The new-gen Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) trend has driven higher bandwidth demands for wired and wireless network connections. By integrating Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz processor and 2.5GbE connectivity, the QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS not only provides modern businesses an excellent NAS solution to upgrade to 2.5GbE environments for productive daily backup/restore tasks, but also provides gamers with ample storage for their vast game collections. Up to 5 Gbps transfer speeds can be made by setting port trunking with the two built-in 2.5GbE ports. The TS-453D also supports PCIe expansion, multi-cloud backup, cloud storage gateways, 4K HDMI output and real-time transcoding, alongside expandable storage capacity and feature-rich apps to perform as a cost-efficient, reliable 2.5GbE NAS. Get details in QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS review and comparison 2020.
Who is this for – QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS?
- Small/medium businesses that need increased storage and security from an all-in-one NAS device.
- Gamers who require high-performance multimedia, with 4K processing, built-in HDMI, built-in graphics, IR receiver capability, and dual 2.5GbE ports for high-resolution streaming
- Graphic designers and video editors who require fast, seamless 4K streaming capabilities, top quality graphics, and high-performance multimedia.
Specifications – QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS
| CPU | Intel® Celeron® J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz processor (burst up to 2.7 GHz) |
| CPU Architecture | 64-bit x86 |
| Graphic Processors | Intel® HD Graphics 600 |
| Floating Point Unit | |
| Encryption Engine | (AES-NI) |
| Hardware-accelerated Transcoding | |
| System Memory | 8 GB SO-DIMM DDR4 (2 x 4 GB) |
| Maximum Memory | 8 GB (2 x 4GB) |
| Memory Slot | 2 x SO-DIMM DDR4For dual-DIMM configuration, you must use a pair of identical DDR4 modules. |
| Flash Memory | 4GB (Dual boot OS protection) |
| Drive Bay | 4 x 3.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s, 3Gb/sThe system is shipped without HDD. For the HDD compatibility list, please visit https://www.qnap.com/compatibility/ |
| Drive Compatibility | 3.5-inch SATA hard disk drives 2.5-inch SATA hard disk drives 2.5-inch SATA solid state drives |
| Hot-swappable | |
| M.2 SSD Slot | Optional via a PCIe adapter |
| SSD Cache Acceleration Support | |
| 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Port | 2 |
| 5 Gigabit Ethernet Port | Optional via PCIe expansion card |
| 10 Gigabit Ethernet Port | Optional via PCIe expansion cardOptional via PCIe expansion card |
| Jumbo Frame | |
| PCIe Slot | 1 Slot 1: PCIe Gen 2 x4PCIe bandwidth limitations will restrict the NAS 10GbE performance. |
| USB 2.0 port | 3 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 port | 2 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Port | Optional via a PCIe expansion card |
| IR Sensor | (RM-IR004) |
| HDMI Output | 1, HDMI 2.0 (up to 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz) |
| Form Factor | Tower |
| LED Indicators | Power/Status, LAN, USB, HDD1-2 |
| Buttons | Power, USB copy, Reset |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 168 × 170 × 226 mm |
| Weight (Net) | 2.37 kg |
| Weight (Gross) | 3.6 kg |
| Operating temperature | 0 – 40 °C (32°F – 104°F) |
| Relative Humidity | 5-95% RH non-condensing, wet bulb: 27˚C (80.6˚F) |
| Power Supply Unit | 90W adapter, 100-240V |
| Power Consumption: HDD Sleep Mode | 11.3 W |
| Power Consumption: Operating Mode, Typical | 25.98 W |
| Fan | 1 x 120mm, 12VDC |
| Sound Level | 21.1 db(A) |
| System Warning | Buzzer |
| Kensington Security Slot | |
| Max. Number of Concurrent Connections (CIFS) | 800 |
QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS review
Design and build
The chassis of the TS-453D measures 16.8 × 17 × 22.6cm and is a slight re-design of the chassis used in the TS-453Be, TS-453B and TS-453BT3.
The chassis is very well contained and is likely one of the most minimalistic (at least from the front) that we have seen from the brand. QNAP has always been a NAS brand that trades very well on the subject of hardware (definitely software too – but the hardware is always ON POINT).
Ports
At the top of the front right corner we find a power button, but at the bottom right we find a USB Quick Copy button and USB 3.0 Port. Though the TS-453D features multiple USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, this one is ideally used for quick backing up / syncing of data to/from a USB External drive. This is always going to be useful to a student, working professional or simply someone that likes to add an extra layer to their backup strategy involving a removal version to be storage externally/off-site.
Plastic tray in QNAP TS-453D-4G-US 4 Bay NAS
Each bay features a click n load plastic tray that can store a 3.5″ hard drive without the use of a screwdriver/screws, as well as 2.5″ media screw holes in the base of each tray (for those that want to take advantage of faster SSD media) included with the accessories pack. The trays are pretty sturdy for plastic and each slide in quite neatly. Metal trays, though more robust, will always generate a pinch more vibration/hum from the drives installed and increase the noise level a pinch. As it stands, QNAP state that the TS-453D generates 21.1db(A) when in full use and populate with WD Red 2TBs, a pinch higher than the 19.8 dB (A) rating on the Synology DS920+, but this si alot to do with a larger degree of hardware on the QNAP and how those additional components can generate noise.
