CONCLUSION

   The SilentNAS HS-251 NAS model by QNAP which passed through our lab a while back managed to be completely silent without compromising much both in terms of performance and features. Well the TurboNAS TS-453Mini takes things several steps forward and although it may not be as quiet since there's a small exhaust fan inside the enclosure (during 99% of our tests dBA were far below 40) it manages to compete with models that cost twice as much or more and does so without using much space and electricity. Personally i think that QNAP would be better off using a silent 120/140mm intake fan at the base of the enclosure since this one although silent 90% of the time it just doesn't seem to provide very good cooling to the drives (still even with 4 drives mounted they never exceeded 56 degrees Celsius at load). A couple of people visiting our lab pointed out that not many would like to use a NAS server that features an enclosure covered with hard plastic but i happen to disagree since the TS-453Mini looks great and can blend pretty much everywhere in the house (unlike regular NAS models). Also as many of you have noticed this time over we decided to showcase part of QNAPs virtualization station and although i have to admit that it's not as fast as a desktop PC system when running Windows 7 Ultimate (that's what we loaded it with) still it provides extra possibilities for people who may need to run Windows or any other OS. Unfortunately however things didn't go perfect since we found ourselves unable to use the latest versions of QNAPs android apps neither with the TS-453Mini nor with the TS-871U-RP which we use in the lab (since it happened with both NAS my bet is that it's a glitch in the latest versions).

   The TS-453Mini by QNAP is currently available in two versions, one with 2GB of RAM and the one we tested today which comes with 8GB of RAM. The 2GB version retails for USD529 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 490Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) while the 8GB version retails for USD669 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 650Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Normally I’d say go for the 2GB version and if that’s not enough get 8GB extra and put the 2GB aside (it’d still be cheaper that way). However QNAP tests every single unit they ship to ensure 100% compatibility between modules and since I’ve used many after-market memory modules with many NAS servers only to come across several problems later on I think that the extra money are well spend (if QNAP however could reduce the price gap between the 2GB and 8GB models in the near future we wouldn’t complain). Overall the TurboNAS TS-453Mini has it all. It’s completely silent most of the time, can blend in pretty much everywhere due to its design and size, has a very long list of features and ontop of that it performs remarkably well (it’s a shame that it’s not 10GbE compatible) so we really have no reason to deny it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Intel Celeron J1900 Quad Core CPU
- Excellent Performance
- Features
- 8GB DDR3L RAM (Our Sample)
- Design/Size
- Tool-Less Drive Trays (3.5" Drives)
- Bundled IR Remote
- Power Consumption / Noise Levels
- 2 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- 3 USB 3.0 Ports & 2 USB 2.0 Ports
- HDMI v1.4a Output
- RAID 0/1/5/6/10/5 + Hot Spare
- SATA III (6Gb/s)
- QTS 4.2 OS

CONS

- Temperatures Could Be Better
- Magnetic Top (Makes Noise)