QNAP Intros New Silent NAS Series Server

[exfileme]

This NAS solution looks like a set-top-box.

QNAP Intros New Silent NAS Series Server : Read more

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

I can't NOT react negatively to prebuilt NASes anymore. They have weak hardware, they're not flexible, they are overpriced. I built my own NAS that's running Windows 7 (can do Linux but CBA) and not only it's extremely versatile but it also saved me when my main PC was broken, since even an AMD E-450 allows to do most of office and browser tasks when paired with an SSD.


Now, look at the specs of this QNAP NAS... one of our clients has a similar one. Default firmware is limited crap - NAS has two Ethernet ports, can't use them for routing. Installed Debian - works great, but the processor power is pathetic. Want to run a print server? You can't - this chip (probably weaker than what's in my Samsung Galaxy S1) chokes on rendering one A4 page of plain text. Upgrade it with USB 3.0? Nope, of course you can't. And a million other small issues a custom-build NAS would be able to avoid...


Enthusiasts: build your own. Businesses: get your IT department to. They'll have fun, you'll have a more flexible device that will run into less issues. Hell, it might even end up being cheaper! I see that the hardware of this particular model is much better, but I still won't trust something as limited compared to a customized Mini-ITX build. As one of my colleagues said, "the only advantage this thing has is nice hot-swap bays". And how often do you *really* swap drives in your NAS?