Exterior

The TS-470 follows the same design as all QNAP NAS servers since it uses the same metallic case. The brushed finish on top and the sides looks nice while its rounded edges are appealing. We strongly believe that this case, although it looks rather plain, is a good choice for a professional-grade NAS that costs over 1000 bucks; its low profile, appearance-wise, also allows it to fit into a modern home environment nicely, not only business ones.


The front-left corner holds QNAP's logo, and we find the on/off switch and copy button surrounding the front USB port, which unfortunately isn't USB 3.0, but compatible with the older and slower USB 2.0 protocol, further down below it. The two-line LCD above the HDD trays has three LED indicators (Status, USB, and LAN) on its bottom-left, and a button on the opposite side even allows you to perform several basic administrative tasks—get the NAS's IP address, check on system temperature, etc. The LCD screen deactivates automatically once the start-up or reboot phase finishes to keep energy consumption as low as possible.


A small decal on top also provides information about the sequence of HDDs and another, much larger button provides the cloud key through which buyers can easily create their own personal cloud.


Only one of the two sides has a vent through which fresh air enters the internals of the NAS.


The main system fan with a diameter of 92 mm, small PSU fan, and several I/O ports, including four Gigabit Ethernet ports, two pairs of USB 2.0 and 3.0 and two eSATA ports, and an HDMI and audio in/out, are all crammed into the rear of the unit. There is also a Kensington lock and reset button on this side.


Four plastic stands have been attached to the bottom of the NAS.


We took some photos with the trays/caddies removed. You will have a chance to take a much more thorough look at the TS-470's internals on the next page.


The trays support 3.5" and 2.5" disks. They are of good quality and feature locks, which are essential in business environments where physical data safety is very important.