QNAP TVS-872N 8-bay NAS Review

1. Introduction2. QNAP TVS-872N / Packaging & Bundle3. QNAP TVS872N / Design4. QNAP QTS5. Usability6. Testing Methodology7. ATTO Disk Benchmark8. Intel NASPT9. Backup / Restore10. Encryption Performance11. Workload Scenarios12. Real Life File Testing13. Power14. Closing Thoughts15. View All Pages

The TVS-872N is another member of QNAP's large and ever-growing range of SMB-focused NAS units and is one of only two units in the TVS-*72N product line-up, the other being the 6-bay TVS-672N.

At the heart of the TVS-872N-i3-8G (to use its full name) is an Intel Core i3 8100T 3.1GHz quad-core processor backed by 8GB of DDR4-2666 memory. If you should feel the need to add more, then the motherboard supports up to 32GB of memory via a pair of SODIMM slots.

There’s a good degree of future-proofing built into the TVS-872N, as along with its integrated 5/2.5GbE networking support there are a pair of PCIe slots (x16 and x4) and a pair of NVMe M.2 slots supporting 2280 format SSDs for data caching duties. When it comes to USB ports you might be stuck for choice as it comes with USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and USB 3.0 Type-A ports.

Should you need more capacity than the 128TB (currently 8 x 16TB) the main storage bays provide, then no problem as the TVS-872N is supported by a number of QNAP expansion enclosures using USB 3.1Gen2 or USB 3.0 interfaces. The NAS can support a maximum of two of these expansion units.

The TR-002 is a 2-bay tower unit using a USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-C) interface supporting hard drives up to and including 16TB. It also supports 2.5in HDD and SATA SSD's. As the model number suggests, the TR-004 supports four drives but using a USB 3.0 (Type-C) connection. If you want even more capacity then there are two supported UX-*00P expansion units that use a USB 3.0 Type-B interface. The UX-500P comes with five bays and the UX-800P, eight. Finally, there is the TR-004U which is a four-bay rackmount enclosure that uses a USB 3.0 Type-C port.

QNAP's QTS OS is quick and easy to install with a graphically rich interface. It offers both quick and easy to use solutions for the first time user but also delving beneath the surface reveals a whole host of features for the more advanced users. This includes setting up and maintaining network traffic distribution and tiered storage for data-heavy environments.

A very usual tool for business in the QTS armoury is HBS 3 (which can be downloaded from the App Center). HBS 3 is a powerful and comprehensive backup and data recovery tool that consolidates backup, restoration, and synchronisation into a single app. With it, you can back up data from the NAS to several locations; local, remote and cloud storage. It also features QuDedup technology which deduplicates the data at the source helping to reduce storage space, bandwidth usage and perhaps most importantly, reducing the time it takes to perform any backups.

We found the TVS-872N-i3-8G on Span.com for £1,865.60 (inc VAT) HERE.

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Pros

• Integrated 5/2.5GbE.
• 2 PCIe slots.
• NVMe M.2 SSD support.
• Multiple types of USB ports.

Cons

• Pricey.

KitGuru says: QNAP's TVS-872N is a very well featured 8-bay NAS which comes with fast 5GbE networking built-in and has the ability to support even faster connection speeds using one of the two PCIe Gen3 slots. With two M.2 NVMe slots supporting SSD caching, multiple types of USB connectivity and the ability to expand the storage space beyond the internal bays, the TVS-872N could remain at the heart of a small/medium business for many years.

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