Specifications

The new TS-451+ received a CPU upgrade, so while its predecessor, the TS-451, uses a dual-core Intel J1800 CPU, the new model uses a quad-core J1900. RAM was also upgraded, and the basic version of the TS-451+ has 2 GB while there is also an 8 GB version. We will evaluate the 8 GB version in this review.

This NAS can accommodate up to four discs, which makes for 24 TB if you use 6 TB discs before formating them in JBOD, and you can add more storage with QNAP's expansion unit. Networking is taken care of by two Gigabit Ethernet ports that can be teamed, which doubles the bandwidth between the NAS and switch. The other I/O ports include two USB 3.0 ports of which one is at the front of the unit, two USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI 1.4a port through which you can connect the NAS to a monitor or a TV to exploit its multimedia capabilities. The HDMI port also allows for the NAS to be as a normal PC, through QNAP's QvPC technology.

What left a very good impression on us is the fact that the TS-451+ includes an IR receiver, and QNAP even includes a compatible remote control, which will be of use to those who use the NAS as a multimedia player. Similar to QNAP's older TS-451, the TS-451+ is very compact. The unit uses an external 90 W power brick in order to be as compact. Cooling is handled by a 120 mm fan that uses double ball-bearings, which will have it last for quite a while.

The warranty is two years long; it should be longer in our opinion, but most NAS servers, even high-end ones, come with the same warranty period. Most NAS manufacturers are probably afraid to provide a longer warranty with a product that it is supposed to operate around the clock. At $650, the 8 GB version is quite expensive, while the 2 GB version is $120 cheaper. The price difference for only 6 GB of RAM is very high, especially if we take current RAM prices into account.