Introduction

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



The TS-453A is a NAS for small or medium-sized businesses or enthusiasts looking for a file-server with multimedia capabilities. QNAP's NAS uses Intel's Celeron N3150 CPU because it's powerful enough and very energy efficient, which is important since a NAS usually operates around the clock. As such, it has to consume very little power and be reliable. Given its low power consumption, it won't add to your electricity bill significantly or produce much heat. Without a lot of heat output, it will also be quiet.

QNAP is a true believer in NAS servers also being capable multimedia players, which has the company equip its high-end offerings with HDMI ports. The TS-453A comes with two HDMI ports since it can play the role of a multimedia player and an independent PC once you've connect all the necessary peripheral devices (keyboard, mouse, and monitor). The QTS 4.21 also makes installing Ubuntu, a Linux distribution, very easy, which transforms the NAS into a fully featured PC. You can install any operating system through Virtualization Station, but QNAP says Ubuntu to be incredibly easy to install because of Linux Station.

Since karaoke is very popular in Asia, QNAP equipped the TS-453A with two 6.3mm dynamic microphone jacks and a 20-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This NAS even has an audio line-out port that is controlled by a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Specifications

QNAP's NAS uses Intel's Braswell N3050 CPU, a CPU with a very low TDP of 6 W and support for up to 8 GB of memory. There are also two versions of the TS453A, one with 8 GB and another with 4 GB of memory. There are even four Ethernet ports, which is way too many for a NAS with such a weak CPU.

The I/O is consists of four USB 3.0 ports, two microphone jacks, a line out, and two HDMI 1.4a ports. QNAP's HDMI ports allow you to connect two monitors to this NAS, which is useful should you want to use this NAS as a dedicated PC.

This NAS is quite small for a 4-bay NAS because it uses an external 96 W PSU, which is enough. According to QNAP, power consumption is very low, but we will have to verify those claims with our own equipment. Cooling is handled by a single 120 mm fan that is actually mostly used to cool the HDDs down because of the CPU's low TDP.

At $750, the TS-453A is quite expensive, and it seems as though you will have to pay a premium for its enhanced multimedia capabilities. As with most other NAS servers, its warranty is only two years long.

Packaging

The box is out of cardboard and lacks any fancy graphics. It will do its job, though, by protecting its expensive contents well. A sticker on it lists what's inside and cites the server's features and technical characteristics.


Several icons on this side go over some of the NAS's more important features.

Contents & Bundle

A welcome message will greet you once you open the top flap of the box. Inside, the unit is well-protected by two large foam spacers. It is also inside a plastic bag for some additional protection.


A small box contains all the accessories and the power brick. The bundle includes two sets of screws for mounting the HDDs to their trays, two Ethernet cables, and a quick start manual.


Since this is a NAS with great multimedia capabilities, QNAP equipped it with a small but functional remote control.


The power brick is by FSP, and its model number is FSP096-AHAN2. It can deliver up to 96 W, which is easily enough to cover the needs of this NAS server.

Exterior

The TS-453A's design is similar to that of other high-end QNAP NAS models since it uses the same metal enclosure. Its brushed finish on top and on its sides is of high quality, and the enclosure's round edges look good. Its externals look appealing, and the LCD screen is a nice modern touch. A USB 3.0 port that is literally surrounded by the "copy" button and the power switch have been put into the front's bottom-left corner.


A label at the front shows that this NAS support QTS and the Ubuntu Linux distribution through QNAP's Virtualized Personal Computer (QvPC) technology. The LCD above QNAP's HDD trays has three LED indicators (Status, USB, and LAN), and a button opposite to those even allows you to perform several basic administrative tasks. These include getting the NAS's IP address, checking on the system's 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 on which HDD has been put into which tray, and another, much larger decal provides the cloud key one would use to create one's own personal cloud.


Four plastic stands are installed at the bottom, and there is also a small label with the model number and its power-input specifications. The label mentions Taiwan as the country of manufacture. Two stickers below it label mention the Ethernet ports' MAC address.


