CONCLUSION

   When I heard that QNAP was releasing a new NAS model based on a CPU made by an unknown manufacturer (and a model very similar to some used in smartphones and tablets) I obviously had my doubts as I’m sure any person would. Well after using the TS-531P-8G for almost 2 months I can say that although I’d still favor an Intel Core i3/i5 CPU over the Alpine AL-314 there’s not really any noticeable performance difference when compared to other CPUs. Unfortunately where the CPU does make a huge difference is media playback via HDMI but since the TS-531P doesn’t come with such a port (perhaps not so much of a coincidence) we can’t really test that. I was also glad to see that QNAP gave the TS-531P a PCIe port thus allowing it to be used with 10GbE equipment something which will clearly benefit demanding users, offices and even small businesses. Thanks to the 120mm intake fan noise levels were surprisingly low so also do take this into consideration if you’re out in the market looking for a new NAS with many bays and you do care about noise.

   Most people believe that the CPU is what skyrockets the price of a NAS but leaving out the really “expensive” Intel Core i3/i5 models most others don’t influence price that much. This is why although the TS-531P-8G uses a CPU by an unknown manufacturer (Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-314) it still retails for USD698.40 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 598Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course the 10GbE SFP+ card is not included in the price and so if you also need that it will set you back another USD149.99/135Euros. Long story short the TS-531P is a complete NAS server aimed at offices and small businesses since the lack of an HDMI output will disappoint home users (that’s not to say you can’t use it in a home however) and since its performance is surprisingly good, supports 10GbE by adding the compatible card and it also offers the same set of features as its bigger brothers it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Annapurna Labs AL-314 Quad Core CPU
- Very Good Performance
- Features
- 8GB DDR3L RAM (Expandable To 16GB)
- Power Consumption / Noise Levels
- PCIe Gen2x4 Slot (10GbE)
- 4 Gigabit Ethernet Ports (Support Link Aggregation)
- 3 USB 3.0 Ports
- RAID 0/1/5/6/10 + hot spare
- SATA III (6Gb/s)
- QTS 4.2.1 OS

CONS

- No HDMI Output
- Annapurna Labs (Compared To Intel and AMD)