealing.

 

[JDG1980]

Are there any off-the-shelf NASes that support the ZFS filesystem and have ECC RAM? At these kind of prices, I'd expect to see features like this, but I haven't found anything yet.

 

[crmaris]

For ZFS you need a very strong CPU and lots of RAM so the price bar will be too high for a ready solution NAS and it surely won't adress home users, but strictly large business environments.

 

[chodaboy19]

Did you get a chance to test the SSD caching feature?
How is the RAID container recovery ability? If you pull out a disk to simulate a failure, can it recover when provided with a new disk?
What version of SMB is it running?

Excellent review, thank you!

 

[newtekie1]

Seems a bit expensive. Doesn't appear to have true raid. So for $1000 I won't even consider it. Really the only selling point for me is the built in XBMC. Currently I have a ZBOX that runs XBMCBuntu and then a NAS that hosts the video files. Combining the two really is appealing.

I completely agree. For $1,000 without drives I could build a much better proper server. The whole point of these types of NAS devices is that they are inexpensive, QNAP seems to have forgotten that with this.

 

[Easy Rhino]

I completely agree. For $1,000 without drives I could build a much better proper server. The whole point of these types of NAS devices is that they are inexpensive, QNAP seems to have forgotten that with this.

I do like the form factor though and the ability to hotswap drives without having to take apart a case. I wonder how many of these types of units get sold and who buys them?

 

[Athlon2K15]

SSD caching is pretty nice. I use it on my TS-470 Pro with a 256GB Micron C400

 

[remixedcat]

too bad it's a celeron. those won''t do so well with plex+roku transcoding, however is better then an ARM based CPU. PLEX+ Roku should have been tested, as this config is extremely popular!

 

[Athlon2K15]

Should also mention, the processor is socketed. You can throw whatever 1155 you want in it, I have a Quad core in mine.

 

[crmaris]

Did you get a chance to test the SSD caching feature?
How is the RAID container recovery ability? If you pull out a disk to simulate a failure, can it recover when provided with a new disk?
What version of SMB is it running?

Excellent review, thank you!

Nope didn't check the SSD feature because I didn't have an available SSD at the time of the review.

The recovery works fine but it needs quite some time for the volume to be rebuilted. It depends also on the used RAID level.

The version of the QTS was the newest (4.0.5) and is written on the test system specs page.

 

[crmaris]

Should also mention, the processor is socketed. You can throw whatever 1155 you want in it, I have a Quad core in mine.

You must keep the TDP however low at least in the TS-470 because I don't think that its cooling will easily handle much stronger CPUs. Haven't checked the Pro model but it might have a better heatsink.

 

[Athlon2K15]

The TS-470 and Pro are the same internally. The stock chip is a 65 watt Celeron G550, That leaves the door open for the entire Core i3 Sandy range, I haven't tried to install an Ivy chip yet but I have a 3570K that I will try as soon as my 3770K arrives.

 

[crmaris]

I don't think that during normal transfers even with multiple clients a stronger CPU would give noticeable higher performance. BUT if in the same time the NAS is doing other tasks as well then surely a stronger CPU would help significantly.

I am really currious to see the temperatures of the 3570K in the TS-470 once you install it You may need to install an additional cooler. Just for the heads up there is a vacant fan PWM header on the mainboard, given that the TS-470 and the Pro model use the same mainboard.

 

[TheLostSwede]

QNAP are quite restrictive to what CPU's work as they have very basic BIOSes in these things and presumably so does most if not all of their competitors. These things aren't meant to be user upgradable, foolishly enough. The memory slot location is proof enough of this.
QNAP makes pretty solid hardware, but the software is cobbled together of too many old bits. They're slowly trying to migrate to newer things, I've heard some models are now shipping with SMB 4.0...

 

[jalyst]

You must keep the TDP however low at least in the TS-470 because I don't think that its cooling will easily handle much stronger CPUs. Haven't checked the Pro model but it might have a better heatsink.

I wish you reviewed the TS-470 Pro, that's the range I'm most interested in...

Should also mention, the processor is socketed. You can throw whatever 1155 you want in it, I have a Quad core in mine.

Nice, I have an old Core i3-530 lying around (can't recall what socket it is), I wonder if it's usable.

The TS-470 and Pro are the same internally.

Are you absolutely sure? Source for this?

The stock chip is a 65 watt Celeron G550, That leaves the door open for the entire Core i3 Sandy range, I haven't tried to install an Ivy chip yet but I have a 3570K that I will try as soon as my 3770K arrives.

