QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A NAS Drive Revealed

QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A Desktop NAS

If you have been looking at the QNAP SMB range of hardware solutions in desktop, you may have noticed that there is a range between the Prosumer and Business Class that has been rather overdue for a refresh for a while The existing QNAP TS-x73 range, first released back in 2017/18 is now FINALLY due an upgrade in the form of the brand new TS-x73A series, arriving in 4-Bay, 6-Bay and 8-Bay. The new TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A are the latest NAS series to factor the popular embedded Ryzen processor, as well as some other impressive included hardware that seem to raise the bar in what users should expect at this storage tier in 2021. This accompanied with an optional ZFS choice of file system at setup and several means up upgrading the system in it’s lifespan and I can certainly see a few key ways in which these three new NAS systems are going to be popular. So, let’s talk about what to expect in the new QNAP TS-x73A series.

QNAP TS-473A	QNAP TS-673A	QNAP TS-873A

 

QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A Desktop NAS – Hardware Specifications

The hardware specifications of the new QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A are largely the same (though of course there is differences in total potential storage capacity, power consumption and size) and from what we can see, there is a real focus on upgradability. The highlights of the QNAP TS-x73A NAS range are:

• The Ryzen V1500B 4-Core Processor at 2.2Ghz per core
• Arriving with 8GB of DDR4 Memory, that can be upgraded to a whopping 64GB over 2 slots
• 4/6/8 Bays of SATA storage respectively that supports up to 18TB per bay
• Two internal M.2 NVMe SSD Bays (at PCIe Gen 3 x1 each)

 

QNAP TS-473A	QNAP TS-673A	QNAP TS-873A

• Two 2.5Gbe Copper Network Ports
• Two PCIe Upgrade Slots (PCIe Gen 3×4 each)
• 4x USB Ports (3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10G & 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5G)
• 3yrs Warranty (Extendable to 5yrs)
• Arriving with the choice of QuTS Hero ZFS or QTS EXT4 (Note, some more advanced ZFS features require 16GB Memory minimum)

A more detailed range of specifications on the QNAP TS-473a, TS-673A and TS-873A are below:

Overall, the hardware does seem to be a noticeable step up on the TS-x73 range before it, though some might argue that the lack of a graphically embedded CPU (such as the one found  in the TVS-x73e series) will be a step back.

QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A Desktop NAS – Software Specifications

The software found with the QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A NAS can be broken down into 2 sections. namely those of the advantages that QNAP QTS already bring to a business user, and then the widespread system and storage advantages that QTS hero and ZFS bring as well. For those unfamiliar with the QNAP operating system, it arrives with hundreds of free applications, can be accessed from a web browser or desktop client, arrives with many, many apps for mobile on IOS and Android and is definitely in the top two operating systems you can get for network-attached storage devices. Often compared with their biggest rival Synology NAS and DSM, QNAP QTS GUI is designed in a way that will definitely appeal more to Android and Windows users, giving you everything you will need from a network-attached storage device in 2021 and arrives with constant updates for added features and security.

Above are a few of my software overviews that cover the general GUI and system of QuTS Hero on the TS-h886, as well as RAID rebuild and storage management overviews of the system to give you some idea of what the TS-x73A range can and cannot do:

Space Saving Efficiency – Inline data deduplication, compression, and compaction reduce file size to conserve storage capacity and optimize performance.

Intelligent Memory Cache – Main memory read cache (L1 ARC), SSD second-level read cache (L2 ARC), and ZFS Intent Log (ZIL) for synchronous transactions with power fail protection are simultaneously supported to boost performance and security

RAID Z – Multiple RAID levels allow flexible capacity utilization. RAID Triple Parity and Triple Mirror deliver higher levels of data protection.

App Center – Apps for backup/sync, virtual machines/containers, content management, productivity, and more features can be used to expand the application potential of the TS-h972AX.

All in all, the fact that the QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A arrive with the option of the ZFS or EXT4 versions of the QNAP Software and GUI is a large part of what makes these NAS appealing.

QNAP TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A Desktop NAS – Release Date and Price

Given the large degree of information that is becoming available on the TS-x73A desktop NAS series, we can be confident that they will be arriving in the first quarter of 2021 (of which we are already halfway through already!). Regarding price, in all likelihood, we can see the TS-473A, TS-673A and TS-873A all arriving at the same price point (maybe a couple of % higher) than the TS-473, TS-673 and TS-873 respectively, so around the £700, £800 and £900+ mark respectively, without your local TAX. Though, until these three NAS are officially launched, you can still consider the predecessor, as it still performs well in our tests and is likely to become a pinch cheaper as this new range hits the market – win-win! Subscribe to the blog to learn more, sign up for product updates on this range by throwing your email here, or use the free NAS advice section below for free, impartial help with your data storage setup.

 

 

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  This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today’s video. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases