The QNAP TS-453BT3 is a medium format NAS designed for small office storage, but also for those who need multiple connections to a large storage.
In this the TS-453BT3 improves on the TS-453B, tested a year ago, introducing a Thunderbolt 3 connection that definitely changes the cards on the table.
QNAP TS-453BT3, the review
A fashionable design
Out of the box the QNAP TS-453BT3 looks sober, compact and with an eye to design, thanks to the front plastic cover that hides the four 3.5 ″ sleds.
On the front there are a USB-A port, two Thunderbolt 3 (compatible with USB-C), the front LEDs and the power and direct copy buttons.
Also on the front, a small display helps the basic operations of the NAS even when there is no computer connected: the display is covered by the plastic cover, but the LED character light emerges showing the information and not the footprint of the display. .
The rear is richer: four USB-A, two Gigabit Ethernet, two HDMI and audio inputs and outputs, plus a 10GBASE-T network expansion card, which offers ultra-high-speed network connectivity (only with Mac / Compatible PCs and switches, in the Mac environment only the iMac Pro, the new Mac Pro and the Mac mini can use this technology) and inevitably a large rear fan to ensure that the internal temperature does not exceed the permitted values.
Chatty, but very helpful
The NAS arrived in the editorial office with four 250 Gb Western Digital WD Re Enterprise-class disks inside, a type of disks now little used because it was replaced by WD Gold models, but which for years have faithfully served many IT managers.
At the first start we were greeted by the now usual QNAP voice that warns us of the most important things, such as the successful start-up, any problems and shutdown (but as we will see also in case of connection with an external device), a curious feature that for those who have several NAS it can become useful to intervene promptly in case of problems even if not in front of the computer.
To test the QNAP TS-453BT3 we also wanted to configure it differently with more capable drives, trying the new WD RED 12 TB that just arrived in the editorial office. It's not our first 12 TB, but having all that space in one hand still has a certain effect.
In all the tests we did of configuring the various types of RAID, the QNAP TS-453BT3 performed really well by offering very painstaking customizations of various types, with also the now not new but always useful possibility of using two SSD drives on SATA ports Ultra-high speed M.2 as a cache drive, dramatically improving reaction times to common files.
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Thunderclap
Despite the undoubted capabilities of the QNAP TS-453BT3 both under the aspect of disk and volume management, as well as communication ports (and active services, on which we return later), the attention of this model turns above all in the presence of two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a type of connection that, despite the news of the last few days, together with USB-C is definitely changing the world of peripherals in general.
Thanks to the Thunderbolt 3 connection, in fact, not only is it possible to use high-speed external expansion units (the thought runs fast to the QNAP TR-002, which we talked about recently), but above all it is possible to connect the NAS directly to a Mac or PC with Thunderbolt 3 port (virtually all new Macs and several high-end or gaming PCs).
The connection provides a totally automatic setup that the NAS starts once it notices the Thunderbolt cable connected to the Mac, operations that are carried out only the first time and that only provide the access data of a NAS user.
QTS, beating heart but maybe too much
The latest analysis is for QTS, here in version 4.3, the software core of QNAP and undoubtedly one of the most mature NAS operating systems on the market.
The writer has on several occasions praised QTS, which for flexibility, power and ability to manage all aspects of a NAS is, without beating about the bush, phenomenal. QTS offers very beautiful and very detailed management tools, perhaps not all within the reach of the common user but certainly in most cases affordable even by those who are not in the trade, with among other things a very complete App Store.
Only note, a decided complexity even in the simplest operations, which certainly leads to a painstaking and precise result, but which is often redundant in the questions even for fairly simple questions.
Ultimately, a few more automatisms would be welcome, with more details only on request, at least on models like this one.
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Considerations
The QNAP TS-453BT3 is, without a doubt, an excellent NAS for the office and for those who want a model at home without any compromise, perhaps with an eye to Thunderbolt 3 which never hurts.
Silent, powerful, affable and, not just a habit, elegant in form, it looks great in an office that is as attentive to details as in the living room, in plain sight next to the TV (perhaps taking advantage of the HDMI ports, or perhaps with Plex of an Apple TV available).
The price is high, no doubt about it, but considering that it comes with a 10GbE Ethernet port and two M.2 SSD slots (in addition to the 4 sleds for the disks), everything appears more compliant with the proposal.
Pro:
• Intriguing design • Dual Thunderbolt 3 connection • 10GbE port • Two M.2 slots for SSD
Cons:
• QTS could get easier • Important price
Price:
• (approximately) 1,198.40 Euro
Users can find TS – 453BT3 (link to product sheet here) in QNAP authorized chains, or directly online at Amazon.it. During this review we used Western Digital WD Re 250Gb and WD Red 12TB drives. We recommend, as with all NAS, not to skimp on the purchase of disks and to opt for dedicated drives for NAS.