So you reckon even the newest Ivy range might be usable? Have you confirmed yet, man that'd be so sweet!

Just for the heads up there is a vacant fan PWM header on the mainboard, given that the TS-470 and the Pro model use the same mainboard.

Are you absolutely sure, exactly the same in every way? Source? Thank-you.

QNAP are quite restrictive to what CPU's work as they have very basic BIOSes in these things and presumably so does most if not all of their competitors. These things aren't meant to be user upgradable, foolishly enough.

I really hope there's a healthy hacking community in this area ensuring that there's "unofficial support" of much better CPU's than the Celeron!
Getting quite excited now, it's sounding like the the non-Pro 470/670/870 are exactly the same in every way, & the only difference is the Celeron.
If that truly is the case, then I can buy a non-Pro version, save a sizable chunk of $, and then upgrade CPU/RAM etc. later!

 

[crmaris]

"Just for the heads up there is a vacant fan PWM header on the mainboard, given that the TS-470 and the Pro model use the same mainboard."

I am afraid I am not sure of this. I just make the assumption since AthlonX2 stated this. He has a Pro model so apparently he figured it out from my internal shots of the plain 470 model.

 

[jalyst]

I am afraid I am not sure of this. I just make the assumption since AthlonX2 stated this. He has a Pro model so apparently he figured it out from my internal shots of the plain 470 model.

Okay, I hope AthlonX2 can answer that Qn to you then, & hopefully he/TheLostSwede can address the other points/Qns raised, thank-you!

 

[jalyst]

*BUMP* @AthlonX2 @TheLostSwede @anyone

Thank-you.

 

[Athlon2K15]

Nice, I have an old Core i3-530 lying around (can't recall what socket it is), I wonder if it's usable.

No, the 530 is 1156.

Are you absolutely sure? Source for this?

Yes, with Qnap the pro and standard models have always used the same internals, they just add LCD screens and locking drive trays to pro models.

So you reckon even the newest Ivy range might be usable? Have you confirmed yet, man that'd be so sweet!

no haven't confirmed. Be smart about it though, the NAS is a SFF pc running Linux and such cant handle high TDP CPUs with the included cooling solution. I would say you might get lucky with a quad core ivy but i wouldn't try anything with HT.

I really hope there's a healthy hacking community in this area ensuring that there's "unofficial support" of much better CPU's than the Celeron!
Getting quite excited now, it's sounding like the the non-Pro 470/670/870 are exactly the same in every way, & the only difference is the Celeron.
If that truly is the case, then I can buy a non-Pro version, save a sizable chunk of $, and then upgrade CPU/RAM etc. later!

Please realize that this is obviously not supported by Qnap, in fact you can consider your warranty gone once you open the NAS. The Pro versions of the 470/670/870 also use the Celeron processor. I upgraded mine to a Pentium dual core with a slightly higher clock speed and more cache.

 

[jalyst]

No, the 530 is 1156.

Ah that's right...

Yes, with Qnap the pro and standard models have always used the same internals, they just add LCD screens and locking drive trays to pro models.

Hmm, I actually like those little extra things, I wonder if folks are adding "after-market" touches like that to their cheaper "non-Pro" TS-x devices?
Is that definitely the only difference; LCD display & drive locking mechanisms?

no haven't confirmed. Be smart about it though, the NAS is a SFF pc running Linux and such cant handle high TDP CPUs with the included cooling solution. I would say you might get lucky with a quad core ivy but i wouldn't try anything with HT.

Oh yeah don't worry, I've quite a lot of experience in this area (thermodynamics, not so much with NAS's -appliance or otherwise), I won't go crazy.

Please realize that this is obviously not supported by Qnap, in fact you can consider your warranty gone once you open the NAS. The Pro versions of the 470/670/870 also use the Celeron processor. I upgraded mine to a Pentium dual core with a slightly higher clock speed and more cache.

Yes I realise, can you point to any great communities doing all sorts of after-market hw/sw hackz/modz/twks to these NAS appliances?
Eh, isn't the i3 CPU they're advertising for their Pro range using Core2+ based (codename nowadays escapes me) micro-architecture?
If so it can't be a "Celeron", unless they've changed their naming rules fundamentally in the last yr or 2, haven't been following closely for a while.

 

[Athlon2K15]

You are correct on the i3 in the pro models. i wasn't aware they were using those now.

 

[jalyst]

You are correct on the i3 in the pro models. i wasn't aware they were using those now.

Thanks, that addresses the last point/Qn, I don't suppose you can address the final 3 points/Qns that came before it?