Closer Look: QNAP TS-809 Pro

The QNAP TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS is by far the largest network storage appliance Benchmark Reviews has ever tested. Measuring 10.63"(D)x7.87"(W)x11.73"(H), the TS-809 Pro is enclosed in a titanium-painted steel chassis. This mega-capacity NAS weighs 18 pounds empty, and bulks up to almost 20 pounds once it's filled with eight hard drives. Despite its size in relation to other NAS products, the TS-809 Pro actually appears small when compared to pedestal server enclosures.

QNAP has kept the front panel clutter to a minimum on the TS-809 Pro, with basic information displayed on the LCD screen and few buttons placed on the bezel. A single power button and USB (2.0) copy port are located along the lower left corner of the Turbo NAS, with eight removable drive trays illuminating a green LED when a SATA HDD/SSD is in position.

The LCD panel offers general information, and a two-button Enter/Select key allows for basic navigation. Beneath the LCD screen there are three colored LED lights, which indicate status on the TS-809 Pro, LAN Ethernet activity, and if a USB device is connected to the Turbo NAS.

An Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor and 2GB of DDR2 memory make up the system hardware for this large NAS, and keep performance at it's peak.

QNAP uses a steel-framed tray with black plastic latches for each of the eight drive bays on the TS-809 Pro. Each tray stands vertically and slides smoothly into the NAS. If additional security is desired, the barrel lock can secure the drive in place.

The eight SATA drives can be installed in RAID-0/1/5/6/5+Spare, and JBOD configurations; all featuring iSCSI target services and AES 256-bit volume-based encryption.

There are no ventilation holes on any of the sides (or top and bottom) of the QNAP TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS. The only entry point for cool air is the drive bay trays, which then exhaust heated air out through two 120mm cooling fans positioned at the rear of the unit.

The integrated 350W mATX power supply unit lacks a power switch, but auto-senses 100-240V AC power on 47-63Hz cycles. A single 36mm fan keeps the power supply running cool.

Dual Gigabit Ethernet NICs are available on the TS-809 Pro, with a total of four USB 2.0 ports beside them. A DB-9 (RS-232) serial and D-Sub analog VGA ports are also available at the rear of the Turbo NAS, however they came covered with plastic caps on our test unit. A Kensington lock hole is also available, allowing administrators to tether the nearly 20LB NAS to a nearby surface.

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