Exterior

Contrary to the TS-451 we reviewed last year, the TS-451+ features a black finish. To be frank, we liked the white finish of the older model more because it matched the silver frame at its front well. With the TS-451+, the silver frame has been replaced with a glossy black one, which is a fingerprint magnet. A small sticker on top mentions the quad-core CPU, how much RAM this server supports, the hardware transcoding engine, and the ability to run virtual machines on this NAS.


At the front are several LED indicators, the power and copy buttons, and a USB 3.0 port. QNAP doesn't include an LCD screen with their more affordable NAS servers to reduce cost, which most users won't mind.


A sticker on one of two sides includes the cloud key you will need if you choose to set this NAS up online. On the other is a rather small exhaust grill.


The NAS stands on four small rubber feet. At its bottom is a small label with its model number and power input. The label also mentions Taiwan as the country of manufacture.


Most of the space in the rear is taken up by the protective grill of the 120 mm fan. Right below it and near the bottom-left corner is a Kensington lock. At the right side are an HDMI 1.4a port, two Ethernet Gigabit ports, and two USB 2.0 ports, along with a single USB 3.0 port. The DC input is in the bottom-right corner.


As per usual, we removed all the trays in order to take a shot of the card that holds all SATA connectors.


QNAP unfortunately didn't upgrade the trays, using the same plastic as in the TS-451. Locks on these would have been nice since this is a model for enthusiasts and, as such, a small office.


NAS servers in this price range should come with metal trays, not plastic ones. These cannot compare to metal ones even though the plastic of of fairly good quality. These also don't feature any sound-dampening materials.