INTRODUCTION

   Where i live the public sector is technologically outdated to say the least (many computers still run on Windows 98, how about that?) so you can imagine how surprised i was when i visited the local town hall and saw a NAS server standing tall right next to several old systems with CRT screens. Well it turns out that this NAS server is used solely for local backup and already counts 3 years but still it was nice to see that things are progressing, even here. That being said a couple of weeks ago i mentioned that the leading NAS manufacturers like QNAP, Thecus and Synology have released several new models so it was really just a matter of time before some of them landed at our doorstep. Last time we thoroughly checked the TurboNAS TS-470 Pro by QNAP and although it's quite an expensive piece of technology it did turn out to be the fastest ever in our charts and earned the 1st place. Today we will be taking a thoroughly look at the TurboNAS TS-451 (-4G) NAS Server by QNAP which is aimed at people who just aren't interested in 10GbE compatibility and the extra firepower of the TS-470 Pro.

   QNAP Systems, Inc., as its brand promise "Quality Network Appliance Provider", aims to deliver comprehensive offerings of cutting edge network attached storage (NAS) and network video recorder (NVR) solutions featured with ease-of-use, robust operation, large storage capacity, and trustworthy reliability. QNAP integrates technologies and designs to bring forth quality products that effectively improve business efficiency on file sharing, virtualization applications, storage management and surveillance in the business environments, as well as enrich entertainment life for home users with the offering of a fun multimedia center experience. Headquartered in Taipei, QNAP delivers its solutions to the global market with nonstop innovation and passion.

   The TurboNAS TS-451 (-4G) is actually very similar in terms of specifications to the "normal" TS-470 model so here once again QNAP has used an quite powerful Celeron Dual Core CPU (model j1800) running at 2.41GHz (the OpenGL 3.0 compatible Intel(R) MESA DRI Bay Trail version 10.0 takes care of the graphics part) which they have paired with a total of 4GB DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 8GB) and 512MB of flash memory (DOM). Other features include two 1GbE RJ-45 Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI v1.4a port which can be used to output even the heaviest bitrate 3D media on your TV set. he slight "downside" with the TurboNAS TS-451 is obviously not its specifications and features but rather its enclosure and drive trays which are made out of plastic but this isn't really the first time we've seen something similar so what we're interested in more is performance.