Despite the TS-453D being remarkably compact, the 4 bays, in conjunction with the very latest 16TB hard drive from Seagate (Ironwolf 16TB Ironwolf NAS Hard Disks) means that each RAID choice can provide:
- RAID 0 = 64 Terabytes of storage, with no redundancy*
- RAID 10 = 32 Terabytes of storage, with upto 2 disk redundancy*
- RAID 5 = 48 Terabytes of storage, with 1 disk redundancy*
- RAID 6 = 32 Terabytes of storage, with 2 disk redundancy*
- RAID 1 x 2 or RAID 0 x2 = 32 Terabytes of storage, with 2 disk redundancy* technically (not advised)
LED indicator
In it’s place we find the multiple LED (as you would find in most NAS) that are used to denote the power of the device, the access of the drives (one for each), the system status and general activity of the system when read/write actions are taking place. This is more than enough information for a glance to see if the device is ‘working’. as well as these LEDs being adjustable in the QTS operating system to make them brighter or dimmer/off as needed for those that are a martyr to light pollution.
Easy installation
Drives are very easy to install and can be installed/exchanged even when the device is powered on (hot swapping) but bear in mind that much of the apps and tools you run may live on the storage pool/volume you setup inside, so take care when hot-swapping disks, or introducing drives at a later date for reasons of repair or maintenance. The four HDD bays are connected on a single PCB board that sits over the rear active cooling fan of the TS-453D. Even with front panel attached, there is plenty of ventilation around the chassis of this 24×7 device.
The base of the chassis provides a tonne of ventilation (passive cooling) for the HDD/SSD media bays on the TS-453D, that is assisted by the rubberized feet lifting the NAS a few millimetres from the desktop.
The Hardware
Easily connect to your laptop via the PCIe expansion card for boosted network speeds and drive your transfer speeds for smooth 4K video streaming with the Video Streaming capability. Whatever drives you to invest in a new NAS device, you’re bound to find it in the TS-453D NAS.
We loved that the TS-453D NAS offers two high-performance LAN ports, which allowed us to use our existing cables to upgrade our network speeds effortlessly. This kind of functionality is easy to overlook for manufacturers just moving into the NAS arena, but veterans like QNAP have valuable insight that puts them ahead of the competition. As an ambitious side note, the ports also support port trunking for up to 5Gbps.
2.5Gbe
Adding 2.5Gbe on the QNAP TS-453D, as well as adding a 2nd port (so you can link aggregate and get up to 5Gbe speeds (500MB/s) from your HDD RAID is a big, big deal, especially when it arrives at a 1Gbe price tag. The Synology DS920+ (that clearly I and others will not stop making comparisons between on the 453D) upset quite a few users when it featured 1Gbe (2 ports) and no means to upgrade. Whereas the TS-453D has twin 2.5Gbe ports and even supports the connection over USB of the QNAP 5Gbe to USB Adapter mentioned earlier to add even more 5Gbe LAN ports – or connect that adapter to your PC/Mac and then have a DIRECT means to upgrade your 1Gbe host machine to up to 5Gbe, then connect to the 2.5Gbe port(s) on the NAS for 2.5x network speeds for backups, editing and more. Although QNAP were not the first to bring a 2.5Gbe standard 4-Bay NAS to market (the Asustor Nimbustor 4 had that honour), the QNAP TS-453D brings it AND other hardware jumps at a pricetag that is remarkably affordable. So, what is the next change? The HDMI.
The Software
The file searching capability of the QNAP TS-453D is fast and effective, and easily comparable to Google search functions. If searching by the title isn’t enough for you–or if you’re incredibly bored–you can also search by keyword, colour, or set your search parameters.
At a glance, playback quality using Plex Media Server varied—so expect to see a visible difference in low-quality files and where you lack the bandwidth.
The TS-453D streams seamless video through DLNA, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Google Chromecast. If you want to push the boat out further, installing Plex Media Server and signing up for PlexPass lets you take advantage of advanced software transcoding, decoding, and encoding capabilities.
Security-Backups
One of our favourite functions with QNAP’s TS line is Snapshots. This is a top of the line backup strategy for recording volume status. At the click of a few keys, you can revert to any recent snapshot for rapid recovery after a malware breach.
Hybrid Backup Sync manages your backups, file restoration, and synchronization functions from one central hub. Transfer your security data to a local folder, remote server, or cloud storage—you’ve got plenty of options—to create a robust data storage plan.
We’d like to see functionality added in the future to help Snapshots protect against disk failures—but unfortunately, that’s not in the pipeline just yet.
PCIe upgradability
Arguably though, the PCIe upgradability of the new QNAP TS-453D is something that get’s users attention in the ‘future-proofing’ department more than 4K HDMI and 2.5Gbe. The TS-453D features an available PCIe Gen 2 x2 upgrade slot (same the PCIe Gen 2×2 on the TS-453Be) that allows you to add a whole bunch of things to the NAS on day 1 or much later to improve the performance and utilization of the NAS. If the 2x 2.5Gbe are not enough for you in the base/default model, you can add 10Gbe, or more 5Gbe/2Gbe ports if you want. If the HDD speed inside is not hitting those top read/write benchmarks you need?
Why not add an m.2 SSD card that supports SATA or NVMe SSDs to improve your speeds with caching, or use them as raw storage pools. Why choose between them, when you can add a QNAP QM2 card that has BOTH 10Gbe and NVMe SSD caching bays to give a huge boost to both internal AND external speeds as needed. QNAP has been including PCIe expandability on many of their home NAS 2/4 Bay devices to large amounts of success and it’s something has lost Synology alot of market share in terms of SMB users and the need to maximize the investment in the longterm of their hardware. Just remember that PCIe 2X2 will give you around 1000MB/s transfer speeds, so this may well present a bottleneck to more enterprising cards.