Introduction

We would like to thank Thecus for supplying the review sample.



A key player when it comes to NAS servers, mostly for their business models, Thecus is now also really trying to break into the lower-end categories, right where most home users and small offices and businesses that don't need an expensive umber high-end NAS server to cover their needs are situated. The N5810 Pro can easily cover a small business environment or address the upper-enthusiast category for those willing to spend a significant amount of money on such a richly featured server. The feature that makes this NAS stand out from the crowd is the fact that it can be equipped with a small battery that plays the role of a mini-UPS, which gives the NAS the time it needs to save the data before it shuts down during a power cut to keep your data's integrity intact. This is a very interesting feature and you to the best of our knowledge won't find it in NAS servers by other NAS manufacturers.



The N5810 Pro can take up to five HDDs and has five Ethernet ports that can be teamed for up to 5 GbE if you have a switch with the Link Aggregation Control Protocol.

Specifications

The N5810 Pro uses a quad-core Intel J1900 Bay Trail CPU. The CPU performs well and consumes very little energy, and many recent enthusiast-grade NAS servers use the Intel J1900 because it performs as well as it does overall. The only downside are its low transfer speeds with encrypted data files since it lacks a cryptography related instruction set. While the performance drop with encrypted files might not matter at home, it most likely will matter in a business environment.

Thecus equipped the NAS with a lot of memory, which, given its custom-tailored Linux operating system, will suffice in most cases. The server can also take up to five HDDs, which is enough to cover even the increased storage needs of a small office so long as high-capacity drives are used. To move data fast to and from the server, Thecus equipped this NAS with five ports for up to a 5 Gbit line between the server and a switch with support for the Link Aggregation Protocol, which is incredibly fast. The server also sports enough USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, with a USB 3.0 port at the front, which increases its usability. There are also an HDMI and audio-out port, but Thecus didn't include an eSATA port, which is strange even though these ports are losing in popularity since most users would now use USB 3.0 storage devices that are just as fast.

The N5810 is almost as large as a small mini-ITX system and quite heavy because of its metal enclosure. Its internal PSU is strong enough to power Intel's energy efficient J1900 CPU, and a 92mm fan keeps the system and all installed HDDs cool. The warranty is two years long, an atypical length for NAS products, and based on how much similarly featured offerings are currently going for, it is also priced fairly.

Packaging

The box is pretty large and quite heavy, so the plastic handle on top will come in handy. On the front is a photo of the NAS with its LCD screen in operation.


Two lists on this side go over the N5810's hardware specifications and software features.


Four graphs on this side further detail the NAS server's features, including the five Ethernet ports, HDMI port, and all enhanced backup and security options.

Contents & Bundle

Inside the box, foam spacers protect the NAS to make sure it arrives at your doorstep completely unharmed. The bundle includes an Ethernet cable, two sets of screws for mounting the HDDs onto the trays, a set of keys, the AC power cord, and two software discs of which one contains the Acronis True Image 2010 suite. While outdated, it will still work well with older versions of Windows.


Here are the quick installation guide and some leaflets that accompany the NAS. Among them is the warranty card.


Here is the battery for the NAS server's embedded mini-UPS. A Lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh, or 28.8 Wh, it can deliver 14.4V. Our measurements show that the N5810 Pro with five 7200 RPM 500 GB HDDs needs no more than 56.6 W, which means the battery can support the server for around 30 minutes under heavy load, which is quite a long time!

Exterior

The design is plain and kind of boring; however, the enclosure is out of metal, making it very sturdy, and the finish is quite good. At the front are a bunch of LED indicators, a USB 3.0 port, the on/off switch, and an LCD screen, which boosts general usability since the LCD screen and the four buttons at the bottom can be used to conduct a few basic administrative tasks. The LCD screen will be in Display Mode while the NAS is operating normally, with messages regarding several NAS functions rotating every two seconds or so. Management Mode during the setup and configuration phase will allow you to perform various administrative tasks. You can also enter Management Mode at any time by simply pressing the Enter button and dialing in your password. The default password is "0000". Enter Management Mode to change the NAS server's network settings, select a Link Aggregation protocol, change your admin password, and reset the system to its factory defaults.


