CONCLUSION

   When QNAP released the very first AMD based NAS models last year we were all quite interested to see just what kind of performance they could deliver. It did take some time for us to get an AMD based model (of course we got one of the latest ones) but we do like what we see so far. Overall performance is right next to some of the best numbers we’ve recorded to date (always do keep in mind that if you end up using 8 SSDs instead of 8 HDDs you will get 4-5 times our recorded performance) and although once again the SSD cache feature doesn’t seem to help with read and write performance it does help with the overall responsiveness of the NAS when using various apps (just remember to use the bundled heatsinks on the M.2 SSD if you decide on using one – of course we recommend getting a full sized heatsink for optimal results). Power consumption and noise levels were also beneath what we were expecting from such a high-end NAS so kudos to QNAP for that (and AMD of course). Unfortunately although QNAP almost always sends their 8GB models so RAM is not an “unstable” factor in our tests this wasn’t the case with the TVS-873E-4G and although for most uses 4GB is plenty we fear that for some including heavy 4k media playback it’s not quite enough. We also didn’t expect that the XT540-AT2 10GbE card which we have here wouldn’t be compatible with this specific model (faces down instead of up) so it’s a good thing QNAP supplied us with the newest X550 card.

   8 bay SMB (small business) oriented NAS servers never come cheap and although the TVS-873E-4G costs slightly less than what we were expecting still with a price tag of USD1205.92 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 1174Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) it’s definitely far from what most of you out there would call affordable. Still for business owners price is not the decisive factor and so at the end of the day performance, available bays (total capacity), connectivity and features matter most and since the TVS-873E-4GB does extremely well in all of those areas it’s certainly worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Quad Core AMD RX-421BD Embedded R-Series SOC With Radeon R7
- Top of the Charts Performance
- RAM Expandable To 64GB
- 4 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Ports
- 10/40GbE Ready (Via PCIe Card)
- 2 M.2 2260/2280 Ports
- 2 PCIe Slots (Gen3x4)
- 4 USB 3.0 Ports
- USB 3.0 Host Port
- 2 HDMI v1.4b Outputs
- Audible Warnings (2 Speakers)
- Dual 3.5mm Microphone Jacks
- 3.5mm Audio Line Out
- RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60/JBOD + Hot Spare/Global Spare Support
- Power Consumption
- Noise Levels
- QNAP QTS
- Android Apps

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Problems With 4k Playback (4GB or KODI Support?)
- KODI Still Not Supported (No Equivalent Either)