A large fan grille takes up most of the real estate in the rear. Above it are the two 6.3 mm jacks for dynamic microphones and the audio line-out. To the right of those are the reset button, recessed into the chassis, and a service port. There are also two HDMI 1.4a ports, three USB 3.0 ports, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports on this side, and the DC input socket has been put into the bottom-right corner.


We removed the trays for a photo of the NAS's internals before completely taking the NAS apart.


The trays support 3.5" and 2.5" disks and are of good quality. There are unfortunately no locks, which are very important to business environments, or any anti-vibration materials. Thankfully, these trays are made out of metal, which should make them sturdy enough to prevent HDDs from vibrating. However, some rubber lining or other such measure would have further improved their sound-dampening capabilities.

A Look Inside

It's time now to strip this NAS down to discover what components it hides inside.


Breaking apart this NAS was relatively easy, but we had to remove a lot screws and some of them where rather hard to reach.


The metal chassis is sturdy and holds the LCD screen.


A Microchip PIC16F73 8-bit microcontroller takes care of the LCD screen's functionality.


The mainboard is small, but holds enough controllers and ICs to get the job done well.


The mainboard's solder side looks rather empty.


There are two RAM slots on the back of the motherboard. With the TS-453A-8G, both RAM slots are occupied by DDR3L ADATA 1600 MHz DIMMs.


The CPU is an Intel Celeron N3150 with four cores that run at 1.6 GHz and can burst to frequencies of 2.08 GHz. This CPU's TDP is only 6 W, so there is no need for active cooling. The tall heatsink will do just fine without a fan. Intel's CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory and Intel's Quick Sync Video technology, which will allow this SOC to handle video conversions well.


Very close to the CPU is a Texas Instruments SN74LVC07A Hex Buffer/Driver.


Next to the CPU are three power phases that cover its power needs. Each phase uses two Fairchild FETs and Chemi-Con and Sanyo polymer caps.


There are Chemi-Con polymer and several Sanyo caps. Both of these brands are known for their high quality products, and we were pleased to see QNAP use reliable capacitors with such an expensive NAS.


This VRM probably feeds the RAM slots with power.


In total, four Intel WGI210AT Ethernet controllers are used. Two of these are on the mainboard's solder side, while the other two are on its primary side.


A SATA expansion card occupies the mainboard's only PCIe port.


Here is the PCIe expansion card that hosts all four SATA ports.


On the SATA expansion card are an ASMedia ASM1466 Serial ATA repeater, which is capable of a bandwidth of up to 6 Gbps, and two Marvell 88SE9215-NAA2 controllers.


An ITE IT8528E is used on the mainboard.


The flash memory has a capacity of 512 MB and is by Toshiba. Its model number is TC58NVG2S0FTA00.


Here is a photo of both SN75DP139 ICs for HDMI 1.4a compliance.


This is the first time we see a NAS with a dedicated soundcard.


A Realtek ALC262 is the audio codec. It is a basic audio IC with support for 2+2 channels.


This audio card uses a LM358 dual-operational power amplifier and a AMS1117 voltage regulator.


An ADM202EARNZ is the RS-232 driver. It most most likely controls the NAS's service port.


Here is a Macronic MX25U6435F Serial Flash module.


Here are the power and copy buttons.


The fan is by YS. Tech, and its model number is FD121225LB (120 mm, 12 V, 0.18 A, 1800 RPM, 73 CFM, 34 dBA, 80,000 h MTBF). It uses ball bearings and will, as such, last fairly long.

Software

We installed Qfinder on a PC that belongs to the same network as the NAS before proceeding. Qfinder will find every QNAP server on the network if you don't know its IP address or want to set the NAS up without the cloud. Qfinder can also check for any available firmware updates since QNAP releases firmware updates quite often. You can even map network drives, search for network cameras, or shutdown or restart the NAS, or perform other such useful functions.