The trays feature locks, a must-have for business environments where physical data protection is very important.


There are ventilation holes on both sides and one comes with a small sticker that asks first-time owners to read through the NAS sever's notes before putting it to use.


Four plastic feet will securely hold the NAS in place on just about any surface.


Nearly all the I/O ports are at the back, including the five Ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. There is also an HDMI and an audio-out port. The PSU inside the NAS unfortunately doesn't have an on/off switch, a useful feature for a PSU.


As per usual, we removed the trays to provide you with a few internal shots of the unit before completely taking it apart.


The trays are of very high quality, and we like the fact that Thecus lined these with materials to absorb vibrations that could otherwise be the cause of annoyingly high-pitched noise.


Along with the NAS, Thecus was kind enough to send us some Seagate HDDs (model: ST4000VN000) that are suitable for NAS usage. These HDDs are equipped with 64 MB of cache, are SATA III compatible, and are backed by a three year warranty.

A Look Inside

Cracking the N5810 Pro open was pretty straightforward, though we had to deal with lots of screws, disconnect enough cables, and fight with the on/off switch since it was really hard to put back into place. A good technique when you dismantle something is to take pictures of it before you proceed. Such pictures will let you know where everything has to go when you put everything back together.


The chassis is out of metal, which makes it really heavy and incredibly robust. This NAS is build like a tank, which we like, although its exterior doesn't look that nice. The mainboard isn't secured with screws, but slides in on two rails and stays put because of the rear cover that holds the fan. We would definitely prefer some screws that keep it in place instead.


Here is a close look at the LCM module and the buttons that control its functions.


Although small, the mainboard holds many controllers for the many features it offers. It even has a BIOS POST code display!


The mainboard's solder side holds many interesting components we will mention in the following paragraphs.


Here are the LED indicators at the front, along with that USB 3.0 port. All other I/O ports, including the five Gigabit Ethernet ports, are on the mainboard's opposite side.


An NXP PCA9532 LED dimmer handles the mainboard's LED indicators.


Since its incredibly low TDP (10 W) allows for it, the Intel J1900 Trail-D CPU is passively cooled.


There are two RAM slots and only one of them is populated with a Transcend DDR3 1600 MHz 4 GB DIMM.


An ALC262 HD Audio codec takes care of this server's audio capabilities.


Here are the 2GB of flash memory with the server's ROM. Behind the flash memory chip is an Avago expressLane PEX8605 with four PCI Express Gen 2 (5.0 GT/s) lanes.


Four Intel WGI210AT controllers provide network connectivity, and in the photo above is also a Marvell 88SE9215-NAA2 controller with support for up to four SATA III ports.


The first of the above photos is of two NCP3170 PWM controllers. The second photo shows an NCP3232N high current synchronous buck converter, and you can see two P81109G controllers near the CMOS battery in the last photo. All these components are by On Semiconductor.


An ASM1042A USB 3.0 controller handles some of the corresponding ports.


Above are an ATMEL ATmega168 micro-controller and a Fintek F75387SG H/W Monitor IC with automatic fan-speed control.


Here is a Lattice LCMX02-1200UHC FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).


The single x8 PCI Express expansion slot that holds the SATA HDD backplane is on the mainboard's solder side. Close to it are several Macronix MX25L3206E CMOS Serial Flash ICs.


Several polymer caps by Sanyo, Enesol, and probably NIC on the mainboard handle all ripple-filtering duties.


Here is the PCIe card that holds the HDDs. As you can see, Thecus reinforced the HDD backplane with a metal plate on the solder side to easily allow it to cope with the weight of five mechanical disks.


Here is the case that holds the mini-UPS battery. At its front is a small PCB with two connectors.


Utilizing an AcBel 130 W AC/DC converter (model number OT9002), Thecus used a different approach to covering the NAS sever's needs for power. Bronze certified, it also comes with a small DC-DC converter. This converter delivers what power the mainboard and all other system components require. It also takes care of charging the UPS battery.


The polymer caps on the DC-DC converter are by Sanyo and OS-CON and are of high quality.


The cooling fan is by ADDA, and its model number is AD09212UB257B00 (12V, 92 mm, 0.38 A). Using double ball-bearings, it will last for quite a long time.